Questar, leather and alcohol

You learn the darndest things in backyard astromony. After 40 years of
waiting, I finally broke down and bought a Questar telescope. It's an oldie
from the 60s, but a real goodie. The problem was that the leather cases were
a mess, especially the outer "dust cover". However, some alcohol took all
the tape residue right off, so I then applied it to the black goo on the
inner case. Big mistake. The leather of the inner case is dyed, and the
alcohol took the pigment right off. Left a big blotch right on the front
cover. So, a word to the wise: always test solvents on a spot that doesn't
show!

PS: the Questar is everything I ever hoped and believed it would be.

In article ,
"Michael White" wrote:

You learn the darndest things in backyard astromony. After 40 years of
waiting, I finally broke down and bought a Questar telescope. It's an oldie
from the 60s, but a real goodie. The problem was that the leather cases were
a mess, especially the outer "dust cover". However, some alcohol took all
the tape residue right off, so I then applied it to the black goo on the
inner case. Big mistake. The leather of the inner case is dyed, and the
alcohol took the pigment right off. Left a big blotch right on the front
cover. So, a word to the wise: always test solvents on a spot that doesn't
show!

PS: the Questar is everything I ever hoped and believed it would be.



Michael,

I bought my Questar new in the early 80s. I once cleaned the miniscus
corrector with acetone, taking the painted secondary right off the
glass....EEEK!!

I love my Questar, and it has accompanied me all over the world, but now
use it more for nature studies than astronomy.

Starry Skies,
Rich

I believe that it should be fairly easy to re-dye the leather. Go to a
Michaels Hobby and Craft or Hobby Lobby and ask them for black leather dye.

Read the instructions, and try it on a not so obvious place on the case to
make sure that it works ok and then fix the area that you damaged. Or, if
your brave enough, re-dye the whole case interior.

Good luck,
F Marion

Read the instructions, and try it on a not so obvious place on the case to
make sure that it works ok and then fix the area that you damaged. Or, if
your brave enough, re-dye the whole case interior.

Hi:

Yep. And, in the future, get some saddle soap to clean the leather...

Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers!
Goto http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html

Read the instructions, and try it on a not so obvious place on the case to
make sure that it works ok and then fix the area that you damaged. Or, if
your brave enough, re-dye the whole case interior.

Hi:

Yep. And, in the future, get some saddle soap to clean the leather...

Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers!
Goto http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html

"Michael White" wrote in message
...
You learn the darndest things in backyard astromony. After 40 years of
waiting, I finally broke down and bought a Questar telescope. It's an
oldie
from the 60s, but a real goodie. The problem was that the leather cases
were
a mess, especially the outer "dust cover". However, some alcohol took all
the tape residue right off, so I then applied it to the black goo on the
inner case. Big mistake. The leather of the inner case is dyed, and the
alcohol took the pigment right off. Left a big blotch right on the front
cover. So, a word to the wise: always test solvents on a spot that doesn't
show!

PS: the Questar is everything I ever hoped and believed it would be.



I can sympathize with you big time. I have never done that with astronomical
equipment, at least not yet, but it has happened to me unexpectedly with
other expensive items. For example, I used an alcohol swap to clean the
outside of an expensive voice recorder. Worked wonderfully. Then I went over
the plastic window over the LED display. Huge mistake. It fogged up the
plastic and gave it a dull hazy look. Who knew? Well, now I know....

:
...I used an alcohol swap to clean the
outside of an expensive voice recorder. Worked wonderfully. Then I went over
the plastic window over the LED display. Huge mistake. It fogged up the
plastic and gave it a dull hazy look. Who knew? Well, now I know...

Such am unfortunate result is fixable. Get yourself to an auto-body
supply shop or a big-league auto-supply store. Get some 1500 and 2000
grit sandpaper -- the kind used to put the final shine on a new paint
job. Dampen the sandpaper slightly with water. Sand lightly with 1500,
then with dampened 2000. That should clear it up. You could finish with
some Meguiars PlastX for an absolutely brand-new look.

Oh, and in future, no chemical solvents on plastics!

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

"Davoud" wrote in message
...
:
...I used an alcohol swap to clean the
outside of an expensive voice recorder. Worked wonderfully. Then I went
over
the plastic window over the LED display. Huge mistake. It fogged up the
plastic and gave it a dull hazy look. Who knew? Well, now I know...

Such am unfortunate result is fixable. Get yourself to an auto-body
supply shop or a big-league auto-supply store. Get some 1500 and 2000
grit sandpaper -- the kind used to put the final shine on a new paint
job. Dampen the sandpaper slightly with water. Sand lightly with 1500,
then with dampened 2000. That should clear it up. You could finish with
some Meguiars PlastX for an absolutely brand-new look.

Oh, and in future, no chemical solvents on plastics!

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com


Hey, this sounds really useful! Thx...

"Davoud" wrote in message
...
:
...I used an alcohol swap to clean the
outside of an expensive voice recorder. Worked wonderfully. Then I went
over
the plastic window over the LED display. Huge mistake. It fogged up the
plastic and gave it a dull hazy look. Who knew? Well, now I know...

Such am unfortunate result is fixable. Get yourself to an auto-body
supply shop or a big-league auto-supply store. Get some 1500 and 2000
grit sandpaper -- the kind used to put the final shine on a new paint
job. Dampen the sandpaper slightly with water. Sand lightly with 1500,
then with dampened 2000. That should clear it up. You could finish with
some Meguiars PlastX for an absolutely brand-new look.

Oh, and in future, no chemical solvents on plastics!

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com


Hey, this sounds really useful! Thx...

:
...I used an alcohol swap to clean the
outside of an expensive voice recorder. Worked wonderfully. Then I went over
the plastic window over the LED display. Huge mistake. It fogged up the
plastic and gave it a dull hazy look. Who knew? Well, now I know...

Such am unfortunate result is fixable. Get yourself to an auto-body
supply shop or a big-league auto-supply store. Get some 1500 and 2000
grit sandpaper -- the kind used to put the final shine on a new paint
job. Dampen the sandpaper slightly with water. Sand lightly with 1500,
then with dampened 2000. That should clear it up. You could finish with
some Meguiars PlastX for an absolutely brand-new look.

Oh, and in future, no chemical solvents on plastics!

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com