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200P/ST80 flocking & mods

pritc

By pritc
in DIY Astronomer

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malc-c

malc-c

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Well having had two rolls of flocking from Wilkingsons sitting in the cupboard for a few weeks, and it's dull and wet outside, I chose to strip the OTA down and follow Wayne in modding my 200P as well.

All went well, and I can't beleive how easy it was to flock the inside of the scope. I used the seam in the tube as a starting point, and left around 15mm sticking out of the end of the tube. It was then a matter of slowly peeling off the backing as I went, smoothing it down with my fingers. Once it was overlapped at the seam I simply used a sharp scalpel to run up the seam to remove the excess. I then ran the scalpel round the end of the tube to trim off the excess. Using the tip of the blade it was easy to cut out the holes for the spider and focuser etc

I didn't go to the lengths Wayne did with painting the back of the mirrors and the like, maybe save that for another day. But I did fit the washers and SS cone adjusters to the secondary. Hopefully I've followed the various videos and tutorials and have the optics collimated but only a star test will really tell. So will just have to wait for the next clear night to test :)

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pritc

pritc

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Pritc

Could you tell me where you got the bits for the secondary mirror mod?

Was it just b&q or online?

Thanks matt

Hi Matt,

I got everything I needed from E-Bay.

(hex bolts,grub screws,washers,PTFE sheet)

Wayne

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jimmyjamjoejoe

jimmyjamjoejoe

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I've got 2 rolls of flocking, but what i didn't take into account - the dob is 200mm longer than the explorer... :D

I haven't done the measuring yet, but 2x 45cm wraps (ie 1 top, 1 bottom) isn't going to cut it, so i guess i gotta do some patchwork with the offcuts.

I guess i could do it lengthways, but that'd still need some patching too, and i imagine it'l be hard to manipulate.

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pritc

pritc

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I've got 2 rolls of flocking, but what i didn't take into account - the dob is 200mm longer than the explorer... :D

I haven't done the measuring yet, but 2x 45cm wraps (ie 1 top, 1 bottom) isn't going to cut it, so i guess i gotta do some patchwork with the offcuts.

I guess i could do it lengthways, but that'd still need some patching too, and i imagine it'l be hard to manipulate.

When I was researching how to flock a scope.

I noticed a lot of people only flock the top half of the scope (Secondary mirror end).

And the only reason to flock the whole scope is for looks!!

So if you are to patchwork,I would do this at the primary mirror end.

I have also seen people flock their scope with A4 sized flock sheets with good results,showing no visable joins.......

Wayne

Wayne

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mdhardy01

mdhardy01

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That's fantastic thanks Wayne

I've got the ptfe sheet coming so can get the secondary done

Only just got my scope and have already done the craford tube and added the dual speed focuser

Just need to pluck up the courage to remove the primary and flock it

Matt

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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jimmyjamjoejoe

jimmyjamjoejoe

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Just finished flocking mine. It was both as bad as i expected, an easier than i expected. The actual sticking down and smoothing out was no problem at all, not even a hint of bubbling. But getting it in there and square/ready to peel and stick was a bit of a nightmare for the centre part. Certainly doable though.

I had 2 sheets and managed the whole tube, plus the focuser tube inside and out (leaving out 2 lines for the bearings).

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phw26

phw26

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Off work, suffering from a torn knee ligament ,I have decided to do a few mods to my 200P & ST80.

Inspiration has been taken Dion's YouTube tutorial's:

astronomyshed's Channel - YouTube

I took the brave decision to strip my beloved 200P down....:rolleyes:

First up, I ordered 2 rolls of flock from FLO:

First Light Optics - Flocking Material

Any fear I had about fitting this flock was soon alleviated...

It was a joy to fit,installation was easy.Just take your time,smoothing out any air bubbles you encounter as you go.

I was able to flock the inside of my 200P with a complete top and bottom continuous sheet.

All edges were then finally glued down with a thin line of superglue, to take away any fears of edge lifting at a future date.

All holes were then cut out with a sharp hobby craft knife.

