MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I have two Leitz microscopes of the black enamel era and two zoom stereostar AO stereo scopes of the gray enamel type. What do you guys suggest for maintaining the enamel, safely removing stickers on the enamel, etc.

Thanks,

mnmyco

Orange oil works on most stickers (Goof Off, Goo Gone, etc.). Let it soak by laying the sticker flat, lifting the edges a bit, and covering the soaked area with a paper towel.

3M makes a more aggressive solvent specifically to remove labels and stickers.

You can buy plastic "razor blades" to get under the sticker and give the solvent a shot at the adhesive line. A flat chisel tip type blade that fits a scalpel handle makes a sort of very sharp miniature scraper. It can be used with care to lift the most stubborn labels. Look for a Swann-Morton No.9 scalpel blade. Ebay has them.

If one of these microscopes is destined to become your pride and joy and has a trashed finish, it's pretty easy to repaint most stereo microscopes -- especially the bases which are often abused -- and to touch up compound microscope frames.

Many stickers can be removed with fingernail power only. Lifting the corner of the sticker, then slowly pulling the sticker in a direction that is parallel and close to the tagged surface. I have done this with all sort of stickers, except hard metal stickers (not aluminum foil stickers). Those latter I would pry and lift with a plastic blade - or the sharp straight edge of a piece of hard wood.
Paper or cardboard stickers are easily removed by soaking them with water.

I' ve found that the most innocuous solvent is (with the somewhat ambiguous name) what we call in the U.S. 'petroleum naphtha', commonly available as Coleman Camp Fuel or lighter fluid. It helps to remove stickers and their gooey deposits (not to mention grease and oil) yet doesn't seem to attack finishes like denatured alcohol and sometimes acetone does.

In the better computer stores or online, one can buy little kits of hard plastic scrapers, actually made for prying open smartphones and the like, which are handy in scraping off labels and hard grease deposits.

To polish up the black enamel, one can use a semi-liquid-like polishing compound, such as that readily available for rejuvenating automobile headlights

Sounds good for the labels. What do you guys use to maintain the enamel? Just something like a chamois cloth and maybe a tiny bit of water?

mnmyco

What about repairing chips in the enamel? I was thinking of using automotive touch up paint, the kind they sell for filling in chips. It comes in a small jar, you just put a drop in a chip and it fills it in.

Several thoughts - as far as matching the enamel, utilize the paint matching computer at the paint center in the big box home improvement stores or an actual paint store. They need a flat sample area that's usually at least the size of your pinky fingernail. The problem is always matching the sheen - they'll nail the color dead on but its the sheen that will throw off the match. You can usually purchase as little as a pint and enamel is not expensive, so get it in a couple different sheens. On old Leitz scope, many were painted by dipping the castings so the paint is very thick and the repair will require some buid-up and buffing to match.

Most of the old enamels contained a paint hardener as well and were intended to stand up to most laboratory solvents - TEST FIRST IN AN AREA THAT DOESN'T SHOW. The hardeners that microscope enamels contain were typically cured in an oven, so the finishes are usually very resistant to solvents but very brittle if impacted. As has been suggested, "painter's naptha" works well - you can buy it in a more refined form as lighter fluid for Zippo style lighters. It is the active ingredient in products like "Goo Gone" etc.

Also, check out my tip here:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6403

In my repair work and especially as a final step when finishing work on microscopes that I service in hospitals, I wipe the finish down with a soft rag that has been soaked with WD-40. After the initial wipe down, go over the scope with another soft dry rag - leaves a beautiful and protective finish - on stages in particular.

Thanks for the cleaning tips. I have an ortholux and a laborlux III that I want to take care of.

mnmyco