Rare Find! Meade Research Grade 10" Newtonian in Bad Condition! Worth Restoring? Trash or Treasure?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- This was the scope I wanted as a child. One came up recently, but it’s in rough shape. Scope Wizard says it could make a decent restoration project. This could be a good idea, or a bad idea. Could be both! Tune in to see what happens!
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This belonged to my late brother, his friend shared your video with me. He was a life long learner and I am beyond thrilled that you have taken on this project. I am looking forward to following the progress. Good Luck!
Thanks for the information. We're trying to be as respectful as possible with the restoration. Most of the pieces of the mount are apart now, and many of the parts are in remarkably good condition. So far it's going better than I expected.
Sorry for your loss, I hope his spirt of wonder can be restored and a new generation gets to see what he did.
I had a Cave Astrola 10", F-7.2 on a German Equatorial Cave mount. I loved that scope. I even got to take it to Mr. Cave in Long Beach to be realuminized. I was there after hours and got to go into the shop and hang out with him while he did it. It was so long ago I remember nothing other than being there and being very impressed with everything about it. That would have been sometime around 1990.
A Christmas eve video of Ed Ting is the only present I needed!
An early Christmas present from Ed. Happy Holidays!
Once you get this scope restored, you simply must wear a white lab coat when demonstrating its use. 🙂 I always got a kick out of those Meade ads.
So true!!! 😂
I agree get a lab coat Ed! 😅
Absolutely!!!!!
I have to agree, you need to recreate the Meade Ads with the White Lab jacket when demonstrating it.
Not actually a demonstration... just a photo shoot.
With a jacket.
@@Oldwolf63
I too loved those scopes I recently restored my”antique “ 6 inch Criterion Dynascope. Really great optics. I mowed lawns all summer to get that. I’m upgrading to a 18 inch Hubble Optics Dobsonian as I’m retired now and don’t mow lawns anymore. Thanks for the memories.. the guys in the white lab coats in those advertisements always looked so professional. 😅
An excellent project. I gifted my friend an 8” Meade like this for him to refurbish for his kids. Clear skies
I bought a 10" Cave Astrola in 1975 when I was in High School. Most of my buddies were saving their money for a car, I spent everything I had saved on the Cave. As far as I can see, your Meade is nearly identical except for the finder scope. I sold it in 1995 to buy a 12" SCT to get a more portable scope. When I got the 12" I took it over to the guy's house who bought the 10". The 10" was superior on planets - more contrast and about equal on everything else we looked at. By the way, the 10" was stable on the mount, I used to take 5 minute exposures with hypered Tri-X film using my home-made clock drive corrector. With precise polar alignment I could get round stars.
Thanks for the memories! A lot of people are sharing their stories.
I had to chuckle to myself when you started talking about heavy corrosion on the mount. You, obviously, have never dealt with a stuck diesel engine. I'd watch some youtube vids on that topic and you'll master rust and corrosion pretty fast.
You might want to check with the seller about the owner's eyepiece collection and where that was, if you didn't get it in the purchase. Probable the finder eyepiece is there. If not, look around where the scope was stored for other optical test equipment where he/she might have used that eyepiece in the test equipment and left it in. You're really after the original eyepiece for the originality perspective.
The mirror gunge is pretty normal for a scope stored that way - even with a tube cover. Given the rarity and grade of the scope (that mirror has every bit as good a figure as any new mirror these days) - my advice is to automatically send it out and get it recoated with protective and enhanced coatings. It'll be worth the cost, which really isn't that much. Do the diagonal while you're at it. The newer coatings are really what's improved since that scope was made.
I have an older C14 and the surface coatings are what it lacks - and you can really tell the difference in side-by-side comparisons wth newer scopes. If i had some get up and go inside me anymore, I'd disassemble that scope and send out the optics for resurfacing for that reason. It's pretty good, anyway.
Keeping the scope in original condition is what counts. I'd suggest sending the drive mechanism to either a clock maker/restorer (think grandfather clocks) or a motor repair company that will work on smaller motors. Or do it yourself - it's not all that bad, the windings are likely just fine, and the armature will be easy to clean up - if it's a synchro motor, same thing but you'll have to look at the control circuit. Don't let synchro motors scare you. They're not all that bad and, at the same time you're in there, you can investigate a way to make the motor controllable from your computer.
