Show Us Your Dob.....

[Ally8446]

3 hours ago, garryblueboy said:

Now the new lucky owner of this beautiful scope 

That is stunning. What make is it and what size ?

[Ricochet]

12 hours ago, garryblueboy said:

Now the new lucky owner of this beautiful scope 

 

 

 

 

I've just noticed those "finder shoe rails". Do they allow you to slide the shoe back and forth to your preferred position? If they do that's a brilliant idea. I wish I'd thought of that before drilling permanent holes in my dob! 

Edit: On closer inspection it looks like the screws aren't in the right place for that.

 

Edited August 10, 2018 by Ricochet

[Alan White]

Very nice looking scope Garry.

Has it seen first light yet?

[niallk]

I think I recognise that scope!  Congrats 

[mapstar]

On 09/08/2018 at 19:24, garryblueboy said:

Now the new lucky owner of this beautiful scope 

I recognise that scope 

[garryblueboy]

On 10/08/2018 at 03:48, Alan White said:

Very nice looking scope Garry.

Has it seen first light yet?

Not quite had a quick look at Mars very impressed 

[estwing]

Beautiful and well made ....congratulations 

[PaulB]

Very nice. 

You will pull the Photons with that one.

[Ally8446]

It's beautiful. What make is it @garryblueboy ?

[garryblueboy]

It’s a custom build 

[estwing]

Built by a member off here who is a great guy.

He ground his own 14" mirror and built a beautiful truss dob, then built a 22" for another mate which is a monster! Both sadly missed imho 

[Rainmaker]

My new DSO hunter, "Excalibur"

[Mark at Beaufort]

Matt that is really nice. I also like the brass refractor on the side table.

[Rainmaker]

Thanks Mark, I finished the Dob build a week ago when the Nexus DSC arrived,  Lots of planning and lots of work but I am really pleased with the end result.

I can sit down to view even at zenith, the scope is an 18" F3.54 so a focal length of 1618mm or 63.7"  (Effective focal length with the SIPS in place is 1860mm)

The brass scope has travelled a lot in its lifetime, it began life in London (probably at Watson & Sons) but is labelled Berry&Mackay Aberdeen) and perhaps belongs in a museum back in Scotland.

Berry and Mackay, was a business in Marichal St Aberdeen and this scope dates from c1890...

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by Rainmaker

[Mark at Beaufort]

Matt I recently visited the United States and was able to view Omega Centauri in a 17.5 Newt so the delights of the Southern Hemisphere must be fantastic in your new Dob.

[Rainmaker]

My previous Dob was an 18" F5.6 which meant climbing a ladder for the views at least 50% of the time.  This time I wanted a sit down scope so that I can study objects at length.

Yes, we are lucky that we have the best part of the night sky directly overhead here, Omega Cent is an easy naked eye sight and at the moment the planets are also almost directly overhead. 

I recently spent a few hours with my friend's 32" F3.3 so have to temper my expectations with the 18" but  still it is going to be a great joy for years to come.

I will be taking it to the Mount Stromlo Observatory each month for our outreach. Last month we had 1800 visitors for the evening....  

Edited August 29, 2018 by Rainmaker

[Sporadic Dobstronomer]

7 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

...I am really pleased with the end result...

Not unreasonable!

Can you tell me what the blue things at the back are?

[mapstar]

25 minutes ago, Sporadic Dobstronomer said:

Not unreasonable!

Can you tell me what the blue things at the back are?

Nice scope. 

Guessing here but they look like flip over mirror transport clips.

Nice carbon fibre was this bought and cut or self made? 

[Rainmaker]

4 hours ago, Sporadic Dobstronomer said:

Not unreasonable!

Can you tell me what the blue things at the back are?

 

3 hours ago, mapstar said:

Nice scope. 

Guessing here but they look like flip over mirror transport clips.

Nice carbon fibre was this bought and cut or self made? 

 

 

Thanks,

The blue things are anodised aluminium computer cooling system clamps  that go around the linear bearings that are at each end of the two 90º s/s wire slings.

The carbon/kevlar sheet was made for me by ProTech in USA, the truss poles are JTW100 paddle shafts from ExelComposites and the focuser board is 3mm sheet from China, cut and drilled my me.

Here is a picture of the linear bearings being assembled: The linear bearings first have heat shrink tubing over them, then the clamps which hold swaged 2mm pre stretched stainless steel wire.

There is a 10mm polished stainless shaft in the four corners of the mirror cell and the two slings run from diagonally opposite corners, crossing under the mirror. 

The slings run between two strips of self adhesive velcro at 19.5mm from the back of the mirror (at the COG). I also fitted heat shrink tubing over the wires where they contact the mirror. 

Edited August 29, 2018 by Rainmaker
added pics

[celestron8g8]

On 26/05/2015 at 18:53, deepspacehunter said:

My 12" DOB...... my favorite Telescope EVER.....

Mark

This is a great Dob which just as i was getting ready to buy one Celestron quit production on them and what was left on the market sold like pancakes ! Since then i have not as much as seen on for sale new or used anywhere ! Now at the moment i cant afford one and I’m in the process of retiring from most astro work except keeping up with what’s going on here .

[LukeSkywatcher]

How clean is your house!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I hope you dont park that Dob on the white carpet after a night out in winter.

[mapstar]

16 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

 

 

 

Thanks,

The blue things are anodised aluminium computer cooling system clamps  that go around the linear bearings that are at each end of the two 90º s/s wire slings.

The carbon/kevlar sheet was made for me by ProTech in USA, the truss poles are JTW100 paddle shafts from ExelComposites and the focuser board is 3mm sheet from China, cut and drilled my me.

Here is a picture of the linear bearings being assembled: The linear bearings first have heat shrink tubing over them, then the clamps which hold swaged 2mm pre stretched stainless steel wire.

There is a 10mm polished stainless shaft in the four corners of the mirror cell and the two slings run from diagonally opposite corners, crossing under the mirror. 

The slings run between two strips of self adhesive velcro at 19.5mm from the back of the mirror (at the COG). I also fitted heat shrink tubing over the wires where they contact the mirror. 

 

Cheers for the explanation on the Carbon fibre.

 I can also see the slings now you've pointed them out as I'd missed them before. I have seen the linear bearing update on the K and B cell before.

[quaoar]

A little something I'm slowly bringing back to life. ?

20" f5 binodob

[Stu]

15 minutes ago, quaoar said:

A little something I'm slowly bringing back to life. ?

20" f5 binodob

Wowsers! Bet that will be mind boggling when finished!!

[Stu]

Posted elsewhere, but now I have a dob (actually two) again, I thought I would rejoin this thread

This is my Sumerian Alkaid 14”, with f4.5 John Nichol mirror in it. Lovely compact scope.