I know what you mean about the cold David. I used to work outside a lot in my younger days and didn't bother me too much, but now its a totally different matter. I also suffer from arthritis so I dont have the grip anymore, which is not good if you need to set up a medium to large size scope on a cold winters night only to take it all down again because the clouds rolled in a few hours later. I don't have space for an observatory so I tend to use smaller refractors and refectors. Most of my immaging this winter has been with my Red Cat51 on a Star Adventurer GTi mount. I use an ASIair Plus so I can control it from my tablet while sitting in my warm house. I used to dream of owning a large Newtonian like that, but now I can actually afford one, it would probably not get used. I do have a Sky Watcher Explorer 150P which I never use, I've been toying with the idea of upgrading this by flocking the tube, replacing the Spider, focuser etc. I don't really need it, but like you say it gives you something to do if you can't get outside ( with the weather we have in the UK getting outside is not that regular anyway if you do deep sky imaging ). I look forward to seeing how your refurb progresses. Clear Skies.
Hi, Kevin and Happy New Year! It's good to take a break from viewing/imaging during the extreme temperatures IMHO. In the early days I was a fanatic and frankly I have no idea where I got the energy to work, raise two boys and use my telescopes all night long. There is something to be said for slowing it down a notch - taking time to absorb it all. And a word to the wise - this hobby is so much more than imaging the Universe - there is always something to do! Side note, I am on the fence regarding the flocking. If I decide to do it, I may fabricate something with baffling down the tube. I am just not sure it is needed. I have to research this a bit more. All the best! -David
I have the 10" Apertura brand version of this. Hopefully, I won't need to do a full teardown anytime soon, as I got the scope last year; but this will be useful when it's time to clean the mirrors, etc. Thank you!
I used to grind my mirrors and build my own scopes. A 12.5" f/6 was my largest. Components (mirror cells, spiders, focusers) hard to come by so improvising was key. It was visual only back then for amateurs (pretty much). Anyway, I have a pretty good feel for what you are doing; it's a bunch of work but for 12" it will be worth it. You might want to consider re-aluminizing your mirror. Its reflectivity (even without dust) is probably degraded; the aluminizer will generally clear it properly as part of the process. Shouldn't cost too much (but I'm out of touch with such services nowadays). Good luck, have fun, enjoy the views.
Great to hear from you, Larry. Some day I will grind my own as well. It has been on my list for 30 years... I'll be taking a close look at the mirrors this week to see just how bad off they are. This telescope sat in an abandoned observatory for 5 years. The building was in serious disrepair. I can can't the number of fossils I found in the nooks and crannies of this scope. I've had it in my workshop for three years and finally I am getting around to the rehab work. It's actually a heck of a lot of fun... Cheers!
@AstroDNAObservatory yes, I realized that after thinking about the weight of a 12" or larger mirror. Also noticed in the next part that you covered this comment. Better to leave the uncertainty to the shipping company before it's delivered. I'm sure they turned it on just about all of the 6 sides of the box before mine arrived. The plastic banding was also cut deeply into the side edges.
@sandragayle7866 - sorry if you have tried to reach me by email and not succeeded - dna.oneill@streamingrelativity.com. I am pretty good about responding to messages. I will see if there is anything in junk folder. Feel free to reach out. Best, -David.
Hi Dave, looking forward to see the firstlight picture you take with it. Saludus from Spain, Rob
Gracias, mi amigo! Me too! The nice thing about this hobby is there is always something to do on cloudy cold nights... Cheers!
I know what you mean about the cold David. I used to work outside a lot in my younger days and didn't bother me too much, but now its a totally different matter. I also suffer from arthritis so I dont have the grip anymore, which is not good if you need to set up a medium to large size scope on a cold winters night only to take it all down again because the clouds rolled in a few hours later. I don't have space for an observatory so I tend to use smaller refractors and refectors. Most of my immaging this winter has been with my Red Cat51 on a Star Adventurer GTi mount. I use an ASIair Plus so I can control it from my tablet while sitting in my warm house. I used to dream of owning a large Newtonian like that, but now I can actually afford one, it would probably not get used. I do have a Sky Watcher Explorer 150P which I never use, I've been toying with the idea of upgrading this by flocking the tube, replacing the Spider, focuser etc. I don't really need it, but like you say it gives you something to do if you can't get outside ( with the weather we have in the UK getting outside is not that regular anyway if you do deep sky imaging ). I look forward to seeing how your refurb progresses. Clear Skies.
Hi, Kevin and Happy New Year! It's good to take a break from viewing/imaging during the extreme temperatures IMHO. In the early days I was a fanatic and frankly I have no idea where I got the energy to work, raise two boys and use my telescopes all night long. There is something to be said for slowing it down a notch - taking time to absorb it all. And a word to the wise - this hobby is so much more than imaging the Universe - there is always something to do! Side note, I am on the fence regarding the flocking. If I decide to do it, I may fabricate something with baffling down the tube. I am just not sure it is needed. I have to research this a bit more. All the best! -David
I have the 10" Apertura brand version of this. Hopefully, I won't need to do a full teardown anytime soon, as I got the scope last year; but this will be useful when it's time to clean the mirrors, etc. Thank you!
Absolutely my pleasure - and thank you for your comment!
I used to grind my mirrors and build my own scopes. A 12.5" f/6 was my largest. Components (mirror cells, spiders, focusers) hard to come by so improvising was key. It was visual only back then for amateurs (pretty much). Anyway, I have a pretty good feel for what you are doing; it's a bunch of work but for 12" it will be worth it.
You might want to consider re-aluminizing your mirror. Its reflectivity (even without dust) is probably degraded; the aluminizer will generally clear it properly as part of the process. Shouldn't cost too much (but I'm out of touch with such services nowadays). Good luck, have fun, enjoy the views.
Great to hear from you, Larry. Some day I will grind my own as well. It has been on my list for 30 years... I'll be taking a close look at the mirrors this week to see just how bad off they are. This telescope sat in an abandoned observatory for 5 years. The building was in serious disrepair. I can can't the number of fossils I found in the nooks and crannies of this scope. I've had it in my workshop for three years and finally I am getting around to the rehab work. It's actually a heck of a lot of fun... Cheers!
Every other video I've seen turns the mirror on top and lifts the assembly off upside down.
The biggest risk with that approach is the primary falling out of the housing - it can happen, trust me! Cheers...
@AstroDNAObservatory yes, I realized that after thinking about the weight of a 12" or larger mirror. Also noticed in the next part that you covered this comment. Better to leave the uncertainty to the shipping company before it's delivered. I'm sure they turned it on just about all of the 6 sides of the box before mine arrived. The plastic banding was also cut deeply into the side edges.
He doesn't respond to his emails that's for sure!
@sandragayle7866 - sorry if you have tried to reach me by email and not succeeded - dna.oneill@streamingrelativity.com. I am pretty good about responding to messages. I will see if there is anything in junk folder. Feel free to reach out. Best, -David.
Yikes - I see your email. Just responded!