Thanks for the tips!
I remember them well and still have a catalog from way back then showing those scopes with "lab man" standing next to them. The rotating tubes was always something that impressed me. Great find and video.
That's the scope I wanted when I was fresh into college. Well it was another 30 years before I got my 10" Newtonian! Great find. That's fungus on the lens - that tube spent time in a damp place so will have to be completely disassembled down to the last nut. To get rid of fungus, use hot hydrogen peroxide full strength. Leave in strong sunlight after. The coatings may be toast. The helical focuser is easily fixed. Such finders usually wanted a 25mm Kellner. Congrats and Merry Christmas!
Another childhood dream come to life, but the scene at 12:42 gives me the sort of pause I never had as a kid growing up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Assuming Ed is taller than 3 feet, that 10" is absolutely massive on the EQ mount. It looks like ladder territory for a 10" scope, which is something few are used to these days. And yet, if I came across one in decent shape, I'd have a hard time just walking away. Those boyhood dreams are hard to shake, particularly if my wife isn't there to whisper "you don't like ladders" in my ear.
Hello Ed, this scopes are memorys of my childhood- iam 69 years old now and my first scope was an 60 mm refractor f12 with my 14th birthday. Today iam using a 8 inch skywatcher dob f5 and a C8 on a german äqatorial mount, a super polaris dx with motordrives. But my dob is my favorit scope, easy to use and with f5 more powerful for deepsky, and with my tuning very sharp pictures.
Very nice greetings from germany, a hobby astronomer, Juergen Winter, keep up your good work ;--))
A friend of mine bought one of these brand new. He got the mount for the 12.5” with it. He added a Mathis drive as the stock drive was so-so. He sold the tube and kept the mount. This scope performed very well optically. Rotating rings were nice. He used to sniff the tube saying “I love the smell of telescopes.”
Me too! Me too! Those tubes have a very distinctive smell!
After Evaporust, the set screw should come out. The counterweights will move if you can find a suitable arbour-press. If necessary, a jack can do the job (terrible pun averted).
It's definitely worth it! I have a 10" Dob that I built in late 2000-early 2001 that had a 10" f6 Meade Research Grade mirror. It is very sharp on nights with good seeing giving me almost 3d looking views of m42 and others. I always wanted the eq mount for it but never found one, so I'm sure you'll like it when it's done! Thanks for showing us, Ed! 👍👍
If the mirrors are okay, and merely need a re-coating, then yes it's worth resorting this telescope. The views through a good 10-inch Newtonian never disappoint, especially on the planets and bright globular clusters during good seeing. It looks like the cement between the elements of the finder's objective lens looks like it went bad. I hope you can restore this telescope to full operation, I think there is a good chance you can and will do exactly that. My first astronomical telescope was an equatorially mounted 6-inch F/8 Newtonian, and it got me started in astronomy. A 10-inch F/6 is a planet killer with good or better yet excellent optics.
Hope you can get the old girl working, I've wanted to see the sky thru something like this my whole life. Seeing things as a picture isn't the same as we all know. My daughter recently got me a 127 EQ and I'm outside until I shiver so much I can't focus my eyes in the view finder ha ha. She has always made me proud and it was super nice of her! I hope to find something like this one day. My health took a nose dive 10 years ago. So money isn't my friend. Can't wait to see the results and as always keep your head in the stars.
What a great project! The scope is in good hands with Mr. Ting. I Can't wait to see the scope when it is finished and am hoping for a good outcome.
I love a challenge like this. It would be worth it.
At our local community college, they have a 1961 Cave Astrola 10", apparently a "research grade", which is mounted in a roll-off roof shed. Needs some work but produces reasonable views despite mirror coating age. Much fun.
It will very interesting watching the restoration.
As an auto mechanic for almost 20 years, the "barn" finds I've seen, that mount looked fantastic and I was more optimistic than you seemed to be during the relocation. A little heat and a bit of penetrating oil goes a long long way.
I saw Mars during a previous conjunction with my Meade 10" and it was jaw-dropping gorgeous! You will be pleased! I sold my 10" Meade Schmidt-Cas after that.
