Need advice regarding building own telescope...

[PinkScope]

Hello all,

I'm trying to help my dad, who is 92 now, finish and assemble a large telescope he started to build years ago. The body (aluminum tube) is about 4 ft long and the circumference is about 8 inches. He completed polishing the large lens. Now he needs to paint the aluminum tube before assembling everything. We are looking at having it powder coated, flat black inside and glossy white outside. Is this a good idea, or should we just paint it?

I would appreciate any and all advice!

Thank you.

[Pig]

HIya,

Building scopes is not really my forte, but some kind of protection will be required to prevent any oxidisation of the aluminium. Powder coating is as good as any What colour are you going to do it in ?

[JamesF]

Welcome to SGL

I think on the outside you could use whatever finish you like. Inside you want a surface that's as non-reflective as possible. Many people use blackboard paint for that, though there was some discussion recently that barbecue paint may be a better choice because the pigment is less reflective outside the visible spectrum. If the scope is only to be used for visual use (I suspect so) then I guess that doesn't make any odds.

An alternative for the inside would be to flock it rather than paint it. The flocking material is less reflective than even matt paint. If the circumference of the tube is only 8" though then the diameter can only be about 2.5"? I think it would be quite tricky to flock that.

James

[Bizibilder]

Hello Pinkscope and welcome to SGL!!

[glowjet]

Hi PinkScope and welcome to SGL, painting alloy is not as easy as it may seem, if you are going to DIY, then good preparation and cleaning of the surface is important, you also need a special base primer for the alloy. if you just go ahead and paint it without proper preparation, you are liable to find the paint flaking off after a short period. Dont`t spoil the ship for a half pennyworth of tar as they say, have it professionally done as you have suggested. sounds a very nice project your father started, hope it works out fine for you, enjoy

[ronl]

Hi and welcome to the lounge

good luck with the project.

Clear Sky's

[JamesM]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Clear skies

James

[Charon]

Welcome aboard, good luck with the build.

[michigander]

Welcome to SGL, PinkScope!

Dana

[Pete Presland]

i cant help you with your scope, but Hi welcome to SGL from Pete in Bedfordshire

[Andy_E]

I agree with the flocking option for the inside of the tube... it's something you'll end up wanting to do whether you paint it or not. I can't see any problems with powder coating the outer mind... in fact, a white exterior may help with dewing problems on damper evenings. As said before, make sure your surface is good and clean and apply a quality primer. Good luck with the build!

[m37]

Great project by the sounds of it, good luck with it. Welcome to SGL.