Help needed attaching Lunt LS60 to Dovetail

[Sirius Bizness]

Evening all, I need some help attaching my Lunt LS60 to my mount.  I have a HEQ5 so I want to use a vixen style dovetail.  Lunt offer up this but its a bit pricy:

http://astronomia.co.uk/index.php/accessories/solar-accessories/lunt/lun-ls100ps.html

I understand I need some specific 1/4"-20 screws but what I am not sure on is whether or not I can use the 15cm skywatcher dovetail:

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetail-bars/skywatcher-dovetail-mounting-plates.html

It looks like the mounting surface should be flat and the 15cm looks flat.  What I ask not sure on is if the hole centres will be the correct distance apart assuming I should use two screws.

Any advice on what would work and where to get these screws from would be appreciated.

[brantuk]

You'll find that the ST80 scope rings fit the LS60 - that's what I have on mine - then all you need is an SW dovetail bar. I use a adjustable heavy duty dovetail bar from Altair Astro which has a flat surface. I also keep the clam shell on so I can mount the TV Sol finder which seems to have nowhere else to fit on to. Hth

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/tube-rings/skywatcher-telescope-tube-rings.html

http://www.altairastro.com/product.php?productid=16543&cat=308&page=1

[Oddsocks]

I bought one of these Vixen style Photo Dovetails from Modern Astronomy last year, £20 from Modern Astronomy, and use it with my LS60 on a HEQ5 PRO mount.

The dovetail is 120mm long, has a full length fixing slot so screw spacing is not an issue, both fixing screws can be used to attach the clam shell to the dovetail and it is supplied with two 1/4" screws so no drilling required and all the hardware needed is supplied.

The dovetail is very strong and carries the weight of the LS60 without any problem.

Only extra work needed was to cut out a section of foam at the base of the Lunt storage case so that the telescope could be stored away without having to attach/remove the dovetail for each use.

http://www.modernastronomy.com/accessories.html#accDovetails

 

[Sirius Bizness]

Oddsocks that is brilliant. Just what I wanted. Nice one. Thanks

Didn't want to go down tube ring route when it already has a clamshell.

[Oddsocks]

I was using the Lunt 60 for a few hours this morning and double-checked the mounting.

I forgot to say in the above post that the fixing screws supplied with the Modern Astronomy dovetail are approx. 3mm longer than the depth of the clamshell casting, so you need to add a couple of ~1.5mm thick washers under each dovetail screw head, and it is best to fit the screws with the clamshell disassembled so that you can check the dovetail screws don't pierce through or distort the clamshell felt liner.

Definitely do not try to fit the dovetail to the clamshell while the telescope is still in the clamshell or you risk damaging the OTA.

[Sirius Bizness]

Good shout. Thanks for the advice!