A suggestion for rust removal. 1) wire brush the loose rust, 2) suspend and submerge the weights in Evapo-Rust. You might even be able to remove the set screw after soaking.
Good advice on the Evo-rust!
Another rust approach, most acids will remove the oxygen from rusted meta and leave behind the original iron. Great for restoring surfaces, maybe threads, but probably not bearings. Soak the item in ‘acetic acid’, ie vinegar. If it’s too large wrap in a cloth, wet with vinegar, wrap in a plastic bag. After a few days scrub off the residue and repeat, several times. When it’s looking better, wash with soap and water, or if needed solvents. Dry and immediately paint or soak in oil if it’s a mechanical part like a gear.
I’ve just cleaned up some old tools like this, the metal is looking great.
Really happy to see a potentially great old scope getting your attention.
Also try naval jelly from loctite
As an auto enthusiast, I was also going to suggest Evaporust. You can submerge the much if that in a bath to get it all apart and ready to refinish somehow.
This should def be first step. There will be no harm to the parts. The counterweights should be "amenable" to an arbour-press
Those finders typically had cemented objectives, so what you are seeing is a delamination of the cement between the lenses. You can separate the lenses with a razor blade held in the grove between the two lens, followed by a few light taps. Acetone should then dissolve the cement. Once clean, you'll then need to use Canada balsam cement to reassemble the objective lens. Good luck.
That is classic fungus on the elements
I picked up an 8" Cave Astrola about 2 months ago that is pretty well used but still functional. The mirror needs to be recoated but was fine for the eclipse which the clock drive still works and used my XT8 for visual. I had quite a few neighbors come over to take a close up peak before and during totality. I nicknamed the Cave the tank because that's what it is.
I always wanted one ... WOW ...Research Grade! it had me in its spell. Couldn't afford it but I built 10" using a kit and put it on a Samson EQ mount in time for Halley's Comet last visit. It was a very BIG scope and made me feel happy.
Definitely worth it , especially with a functioning clock drive in good health .
The counterweights and the corrosion issues are not a big deal .
Frozen fasteners can be unfrozen , and , if necessary , drilled and retapped .
It's not that complicated or difficult , unless you absolutely must keep the mount 100% as manufactured original .
Not a very realistic or practical goal IMO , since it may be this particular scope might have been assembled from at least 2 used scopes sometime in the distant past . The discrepancy on the date and data plate would lead me to believe this is a possibility .
With no differences other than the weights themselves , between the 8" and 10" mounts , I see no reason to go to extremes with this particular mount .
Probably an excellent figure on the primary , just needs a recoat .
The finder is likewise , probably an easy fix and I'm sure that parts can be found with little trouble , or , a complete replacement can be had .
Likely it was the same finder as either the 8" or 12.5" finders .
Very cool old dinosaur of a scope .
I got my first view of Saturn through a similar one , almost 50 years ago .
I have to agree on the retapping of threads. I’ve fixed a lot of frozen threads on old musical instruments, tubas to bari saxes. Nothing like soaking them in oil for days/weeks and hitting them with a rawhide hammer or rubber mallet under a blow torch. They tend to loosen up. Chase them with the right tap, and things work great. In the end, hard work but not impossible to restore to a factory finish.
For stubborn stuff , a good penetrating oil like PB Blaster or Kroil is recommended , especially with heat . Heat the fastener up as hot as practical and give it a shot of oil . Just be careful as it may ignite. Have fire suppression on hand . A couple rounds of this can free most rusty fasteners .
For small machine screws , an impact screwdriver is indispensable for these smaller fasteners .
Worst case scenario is having to drill to the next fastener size and retapping to the appropriate thread pitch . Of course , you may not want to do this if you absolutely have to keep it 100% original and factory correct .
After restoration this will be a remarkable scope. Resurfacing that mirror will just seal this deal. I have an old 60’s vixen/tasco that my father sent for realuminizing in the ‘70’s, that mirror is still a great performer. I’m sure the dream scope of the ‘80s will still be a great tool today.
