Re: Cotton wool for lens cleaning

Posted by Daniel James White on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Cotton-wool-for-lens-cleaning-tp6175236p6176919.html

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
*****

On Mar 16, 2011, at 6:16 AM, CONFOCALMICROSCOPY automatic digest system wrote:

>
> Date:    Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:03:31 -0400
> From:    "Aleksandrs Spurmanis, Mr." <[hidden email]>
> Subject: Cotton wool for lens cleaning
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=3Dconfocalmicroscopy
> *****
>
> Dear list,
>
> The current practice at our facility is to inspect and clean the  objective=
> s of our scopes periodically (approx. once every 2-3 months for each scope)=
> using lens paper wrapped around small clean-room swabs.  I had noticed, ho=
> wever, that the field service technicians who run the PMs on our instrument=
> s tend to use 100% cotton wool (which I understand to be essentially the sa=
> me material as your basic 100% cotton ball in the pharmacy) and are able to=
> service our lenses in a much more efficient manner (read: waayyy quicker) =
> than myself using my current methods.  In the interests of improving my mai=
> ntenance efficiency, I've been considering trying this out myself but wante=
> d to check in with the list to see if anyone can share their experiences, i=
> nsights or advice before proceeding.  My main concern is that the cotton mi=
> ght contribute to premature wear on the lens coating.  As cleaning solvents=
> , I use either Glass Plus, anhydrous ethanol and/or water.

Here is what we do...

https://ifn.mpi-cbg.de/wiki/ifn/index.php/Clean_objective_lens

Zeiss and API both use clean cotton wool wrapped onto a wooden stick,
self made or commercial versions.

If you use these, then only roll the cotton wool over the glass surface - NO SCRUBBING or other aggressive scraping or gouging.
Finish off the cleaning using a quality lens cleaning tissue paper - never a kim wipe etc.  (contains particles of hard minerals)
with 70& ethanol or 4:1 Ether:Ethanol.

Some like to use chloroform... but we can't use it outside a fume hood, so its not an option.

For Water dipping lenses that go into PBS or other buffers use a tris pH8 buffered 0.5 M EDTA / EGTA solution to dissolve Ca-phosophate residues
BEFORE you use a cotton bud or tissue.

I find that using a stereo microscope with a ring light around the stereo scope's objective
is the only way to really see of the glass surface of the lens is clean.

You have to look at it with some magnification with angled illumination to see the dirt.

cheers

Dan

>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Aleksandrs J. Spurmanis
> Microscopy Specialist
> Imaging Facility
> McGill University Life Sciences Complex
> Francesco Bellini Building
> 3649 Sir William Osler
> Suite 137
> Montreal, QC
> H3G 0B1
> tel.:  [phone]
> fax:  [phone]
> [hidden email]
> http://www.mcgill.ca/lifesciencescomplex/core/imaging/

Dr. Daniel James White BSc. (Hons.) PhD
Senior Microscopist / Image Visualisation, Processing and Analysis
Light Microscopy and Image Processing Facilities
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Pfotenhauerstrasse 108
01307 DRESDEN
Germany

[phone] (German Mobile)
[phone] (Work phone at MPI-CBG)
[phone] (Fax MPI-CBG LMF)

http://www.bioimagexd.net  BioImageXD
http://pacific.mpi-cbg.de                Fiji -  is just ImageJ (Batteries Included)
http://www.chalkie.org.uk                Dan's Homepages
https://ifn.mpi-cbg.de  Dresden Imaging Facility Network
dan (at) chalkie.org.uk
( white (at) mpi-cbg.de )