Virgin collimation help please!

[Joe gray]

Evening all.

Not used my scope for about a year and the other night thought i would fire the old girl up! focused onto a star and was rather glum to find my scope is out and the star was more like a blob with a fire like tail!

I have never collimated a scope before and have looked over the net for an idiot's guide but everything seems to be pointed at people who have done it all before!

I have made a collimating cap and wanting to used this to collimate my skywatcher d:114 f:1000 as things being tight would rather use money saved on a buying an cheshire collimator on taking the family out to the zoo etc.

Is it possible to use just the cap?

Can anyone point me to a numpty's guide?

Any help greatly appreciated

Joe

[Astro_Baby]

Take a look at my guide here - might help you Astro Babys Guide to Collimation

Yes a 114 could be collimated easily with a collimation cap by the way.

[Joe gray]

Thank you very much Astro baby. I will update you on how i get on.

Help greatly appreciated.

Joe

[Astro_Baby]

No worrie - holler it it all goes pear shaped and someone here will help

[simon955]

Nice guide, I have been putting off my own collination for long enough! Time to get it done I think.

[Joe gray]

I have finally "successfully" collimated my scope . Hip hip hooray!!

I modified the cap i made from a old camera film cannister by glueing a washer on the inside of it dead center, So i had a guide i could see in the reflection. i testing it last night...... eh hem i mean this morning at 2am lol and it has worked perfectly.

Really couldnt have done it without the help of astro baby though so thank you very much.

Joe

[Astro_Baby]

No problems there - hope your skies are always clear

ps thats a nifty trick to glue a washer inside - you should put a post up on the DiY section cos thats such a good idea.

[Jason D]

Have you considered spraying the camera film canister surface with white paint instead of gluing a washer? Or fit it with white paper before drilling the center hole?

Jason

[Joe gray]

Hi Jason,

Good idea, didnt think of spraying the inside mate but i gather it would do the same or a piece of paper, i just put a washer on as the cap had a recess on the inside that fitted the washer snuggly right in the middle. Then it was just a case of drilling a small hole in the centre of the washer through the cap to peep through.

i just found it a little hard lining the mirrors up with out any sort of marker.

[LukeSkywatcher]

AB's guide to collimation should be shipped with every reflector scope. If you follow it to the letter you will have a perfectly collimated scope.