Clean an Objective

Information about cleaning a microscope objective

  • Very small amounts of dust/dirt can make images substantially worse
  • If you are user of a microscope in the LMCF, please contact the LMCF staff to have them clean the objective for you. For safety, we prefer to perform the cleaning of these expensive components (many objectives in the LMCF are $5000 - $15,000; the highest price individual objectives reach over $25,000 for specialty techniques)
  • It is important to remove the oil after use. Left over oil can dry on the lens or trap dirt.
  • Never use kimwipes on an objective (the fibers are very coarse and will scratch the lens) - always use the lens paper provided (notify LMCF staff if more lens paper is needed).

 

If you have used an oil objective you need to remove the oil when you have finished. Use lens paper to remove the oil - use a full sheet (the cost of lens paper is much less than damage to an objective). Hold the lens paper on the edge - hold with both hands, one on each side, and carefully move the lens paper in one direction across the objective to wipe the oil off the objective. Move to a new, clean location of the lens paper after one swipe of the lens paper.

If needed, you may use water or Sparkle placed onto the lens paper to clean off the objective. With regular use of oil objectives in the LMCF, this is all that is needed by the user. If you have questions or need help with further cleaning, the LMCF will help you. Please feel free to contact us. lmcf@duke.edu