Flock my tube.

[warpout]

I have read with interest how some people find flocking the inside of the tube improves the performance of the telescope i.e. cutting down on internal glare. Does this work or is it just pesonal preference. I have been thinking about this for a while and I just need a bit of insight and advice. If it is worth doing, where is the best place to purchase flocking material. 

                                                                             

[Alien 13]

It all helps, the best places to get the material are FLO and Wilkos.

Alan

[bottletopburly]

Worth doing nip into wilkinsons  £5 a roll when I did my 200p think I used 2 rolls , blacked the end of focuser tube  and edge of glass on secondary while I was at it , on a newt you need to trim half inch off the end of the flocking where primary sits or you won't get primary back in , also flocking has a grain just put both strips in so grain flows the same way  

[Charic]

Something I had considered was Flockboard by Protostar!
 

Not sure where or how to buy this stuff as several reports abound reference the  company's closure?  ( think their USA based) but the flocking  material is plastic backed, you just roll up a section and place it inside the scope then it unfurls to a snug fit, the scopes fittings holding the material in place once installed.

Seems such a unique and simple way to install. This link describes the simple fitting! http://www.protostar.biz/flockboard.htm

The only issue I would have with flocking is debris from the flock falling onto the mirror ( they should blow away easily) but like any 'carpet' type material, prone to collect something from the atmosphere,  maybe one of those sticky lint rollers would help to keep the system clean.

[Size9Hex]

I think it's worth doing depending on where you observe from and what targets you enjoy. As Alan says, it does all help, and I think a bit of a gain from a few quid worth of material weighs well against an eyepiece that might cost 50 times more! Here's my own experience for a bit more detail - in short though, good on some things, less noticeable on others.

Hope it helps!

[BXRO]

I used fine black felt from a local habadashery, stuck it to the tube with clear UVA adhesive, cost £3.60. Seems to make a difference, hard to tell as you can never be sure on conditions vary from one night to the next but I would say try it

[John]

With my 12" dob I've done the areas of the tube that seem to matter most - the section opposite the focuser and a section around 30cm deep immediately above the primary mirror. I also blackened the edges of my secondary mirror.

Did I notice any performance difference ? - not that I've noticed to be honest. My scope is an Orion Optics and the tube seemed quite black inside to start with so maybe I had little to gain. It was an easy and low cost job though so I thought why not ?

 

[Charic]

I'm also thinking that if I were to blacken or flock the inside of my dew shield, that would be  just as effective,  no disturbance or modification to the actual scope!
 

[Ricochet]

I think flocking my dob made a small difference but without having a second unflocked one to compare it to under identical skies I can't be sure. Then again maybe after spending the money and time to do it it's the sort of thing you convince yourself of to justify having done it. 

[Daz69]

I done mine recently and saw a slight improvement. It has helped sharpen objects and they are crisper if that makes sense. Got mine from Wilko. Before flocking I held the naked tube up to my patio windows and even though the inside is matt, there was still a glare. After flocking the glare was gone. For £10 total cost I believe it was worth it having seen an improvement, and I live about 1 mile from a large weapons establishment with sodium lights that turns the night sky orange, so I had to try it. 

[acey]

Look through the focuser without eyepiece. Every area you can see should be blackened/shielded/flocked to stop stray light entering the eyepiece. Usually means the area opposite the focuser, top of secondary and interior of focuser tube (and part of the dewshield). I found it led to some reduction of stray light issues on bright targets at my dark site (diffraction spikes were slightly less prominent). No difference on faint targets.

[ronl]

I found that it has made a difference, especially with contrast, I flocked my 200p last year, and

since then I find I get more detail, it's not that noticeable straight away, but it is well worth the

effort,  and I found it was quite easy to do, it also gives you the confidence to strip your scope.

  

[RichLD]

I flocked my 200pds with the Wilko stuff and blackened any other reflective areas such as the rear and edges of the secondary etc. When used for AP (especially broadband) I perceived a slight increase in contrast, so definitely worth it!

I don't tend to do much in the way of visual but I'm pretty sure it would make a positive difference to the quality of the views 

[kev100]

Flocking my 250PX definitely made a difference to how some objects appeared, but little to no difference to others. I put down my thoughts on my blog page, if you're interested: https://theastroguy.wordpress.com) 

Kev