Portable Field Microscope Maintenance
When purchasing microscopes, it is only vital that you consider the quality of the apparatus which you are buying. This is in order for you, at the very least, to be assured that you are buying something which in the long run could be your investment provided if it lasts long in a good condition. However, as the buyer, you shouldn’t only rely on the quality of the product itself but you ought to be responsible enough to know the proper maintenance of a portable field microscope.
Everything wears out. That is one inevitable fact that we as users of the gadgets has to address accordingly, though it is inevitable it doesn’t mean that we would just allow our apparatuses to wear out without us doing anything to prolong their usefulness. Same theory applies with microscopes, no matter how much you bought a microscope, chances are it would also wear down in time. We can’t avoid it but we can do something to prevent our materials from nearing that condition.
Taking care of your microscope
Microscopes have to be given much attention in terms of knowing how to handle and clean them properly so that they could last longer than their usual order. But for you to start with this agenda of yours, you would need to prepare all the necessary cleaning materials which also have to be appropriate on your specific microscope. In general you would need to have some swabs, a bottle of alcohol which could be ethanol or methanol, a couple of window cleaners, a 10x magnifier ad some wipes or tissues, whichever is available for you.
You have to have a daily habit of cleaning your microscope; failing to religiously do so might just lessen the probable life of your apparatus.
Cleaning the eyepiece
You need to clean the extra oil which might have spattered on your objectives by means of the alcohol and swabs. The eyepiece due to its position has the huge propensity to accrue dusts and/or oils from your eyelashes. If in case you don’t want to use swabs, you have the option to clean it with a high-grade lens paper which are usually accessible in eyeglass centers and in camera shops.
If in case you are still seeing come dust on the eyepiece you may also use a brush to sweep away the dusts then wipe it off clean. Aside from that you may also use a lens solution which you could apply on the lens paper to assist in your cleaning.
Always bear in mind that you can’t just use those facial tissues which your sister have in her purse, because this material is usually made up of ground wood fibers which might just leave your lenses marred.
Focusing on your objectives
If you think that only that is only those components that are located in the outer portion of your microscope accumulates dust then you have to break that kind of thinking, because even the objectives has to be cleaned every so often.
You may start this by using the clean area of your lens paper, so that there won’t be any possibility that you would just transfer the dusts on the objectives which the paper has accrued elsewhere.
Removing the objectives by unscrewing it from its position from time to time is the best thing for you to do. As an alternative you may also clean the lens using some swabs with alcohol by starting on the core of the lens and then proceed by wiping it in a circular motion up until you reach the rim of it. Throw the swab away after one usage, if you think that the objectives is still dirty then you may repeat the same procedure until you get satisfied.
You would know that it is clean enough by studying it with the magnifier. If in case the dirt that is on your objective is water based then you may dip your swab on the window cleaner and wipe it on the filthy area.
Clean the other parts
You must not forget to clean the other components of your microscopes such as the condensers located on the stage and of course the glass lenses or the mirror, well this is for the purpose of allowing more light to reflect on your sample.
Lastly, as part of the maintenance of a portable field microscope, you must never forget the most basic step and that is to keep your microscope away from dirt by having it wrapped on a dust cover.
