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Flocking good fun!

Stargazer_00

By Stargazer_00
in DIY Astronomer

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Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

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So I was out earlier and on a tip from another board member I checked Wilkinson for some flocking material. Low and behold they had 3 rolls in stock so I nabbed them.

I've never taken apart any scope before so I decided to give my 150p a go first before my main dob so I could get my technique down. Did everything from initiative, nothing like flying by the seat of your pants to learn how to do something :)

Took some pictures to tell the story..including before and after. Attempted to capture some internal light reflections to give an idea for someone considering this simple modification.

The scope before in my astro shed with his big brother tucked up behind

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The inside of the OTA before I got started

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I decided to take the primary mirror cell off next incase I dropped the secondary when removing it. I stuck on a strip of electrical tape on the cell and the outside of the OTA so that I could put the mirror back in the same alignment when done. Seemed like a sensible idea.

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So 4 screws later the primary cell was out, and 4 thumb screws later and a bit of lateral thinking the secondary was out too. I put them on a cotton bed inside a plastic tea crate and put a lid on them to keep them same while I worked

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The scope OTA ready to be flocked. All extra weight removed except the draw tube. Draw tube locked fully out using focus lock screw

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So at this point I moved into my back room, in the house. Basically a utility room (my house carpet isnt that dirty!!) Had a pair of scissors, my mate stanley and 1 roll of flock

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My first ring around the base was a full piece. Turned out to be a pain in the backside. After that I opted for 3 sections per ring. It is easiest, in my opinion, to fold back only a few inches of the part to get it aligned. Once you have it aligned (slight overlaps all around in my opinion were better than leaving some metal showing!) you then peel off the remaining backing and run the side of your hand firmly against it to squash out the bubbles and get it all nice and snug. This OTA required only 1 roll and I had a good foot square left over.

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So 30 minutes or so of getting it all in there I'm back out in the shed ready to rebuild! Took my collimators (chesire and lazer) and a puffer for the mirrors. Puffed the mirrors off dust before putting them back in.

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Put the spiders back in first (same rationale; in case I dropped it on the primary)

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At this point it started snowing or hailing, certainly I had to shut the shed door! Photo of my observing spot, you can see how far I have to carry the scopes! :)

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Next I put the primary cell back on. Using the electrical tape from the start made this a simple realignment

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Then I collimated it. Actually wasn't too far out! First with the cheshire to ensure the secondary was showing itself well to the eyepiece and then with the lazer to double check all is perfect. The chesire and lazer dont always agree and I trust the lazer more than my eyes.

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And finally, the finished job. Note the lack of internal reflection compared to the before shot

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Total elapsed time, about an hour.

Next up is the big dob which I believe will actually be easier given the size of the tube. The 150p has a small tube and it was difficult to get my hands in there and see what i was doing. Equally the flock is blacker than you can imagine, far blacker than it appears in these photos. This makes it incredibly amusing trying to see what you're actually doing inside the tube even with a light pointing right into it. Very good fun :D

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Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

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For what it's worth, i got a perfect night last night and tried this scope out. This modification boosted contrast noticeably. I would say an improvement around 30% or maybe more. I won't own a newt that isn't flocked ever again, that's for sure.

If you are considering this mod do it. You can see from my post how simple it is.

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Dude_with_the_tube

Dude_with_the_tube

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you did a great job! i did the same trick with the tape when removing primary and i agree,colimation wasnt far off.Only difference,i also removed the finder holder and the focuser as then it is easier to rotate the tube when flocking.The finder has a small plate what attaches to the tube strengthening it ,once removed that plate can be also flocked and then attached back when assembling,gives a nice neat view and to save time on aligning finder with scope again,DO NOT remove the finder from its bracket.:) Also all dobs will require to remove the side cradles for flocking,as such,do not forget the put them back on first before putting back the primary :D and i used a vacuum cleaner with a small brush after flocking was done to remove any excess or loose hairs etc .My sequence of re-assembly was:1.put back the side cradles 2.screw back on the finder bracket with flocked base,but do not install the finder. 3.install the focuser.4.install back secondary but do not tighten.4.install back primary.5.Put the tube back on mount and start aligning firstly the secondary to focuser and tighten up spider.then do colimation. and lastly put back the finder scope.done.

Results of flocking:I agree with Stargazing,you do get a LOT of contrast increase,views are much more sharper,fuller contrast and the price of flocking is relatively cheap upgrade in comparison to any other upgrade you will do to your scope and deffo not only worth considering doing but get out there and DO IT!

for images and some write up on flocking the 10" dob,post to refer:http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/181571-clouds-and-snowtime-to-tinker-with-skywatcher-250px/

Happy Easter everyone and Clear skies!

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Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

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Just a quick update - I just did my 10" inside an hour from opening the shed door to closing it. What a doddle a 10" was!

Same method as above but also removed the focuser this time.

Because its a bigger tube I did both ends with a single piece 45cm. this left a small 6 inch band around the centre which I cut from a third roll and applied.

So much easier on a big tube.

The most notable part of the whole process was when I had put the mirrors back in and got the secondary centred i popped in a chesire and it appeared perfectly collimated. I then put my lazer in and it was less than 1mm out. Quite hilarious :) All done and ready for tonight!

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OneEyedSam

OneEyedSam

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will do mine when i'm back home in a week .....

in the OP you said "slight overlaps all around in my opinion were better than leaving some metal showing", what sort of overlap did you have ?

Hopefully my 12" LB should be an easy job, since its a truss design....

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furrysocks

furrysocks

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Ordered some - picking up in a few days. Thanks for the tip, and good job on your scopes! ;)

FLO, for example, do a similar 1mx0.45m material for £7 a roll, which they call "blacker than the blackest stuff" - I wonder how the Wilco stuff compares. Anything should be an improvement for me, though.

I may even cut strips and flock my trusses! ;)

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Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

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will do mine when i'm back home in a week .....

in the OP you said "slight overlaps all around in my opinion were better than leaving some metal showing", what sort of overlap did you have ?

Hopefully my 12" LB should be an easy job, since its a truss design....

10mm to an inch depending on what I cut. On the 10" centre ring I had a 6 inch ring left in the middle. I cut a piece that overlapped 4 inches each way just to make sure :) Worked a treat!

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Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

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Ordered some - picking up in a few days. Thanks for the tip, and good job on your scopes! ;)

FLO, for example, do a similar 1mx0.45m material for £7 a roll, which they call "blacker than the blackest stuff" - I wonder how the Wilco stuff compares. Anything should be an improvement for me, though.

I may even cut strips and flock my trusses! ;)

As OneEyedSam says, it's actually the identical stuff. It's just alot cheaper from Wilko.

you have to be careful with flock though.. once you've done the tube you have to control yourself because it's very tempting to start flocking other things... :)

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