Just got these on eBay

[sanmatt]

Had another go at the bins and actually they areplain no good, let alone my eyes being too close together. The cogs on the left hand zoom are not engageing properly so the zoom function is erratic.

[pajr777]

It sounds like you've got a wonky pair sanmatt

[sanmatt]

Wonky? Absolute rubbish mate.

[wrinkly]

Have you tried slimming the head in a woodworker's vice? Maybe, just maybe, if you can persuade your eye gap to narrow, they will prove to be an excellent pair of bins.

[sanmatt]

I ordered new ones, proper ones, from FLO

Though I did see Saturn through them last night, as a mono. Still, pretty shabby pair though.

[rory]

well, the first optics i used to peer at the moon were my dads tasco 16x50 .

they were fine.

( ahh, i see you bought zooms, mmm, not good i was told to stay clear of zoom bino's)

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I have in the past ripped apart dud bins to create two very passable finder scopes. The 10x50 finder on my old home-brew 6" Newt was miles ahead of the 6x30 on my new C8 (new that is in 1996). I have since added a 16x70 built from a cheapo 70mm F/5 achromat. There is room for so-so optics to act as really great finders.

[sanmatt]

Not a bad idea that

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

A big finder transforms a scope. Since I made it, I have been bagging loads of stuff. It is way more important (especially for those without goto) than fancy EPs. Fancy EPs are a waste if you cannot find the thing you want to look for.

[JamesF]

I like that idea, too. Astroboot regularly have damaged bins for sale for next to nothing that could easily be turned into a finder.

Did you add cross-hairs to yours? And if so, how?

James

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

I like that idea, too. Astroboot regularly have damaged bins for sale for next to nothing that could easily be turned into a finder.

Did you add cross-hairs to yours? And if so, how?

James

My earlier ones had cross-hairs in the literal sense: I glued two of my own hairs crosswise over the field stop of the EP, using little strips of duck tape. Fiddly work but worth the effort. My recent effort uses a more expensive approach: I got a Prostar Erfle 22mm with illuminated reticle from down-under, as related here:

http://stargazerslounge.com/discussions-scopes-whole-setups/123929-16x70mm-finder-prostar-22mm-erfle-illuminated-cross-hair.html

There is a similar 20mm from TS, but that would yield 17.5x and just 4 deg FOV, rather than 16x and 4.4 deg FOV.

The EP of one defunct pair of bins I picked up is acting as wide field EP for the kids (28mm Kelner of quite passable quality). If they drop that it is no disaster. I turned it into a 1.25" fitting EP by using a 1.25" nose-piece of the 20mm "Huygens" (poor man must be spinning in his grave) that came with a cheap scope (which has been turned into a mini-dob for the kids). Needless to say, the 28mm Kelner beats the 20mm Huygens in all respects.

[BinocularSky]

I made an 80mm finder once -- You know those old books where it says, "this object is visible in the finder" -- with an 80mm it really is!

I have used various things for cross-webs: my daughter's hair (very fine blonde when she was a baby, but still looked like translucent hawsers), spider web (incredibly fiddly to work with), filaments from dental floss ... and you know those irritating thin wisps you get with hot-melt glue? -- self-adhesive cross-webs.

When I make cross-web eyepieces, I don't use a cross, because, when it's centred, the cross occults the target star. I use a configuration of 3 webs like this:

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Nice one. My hair is exceptionally thin (and getting thinner ), so for me it worked. Glue threads seem a good idea.

[LukeSkywatcher]

"In a few minutes when I gloat over the failure of this enterprise, how would you prefer I do it? The standard "I told you so" with the classic neener-neener, or my usual look of haughty derision?"~~~Dr. Sheldon Cooper

[Doughzer]

I was hoping for a Bazinga!

[catchem]

What part of "we don't want buying and selling on SGL" do you guys not get?

Some people moan that the moderation on SGL is over the top - but really is it any wonder that we have to moderate when this sort of thing goes on.

I am at a complete loss as to why you would so openly break one of the few rules that we have here. John I can forgive as he has only been here a short time, but you sanmatt you know about this and still you don't care...

Ant

How pathetic!! Just two people trying to help each other out and support this hobby. Whats wrong with someone offering to cover postage!! As an admin you should drop the draconian rules and give people the benefit of doubt after all all i believe a forum is all about helping out isnt it? Im on a lot of astronomy forums and havent experienced this sort of neagative attitude.

Not a politician by any chance!!