Like every precision mechanical product, microscopes will last longer and provide better performance if cleaned and lubricated at regular intervals. The actual work involved is simple and not so time-consuming. After long use of the instrument, overhauling, cleaning and lubricating are required, and major defects come from forced movement especially when grease dried or fixed dirt on the slide way surfaces between coarse adjustment metal and fine adjustment block, eventually wear out the teeth of the gears until no movement.
After long
use of your microscope, lens are covered by fixed dust, dirt
and film and under the worst condition, such as high humidity,
the inner lens surfaces may get moldy.
However, the surfaces with
bacteria grown are already eroded in the glass materials and cannot
be cleaned or re-ground by your hands and should be returned
to the manufacturer. Optical glasses are generally softer than window glass
so gentle touch is required. In many cases lens are cemented
with adhesive materials, so too much use of solvent materials is
not good. If you wish to attempt to take lens-element or
lens group apart from the frame, after cleaning they should be
returned to the correct place in order, but this is allowed
only for eyepieces and not for the objectives.
Eyepieces
Objectives
Usually, lens surfaces of the objectives are smaller than eyepieces, for checking dirt or crack on the surface is recommended to use a magnifying glass.
In some cases, higher power objectives such as 40x and 100x oil objectives, top lens is made of very soft glass, so clean these objectives meticulously.
Condenser
Mirror
Mirror surfaces should be cleaned with distilled
water or xylene. Spray a little of the liquids and always
wipe dry promptly. 출처:
KYOWA OPTICAL CO.,LTD.