I have taken the decision not to refit my 9x50 finder scope.:eek:

1:After fitting a Telrad,I do not use it anymore.

2:I have never been happy with its position.You need to be a contortionist to look through it.(Should really be a right angled finder scope)

So I have left those holes uncut...

I will reattach my Telrad in that position.

Finally a quick vacuum to remove any loose fibres and flocking of my 200P is complete.

As already documented the difference in tube reflections is amazing and I would highly recommend everyone to flock their newtonian.

The best £14 I have spent!!

And I still have enough flocking material left over to do my ST80.:)

Next up:Focus tube/focuser mods.....

Wayne

Hi,

I have just bought some flocking material from FLO and hope to start fitting it this weekend. I have read some where that you need to cut the flocking into strips after fitting to alllow for expansion. Do you know if this correct?

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pritc

pritc

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Hi Peter,

In all the research I did before doing mine I did not see anything about installing expansion cuts.

I saw that people cut the flock into strips,but that was to make fitting it easier on larger scopes.

I cannot see the expansion of the scope from cold to hot being so dramatic that it would cause a problem with flock installed.

The miniscule expansion would be uniform around the whole scope tube,not just to the expansion gaps that you would leave in the flock.

Wayne

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pritc

pritc

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Just finished flocking mine. It was both as bad as i expected, an easier than i expected. The actual sticking down and smoothing out was no problem at all, not even a hint of bubbling. But getting it in there and square/ready to peel and stick was a bit of a nightmare for the centre part. Certainly doable though.

I had 2 sheets and managed the whole tube, plus the focuser tube inside and out (leaving out 2 lines for the bearings).

Does the focus draw tube still move freely & smooth with flock attached to the outside?

Wayne

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phw26

phw26

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Hi Peter,

In all the research I did before doing mine I did not see anything about installing expansion cuts.

I saw that people cut the flock into strips,but that was to make fitting it easier on larger scopes.

I cannot see the expansion of the scope from cold to hot being so dramatic that it would cause a problem with flock installed.

The miniscule expansion would be uniform around the whole scope tube,not just to the expansion gaps that you would leave in the flock.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,

Just remembered where I heard about cutting the flock into strips, it was in one of Dion's tuturials in Astronomy Shed about 20 mins30 secs in. Astronomy Shed UK Astronomy Forum • View topic - Newtonian Tweaks And Tips

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pritc

pritc

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Hi Wayne,

Just remembered where I heard about cutting the flock into strips, it was in one of Dion's tuturials in Astronomy Shed about 20 mins30 secs in. Astronomy Shed UK Astronomy Forum • View topic - Newtonian Tweaks And Tips

He saying he is doing that on a Carbon Fibre 10" Quattro tube...:)

Why? I don't know, CF does not expand & contract like a steel tube.

He did not mention to score on his 200P flocking tutorial??

It is up to you to score,as yet I have no problems.

I even used my obs as a make shift paint drying booth when I had to dry a paint job I had done.I had the temp up to 35C in there for 20 mins....before going back to the outside temp which was around 7C.No effects to the flock was encountered......

Wayne

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phw26

phw26

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He saying he is doing that on a Carbon Fibre 10" Quattro tube...:)

Why? I don't know, CF does not expand & contract like a steel tube.

He did not mention to score on his 200P flocking tutorial??

It is up to you to score,as yet I have no problems.

I even used my obs as a make shift paint drying booth when I had to dry a paint job I had done.I had the temp up to 35C in there for 20 mins....before going back to the outside temp which was around 7C.No effects to the flock was encountered......

Wayne

Dion says later on in the video that the flock manufacturer recommend cutting it into strips. I agree what you say about the carbon fibre, and you have certainly given yours a good temperature shock test. I will probably not cut mine into strips but will keep an eye on it to look for any signs of it peeling off.

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malc-c

malc-c

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The difference is that Dion was flocking his Quatro, which has internal baffles - the easiest way for doing that is in small strip sections. For a 200P (or any other non baffled OTA) you can lay it in straight off the roll

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