MAK127 cleaned & flocked

[Sky-searcher]

Thought I would take the plunge and remove the front lens as the secondary mirror black bits in it when looking at the reflection on the primary. Didn’t seem to be causing any visual problems though when using, but knowing that they’re there was always on my mind. Placed 2 strips of masking tape between the tube & lens mount for realignment. Used a strap wrench to loosen lens mount from tube & slowly removed. Lots of bits on the secondary. Used a bulb blower & thankfully they all removed. Blowed the primary & tube to remove any dust. Moved the primary to farthest position & measured for length of flocking required. Cut strips of 200 x 50mm & applied around the tube. The difference in light reflection is massive. Refitted the lens mount to original position & cleaned front lens. Happy now knowing that it’s clean inside.

[theropod]

Good work! I assume the collimation came right back to “right”.

I imagine the flocking will really make the mak shine, pardon the pun. Side-glare (now removed), when viewing Jupiter for example, will make contrast superb. If I were you I would be prepared for greatly improved views. Some fuzzies won’t be as fuzzy, and something like the GRS (great red spot) will just seem more pure (depending on the skies of course).

If you now made a dew shield/light trap about as long as the OTA, made sure the focal tube was flattened and using a good EP your scope would become the little engine that could.

I love maks!

 

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by theropod
Edited for clarity

[Sky-searcher]

5 minutes ago, theropod said:

Good work! I assume the collimation came right back to “right”.

I imagine the flocking will really make the mak shine, pardon the pun. Side-glare, when viewing Jupiter for example, will make contrast superb. If I were you I would be prepared for greatly improved views. Some fuzzies won’t be as fuzzy, and something like the GRS (great red spot) will just seem more pure (depending on the skies of course).

If you now made a dew shield/light trap about as long as the OTA, made sure the focal tube was flattened and using a good EP your scope would become the little engine that could.

I love maks!

 

 

Hi, had the Mak out last night & did a star test. Nice tight rings on test, collimation couldn’t be better. Marking the front cell before removal & aligning on refitting should not alter anything. The inside of the tube sure is darker inside now, got to improve contrast for sure. I have & do use a astrozap dew shield for extra light shielding. The strips at 200 mm long where perfect to get the flocking as close to the primary, but still leave enough space to slowly place you fingers to attach the flocking without touching in any way the primary. Didn’t take long once in the groove. Took a couple of pics of the moon last night & got to say they are the best I have got with this scope with a iPhone handheld to a hyperflex zoom lens. I have recently improved on the focuser knob with a outside tap fitting I adapted to make it easier to focus. Hopefully all the mods are making an impression. 👍

[theropod]

Called it!

Those are some nice sharp moon photos.

Just think if the ancients had a scope like yours.

 

 

[happy-kat]

Looks good. On reading the flocking 6SE thread, it is long, the baffle was found to benefit too, you might like to find that post to read and see example differences.

[happy-kat]

Here's the post

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/184511-flocking-a-6se/

[Sky-searcher]

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Looks good. On reading the flocking 6SE thread, it is long, the baffle was found to benefit too, you might like to find that post to read and see example differences.

Thanks happy-kat, read through the thread, definitely interesting. Something to look into. Did you try it yourself with acetate for backing? If so how did it go?

[johninderby]

I used to use Protostar Flockboard but when that got to be silly money came up with the idea of using acetate sheet to make a liner and then flocking the acetate sheet when it was laying flat on a table. Makes for a neat and clean installation and can be removed if you wanted to. 

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/316782-flocking-the-skymax-180/

Was going to flock a Bresser 127 Mak (same as Omegon 127) but when I opened it up found it had micro baffles machined all the way down the inside of the tube so no need for flocking. About time Skywatcher did something similar.

Edited April 29, 2020 by johninderby

[Sky-searcher]

12 minutes ago, johninderby said:

I used to use Protostar Flockboard but when that got to be silly money came up with the idea of using acetate sheet to make a liner and then flocking the acetate sheet when it was laying flat on a table. Makes for a neat and clean installation and can be removed if you wanted to. 

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/316782-flocking-the-skymax-180/

Was going to flock a Bresser 127 Mak (same as Omegon 127) but when I opened it up found it had micro baffles machined all the way down the inside of the tube so no need for flocking. About time Skywatcher did something similar.

Hi John, thanks for your reply. I have read your thread on this previously. Is definitely a good idea. happy-kat has sent a thread on a halo problem seen with Celestron C6 etc, which eventually has been located to the focuser baffle/tube in the middle of the primary. It refers to several flocking the inside of the tube, but leaving several millimetres unflocked at the ends to stop vignetting. Small tube diameter, so would be awkward to do, but wondered if acetate maybe the answer? Are you going to flock your Mak you got recently? Thanks Andy 

[johninderby]

Hi

No not going to flock the new Omegon 127 mak as it doesn’t need it. Inside of the tube has mico baffles macined nto the tube so flocking wouldn’t  make much difference. 

