Help! Advice on repairs if you'd be so kind - embarrassed not to have posted for so long

[Sammy Craig]

Hello again, 

Sorry for not popping in for so long. I hope this finds you all well. 

I've not been around because I've not really known what to do after an accident last Autumn and being absolutely furious with myself to the extent of being embarrassed to ask for help. I had a big underground water leak at my house that meant it had to be internally ripped apart in order to dry it out for almost all of last year. It finally got sorted out by the end of last Summer going into winter more or less; part of the works externally to relocate the water-main pipes meant that the backyard deck - reinforced when I originally had it done for the purpose of using the telescope - had to be taken up and eventually redone. I made a massive big deal with the insurance company that the replacement deck had to be similarly done or I'd lose my hobby (it's a terraced house, the garden is tiny so it's all deck) and to their credit they took it on board.

So, last September I stepped out, Dobsonian in arms, onto my new wonderful red LED underlit, double-trussed deck for the first time in around 10 months. Unfortunately, the shape of the steps up had changed fractionally in step-length, I caught the very tip of the top step with the tip of my shoe, and despite my best efforts at cartoon-balancing and throwing myself under the scope to cushion its fall, I ended up with one of the stays that hold the secondary mirror in place ripping away. As far as it looks, the telescope itself is fine although obviously the optics will need maybe a touch of collimation, as well as (I guess) a brand new secondary mirror assembly. Full service and bits! 

Can anyone suggest where I might best get this done? I'm in the East Midlands. 

All the best and thanks for any suggestions, it'd be lovely to get her up and running before the skies are dark again. 

Sammy. 

 

[Demonperformer]

It might be worth keeping an eye on astroboot. They currently have a 130mm secondary mirror and cell, so an 8" one might pop up.

[wimvb]

Teleskop-Service in Germany stock a lot of replacement parts/accessories. You should be able to find a secondary assembly that fits your needs.

[Stu]

Welcome back Sammy. No need for embarrassment, we have all done silly things or had unlucky accidents. Sometimes you get away with it, sometimes not.

As the above posters have mentioned, there are a few places where you can source spares and it should be relatively straightforward to fit. I’m sure we can help if you have further questions.

[Stub Mandrel]

Can you post a couple of photos of the damage?