Tal1 OTA Paint Job advice please

[moriniboy]

My before and after TAL 2 powder coating, well worth it IMO.

[Starlight 1]

I like  Stu one in Black and this one in white,  if I see one in white come up I will bid on it,

[Alfian]

34 minutes ago, moriniboy said:

My before and after TAL 2 powder coating, well worth it IMO.

That looks beautiful, what a great job, nice focuser too. Are all Tal reflectors  left handed?

[nightfisher]

That does look nice, and i still thin you should look for a better focuser for your tal, i think i should do a bit of googling for you

[Alfian]

Focuser is on Jules and is quite smooth though I've not been able to test it optically. Problem with the Tal and a replacement focuser as far as I can see is the tube size which is unusual. I'm currently having "fun" with remounting the primary mirror  to compensate for the slight change in focus but it will get sorted one way or another. What else would anyone be doing of  a Sunday afternoon!

[AndyH]

On 15/01/2017 at 12:47, Alfian said:

That looks beautiful, what a great job, nice focuser too. Are all Tal reflectors  left handed?

That's totally leftist, so it is.

But seriously, not seriously,  Tal were at the forefront of left handed rights. UP THE LEFTIES, POWER TO THE LEFT HANDERS.

[nightfisher]

11 minutes ago, AndyH said:

That's totally leftist, so it is.

But seriously, not seriously,  Tal were at the forefront of left handed rights. UP THE LEFTIES, POWER TO THE LEFT HANDERS.

Andy, good to see you on here...........i so need another TAL, life is not right without one

[Alfian]

Well, the Tal1 revamp is done. I opted in the end for the carbon fibre wrap look which didn't  quite go to plan initially but has worked out after a fashion. It will not be everyones cup of tea but it works for me. At some point in the future, maybe,  I'll strip it down again and get it powder coated. I am so used to pulling the Tal apart (and rebuilding) now that I reckon I could have the tube bare in 30 minutes. Importantly the mechanics/optics set up work well and I'm really pleased. A few nights ago I  managed by a surprise  window in the weather  to get a short look through the eyepiece with fairly decent views, (given the iffy conditions),  of M42 and the Trapezium. It was enough to convince me it has all been worthwhile.  Over  the next few days. I'll put a few more pics and the rebuild account in the DIY section. Here's a couple of pics, not the best and please excuse the background clutter.

[AndyH]

You've made it a 'righty'. Booooooooooo !!

 

Lovely job

[Alfian]

Sorry Andy, I expected that one! A lefty focuser is not a problem (well the focuser was a problem, thats why I changed it) but it was the lefty finder I found a bit counter intuitive. For any Tal purists this rebuild will be a nightmare as I've changed a few things, but it works for me! Incidentally the RACI finder is not necessarily a fixture, the original Tal 1 finder is still there, but of course I've adjusted it so it fits the  standard shoe. I can feel curses falling on me like rain!

[nightfisher]

Ian, the old Tal is looking rather fetching in her now robe, a job well done

[Alfian]

40 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

Ian, the old Tal is looking rather fetching in her now robe, a job well done

Thanks Jules, don't look too closely her (? - never  thought of the Tal as a her!)  new robe is more like a charity shop dress altered to fit, but hey, what's wrong with that.

[Roy Challen]

The Tal looks great! Strangely enough, I've done my 100RS in carbon fibre wrap too!