How do you clean the lenses?

Dust is the main enemy. Use a soft blower brush first to remove loose particles before they can scratch the surface. Wipe gently with a dry microfibre cloth if a smudge remains. Avoid liquid chemical cleaners as they can seep into the threaded brass mounts and dissolve the historical lens cement.

My grandfather left me a large brass sea telescope on a wooden tripod stand, how should I keep the metal looking its best?

Leave the brass alone if it has developed a dark, even patina. That aged surface protects the metal underneath and polishing it away removes part of the history. For bright brass that is already polished, a light dusting is usually enough. If you must use a metal polish, apply it sparingly and buff it away so white residue does not gather in the crevices.

What does day and night mean?

This phrase often appears engraved on the barrel of nineteenth-century naval examples. It indicates the instrument has a specific optical setup designed for low-light conditions. The maker achieved this by using a larger objective lens to gather more ambient light. They also removed some internal lenses that standard daytime models use, trading a slightly lower magnification for a brighter image at dusk.

When I pull the sections out to look through it the image is always blurry and I cannot get anything into focus at all, is it broken?

You might just be pushing the tubes in too far. Most draw tubes need extending almost to their limit before the focal point is reached. Start with all the brass sections extended. Slowly push the smallest tube closest to your eye inwards until the distant image becomes sharp. If the image stays blurred, an internal lens might be facing the wrong way from a past cleaning attempt.

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Victorian Telescopes

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Cylindrical optical instruments constructed from varying combinations of brass, leather and timber, antique telescopes were built to magnify distant objects for maritime navigation, military field use and astronomical observation.