Doc

My favourite eyepiece is my 30mm Clave.

It's pretty impressive.

When I used to own a 16" Lightbridge I often tried to find this group. It was right on the edge of what I could see in the lightbridge so if I was successful I knew it was a good night. I could split the group into three but it was tough and normally just a smudge until you spent a long time just staring at it and then on those fleeting seconds of good seeing you could split them, it was challenging to say the least.

Love it thats one gorgeous telescope.

Can't believe how neat everything looks.

I use Baader wonder fluid on lenses and Isopropyl alcohol on mirrors.                       

1 hour ago, Highburymark said:

Hi Doc - thanks for this great resource! Apologies if I missed it, but what telescope did you use to make your observations? 

My 16" Meade lightbridge Dob

4 hours ago, Roy Challen said:

Beautiful work indeed, I particularly like what you replaced the wood with.

Thanks Roy. And I agree it looks so much better this way.

Yes Mark it's the following paint.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VHT-BLACK-WRINKLE-FINISH-SPRAY-PAINT-SP201/251713042331?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Done some more to the Fullerscope mount last week. I tried to blend the old paint with the new paint and to be honest it was a difficult job. In the end I mainly just painted most of the mount, to get a good finish on wrinkle paint I found you had to warm up the mount with a heat gun first and then apply two heavy coats. Then gently warm the paint until it cures and leaves a wrinkle finish.

I replace the wood riser with metal columns as the wood began to bow. 

All that is left is a polar bracket/scope which I have designed but needs building and to get a control box to run the motors from via CduC.

The mount is rock steady with the 120ED Esprit on board there is no dampning down time at all.

Here is some photos.

I used to clean my 16" Meade mirror with warm soapy water and rinsed of with isopropyl and it was always OK.

The file solution is good how about a flap wheel in a drill as well.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ABRASIVE-FLAP-WHEEL-SANDING-SETS-60-80mm-DIAMETER-Drill-6mm-Shank-GRIT-40-80/192197827380?epid=1805410993&hash=item2cbfe21b34:g:UcwAAOSwX61ZAbaU

I have plans to build a 6" F15 refractor  to go on my Fullerscope IV Mount I'm restoring and adding Go-To .

I would love to find a Clave 6" lens to go with the 80mm I have but I have more chance off going to the moon. So my next choice will be a Jeager 6" lens or one of those iStar Optical 150mm F15 lenses.

This will be a big project for the future.

What I would do is tap the top out and then find someone near you with a large enough lathe to machine the hole to the required diameter, and then tap the top back in.

29 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Now this is looking so good Doc.
I wish I had the patience, skills and kit to do similar.

Thanks Alan, I just love tinkering in the shed it's very therapeutic.

All belted up. Next step the controller.

I've always used red dot finders, on my dobs I've had the telrad and on the refractors the Baader Sky surfer V. They now sell a night and day variety but even the night time one still works in the day but the smallest red dot is very hard to see in the daytime.

https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/baader-sky-surfer-v-red-dot-finder.html

The smallest setting is pretty small I could not tell you how small but it's a very small pin prick of light about the same width as a small star. As for quality you pay more you get better quality, I've always used Baader as the quality is excellent.

There is nothing like making your own mount it's extremely satisfying. I have made two Alt/AZ mounts one a clone of the DM6 and the other a clone of the panther mount both work extremely well. I'll look forward to following this thread ad hope everything goes well. If you can take a 1/4" cut in steel you are doing really well, my Myford struggles doing that, in aluminium it's pretty easy but not in steel.

Today I made the plate and bracket to hold the Nema23 Declination motor and pulleys. The motor is the same as the RA one being a 2.8 amp, 1.26Nm, 2.5v, and 0.9° step angle type. Just like the RA motor the Dec motor requires a 105 tooth GT2 belt.

The DEC housing drilled tapped perfectly this time so there was no need to make a copy out of aluminium like I did on the RA housing.

Yes in theory, the item above is for EQ mounts but they do make and other firms make. one that works in EQ and ALT/AZ format.

Yes John it will slew at any speed and track the stars. It's going to be connected too one of these:

https://astro-gadget.net/gadgets/control-of-telescopes/eqpower

I thought I would update my work on the Fullerscope Mount.

While trying to attach a plate to the bottom of the RA worm housing the metal on the original just gave way, it was very soft and just crumbled away so I decided to remake the worm housing with a bronze bush. I then designed a plate to house the stepper motor and attached it to the bottom of the new worm housing. The stepper motos are nema23, 0.9° step, 1.26Nm, 2.8 amp. I then added GT2 pulleys and installed the wiring inside a nema 23 back panel via a cable gland.

My next job is to do the whole lot again on the Dec axis, not sure if I should make a new worm housing to match. I'll see when I start drilling and taping the old one. The metal these one fullerscopes are made out of is not very strong and threads easily strip.

New worm housing made

Attached to new base plate

Stepper motor attached

With back panel fitted

Fitted to the Fullerscope IV Mount. The flex will be connected to a EQStar Control Box.

Counting the teeth, I need a 105 toothed belt to complete 

Video

Sissy Haas book on double stars is excellent.

Nice report John. My 120ED Esprit can also see the mag 13 star just outside M57 but it can be difficult and looking back at my notes it normally says with "averted vision".  I think your skies are better then mine as I cannot see as low as 5.5 mag as a limiting magnitude I would estimate nottingham is about mag 4.6. A nice read thankyou for posting.

Nice one Dave. I think it's the safest way to go. How long do they take to arrive from the Ukraine? Are you using those stepper motors we talked about or are you going with one with larger amps as this one can take up to 4 amps. I would imagine I'll get this kit as well, let me know how you get on.

I visited the shop at least three times, I was only young maybe 15 years old and all I did was wander round the maze of shelves gazing at the monster scopes saying that one day I will own a Fullerscope IV mount and a 6" F15 refractor. I'm part way there with the IV mount I recently bought 😄

9 hours ago, Dave1 said:

Hi Doc,

I have looked at all of the links, there does seem to be some very good options there. What I will do, is when the mount arrives. I will count the teeth on the 6 1/2" Beacon Hill worm gears. Let the three different suppliers know that the stepper motor's and and gearing needs to be able to deal with forces of 1.8-3 Nm of torque, and be either 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. See what they all say, and who comes up with the cheapest option. I do like the look of the On step option the best so far.

David

Cheapest is not always the best Dave, Onstep is the most expensive if I remember correctly. Both Eqdrive  and Eqstar both make kits for large Eq mounts that can hold between 40-60 Kg which you will need I presume.