As much as a lot of folks like to dunk on SCTs for being "mushy" and not very sharp scopes (and yeah I get why, but still!!!), one good thing they do REALLY well is to help cure aperture fever in a very small compact and easy to handle package. I have a C9 that cured my aperture fever and it's really as big of a scope as I would ever want to handle. Can't imagine handling these beasts on display in the video here. Unfortunately though, I have a bad case of refractoritis that needs curing now. Alas.....
At any rate, I'm interested to see where this project goes and wish you guys the best with it. Looking forward to future updates. Good luck.
wow what a project! restoring a piece of history!
Classic case of fungus on finder scope lens - us vintage camera collectors have to deal with that often (usually hydrogen peroxide will remove it, but it fungus can permanently etch lens coatings)
ScopeWizard probably knows this, but some Kroil or homemade brew of ATF, kerosene etc. can loosen up rusted bits. Really bad corroded bits need a bunch of heat. Phosphoric Acid does wonders on eating rust and if left a bit long will add a coating that is rust resistant. So a wee bit of physics and chemistry will go a long ways on the base. For most of the mount I'd recommend a good session with a vapor blast machine. It is absolutely amazing what they can do. Looks pretty savable from my perspective (helps to roll back to 360P LOL ). It really just depends upon your skill set and depth of pocket book.
Gotta agree on the phosphoric acid. I’ve used it to restore an auto body. Find it in the paint section of a car parts shop.
Merry Christmas Ed good luck with the restorations
Regards John👍😎🇦🇺
I was also looking at these scopes with great desire when I was a student with no money! It’s a nice project to renovate one of these! 😊
When it's done you should recreate the classic photo from the advert. Make sure to wear a white jacket and glasses when you do!
I would love to do that!
Oh goody a Christmas day vid from Mr Ting. Looks like a good project. Merry Christmas to you Ed.
There is one for sale in New Mexico right now on Cloudy Nights Classifieds.
Imagine living where you don't know lots of people that have a truck and not a SUV.
My 16" mirror is like that. In a rapid sight, it looks good, but you light it from behind and you can see everything.
Glad to see that Ed Ting has a channel. I knew him from the best article for beginners that I read.
Hi Ed. What an awesome find. Thanks for salvaging this scope. If worse comes to worse still would be an amazing display piece. Hope all goes well, and looking forward to first light.
Merry Christmas!
Wow you really know your material.Hope to see the restoration soon.Im from Puerto Rico I love asrtophotogrraphy.
I love that house! Scopes everywhere :-)
You should see Scope Wizard's house...
Nice find Ed! I should have grabbed it when it came up. However, I missed the notice until it was too late. DRAT! As for one year to restore it. Yeah. If you take a few long vacations during that year! LOL
Thank you for taking on this project. This is why I love this channel. Looking forward to seeing more on it's restoration.
Great video, Ed! I hope you make some update vids on this as the project moves forward! Happy Holidays!
Good work on the 10” RG. PLEASE don’t burn or cut any of the components. A machine shop can disassemble the mount for a song. Great project, it will turn out beautifully.
I remember drooling over these scopes. Im in Melbourne Australia and they had one similar looking one but it was a 8 inch and They also had a unitron ???? both displayed in the shop window in a Suburb of Huntingdale. I used to rush over there after school just to daydream about them. I ended up writing to Meade and Celestron and also I think I wrote to Dynamzx, however i ended up with all 3 catalogues and I spent endless hours looking through them.
Yes, they had Meade-branded versions of those beautiful Unitrons. The "400" series. I still want one!
Hello, I Appreciate your Knowledge of different types of telescopes. This series of Meade Explorer may have been an Earlier version. While looking at Sky and Telescope Magazine Back in 1991, I was something different.. loved the Sky and Also loved the stars like Slash and Axl. Guess I am a Rowdy Dork 🤣.
I remember seeing these listed in Sky and Telescope Magazine along with Astronomy Magazine.
They always wore Labcoats(LOL) vs Celestron and Showing off the Ladies (LOL) to sell. Still Love the older advertisements.
Anyway, I remember wanting the 16 inch Soo much, just could not push enough lawns 😂. ., so I ended up spending around $300 for a Coulter Optical 10 inch, that back in 1991 were made after you ordered, took about 5 months and shipping was not anywhere near the shipping then.
