Eeep: mould?

Hey all, went to use my scope for the firt time in a while (only had it about 5 years) ... when I noticed the end if looking a bit scary/hairy.

Can anyone tell (from this lowres phone pic) if this is mould, dust or other? Also, what should I do? Clean it, take it the my local telecope shop for them to clean it proper? It isn't affecting pics, but worried it could turn into something real nasty, if it's not too late.

Thanks,
Daniel

It's lens fungus , bad deal ! See if you can have it cleaned professionally . Fungus has to be killed, if not it will return . Sorry to hear about your scope . Did you pay alot for it ?

Celestron wrote in post #18008167
Fungus has to be killed, if not it will return .

It's in the air. It will return. There is no other possibility.

What you can do is adopt conditions to discourage fungal growth. The main thing is to keep gear at a low humidity.

Little late for that suggestion however it would have been good in the beginning. Right now he wants to know what it is and if it can be repaired , which is why I suggested professionally cleaned if possible.

Give Bintel a call. I have a feeling that they do (did) it as a service. If not, they'll offer useful advice and sell a suitable coating friendly, cleaning solution.

To prevent it, buy a dewstrap. That will keep the objective dry and not give the mould a chance to get started. Don't put the scope away while it's still damp from dew.

Steve.

Thanks all, you rock!

I always give my scope 30min our more, after bringing back inside, before putting the lens caps back on and packing up.

However, the spare room it stays in, is quite damp and doesn't get a lot of fresh air. Will have to find somewhere else to store it too once cleaned.

Will call bintel and go from there, thanks again!

What brand is your scope ? I see it has the fpl-53 glass. That's the better color correction glass . Shame for that to have any fungus problems.

Celestron wrote in post #18008292
Little late for that suggestion however it would have been good in the beginning. Right now he wants to know what it is and if it can be repaired , which is why I suggested professionally cleaned if possible.

You claimed that fungus needs to be killed or it will return, and that is incorrect.

Fungus is like mold and mildew . If it's not killed out it will grow back . Do some research on Google and you'll find what I said is correct.

Once cleaned thoroughly you'll want to take steps to improve storage conditions. Mold and fungus require moisture to thrive. Pick up some silica gel desiccant packs to store with your scope. And as suggested above, never box up a damp telescope or lens. Allow it air dry before packing it away.

Hey Celestron, the scope is an Orion ED80T CF ... very fond of this little guy. Just call Bintel, they said to bring it in ... though if it has fungus throughout it won't be god news. I've checked and to me I can only see it on the very front/outer glass, so hoping it will make it. Will let you all know how it goes. Thanks again!

Archibald wrote in post #18008723
You claimed that fungus needs to be killed or it will return, and that is incorrect.

Mold and fungal spores absolutely have to be eradicated from a system otherwise it's very likely it will redevelop, you can even remove the mold and fungus itself and it'll still come back if you do not kill off the spores. The spores are the more worrisome part, they reproduce asexually and can survive in less than ideal conditions whereas the individual mold/fungus needs certain stable conditions to reproduce sexually.

The entire scope needs to be cleaned and stored in dry conditions with a stable temperature, it's very likely that the entire scope has been infiltrated and it's grown throughout. If you live in a humid place you need to store it in a case with lots of desiccant packs, I'd even go so far as to buy a large vacuum bag that you can pull the air out of for storage.

pdxbenedetti wrote in post #18010387
Mold and fungal spores absolutely have to be eradicated from a system otherwise it's very likely it will redevelop, you can even remove the mold and fungus itself and it'll still come back if you do not kill off the spores. The spores are the more worrisome part, they reproduce asexually and can survive in less than ideal conditions whereas the individual mold/fungus needs certain stable conditions to reproduce sexually.

The entire scope needs to be cleaned and stored in dry conditions with a stable temperature, it's very likely that the entire scope has been infiltrated and it's grown throughout. If you live in a humid place you need to store it in a case with lots of desiccant packs, I'd even go so far as to buy a large vacuum bag that you can pull the air out of for storage.

Good luck with that. Fungus spores are everywhere in the air and will reinfect your gear almost immediately.

Silica gel and sealed bags can be very useful in preventing growth of fungus. However, the silica gel needs to be in the dry state. This approach will work fine if you manage the desiccant properly (you need to monitor the SG and regenerate when needed). For most, a dehumidifier and managing the temperature will be more practical.

Archibald wrote in post #18010516
Good luck with that. Fungus spores are everywhere in the air and will reinfect your gear almost immediately.

Silica gel and sealed bags can be very useful in preventing growth of fungus. However, the silica gel needs to be in the dry state. This approach will work fine if you manage the desiccant properly (you need to monitor the SG and regenerate when needed). For most, a dehumidifier and managing the temperature will be more practical.

Archibald is right. It doesn't hurt to remove the fungus and mold, but the source of the spores is the air. Unless you clean the lens and store it in a special room that has the air filtered and treated, the lens will be exposed to new spores as soon as you are finished cleaning it. The only way to prevent new problems is to store the lens in a dry, temperature controlled environment.

Tim

Heya all,

Quick update: took it in to bintel on Saturday, they gave it a clean and looked down the inside. It came up great! I bought some silica gel satchels and will buy some lens cleaner when it's back in stock.

Will keep an eye on it and see how it goes, thanks again for all the info!

- Daniel