Good newtonian tube ring replacements?

[ONIKKINEN]

I will be looking for new tube rings soon(ish) to fit to a roughly 235mm outer diameter tube to replace the VX8 rings i currently have. Big knurled screws and hinges are a must have, since i will be using the scope almost exclusively with thick gloves and will want to change between visual and imaging tube orientations easily. If its not easy it doesn't get done and im not ready to doom my scope to be a full astrograph just yet (would need a second scope first, a thread for another day and another few paychecks). They also need to have flat contact surfaces for a losmandy plate on the bottom and a vixen one on top.

I know of:

GSO rings: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1198_Pipe-clamps-for-tubes-with-D-230mm---Set-of-2-pieces.html

Orion (US) rings:https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p987_Orion-tube-ring-set--two-pcs-----for-235-mm-tube-diameter.html

Skywatcher rings (similar to Orion ones, maybe the same?: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/tube-rings/skywatcher-telescope-tube-rings.html

Primalucelab rings, apparently made of gold according to the price: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p10614_PrimaLuceLab-235mm-PLUS-support-rings.html

Which of these, or some other would you think is the best or are the low price ones all the same? I dont think the rings themselves need to be spaceflight-quality since the bottom and top rails will be the rigidest structures at play here and will make the rings a bit trivial, thoughts?

Basically anything other than the rings i currently have is on my mind. I also know that OOUK makes higher quality CNC rings for a solid-gold pricerange but since in not convinced about the mechanical quality of my current OOUK rings im not going to risk it with the higher cost ones.

[Dan_Paris]

What about those ?

 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p13075_TS-Optics-CNC-Aluminium-Tube-Rings-for-telescopes-with-235-mm-diameter.html

 

The problem with the GSO/Orion/Skywatcher models is that they have a single thread on top and bottom, which is less rigid.

 

[markse68]

7 minutes ago, Dan_Paris said:

What about those ?

those are the ones that my ota came with- they look good and work great. Wouldn’t work so well for a visual setup as it would be awkward to loosen to turn the tube but for ap they’re nice 👍 

Mark

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by markse68

[Second Time Around]

Love the handle, Mark! 👍

[ONIKKINEN]

3 hours ago, Dan_Paris said:

What about those ?

 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p13075_TS-Optics-CNC-Aluminium-Tube-Rings-for-telescopes-with-235-mm-diameter.html

 

The problem with the GSO/Orion/Skywatcher models is that they have a single thread on top and bottom, which is less rigid.

 

I was looking at these and they look very slick and nice, but they would make the scope a permanent imaging rig without easy tool- less action to change tube orientations.

[ONIKKINEN]

Actually ill ask TS if their CNC rings can fit a thumbcsrew instead of the hex one, and if not, could they machine it so that it can. The only thing about those rings i dont like is the lack of tool- less action. The hinge is not that important, i can just loosen a tiny bit, rotate and tighten again so actually dont need the hinge at all.

[Dan_Paris]

2 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

Actually ill ask TS if their CNC rings can fit a thumbcsrew instead of the hex one, and if not, could they machine it so that it can. The only thing about those rings i dont like is the lack of tool- less action. The hinge is not that important, i can just loosen a tiny bit, rotate and tighten again so actually dont need the hinge at all.

knurl screws and clamping levers are easy to find in hardware store or on Amazon. Don't need to be custom machined.

 

 

[ONIKKINEN]

Just now, Dan_Paris said:

knurl screws and clamping levers are easy to find in hardware store or on Amazon. Don't need to be custom machined.

 

 

I was thinking that if it is the case that there isn't enough space to fit a knurled screw, i dont want tiny thumbscrews that are a pain to use in cold weather. The distance between the hex screw head and the ring looks quite small in the images and i am not sure if a big knurled screw fits there.

If that is an M6 thread, judging from this image there is no room for a knurled screw with a 37mm diameter like TS and hardware store sell. If its much smaller than that it wont be easy to use. That is what i meant by machining the rings so that the connecting bit that sticks out would be a bit longer to make space for a bigger screwhead.

 

[Dan_Paris]

5 hours ago, ONIKKINEN said:

If that is an M6 thread, judging from this image there is no room for a knurled screw with a 37mm diameter like TS and hardware store sell. If its much smaller than that it wont be easy to use. That is what i meant by machining the rings so that the connecting bit that sticks out would be a bit longer to make space for a bigger screwhead.

For this reason I suggested also clamping levers, which won't have this problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Adjustable-Clamping-Ratchet-Threaded/dp/B07MXB5L4N/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VRWVBXD7BHZ7&keywords=clamping%2Blever&qid=1656277683&sprefix=clamping%2Bleve%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-2&th=1

Edited June 26, 2022 by Dan_Paris

[Clarkey]

On 25/06/2022 at 17:45, ONIKKINEN said:

Primalucelab rings, apparently made of gold according to the price

No. Gold plated platinum encrusted with diamonds.😆

[ONIKKINEN]

28 minutes ago, Dan_Paris said:

For this reason I suggested also clamping levers, which won't have this problem.

 

https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Adjustable-Clamping-Ratchet-Threaded/dp/B07MXB5L4N/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2VRWVBXD7BHZ7&keywords=clamping%2Blever&qid=1656277683&sprefix=clamping%2Bleve%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-2&th=1

I didn't quite understand what clamping lever meant, probably lost in translation, but this looks exactly like the thing i need, thank you! Fits in the small gap and a lever is even better than a thumbscrew when it comes to handling with gloves.