Is there any where in the UK which repair scopes.

[Taff]

Hi' After a gust of wind blew my scope over and caused these damages on the tube and the mirror area. Do any one know where i can send my scope to to be repaired, Thanks for reading. Mark

[Ohgodwherediditgo]

I'm inexperienced in this hobby so not sure if there is a shop capable of replacing the damaged part. The crack, from what i can make out appears to be through a piece of alloy that has been cast in a mould. There are alloy wheel welding specialists that are capable of welding the crack but that may require some disassembly by yourself to remove the mirror, and also possibly remove the ring from the tube, i imagine that it is riveted with 3.2mm pop rivets which are easy to drill out. With the mirror removed you should have good access to the inside of the dent to hammer it out while holding a dolly on the outside to prevent the surrounding area from becoming deformed and then re-protect with paint. I hope your mirror is OK and I hope this is somewhat helpful.

[NGC 1502]

Sorry to hear your misfortune.  It looks like the scope is  Newtonian?

Are the mirrors undamaged ?  It’s hard to tell from your pics.  If they’re ok perhaps a DIY fix may be possible.  
 

The tube dent could be knocked out, the mirror cell straightened as best you can and reinforced with a support patch or welded as already suggested.  The finished result doesn’t have to look good, just hold the optical components in the correct position relative to each other.

If the mirrors are damaged then perhaps it’s a write off, possibly some parts could be salvaged, like the focuser and secondary spider.

Good luck with sorting it, Ed.

 

 

[Taff]

22 hours ago, Ohgodwherediditgo said:

I'm inexperienced in this hobby so not sure if there is a shop capable of replacing the damaged part. The crack, from what i can make out appears to be through a piece of alloy that has been cast in a mould. There are alloy wheel welding specialists that are capable of welding the crack but that may require some disassembly by yourself to remove the mirror, and also possibly remove the ring from the tube, i imagine that it is riveted with 3.2mm pop rivets which are easy to drill out. With the mirror removed you should have good access to the inside of the dent to hammer it out while holding a dolly on the outside to prevent the surrounding area from becoming deformed and then re-protect with paint. I hope your mirror is OK and I hope this is somewhat helpful.

Hi' Thanks for your help, i will have a look around my area for a alloy wheel welders who can repair the crack for me Thanks. Mark

[johninderby]

You should be aware that the broken part is probably made from a white metal and not aluminium so not weldable. You may be able to source a replacement part though from someone like FLO.

Edited May 7, 2021 by johninderby

[Taff]

4 hours ago, NGC 1502 said:

Sorry to hear your misfortune.  It looks like the scope is  Newtonian?

Are the mirrors undamaged ?  It’s hard to tell from your pics.  If they’re ok perhaps a DIY fix may be possible.  
 

The tube dent could be knocked out, the mirror cell straightened as best you can and reinforced with a support patch or welded as already suggested.  The finished result doesn’t have to look good, just hold the optical components in the correct position relative to each other.

If the mirrors are damaged then perhaps it’s a write off, possibly some parts could be salvaged, like the focuser and secondary spider.

Good luck with sorting it, Ed.

 

 

Hi Ed' Yes my scope is a reflector. I am going to look for a welder in my area to try and get the thin crack repaired and try and have a go on the dent on the tube. I have placed two photos' of the mirror at the end of the scope. The 1'st photo of the mirror is before the damage, 2'nd photo is showing a patch on the outside of the mirror but looking down the tube the mirror looks fine inside. Mark

[Taff]

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

You should be aware that the broken part is probably made from a white metal and not aluminium so not weldable. You may be able to source a replacement part though from someone like FLO.

Hi' Thanks for your help and reply. I will take a look Thanks. Mark

[johninderby]

Yes a lot of the mass produced scopes use white metal parts instead of proper aluminium wherever possible.

[Taff]

12 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Yes a lot of the mass produced scopes use white metal parts instead of proper aluminium wherever possible.

Thanks for the information. Mark

[Stu]

Sorry to read of your accident. I had a scope blow over a while ago and it’s not great! I hope you can get the damage sorted out. My biggest concern would actually be the mirror. It looks like it has a cracked area at the back and my worry would be whether that affects the figure in any way. @Peter Drew has forgotten more about this stuff than I will ever know, so may be able to comment but fingers crossed it is ok. I would at least take it out and check it over, but I guess that will happen anyway when you dismantle the scope for repair. Good luck!

[Peter Drew]

I think the "best case" scenario is that each of the damage elements will be no more than cosmetic and shouldn't overall affect the performance.  The defect on the mirror is known as an "oyster" or "clam chip".  Being as it's on the rear of the mirror, hopefully it won't impact on its quality.  As others have said, the cast material of the cell could be difficult to weld, I would suggest a plate screwed and bonded to either side of the crack to restore its integrity.  It's difficult to tell from the closeup, the extent of the dent in the tube, if it's just the central area then leaving it as is might be better than the complex issue of completely dismantling the telescope.    

[paulastro]

Have you tried using the scope since your mishap?  If the mirror has been affected you should be able to tell.

[wookie1965]

What about liquid steel, you could take the OTA apart tap the dent out and the crack can be made stronger using the Liquid steel I have used this on water pump housing to great effect on a car.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weld-8267-SteelStik-Reinforced-Stick-2/dp/B00RN7CT2U/ref=asc_df_B00RN7CT2U/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309775958298&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15783143649614881540&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046510&hvtargid=pla-406164801593&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

[Taff]

Not had a chance  to try out the scope after it's fall over due to the weather. Thanks to everyone for helping me along with your advice to help me. Mark

[SpaceWatcher]

I’ve used JB Weld to fix a few metal parts, it a two pack system, almost like a metal epoxy resin

Works really well and gives a strong repair, I got it from Amazon for £5.80 with free delivery

Take the mirror out before attempting repair (I know it’s common sense but I have to say it)