Show me your eyepiece/accessories case, please.

[Astro-Geek]

My eyepiece case earlier in this thread has now been modified to the mark two version, (though in truth it's probably my mark 99 of cases !).

It was the one with the wooden platform in a Peli case, with 1.25 inch and 2 inch holes to take standard eyepieces standing up, and give maximum flexibility without needing to re-cut foam.

It worked well for me for some time, but my only reservation was that "suitcase" style cases are tipped up vertical when carried, which complicated the way that smaller eyepieces were stored in it.   If I could find a case that was stored and carried in an upright position then my simple "egg box" holding method would be fine for any size eyepiece with just gravity holding them safely in place.  (I only move my eyepiece collection around my home, so I don't need a fully lined foam case to withstand rougher handling by third parties.)

I've searched around for many years now for a flight case with a suitable aspect ratio (shallow, wide and long) with a top handle.  They all seem to be "suitcase" style though. There are some cantilever style, but still nothing suitable presented itself.

The quest, mostly via Amazon and Ebay is tricky, (especially the latter) because of the widely scattered sections that flight cases appear in, (musical instruments, disco gear, photo etc..)  My standing search suddenly turned up trumps though, with a used flight case with drawers.  It was actually advertised as a cosmetics and make up case for beauticians !  It turned out to be extremely well made, (sturdier than most budget new flight cases) and even had telescopic ball bearing drawer runners etc..

This has proved to be ideal, taking my "holy" wooden eyepiece tray in the top compartment and most of my other bits and pieces in the two drawers.  There was no need to fit dividers in the drawers, since they are never tipped up either.  It was sufficient to just line them with 4mm neoprene mat (yoga mat !), to prevent them from rolling around.

When fully loaded, it's fairly heavy so rather than trust the central handle on top when carrying any distance or down stairs etc., I fitted a couple of heavy duty strap d rings to each end (with bolts), and can carry it safely with a heavy duty carabiner style shoulder strap.

 

[David Hardie]

I tried a few different cases over the last 12 months but did in the end settle on using a company called AnyFoam for the inserts. You just send measurements and it costs about 3 to 4 quid a sheet. Easy then to cut with a Stanley blade.

Some nice plastic cases off Amazon which should be ok outside during observing.

Still need to cut out for the 17 Ethos once it comes in from FLO. And I know there are overlaps etc - I use them on different scopes!

The last picture still needs doing - it's my In Progress box !!

[Sky-searcher]

34 minutes ago, David Hardie said:

I tried a few different cases over the last 12 months but did in the end settle on using a company called AnyFoam for the inserts. You just send measurements and it costs about 3 to 4 quid a sheet. Easy then to cut with a Stanley blade.

Some nice plastic cases off Amazon which should be ok outside during observing.

Still need to cut out for the 17 Ethos once it comes in from FLO. And I know there are overlaps etc - I use them on different scopes!

The last picture still needs doing - it's my In Progress box !!

That’s some eyepiece collection David. 👍

[David Hardie]

1 minute ago, Sky-searcher said:

That’s some eyepiece collection David. 👍

Thanks! I will admit it's well over the top. I just like them. And they do see use!!

David

[Floater]

David, I’m just going to show your cases to Mrs Floater -  just to indicate a benchmark, y’know ... 😈

Lovely collection. 👍

[Ags]

Looking at those cases it seems like eyepieces are like scientific discoveries - each one leads inexorably to another one.

[David Hardie]

10 hours ago, Ags said:

Looking at those cases it seems like eyepieces are like scientific discoveries - each one leads inexorably to another one.

So very true my friend  !! Lol

[David Hardie]

11 hours ago, Floater said:

David, I’m just going to show your cases to Mrs Floater -  just to indicate a benchmark, y’know ... 😈

Lovely collection. 👍

Excellent comment ! I plan to do the opposite, and not show .......😃

[Captain Scarlet]

On 11/06/2019 at 13:47, Captain Magenta said:

Once upon a time, I had just one scope, 1500mm focal length, and three eyepieces, 35, 18.2 and 10mm, giving me what I thought was a reasonable range of magnifications. I had a case for them, all neat and tidy.

Now I have 4 scopes, ranging in FLs from 2700mm to 650mm, and have added a 55mm and a 6mm to the eyepiece and accessory collection, along with collimation tools and a couple of reticule eyepieces. I plan to add a 3.5mm before too long.

