New kit setup (Esprit 100 ), First light Report and Issues

[souls33k3r]

2 minutes ago, AbsolutelyN said:

Yes ... mine arrived today too. 4 strips of felt - no instructions. I've just emailed them asking how to add them. The felt looks the same as what's on the rings already to me. Last night I just wrapped a lens cloth between tube and rings and it gripped the tube just fine. 

Exactly I got the same 4 strips as well and they do indeed look the same. 

[RayD]

3 minutes ago, souls33k3r said:

Exactly I got the same 4 strips as well and they do indeed look the same. 

They will probably only be fractions thicker, but enough to make the difference.

I suspect you'll find they have an adhesive backing, maybe with a film on them which needs to be removed.  Just peel the old felts off, and stick the new ones on in their place.

[souls33k3r]

5 minutes ago, RayD said:

They will probably only be fractions thicker, but enough to make the difference.

I suspect you'll find they have an adhesive backing, maybe with a film on them which needs to be removed.  Just peel the old felts off, and stick the new ones on in their place.

Cheers matey, I'll give that a go over the weekend. 

It wasn't so much on how it sticks on but was more about "do we remove the old ones out first and then stick the new one or stick the new ones over the top of the old ones and secondly do we stick them all?" and also one end is cut straight and the other end is slightly L shape cut. Not sure about that which goes where. 

[RayD]

Just now, souls33k3r said:

Cheers matey, I'll give that a go over the weekend. 

It wasn't so much on how it sticks on but was more about "do we remove the old ones out first and then stick the new one or stick the new ones over the top of the old ones and secondly do we stick them all?" and also one end is cut straight and the other end is slightly L shape cut. Not sure about that which goes where. 

Ah I see.  Yes definitely remove the old ones, not really good practice to stick felt on felt, and I'm sure OVL wouldn't be suggesting do that.

Open the rings and have a look to see if the pattern matches as it should then be self-explanatory where they go when you remove the old ones.  It may be shaped to fit around the hinge, but without looking I couldn't say.  It may also be that they are standard felts not necessary for those exact rings, so need to be trimmed if they are not the same as the old ones.

Hopefully it will all work nicely 

[FLO]

I haven’t seen the replacement felts (my colleagues in dispatch must have sent them straight to you). They ‘should’ be thicker than the originals and be used to replace them, like RayD says. If they are not thicker please email us. Then when we reopen in the morning I will investigate and find a better solution. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[souls33k3r]

19 minutes ago, RayD said:

Ah I see.  Yes definitely remove the old ones, not really good practice to stick felt on felt, and I'm sure OVL wouldn't be suggesting do that.

Open the rings and have a look to see if the pattern matches as it should then be self-explanatory where they go when you remove the old ones.  It may be shaped to fit around the hinge, but without looking I couldn't say.  It may also be that they are standard felts not necessary for those exact rings, so need to be trimmed if they are not the same as the old ones.

Hopefully it will all work nicely 

Makes sense, I thought that it would be the case but until I have the scope in front of me, I wouldn't know. Super exhausted from the days work so have left this for the weekend now

17 minutes ago, FLO said:

I haven’t seen the replacement felts (my colleagues in dispatch must have sent them straight to you). They ‘should’ be thicker than the originals and be used to replace them, like RayD says. If they are not thicker please email us. Then when we reopen in the morning I will investigate and find a better solution. 

HTH, 

Steve 

Cheers Steve, you're absolutely awesome. I'll see if I can get myself out of the cosy warm bed and look at it but if not then I'll most definitely do this on Saturday and will let you know

[RayD]

1 minute ago, souls33k3r said:

Makes sense, I thought that it would be the case but until I have the scope in front of me, I wouldn't know. Super exhausted from the days work so have left this for the weekend now

Yes, definitely don't do it when you are tired, that's a recipe for a mistake.  I would take one end of the existing felt, peel it back a bit and try to position the new one right next to it so you can run your finger over the two to feel the difference.  As noted, the difference may not be huge as over the two felts you are not looking to reduce the diameter by much, but you should feel it if they are side by side.

[LightBucket]

12 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

Slight update. Mentioned the issue to FLO yesterday and got home tonight and found the felts have arrived.

That was quick but the only issue is, no instructions on how to put them on so I’m a bit lost here. I don’t know if I’m supposed to put these felts on by removing the old ones or over the top of the existing ones ?

Well if they are the same thickness as old ones then they must go over the top, or you won’t gain anything, if thicker, then replace....that would be my assumption  but agreed, there should be some guidance..

[FLO]

12 hours ago, FLO said:

I haven’t seen the replacement felts (my colleagues in dispatch must have sent them straight to you). They ‘should’ be thicker than the originals and be used to replace them, like RayD says. If they are not thicker please email us. Then when we reopen in the morning I will investigate and find a better solution. 

I have learned the distributor sent the felts direct to you. If they are not thicker than the ones they are intended to replace (they should be, otherwise the fix will be only temporary) please email us. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[souls33k3r]

16 minutes ago, FLO said:

I have learned the distributor sent the felts direct to you. If they are not thicker than the ones they are intended to replace (they should be, otherwise the fix will be only temporary) please email us. 

