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Thanks. It seems that I have lost torque to turn the wormwheel and brass when 'tracking' although at higher speed it works; this is with no clutch and large wheel?. Hmmm

2+3 seem to work.

I've used hammerite at work, sadly they bought it in paint pots and we were painting onto paint (valve handles needed to show what the valve carried by colour) Brushing it on wasn't most effective... They looked a bit like a red tar monster when we were done haha. Bare mild steel will corrode very rapidly in wet environments. Rust is also supposedly self-perpetuating and a small amount of rust formation will crack or bubble paint allowing more oxygen access to the metal. I suggest completing rust removal, preferably by wire wheel (you can buy them for home electric drill chucks, flapper wheel may also work). If you want to ensure it's moisture free in the cracks or pits you could always stick the metal in an oven at a skin safe temperature for a few minutes. I need to think about all this myself, as my HEQ5 is starting to look a bit shabby with some parts of it rusting up and the counterweights losing their paintwork... Eventually it just catches rust and there's nothing you can do about it I guess. I suspect modern cars can avoid rusting on bodywork much more easily since they can control the conditions and state of the bare metal much more easily in the factory before applying multiple layers of rust protection below the paint.

Many beginning amateur astronomers will purchase a Donsonian as their first telescope, and it’s an excellent and extremely cost effective choice. Part of Dob ownership includes learning about collimating and cooling the mirrors, improving the primary mirror cell, cleaning the mirrors, and a bunch more, but that’s all part of the experience and with the right tools, knowledge, and attitude, it can add to the enjoyment of owning and observing with your Dob. I’m going to talk about something else that’s just as important as those other activities, but that is much, much, easier. You already know from the title that this thread is about leveling your Dob base, but why is it important to do so? It’s important because if your base isn’t level your telescope may, with assistance from gravity, swing on its own accord away from your target. This can be frustrating because first off you expect the scope to stay where you point it, and when it doesn’t that’s not good. Secondly, you may try to compensate for this behavior by adding in additional friction, but too much friction can make tracking erratic; also, not good. Enough intro, here’s what you’ll need: You’ll need two easily obtained and relatively inexpensive items; a bubble level and a leveling wedge. I went fancy with my bubble level, but I recommend something less fancy like this because large enough and sensitive enough without being too sensitive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZYKKYY3/?coliid=I17ZPQ49GZF5C6&colid=3DKYFKLVLPA3S&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it   I also went fancy with the wedge, which is really a door stop, and it looks like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F6KSDZW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1   This particular door stop is worth the extravagance because its concave top won’t slip out from under your Dob’s foot, and it’s large enough to accommodate most reasonable slopes. Splurge - you’ll be glad you did. Also helpful to mark the location of the three feet under your Dob are these small self-adhesive dots: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BMBU9M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1   Let’s level! Here you see the base plopped down on a fairly steep slope, probably four or five degrees or more. My bubble level is affixed to the top of the Dob base with strong double sided tape so I don’t forget it and leave it behind at the end of a long night’s observing. Note that the alignment line on the level is aligned with the dot on the base, and is also aligned with the center of the base, which is out of view. Also note the location of the bubble at the top, and a bit to the right of, the alignment line.   Here’s a lower angle view. Note the yellow dot in the bottom half of the base; it marks the location of one of the three short feet under the base. Here’s the trickiest part because there are two steps. First, align the two dots. Next, and while keeping the two dots aligned together, rotate the Dob base in place until the bubble is split by the alignment line on the bubble level. When you’re done it should look like this:   All that is left is to slide your wedge under the foot of the base located below the yellow dot to bring the bubble into the center of your level, as shown. Your base is now level.   Without rushing I can easily level the base in way under half a minute. The result is a scope that locates and tracks objects easily, and that stays where it’s pointed. Good luck!    

ive had the 152 starwave about 6 months and love it. the red to me looks fantastic. As far as weight goes, im 69 yo and dont think its heavy, i carry it about the house upstairs downstairs and out onto my pier, no problem, there must be some very weak people on here hahaha. Also i observe away from home a lot and use the scope on an AVX mount and a great team they make. Anyone that wants a 152 frac id say go for it.