Dobsonion + Wax = Smooooooooth?

[Akyra]

Has anyone had any luck putting candle wax or crayon on the bearings of their dob mounts to make them smoother? I am going to try putting the foam washers, that come with packs of DVD-R's in spindles, on the base and upright bearings and see if that helps. I've tried old CD's and other round washer bits of plastic including plastic milk bottle cutouts, etc.

[FLO]

Somebody recently cautioned me to be careful when polishing the base (for a smoother action) because some wax/polish can harm the teflon pads.

Has anyone else heard this?

[Whippy]

Nope, but I thought the whole point of Teflon was that it's virtually friction free.....

[Akyra]

My base actually doesnt have teflon pads.

Its a round metal plate > round black plastic disc with metal bits > round metal plate

The foam pads seem to make the base wobble, so could I use the wax ok?

[Whippy]

Really? You might want to check the black plastic bit if it's teflon or not before you start putting stuff on top of it....

[FLO]

I am familiar with those bearings (I used to have a Revelation). I found they don't offer enough resistance (for my liking) and tended to fall in 'divots' where the scope wants to settle slightly off where you want to point. It isn't unusual for owners to remove them and to fit teflon pads.

[Akyra]

Heres the setup :

- Top of base.

- Metal disc.

- Plastic disc.

- Metal disc.

- Bottom of base.

- The little metal tube goes through the whole lot to keep it all lined up.

Well I will try wax, and if that fails I will purchase some teflon. Can anyone explain how I would apply it onto the base? I managed to sort out the bearings that hold the OTA that were sticky, I cut up a velro cable tidy strip and hot glued the 'furry' side to the nylon rollers. Its so smooth that when the scope is at about 45' it glides seamlessly back to vertical, when the bearings arent tight that is.

[Akyra]

I just put a little bit of candle wax on the metal bits on either side of the plastic disc and its a lilttle smoother but still sticky. Ill pick up some teflon when I find where to buy it.

[barkis]

What material is the base of the scope, and the bottom board made of.? Is it chipboard with a veneer of sorts glued over it.

Akyra, I have some bearing material I could machine three discs out of about 1.5 inches in diameter. I would drill small holes in the centre countersunk to depth that would ensure the screw head would be well below the surface and therefore won't interfere with the bottom board

I need to know if that bottom board has a sutface that would be compatible with the pads I would make. This stuff is very similar to Teflon and provides a buttery movement.

Also, is the bottom board of the scope free of any flexure if it is supported by three equaly spaced discs 120 degrees apart.

Ron.

[Akyra]

I believe the base is made of chipboard with a plastic coating, much like that of wardrobes, chest of drawers, etc. Yeah that would be great, I'll send you a few quid for your troubles. I dont know how to describe the surface, even rubbing my finger across its surface causes the jerkies. The base is solid its very thick wood, at least 20mm, with 3 support feet in a triangular position.

[barkis]

I believe the base is made of chipboard with a plastic coating, much like that of wardrobes, chest of drawers, etc. Yeah that would be great, I'll send you a few quid for your troubles. I dont know how to describe the surface, even rubbing my finger across its surface causes the jerkies. The base is solid its very thick wood, at least 20mm, with 3 support feet in a triangular position.

Akyra, I need also to know the thicknes of the scope base, by that I mean the base that the tube walls are mounted to, as this is where the bearing pads will be screwed to. If it is too thin for wood screws, then the pads will have to fixed by small bolts nuts and washers..

The pads will be attached at three points 120 degrees apart, at a radius of approx. 70% from the centre of the scope board.

Make sure that you can get access to the nuts when the machine screws are pushed through the holes you drill for them.

Ron.

[Akyra]

I've actually fixed it pretty good now using an old cable tidy strip, the furry velro side. I thankyou for your help, but it seems to be running smooth again, for now.

[barkis]

I've actually fixed it pretty good now using an old cable tidy strip, the furry velro side. I thankyou for your help, but it seems to be running smooth again, for now.

Ok, as long as you are happy, And no snatching.

Ron.

[GordonCopestake]

I found that the disc of needle bearings (that you have Akyra) was actually TOO frictionless. My 12" dob would swing around like a merry go round if I didn't tighten the centre bolt enough. There is no teflon with these bearing bases, although many people prefer to replace the bearings with teflon pads