Homemade Light Shroud for 300P Flextube..

[emadmoussa]

Not exactly a piece of art, but it seems to do the job pretty well...and it doesn't look particularly ugly

I used a rubberized foam mat (I didn't know it was rubberized until I've received it), bit of super glue and velcro patches. And there you go...£4.99 for the mat, £99 for the glue and £1.80 for the velcro patches.  BTW, this kind of mats is very rigid, it stretches without compromising the material.

It takes less than a minute to get the telescope dressed and it stays solid on the tube.

[TractionMan]

Looking good! It will make quite a difference.

[Daniel-K]

That's some expensive glue

[emadmoussa]

Looking good! It will make quite a difference.

With this weather...it won't make any difference whatsoever, it's staying inside

[emadmoussa]

That's some expensive glue

I got it 6 pieces off Amazon, and surprisingly very strong...

[Daniel-K]

Emad don't forget to flock the UTA it really helps with dew control on the secondary

[emadmoussa]

Emad don't forget to flock the UTA it really helps with dew control on the secondary

Yep - I'm just waiting for flocking materials to come back in stock. Do you know of any guide on how to remove the primary cell? with photos....

[Daniel-K]

Its easy just undo the black screws at the bottom of the tube and the cell wil just slide out. It's a bit tricky getting it back in though so I never done the bottom half of mine

[coulthamst]

I made a card tube for my 200 Flextube. Two sheets oard of matt black stout card from Staples, some short lengths of stripwood and some smal nuts and bolts, total cost under a fiver, plus a pop rivet gun and drill to put it together. Success depends on accurate measurement. The tube is held in place by ten clips, four fixed and six made to turn through ninety degrees. The cardis flexible enough to insert between the flextube rods, but sufficiently stout to always return to its cylindrical form when in place. The only "tweak" required was to make a small cut in the top of the tube to clear one of the two top barrel knobs when fitting/removing it. Coupleof pieces of coloured tape to ensure correct alignment and Bob's your uncle. Afraid I can't post pics (computer numpty!), but viewing visits welcome by arrangement.

Jim.

[Pig]

Very neat indeed Imad

[AlexB67]

Hi Emad, Nice solution.  Where do you get the mat may I ask ? That solution will do me just fine but struggle to find anything that cheap at the moment, and I like cheapskate solutions    .

I had neoprene in  small Dob, but the sheets I had are not big enough from the stuff I've left.  Looking to start doing a bit of modding of me own Dob.

[emadmoussa]

Hi Emad, Nice solution.  Where do you get the mat may I ask ? That solution will do me just fine but struggle to find anything that cheap at the moment, and I like cheapskate solutions    .

I had neoprene in  small Dob, but the sheets I had are not big enough from the stuff I've left.  Looking to start doing a bit of modding of me own Dob.

There, buddy.. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GQ7BMRQ/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1   - although it seem to have gone up in price.

[happy-kat]

Tidy finish :-)

Will be interesting to see whether it is a dew magnet this material, so far my kite material attracts due less than my black nylon coat.

[emadmoussa]

Tidy finish :-)

Will be interesting to see whether it is a dew magnet this material, so far my kite material attracts due less than my black nylon coat.

I left the scope out for 3 hours..it was fine actually.

[itmo]

Your solution looks a bit like mine. I bought a 20 euro shroud for an outdoor grill and cut it up to have a suitable piece. Then I bought some strong magnets with center holes from local clas ohlson and sewed them on the top and bottom edges and then added a strip of velcro to the "seam" to close it. The velcro is a bit crappy since it's glue will give out at below 0 C temperatures but wife added some stitches to keep it on. 

The magnets are really useful for steel tube telescopes. I used 3 to keep my removable primary mirror fan attached. 

[happy-kat]

Do magnets create currents which might disturb the air or is this over thinking?

[emadmoussa]

Oh come on! We can't be super fussy

[happy-kat]

All this cloud way too much thinking time lol

[emadmoussa]

Well, look at the bright side. Too much cloud increases your intellectual capacity...ditto!!

[leelee970]

£99 for glue - you've been robbed Emad.

Looks good though, well done mate.

Lee

[emadmoussa]

£99 for glue - you've been robbed Emad.

Looks good though, well done mate.

Lee

When it comes to figures I'm totally insane...so can yo uforgive me for that

[AlexB67]

Made mine today as well for the 250 flex, thanks for the idea on the mat material Emad, Turned out a nice fit and sits well without any sagging as it is thick enough while still light enough too.

All for the grand sum of 17 pounds including postage.

After some waiting while the mat  was out of stock, I eventually cancelled and got it from here for a few pounds more from a  different place, For anyone interested this will leave you with plenty to spare on a 10 inch.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006PG6AMU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and velcro

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0098LT9Z4/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

still a lot cheaper than 59 pounds for the astrozap

[michaeldurban]

I used black neoprene for my dewshield..

It was a 2m x 1m offcut..for about R150,- (= UK 10,-)

It's shiny on the outside and matte on the inside -very black-..

works very well, although dew does form on the outside, it does not

form on the inside..and we have about 95% humidity here...

I also used super glue...but for the main shroud I will use velcro and

a sewing machine...well, my wife will..