A 26' Semi FedEx backed up in and dropped off my baby.
Guy was cool, and I was Completely Ecstatic!!! Until I had to move it.
SoakingWet I was only 102lbs back then. So this was a Beast. it was nice to see Orion, even caught some crabs 😂 looking at M1😮, I guess that Is why Virginia is for Lovers and (M1) Maryland Just Has Crabs.
I really didn't get crabs, 😆. To young to even know what to do back then 😂.
The M1 and M42 were there but Extremely hazy and faint.
Back in 1991~ish , dobsonian Newtonian reflector and astrophotography were pretty much the equivalent of an Oxymoron of Military Intelligence 😂😊
For cleaning the mirror, use a sonic cleaner perhaps? For the weights and stuff, you can probably use something like a sandblaster (or baking soda or even dry ice blaster). I'm looking forward to seeing the final results
Ed,
Don’t give up on that 10”! Materials science over the last 45 years has grown much faster than telescope technology. Restoration of the mount for the 10” should proceed (relatively) smoothly. As for the mirror, I would send it out to be stripped, checked for proper figure with an interferometer, corrected if necessary and recoated. First light will be better than you imagined when you were a teenager. I’ll bet on that!
Great project and content. Merry Christmas 🎄
What a beautiful old scope. The spiderweby stuff in the finder's objective looks like lens fungus. The finder will need to be fully disassembled and thoroughly cleaned and sterilized. Some fungi can etch through AR coatings, however, so the final condition of the objective may still be compromised.
Me too Ed, I always wanted one of these beauties as a kid, such stunning telescopes.
Hi Ed, I didn’t read all the comments but I saw one semi-lube idea that I wouldn’t recommend however WD40 is a good idea for removing rusted screws, bolt and nuts. Follow the directions and do not spray plastics without checking for compatibility. Good luck
Beautiful! Everything of the best with the restoration. Looking forward to seeing how things unfold.
I saw a couple Cave telescopes for sale locally on Craigslist. Seemed like some sort of scrap yard/recycler was trying to sell them. I was so tempted, but had no space. I think there was a 6, 8 and a 10.
Wow! I hope those didn't get thrown away!
@@edting I hope someone from the local astronomy club saw them and picked them up.
It really hurt my soul to see that mount left outside like that.
Whenever I think about the Meade advertising strategy from the eighties and nineties, Milgram's (1963) experiment comes to mind. Milgram famously remarked, 'You shall always obey the guy wearing a white apron.' The Meade 16-inch LX200 was promoted with an image of a scientist-like figure, and, for some reason, it compelled me to invest my hard earned money in that heavyweight telescope. Just a few years earlier, same thing with those scientific grade newtonians. Meade did an excellent job of fueling the aperture fever a few decades ago. Don't get me wrong: This is a positive comment :)
Meade were the masters of marketing! I agree with what you said. At the same time, Celestron hired young female models to pose with their telescopes. I think the idea was young males would respond to this, but it had the opposite effect. It gave the impression Celestron didn't take their equipment as seriously as Meade did.
I think it will worth every cent....
Thanks Ed , I have every confidence that it will turn out great.
This is a real neat project and I really look forward to see the videos as you go along with it!
When I was in High School in the 70's our school library had a large collection of Sky & Telescope back issues from the 50's, 60's & 70's that I would read at lunch time. The scope I always lusted after was an 8" Schmidt-Cassegrain. I almost bought one a couple of times, but I finally did for the 2017 eclipse.
Very cool! Keep us updated. Love your channel and look forward to new content when it comes out.
Wow… I’ve got one of these (8”} in my garage complete with off-axis guider and the oem typewritten manual; I had no idea! Moving that pier was really something.
I have the typewritten manual for this one too!
I enjoyed this segment very much Ed. I was just entering the telescope market in 1983, and the Meade RG line of Newtonian scopes was the stuff of dreams. I opted for the 2080, 8" SCT at that time. It still is like new despite its 40 year age. I used it a lot back in the day. A RG Newt would have been used much less. I made the right choice. That being said, an f/6 of any aperture would blow away any SCT. And I can still dream. Thanks for this most interesting beginning to this project!
