Where can I get a cheap dew sheild from ??

[spaceboy]

Hi Everyone

Looking to make a cheap dew shield. Camping mats seem to be the way to go but where can you get a cheap black camp mat ?? The pound shop have camp mats but they are bright lime green. Needless to say if they can knock out mats at £1 I'm not overly eager to spend £10 on a black mat off eBay.

Any ideas welcomed.

SPACEBOY

[Psychobilly]

I got a charcoal gray one from asda last year for a coupel of quid......Perhaps you could always "flock it" with some sticky backed art felt... or risk spraying it...

[spanky]

They all look the same in the dark

[Demonperformer]

I just use a tube of black cardboard - A3 sheet was just a couple of quid from the local hobby shop and have never had a dew problem since on either the refractor or sct

[Donkeiller]

I used bright pink camping mat but sprayed the inside with matt black paint.

Haven't used it in this format yet, but used it last night in unsprayed format and it certainly improved things, so hoping for an even bigger improvement.

[ollypenrice]

Matt black spray works fine.

Olly

[spaceboy]

I did consider spraying but wouldn't this eventually start flaking all over my optics ???

[JamesM]

I would have thought that the usual dark blue camping mats would be sufficient to be honest. At night, as long as the surface has a matt surface, I don't think there would be much of a need to paint it black. The big advantage of making your own is that you make it a bit longer than the commercially made ones which will give you longer outside.

James

[spaceboy]

I take it these things are only any good as long as your not observing the zenith??

[MorningMajor]

I worried about paint flaking, so used matt black duct tape - works a dream and adds a bit more solidity to it

[Slangers]

I got a mat that was orange one side and grey the other. I like the orange as it goes with the colour of the OTA. I suspect that the colour makes no real impact on the utility of the thing.

[MorningMajor]

I suspect that the colour makes no real impact on the utility of the thing.

Wouldn't think it does that much, I'd put the darker, less reflective side on the inside to save any unwanted reflections