[Sky-searcher]

8 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Hi

No not going to flock the new Omegon 127 mak as it doesn’t need it. Inside of the tube has mico baffles macined nto the tube so flocking wouldn’t  make much difference. 

Another better thought out version of a Skywatcher then! Will look into flocking the central tube sometime to see if it makes any difference, but happy with how it performed the other evening. A Baader t2 micro focuser arrived yesterday so waiting for a clear night to give that a try also. Maybe waiting for a while though 😩

[johninderby]

And a full 127mm aperture as well. 👍🏻

Have fitted a Svbony non rotating micro focuser. Seems quite smooth. 

 

[Sky-searcher]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

And a full 127mm aperture as well. 👍🏻

Have fitted a Svbony non rotating micro focuser. Seems quite smooth. 

 

Hi John, do you see an improvement with using a prism diagonal compared to a mirror/dielectric unit with the Mak?

[johninderby]

2 minutes ago, Sky-searcher said:

Hi John, do you see an improvement with using a prism diagonal compared to a mirror/dielectric unit with the Mak?

Small improvement over a dielectric diagonal but not a whole lot but it’s early days yet. Having T2 fittings I could use a 2” nosepiece and a 2” eyepiece holder which would give a wider fov but as this is for planetary  will stick with 1.25” for now. 

[Sky-searcher]

Use a 2” dielectric at present, but with now getting the t2 micro focuser i have taken a look at t2 diagonals. Only Baader & TS optics giving options for diagonals , but like the ability to able to make connection changes as lots of t2 adapters available. Also seen lots saying the prism is better for planets in slower scopes.

[johninderby]

All you would need is the diagonal body and you can pick up a nosepiece cheap on amazon.

Edited April 29, 2020 by johninderby

[happy-kat]

Be very careful is flocking a sheet of something to then insert into the main chamber, I managed to scratch my mirror trying to do that so instead I stuck the flocking directly.

The baffle tube is very thin on the c70 so it is not flocked there.

[johninderby]

No way you should scratch the mirror if you insert it properly. Slide it partway in and then press down the join so it clicks into place and you then have a tube that slides the rest of the way in. Simple.

[Craney]

Sorry to parachute into the discussion..... but....   could anyone explain why people do not paint the inside of the tubes with this Vanta-Black stuff instead of flocking with paper.

The thought of trying to get a flat edge match inside a narrow cylindrical tube    yikes.... I cannot stick a postage stamp on straight......!!!!

Surely it would be easier and blacker to use this new type of low reflectivity paint ??.... you could even do it upside down if you were fearful of the paint dripping onto the primary....

 

.. am I missing something ??

 

sean

[JamesF]

17 minutes ago, Craney said:

Sorry to parachute into the discussion..... but....   could anyone explain why people do not paint the inside of the tubes with this Vanta-Black stuff instead of flocking with paper.

The thought of trying to get a flat edge match inside a narrow cylindrical tube    yikes.... I cannot stick a postage stamp on straight......!!!!

Surely it would be easier and blacker to use this new type of low reflectivity paint ??.... you could even do it upside down if you were fearful of the paint dripping onto the primary....

 

.. am I missing something ??

As far as I'm aware, Vantablack itself still isn't available to the public.  There are some similar paints that are available from the makers of Vantablack, but I'm not sure they're available to just anyone either.  Black 2.0 or Black 3.0 might work (though the sales blurb for Black 3.0 says it is quite fragile).

James

[johninderby]

If only Skywatcher would copy Bresser’s micro baffles inside the tube there would be no need for flocking. 

Re: Protostar Flockboard. Great stuff but when checking the price for enough to do a 10” dob it was £100.00 to get from the US plus taxes etc. 🙀🙀🙀 Hence the homemade approach.

[Craney]

8 minutes ago, JamesF said:

 it is quite fragile.

 

Yes, that could be an issue if it gets flakey with age...    (bit like me...🤣 )

[theropod]

I lightly painted 600 grit black wet/dry sandpaper, cut a long tube out with an exacto and steel rule, curled up and ever-so-carefully slid into the final focal wall tube of my C-90 killed 95% of the bright target side-glare, like Jupiter just off the FOV, and a dead black dew shield helped even more (a combo of self stick flocking with flat black paint). Killing those side light reflections somehow improves contrast, or maybe fools my eye, because even my little scope was markedly improved by blacking out as much stray light as possible. How much is to be gained from opening it up, not going to push it. I see no reason the same effect cannot scale up with overall APO diameter. Make ‘em black holes inside. If it’s not a lens/mirror it’s black! These scopes just need to be a little easier to pop apart and back together, for the very reasons outlined in the OP. Getting back together right is absolutely critical.