Doc

I used to have the Losmandy AZ8 mounted on a barlebach Planet tripod, it took the weight of a Skywatcher 120ED Esprit which is not a light scope by any means and I would imagine heavier then the 140mm TEC. I only sold it because I made my own clones of the TTS Panther and DiscMount. The AZ8 is very well machined and once balanced very smooth, the slow motion controls are very nice, even the degree scales work and are accurate.

Oh sorry I should have answered this, for some reason I didn't see the post.

Surely at F24 it's got to be approaching APO quality. I wouldn't even attempt to do the maths but I'm sure it's aroud that number.

Glad it all worked out for you Ron, smashing images as well.

Thanks for all the info Rob. The Turret will be a secondhand TEC. What I'm aiming for is my Clave 80/1203 F15 scope combined with a Feathertouch 3.5" focuser, a TEC Turret, and a complete collection of Clave eyepieces. Happy days.

Would be about 12 foot long so will need a substantial mount.

There will be no imaging at all, the scope is F15 so will only be used for visual. The eyepieces hanging off the back will be pretty lightweight as well but in time I'm investing in a TEC turret so the weight will be the turret plus 5 Clave' eyepieces. Thats a great photo Rob really shows the workmanship of the Feathertouch.

Thanks for all your suggestions guys it's basically cemented what I already knew, my next purchase after I have robbed a few piggy banks will be a feathertouch focuser. The next dilema is which one. My tube is 90mm in diameter and I see the feathertouch 2.5" one has a M95x1 thread and the feathertouch 3.5" one has a M109x1 thread so If I go for the 2.5" one I need an adapter with a female M95 on one end and 90mm diameter on the other so I can drill three holes to secure the tube to is this correct?

I have one Glen and it's pretty awesome, you will love it.

I'm thinking in the long term to replace the focuser on my Clave 80/1203 refractor, it is the weakest part of the set up. I have never used a scope with a feathertouch focuser so need some advice. How do the new Moonlite focusers compare to the Feathertouch focusers. The Feathertouch are about twice as much approaching the £700 barrier, are they worth this, can you tell the difference. The Clave is a very unique scope, so I'm torn on the above two.

I agree paint the lens with red nail varnish.

While I was making the mount, I pm'd Peter a few times and he talked about his design, my design was basically a clone of the Panther Mount, you can see the build thread here: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/307728-my-new-diy-altaz-mount-a-panther-clone/ I met Peter once at Kelling many many years ago.

There are some great telescope set up here, I really like Fozzie's one, so elegent. Here's mine:

The best set up is the one you use so maybe sell your kit and invest in another 8SE. After all from a light polluted Essex there is not a lot of difference between 8" and 9.25". If you were out all the time with your old 8SE and now struggle with an EQ mount which by the way many people do, I know what I would do.

Yes Ben that's the one.

Photos would help.

A 30mm Clave eyepiece

Can't wait for your report, I've always wanted to try one of these.

I do too, the price is good as well.

Nice buy Neil. A darkstar dob was the first dob I ever had way back in 1984 I think. It was a great dob, 8" I think. I changed it for a 10" Hardin dob.

Really looking forward to the report John. Fingers crossed for a week of clear skies. One question John concerning the dewshield. How does it stay where you put it, is it via thumbscrews or is the fit so precise it just doesn't move back?

Very nice read Richard really enjoyed it. Great scope and it looks well built.

I set up tonight in my back garden. Just waiting for darkness, could be a long wait

Took a photo of mine. As I said before for the price I think I paid about £20 each they are pretty much a bargain. All are Zeiss. Back row: x5, x7 (plus adapter), K15x. Front row: K10x, x10, x10 (with pointer)

I have a small collection of Zeiss microscope eyepieces that I sometimes use. They are a weird size and I have turned numerous adapters so they fit in my focuser. They are very good, very sharp on axis but a little fuzzy at the edges. Not as good as my Claves but as good a many plossl's I've tried. I'm not near mine at the moment they are hidden in the shed but they are not modern microscope eyepieces, these are the much older types, maybe 1970's. They are marked x6.3, x10, and x15 I think.