OneEyedSam

Interested in meet ups etc around kendal, anyone out there

(haven't joined kendal as yet,  I will) 

10 minutes ago, DRT said:

Very nice!

Where did you buy the ethafoam and how did you cut it?

Thanks, yeah, the foam stands up to the weight of the heavy EPs well.  Bought from easy foam.co.uk.

holes were drilled with a standard hole saw attachment to my drill, cuts really nicely that way.  Lines were cut using one of those snap off blade craft knifes. I full extended the blade and used a sawing action to slice through. I bought 5cm layers.

Here are my cases, since moving from pick and pluck foam to ethafoam.  My Mrs saw me taking these photos and asked if I putting stuff up for sale!  Erm, no, hahaha. 

ive got some dri-pack silica gel canisters in there for good measure

note the towel..essential for travelling hyperspace ?

As I said earlier, I moved away from pick and pluck, and bought some ethafoam sheets.....I keep my case in the garage, so keep a canister of silica gel in there for good measure. As it's a fully waterproof case, that's probably overkill, but you can't be too careful.  I keep my Argo Navis in there too, to keep it away from the damp.

watch out for the inevitable sagging of the pick an pluck foam.  Especially from the terminagler.

I recently re-lined my case with ethafoam, which is cheap, more rigid than P&P foam and easy to cut/work with.  I'll upload photos tonight.

After deciding to lighten my load a little and stick only with 1.25" eyepieces, I've spent an hour playing, cutting out my new hard foam to hold my latest acquisition, a 20mm Pentax XW.

Nice job, what's the foam you are using ?

DRT - how do you find the Big Barlow .... been close to getting one of those for a while

Despite having stopped buying eyepieces three weeks ago my wife tells me "a package has arrived". I might have an update to post tomorrow

You never stop

Surely the axiom IS the towbar on your car

Just took a look on tinternet....yes very similar if not identical.  

Havent given the case first light, but not expecting any problems

Im sure ive heard mention of people freezing the foam to assist with cutting straight lines

Yes, easy to spot in the dark, couldn't resist the Orange.

For the quality of the case, and the protection it provides, I'd say the MAX cases are a great buy. About 1/3 the cost of the equivalent Peli or B&W case, and not much more than the hard plastic maplin case

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/large-high-impact-case-with-pre-cut-foam-interior-n14gr

Max cases here....

http://www.toolcasesdirect.co.uk/waterproof-cases.html

Here's my new case, keeps my little investments nice and safe. It's a MAX505 £70 not bad, it's IP67 rated

.....maybe this is a quicker easier alternative to the construction of a light pollution shield :-

Alternative LP Shield

which product in particular did you have in mind ?

can't set concrete till the frost goes

you could always do the concrete indoors

This is something I need to sort out as well as I have light overspill from neighbours. Mine's mainly from one direction but I'll need it probably 8' tall. A shallow C-shape would do me.

I guess everyone's needs will be quite different.

I've just found this site which may be useful for components for other home-builders out there.

http://www.profabrics.co.uk/index.php

e.g. Coated nylon by the metre, telescopic tent poles, webbing and tape for loops etc.

HTH

Lee

Useful site Lee ....

Gazebos need the roof to make them rigid. I'm gonna make 4 concrete feet with holes in the middle that 6ft ish drainpipes will stand in , these will be be easy to slide in and out , I'll put brackets at the top of the drainpipes and then put some curtain rail on to some 2x1 timber , these rails will just lift on / off the brackets , add some curtains - i think they will need to be about a 3ft drop , so I can close the curtains to hide any light but also open the curtains if they are obstructing my view , and easily remove them or the posts if they are still obstructing . should take minutes to assemble and dissassmble , about £40 to make I reckon .

Dont forget to send in a photo when you get this up and running

They do exist for a price - http://www.365astron...tent-p-865.html

Kev.

Good spot, hadn't seen anyone selling these in the uk. But it's a little pricey and small.

im thinking along the lines of a tarp/sheet and a washing line across the driveway to mask out the light. I'm sure an elegant solution will be forthcoming....

http://www.garden-camping.com/product/2.0mtr%20x%202.0mtr%20Waterproof%20Pop%20Up%20Gazebos/2.0mtr%20x%202.0mtr%20FULLY%20WATERPROOF%20Black%20Pop%20Up%20Gazebo%20with%20Four%20Side%20Panels%20and%20Bag/196

55 quid

not a bad idea, do you mean to remove the metal parts of the roof, or just cut a hole in the cloth covering. I've got one in my shed, i'll try to take a look to see how vital the metal roof parts are (structural integrity isnt that much of a priority here .

Mine doesnt have sides, but I assume they can be purchased with sides.

thinking out of the box, look at the image before last .... http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/517767940/POP_UP_AND_PORTABLE_CAMO_HUNTING.html

spotted these http://www.tents4work.co.uk/forensic_work_tents.html their forensic screens might work....

looks good, I'll have to do some more digging around/measuring

yeah, saw that one, looked a little small for the dob. Roof looked to contain some of the support rods, which might be problemmatic.

i did spot this... http://store.smartastronomy.com/poobte.html