7900 X-Lens Questions

Question

I'm cleaning my X-Lenses and have a few questions about how to do this best. 
 
 1) Does anyone have any recommendations on how to take this guy apart without breaking the plastic tabs? Last one I tried, they broke. Luckily I have spares.

2) This is the skimmer base. It says not to polish it, but I'd like to try and clean it. I just used some DI water and rubbed it down with chemwipes and a Q-Tip. Would using dilute acid be too harsh? 
 
 3) Same question for the interior here. Also, I noticed these scorch marks on this copper piece. Is this normal wear and tear, or a sign of something bad? 
 
 4) What's the best way to curl your sanding paper? Getting it wound tight enough is sometimes a challenge.

cschulz · Answer

Hi, 
 1. This is the "Easy Fit Lense Assy" - Since two years, we (Agilent) has decided not to clean the lenses, but to replace them completely. So if you want to disassemble these, you have to break the plastic cap, and use a screw set from an older regular lens set. 
 2. You can use some abrasive cleaning powder and a toothbrush, to clean the skimmer base. I would not recommend using diluted acid. 
 3. This is normal wear. 
 4. I form a cone with the sanding paper and then you have the chance to set diameter of the tip. 
 
 For the Interface Area, I use a Fiberglass "Scratch Brush Pen"

BR Chris