Tricks of the Trade

doi:10.1117/3.1001008.ch7

Tricks of the Trade

Book: The Proper Care of Optics: Cleaning, Handling, Storage, and Shipping

Author(s): Robert Schalck

Published: 2013

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.1001008.ch7

Abstract

This chapter contains information not usually shared outside of the laboratory. These processes and techniques are not secrets per se, but they are rarely explained or written in articles. Only technicians or engineers under the guidance of senior personnel would usually have the rare opportunity to learn these tricks: • Protecting an optical surface using tape or photoresist, • Blackening nonoptical surfaces to reduce scatter or protect soft coatings, • Removing RTV and glue from glass, • Removing an aluminum coating, and • Historical information on cleaning a lighthouse lens. It is not uncommon for an optical technician, engineer, or perhaps an optical inspector to work with these processes. The person asked to perform these tasks typically has the most knowledge of how to use and work with chemicals, and the skill to handle optical and mechanical components.