So my case now looks like a complete dog's breakfast. I think I need a case-upgrade...

Cheers, Magnus

... I’ve thus temporarily evicted my Astrotrac to accommodate them plus my new 3.5mm...

 

[Stu]

39 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

... I’ve thus temporarily evicted my Astrotrac to accommodate them plus my new 3.5mm...

 

We can all rest a little easier now Magnus 🤣

[Louis D]

On 01/07/2019 at 14:46, Captain Magenta said:

... I’ve thus temporarily evicted my Astrotrac to accommodate them plus my new 3.5mm...

 

I'd be terrified having a cat lurking about behind an open eyepiece case perched on the edge of a table. 😱  The cats I've known over the years have a tendency to bat at things with their paw at random times.

[niallk]

Nice collection! - like the bike too

[Ags]

Gave my case a refurb today. Replaced some old sagging foam with some sturdy white high density foam from the AZ GTi packaging.

Edited July 14, 2019 by Ags

[Stu]

A bit of a tidy up for my 2" case, I managed to scrounge a bit of spare foam from work. Eyepieces much more secure now.

[markse68]

As a noob with a bit of an eBay habit my eyepiece collection has grown a bit out of hand 😬 Initially happy with the 25mm/15mm/3x Barlow that came with the Tal-1 I first purchased, a bit of cut foam sufficed but now I have more and I absolutely need to take them all out with me just in case 🤦‍♂️ So I made this insert and am chuffed with it 😉 Will need another case soon for the couple of 2” wide angle eps I also bought though...

[JeremyS]

5 hours ago, markse68 said:

Will need another case soon for the couple of 2” wide angle eps I also bought though...

And before you know it, you will have 3 cases 🙂

Nice solution, you've come up with.

[Louis D]

On 08/08/2019 at 10:59, JeremyS said:

And before you know it, you will have 3 cases 🙂

Nice solution, you've come up with.

And then another case for the binoviewer and eyepiece pairs when the binoviewing bug bites.

[Geoff Barnes]

  Twiddling my thumbs for two months down here waiting for a clear sky, my mind was concentrated on ways to improve my set up.

I have been thinking for some time that I should find a way to keep my EP's together more securely than just sitting them on the Dob base as I have been doing. I don't need anything big or flash, I only have a handful of lenses and don't intend getting any more (don't laugh!).

I decided upon one of these rather natty insulated soft padded lunch boxes.....

It is just the right size and even has a handy zippable compartment inside the lid where I store all my cleaning equipment.....

As it is winter here I thought it would be useful to put some sort of heat source inside the box to keep the EP's warm and prevent them fogging up in use.

I hit upon the idea of one of those hand warmer bag things filled with wheat or rice. Couldn't find one that fitted the bill so decided to make my own. Found an old sock, filled it with rice (Basmati as it happens), tied a knot in the open end and put it in the microwave for one minute. It came out nice and hot but a surprising amount of moisture came out of the dry rice so I put the sock into a sealable sandwich bag.

Placed a thin piece of sponge between the hot bag and the lenses to keep them separated and tadaaa! A nice warm dry EP case that stays warm for many hours!.....

Now back to twiddling my thumbs waiting for a clear sky, it's snowing here now!!!  ❄️❄️❄️

Edited August 10, 2019 by Geoff Barnes

[Paz]

On 08/08/2019 at 11:21, markse68 said:

As a noob with a bit of an eBay habit my eyepiece collection has grown a bit out of hand 😬 Initially happy with the 25mm/15mm/3x Barlow that came with the Tal-1 I first purchased, a bit of cut foam sufficed but now I have more and I absolutely need to take them all out with me just in case 🤦‍♂️ So I made this insert and am chuffed with it 😉 Will need another case soon for the couple of 2” wide angle eps I also bought though...

That is one very professional looking eyepiece case you have there! 

[Mark Daniels]

All my bits and bobs

[Floater]

That’s a busy looking case, Mark. 👍

[Mark Daniels]

3 hours ago, Floater said:

That’s a busy looking case, Mark. 👍

Like to be as compact as i can ride a motorbike so need to get everything in panniers etc also handy when travelling.

😀

[Ags]

It's teeny! It's made of wood!

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by Ags

[Raph-in-the-sky]

Not as impressive ... but It my first case and I think it looks good!

It's a serious upgrade compared to the shoe box I was using before

[Ags]

@ralph-in-the-sky, maybe paste the image into your post?