Replacement end caps for reflectors?

[Dave-P]

Hello, does anyone know how/where to source a replacement dust cap/end cap for a reflector, specifically a Skywatcher 130p-ds? Not finding much online, would rather not build something. Thanks.

[Carbon Brush]

My first attempt to obtain a new cap was for a !0" orion Optics reflector. It was a vacuum drawn flimsy thing.
The price quoted made me fall off my chair.☹️ Almost 10% of the scope cost.
That led me to decide that shower caps and carrier bags were viable alternatives.
People more skilled than me with needles have made hats for scope open ends.

In past years I have used a 3D printer to make various caps. Though never for a '130.
When I made parts for a 10" reflector they were too big for the print bed, I made them in pie type sections. 3 in this case.
Easy to clamp and glue. Choice of colours😁

Sometimes, just sometimes, you can get lucky with a repurposed product.
I once used a kitchen clock front reigid plastic disc and frame on an 8" reflecor.
Only last weekend I was throwing away a cardboard tube that had plastic end caps. Looking by eye they appeared to be 1.25".
A quick measuring stick confirmed this! Two more 1.25" tube caps for my collection.

HTH, David.

 

[AstroMuni]

31 minutes ago, Dave-P said:

anyone know how/where to source a replacement dust cap/end cap for a reflector, specifically a Skywatcher 130p-ds

Try looking for any 130mm reflector rather than SW130pds specifically. Its not going to be exactly cheap ! but you should get them in the £25 range. Cheapest will be to build your own using a sheet of plastic along the lines of a Bahtinov mask.

Edited February 20, 2023 by AstroMuni

[markse68]

what diameter is the tube?

 

[Dave-P]

35 minutes ago, markse68 said:

what diameter is the tube?

 

Inner diameter measures at 150mm, outer at 165

[Dave-P]

1 hour ago, AstroMuni said:

Try looking for any 130mm reflector rather than SW130pds specifically. Its not going to be exactly cheap ! but you should get them in the £25 range. Cheapest will be to build your own using a sheet of plastic along the lines of a Bahtinov mask.

I have been searching for generic items but the market seems fairly bare. Strange for a hobby where utterly niche accessories are the norm...

[jjohnson3803]

Some people have found lids from plastic containers that fit their scope and some use plastic shower caps.  Just a couple of other ideas.