ProtoStar FlockBoard

[johninderby]

ProtoStar FlockBoard

Bought some of the ProtoStar FlockBoard from Lyra Optics for my C8 SCT. It's available in 020" and 030" thickness and I used the .030 as it is recommended for OTAs of 6" or more.

After removing the corrector I took a length of stiff card and placed it around the inside diameter of the tube to get the length to cut the FlockBoard to. I then measured down the inside of the tube to get the width. A Stanley knife and a steel rule were used to make the cuts. It's important to take your time over this to make sure everything is square and the cuts are straight. Remember the old axiom of measure twice and cut once. With the C8 OTA there are three bolts near the front end of the tube that stop the FlockBoard from laying down properly so I cut three small notches for them. The big advantage of the FlockBoard compared to the self-adhesive flocking is that you can test fit it, and if it's not right take it out and trim it a bit.

Apparently this is now taking over from the old self-adhesive ProtoStar flocking for doing OTAs. After doing this OTA with the FlockBoard I can see why as it's just so much easier to install. I found it took a fraction of the time to fit compared to the self-adhesive flocking, and being able to remove it as many times as necessary to make adjustments means you can get a perfect result as well as being less stressful. I'll never use the old self-adhesive flocking again for an OTA.

You can certainly see the difference between the flocked and unflocked OTA.

John

[Stephen]

Impressive stuff!

[red dwalf]

looks great John,

been thinking of flocking my 8" sct, do you have anymore for sale ?

and do you stick this new board to the inside of the ota once it`s cut to size.

[Hypernova]

Interesting stuff, according to the specs on Lyra Optic's site the flockboard simply fits to the inside on the OTA without needing to glued to the wall. I am just trying to figure out how much it would cost to do the final bit of my tube that wasn't covered by the two sheets of sticky-backed flocking that I fitted last year, the site says 70p per inch but doesn't state what width these strips are.

[johninderby]

looks great John,

been thinking of flocking my 8" sct, do you have anymore for sale ?

and do you stick this new board to the inside of the ota once it`s cut to size.

No I don't import the ProtoStar any more. Contact Glen at Lyra Optics.

http://www.lyraoptic.co.uk/Eyepieces-Protostar-Flockboard.html

There is no need to stick it down as it holds itself in place by it's own "springiness". Great stuff

John

[Stephen]

Interesting stuff, according to the specs on Lyra Optic's site the flockboard simply fits to the inside on the OTA without needing to glued to the wall. I am just trying to figure out how much it would cost to do the final bit of my tube that wasn't covered by the two sheets of sticky-backed flocking that I fitted last year, the site says 70p per inch but doesn't state what width these strips are.

020" Thickness comes in a 26" Width and weighs .010oz/inch2

030" Thickness comes in a 21" Width and weighs .016oz/inch2

[johninderby]

For the C8 you'll need a 28" length. I ordered 30" to be on the safe side. The leftover 30" long piece would make a great dew shield for the C8 so if you don't have a dew shield get 30" and there you go.

John.