NavList:

Hi Drago

When i received the sextant it was covered with grease and mouse, cockroach and other crap. It was really filthy.

At first I thought that  the paint was falling it looked that bad. Then after using my finger nail I found that it was basically baked on crap from heat and age. I did remove the telescope and it was not washed by the machine. After the wash i sprayed the vernier micrometer parts with lanolin spray because it appears that some parts in the bevel gear are tin plated and i did not want  any rust spots.

So as a first I gave it a cold wash using dish machine liquid. it produces a streak free finish, I was happy with the first wash, then i bumped the temperature to about 40 Degrees and gave it a long wash and it came out like new. The shades and mirrors came out vvery clean and shiny.

I use this same method on old electronics like valve radios which is then put in tthe sun for a thorough drying after  about a week. I have never damaged anything doing it this way.

I was going to take it into work which has a PCB Ultrasonic wash bath however the washing machine produced a perfect result.

I only had to use Deoxit on on the lighting circuit switch. The Hughes sextant uses the frame as a earth return so it only runs one positive wire to the light globe. The light globe shade is a bit wobbly so it breaks circuit continuity with the frame  I will be placing some silver conducting grease in the support tube.

The Hughes is a great sextant albeit it rather heavy. The mirrrors and shades dont suffer from stray reflections that pollutes tthe telescope and the field of view is excellent. It would make a great star sextant. I am going to try and find the not shaded eye piece on the telescope.