HTH, 

Steve 

Hi Steve,

Was feeling poorly last night so did not get the chance to check so hopefully tonight or tomorrow i shall double check and will email you.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

[AbsolutelyN]

I've just put the new felt on the rings and it does appear to have fixed it - though I need to check mounting the scope on the mount to know for certain. Not at all easy to remove the felt though. The new felt is shorter in length, so there is now no felt where the rings meet when closed. I suspect this allows the rings to close just very slightly tighter?  I'm not convinced the felt is thicker but maybe I just can't perceive the difference. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by AbsolutelyN

[souls33k3r]

11 hours ago, AbsolutelyN said:

I've just put the new felt on the rings and it does appear to have fixed it - though I need to check mounting the scope on the mount to know for certain. Not at all easy to remove the felt though. The new felt is shorter in length, so there is now no felt where the rings meet when closed. I suspect this allows the rings to close just very slightly tighter?  I'm not convinced the felt is thicker but maybe I just can't perceive the difference. 

Cheers for the update. 

I haven't had the chance to test them on. Been feeling poorly since Thursday evening but if I do start to feel better today or tomorrow, I will give it ago too. 

[RayD]

14 hours ago, AbsolutelyN said:

I've just put the new felt on the rings and it does appear to have fixed it - though I need to check mounting the scope on the mount to know for certain. Not at all easy to remove the felt though. The new felt is shorter in length, so there is now no felt where the rings meet when closed. I suspect this allows the rings to close just very slightly tighter?  I'm not convinced the felt is thicker but maybe I just can't perceive the difference. 

If the felt was wrapped over the ends where the clamps close then that's not ideal anyway. I'd start by cutting that bit off

[LightBucket]

22 minutes ago, RayD said:

If the felt was wrapped over the ends where the clamps close then that's not ideal anyway. I'd start by cutting that bit off

Hmmm, I would t cut off until  you Have tried it, as you may not need to if it is thicker, and I am not sure the rings are supposed to touch anyway, (at the catch, not against the tube...lol) as you have nowhere to go, as it were...

this is what I use, the large square at the back, is superb for cutting up for tube  rings, about 1mm thick, non compressible (or very little) and good self adhesive 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hyfive-Floor-Protector-Felt-Pads-Furniture-Floor-Protectors-Self-Adhesive-125pc/352312370778?epid=12018098150&hash=item520774265a:g:ew0AAOSwTmtatDHB

Edited February 2, 2019 by LightBucket

[FLO]

I have a feeling the replacement felt is the same thickness as the original felt so will provide only a temporary solution. 

We are going to find and source some better / thicker felt for situations like this so please do email us if it happens again. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[souls33k3r]

2 hours ago, FLO said:

I have a feeling the replacement felt is the same thickness as the original felt so will provide only a temporary solution. 

We are going to find and source some better / thicker felt for situations like this so please do email us if it happens again. 

HTH, 

Steve 

Hi Steve, 

I took a day off from work because just started to recover from this virus so the first thing I did now is to look in to removing the older felts and put the new ones on. On a closer inspection, the new felts as @AbsolutelyN mentioned look exactly the same thickness and are indeed slightly shorter but it doesn't really matter if they're short, as long as they do they job?

Tried my best to take an image of how thick both of them are. Top bit is the new one and bottom one is the one I removed from the rings. 

Thanks. 

[FLO]

They certainly look the same. 

[souls33k3r]

Also just for a reference the one on the right is the old felt length and the one on the left is the new one. 

@FLO would you like me to keep on putting the new felts on and see how it goes? 

[RayD]

12 minutes ago, souls33k3r said:

Also just for a reference the one on the right is the old felt length and the one on the left is the new one. 

That bit that is overhanging the edge is a problem mate.  If the felt is 1mm thick, then that is 2mm you are losing off the closing distance.  This is why I said earlier cut that bit off, it shouldn't be there.

[RayD]

PS hope you feel better soon old chum 

[AbsolutelyN]

If the overhang is the issue then it may have been easier to just remove that bit as I found removing the felts hard and have very slightly marked the rings because of it. I have used the scope after changes though and it does appear to grip the tube very firmly now. 

[FLO]

28 minutes ago, souls33k3r said:

@FLO would you like me to keep on putting the new felts on and see how it goes? 

Yes please. It can't do any harm and it might even improve things. 

I might be wrong but I am guessing a few weeks from now the replacement felt will also compress and we'll need to fit something better. 

Steve

[RayD]

10 minutes ago, AbsolutelyN said:

If the overhang is the issue then it may have been easier to just remove that bit as I found removing the felts hard and have very slightly marked the rings because of it. I have used the scope after changes though and it does appear to grip the tube very firmly now. 

This is why I suggested earlier just cutting that bit off first as it will be preventing the two halves closing fully.  Even so, it does seem pretty close given that you're only gaining a couple of mm and, as Steve points out, in a few months you may well be back to square 1 with the rings fully clamped.

[AbsolutelyN]

Yes thanks for the suggestion,  however I'd already replaced both so just cutting that bit off was no longer an option. I didn't notice the length difference until I had removed old felt and put the first new one on.

[RayD]

5 minutes ago, AbsolutelyN said:

Yes thanks for the suggestion,  however I'd already replaced both so just cutting that bit off was no longer an option. I didn't notice the length difference until I had removed old felt and put the first new one on.

Oh well no harm in changing them anyway.  Hopefully the shorter length will help some