New flocking alternative?

[doublevodka]

https://culturehustle.com/products/black-4-0?variant=42814831394974

Apparently as black as vantablack, but this one you can actually buy, looks interesting and maybe a good option for reducing internal reflections?

[DirkSteele]

Always found it annoying that Vantablack cannot be purchased by individuals but I am surprised some high end telescope companies have not looked into it. No baffles so narrower tubes meaning less weight is no bad thing.

 

Perhaps this might be a good substitute. Certainly the flat black in scopes today when viewed at acute angles is at best grey.

[Craney]

   I tried the Black 3.0   with a Black 2.0  undercoat on an 8"  dew shield.

 

 

It seemed to dry with a slight grey'ish matt sheen.   Not terrible, but not   "black cat in a coal 'ole"    black.

 

[malc-c]

I've always used fablon that has a material texture as it does a better job of absorbing stray light than a hard surface.  Fablon is also a lot cheaper - £200 for a litre of paint 

[doublevodka]

11 hours ago, Craney said:

   I tried the Black 3.0   with a Black 2.0  undercoat on an 8"  dew shield.

 

 

It seemed to dry with a slight grey'ish matt sheen.   Not terrible, but not   "black cat in a coal 'ole"    black.

 

There is an interesting comparison here, looks a lot more black

[Elp]

14 hours ago, DirkSteele said:

Vantablack

I think by it's very nature being made of tiny carbon tubes it is quite brittle (so likely expensive to process too), you wouldn't want such deposits however small on your optics even though it is utilised in this field.

Paint can also be quite reflective at steep angles which a textured material tends to break up due to the random surface construction.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Elp

[DirkSteele]

1 hour ago, Elp said:

I think by it's very nature being made of tiny carbon tubes it is quite brittle (so likely expensive to process too), you wouldn't want such deposits however small on your optics even though it is utilised in this field.

Paint can also be quite reflective at steep angles which a textured material tends to break up due to the random surface construction.

I did wonder if there was risk of material flaking and ending up on the optics but never looked into to see if that was the case with Vanta.

[Mr H in Yorkshire]

There is a recent thread on using a material such as sawdust to add a random texture, this may be of interest. I used sawdust to good effect in an OTA. I can't quantify the results but it looks pretty black to me.