Scope carry case mod.

[bomberbaz]

Ok so I recently bought a Skywatcher Skymax 102 Goto and it came in the usual collection of boxes and bubble wrap. Howevr the aim of the scope is a carboot scope; ie where it goes, so do I (or should that be the other way round )

Anyway, I did some measureing up of the boxes it came and and thought, I reckon I can buy a hard suitcase to take that in, I was riight.

Next you need various pieces of foam rubber (it helps to have a brother who works in the industry ) some spray glue and an electric carving knife.

Sorry but I forgot to take pictures from the start and here you can see I have already started modding.

Now the other half, this will have my secret wire compartment

So where do I put all these bits, time to get out the carving knife!

Really taking shape now, note the extra packing where the mount head and OTA will go, dont want the paint dulling do I!

Time to put in the EP's, red dot finder etc

Now the scope parts

And this is how it ends up

A few points to note. Make sure you have a responsable adult with you when using a knife (eeh Blue Peter revisited) and let the case lie open for 24 hours before you put your gear in. the glue is solvent based and needs to thorughly dry otherwise the solvent fumes could damage your optics.

The whole set up weighs in at a little over 10kg. Now thats a travel set up in my eyes

Steve

[jambouk]

That is fantastic! Well done.

James

[Paulus17]

That look great Steve,what size is the case?

I am in the process of making a case for my 127 so thanks for the tip on the solvent.

[bomberbaz]

That look great Steve,what size is the case?

I am in the process of making a case for my 127 so thanks for the tip on the solvent.

Thanks for that paulus. The case is a Revelation (note the astronomy connection) bought from Argos for £45 i think and it measures 74,48,30 which is smaller than the catalogue quoted size. They do have a size larger. The hard case is essential in my opinion but up to you

[baggywrinkle]

Very neat. I have been looking at building a case for my 'scope and your project has given me an answer.

[Paulus17]

Started fitting my home made case out today,just for the OTA,mount,Synscan,tray,and finder,not the tripod which i will carry seperately,and its all looking pretty good so far.

I will post an image when its finished.

[bomberbaz]

Ok got it into the car today after leaving it to dry overnight. (I only put the scope into the case for a minute last night to take the photo then straight back out. )

I gave the case a reasonable but not silly shake to see how it felt and then looked inside. The bits inside had not move save the barlow has slightly dislodged. I will pack it out with a this piece of the wrap used around the OTA & Mount. Other than that, superb and exactly what i had wanted.

I have to be a little smug here and say this is a top mod and for anyone wanting to make similar, its worth doing.

Final tips.

If you want to order foam and have the cutout made or as I did, the cutouts mostly done with a few tweaks and alterations with the knife, try these chaps http://www.thefoamshop.co.uk/ or google for someone similar. However always go slightly smaller as its harder to stick the bits back in once you cut them out than to simply trim later. And also sticking them back in later will leave potential glue residue to maybe get onto your expensive kit.

Plan your layout carefully, I faffed around for ages before settling on where all the bits were going to go also the wire compartment is a great idea.

The knife will cut better if the blade is kept well lubricated with either silicone spray or even a little pledge. The former is best though.

Mark your cutting depth with a marker for the extra bits (ep etc)

Put down a dust sheet, old towel etc when spraying the glue and keep well ventilated. Cannot stress this enough but take your time with the glue and even use masking tape if you have any concerns about overspray. i have experience with the stuff and its not easy to work with.

Anyway, thats my list of tips, have fun.

HTH.

Steve

[Paulus17]

Good tips Steve.

Just one thing to be aware of though Steve with some foams is that they do deteriorate pretty quick when they get wet.

I have used the foam from the packaging that came with the scopes i have bought which is the more denser stuff not sure what its called but is a lot better than the furniture type foams.

I also use the spray glue from Maplins which is good adhesive for this sort of work.

[robstonham]

I've just ordered a flight case with a foam block to put my SW 130P newt in. I think I'll take some of the tips in this thread when it arrives. I didn't even think about keeping the blade lubricated. I'm sure that the GF will be shocked when I go and get the pledge out of the cupboard!

rob

[Abbots]

Being a newbie and only just ordered my first telescope coming tomorrow from FLO, a suitable protective case has been playing on my mind... Having seen the prices for a purpose made box, this is definitely a preferable solution. You made a nice job of it! Ty for the share...J

[Deano1]

Great idea with the suitcase mod.

I brought a flight case from here, http://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/aluminium-flight-cases-1.html?p=2 pretty cheap for a hard case compared to others I've seen. I used the polystyrene from the box my OTA came in and glued it into the bottom of the case and covered it in cloth. Then I just cut a couple lengths of the foam that comes with it and put it in the bottom and shoved some down the sides. I think the company will cut the foam for you though if you wanted cut real neat.