Excellent find Ed look forward to the restoration results 👍
It can be done with the right care and methods. Try white spirit or turpentine substitute to remove sticky residue, it shouldn't have any effect on the paint.
I'm a beginner at this hobby and trying my best not to get aperture fever and upgrade what I have so it's the best it can be before upgrading the optical tube, I have a sky watcher 130 Newtonian and the focuser is the bain of my life! It wobbles up and down every time I move the focus despite putting shims in and eliminating play.
New Ed video. Christmas came early!
All I can say is good luck! I have never restored a telescope, but have done a few house remodels and as you mentioned, there area always a lot of surprises as you start taking things apart.
I wonder how these things compare to a current mass produced Dob. I know I would never want one unless I had an observatory to put it in!
Brilliant project you've started there Ed I really look forward to watching more updates, fingers crossed it'll look as good as the one in the brochure, good luck & clear skies
I'd be really interested to hear your report on the image quality of that scope! As it's research grade it ought to be very good, but after 45 years, who knows. What state is the secondary in?
The secondary looks good. The coatings on the primary look VERY faded. We are joking that this is actually a 4.5" mirror at this point.
Would have given anything ( almost ) for one of these growing up ,, ! but like you Ed I had to do with a cheep , but good 60mm f15 Meade refractor on EQ2 mount , still have it and it's head and shoulders above the cheep chinese rubbish today .
I would love a mount like that for my XT10
I'm really excited to watch this series!
I enjoy watching these vids but I think I'm cured from aperture fever, actually since your story about the C14, and growing EAA options.
Thanks for that Dr. Ed.
Going to stick to my C8. I did get a 80mm travel APO tough, to get more observing nights in, especially at dark sites and higher elevation.
First off, thanks for your videos. Your video was the first I ever watched a year ago. After that video I followed your advice and bought the 6" dobsonian.
2 months ago I watched a few more of your videos and bought an 8" dobsonian.
I was so mind blown, I watched a couple more videos and now I've a c11 in my living room ❤
Just wanted to say the set screw should drill out and maybe it could be re-tapped , if not a precise cut from grinder should work. Also if you could get your mount to northern Ohio I have access to industrial power coating booths and Very high tech lasers with limitations that are mind blowing for fabricating about anything you can imagine. Just let me know if i can help with anything, I'm sure we can get that powder coated for very little if any cost.
Good luck with the restoration and Merry Christmas 🎅
Excellent video
TREASURE!
Hey Ed, I have a 12.5" Meade RG in better shape if you are interested. I have the manual, etc. I bought it in 1985 and I am the original owner. I've made thousands of variable star observations with this scope and although it has its quirks, the scope on the mount is fine for visual observations. I'm confident that you will love the scope for visual observing when it is restored.
Oh man, don't tell me that! You aren't near the northeast, are you?
@@edting its' destiny, you must have all three haha.
Hi Ed, I'm in western Connnecticut. Let me be clear. THe scope is not perfect. It has some deep scratches on the primary mirror ( I never noticed them in the observing) and the focuser needs replacing. The declination axis is rusty and there is a chip out of one of the setting circles. But I loved this scope but it's difficult to roll it out to the driveway at my age. If I could put it in an observatory in a dark sky site, I would. But I don't see that at my age. @@edting
When you have a chance, can you send some pics to eting at aol? No hurry. I likely won't be able to get this for a little while. I have a ton on my plate at this moment.
Epic scope. I always wanted the 8
Hi Ed, Great Video!! I watched a video you made a couple months back about the 8 and the 10 inch dubsonian. I currently have an Orion XT 4.5 dubsonian, and I’ve been thinking about upgrading to a bigger dubsonian. I live in northern Minnesota in the country and the skies here are reasonably dark. I got to view Saturn, Jupiter, mars, Venus, as well as some of the brighter deep sky objects like the ring and lagoon nebula as well as the Hercules cluster. Those all look magnificent but I’m starting to want to see more in the night sky and with those factors in mind do you think the jump to a 10 inch dub would be smart to get the extra aperture or would the 8 be enough? Also If eyepieces matter between the two, I have a standard 25 mm and a 14mm 82 degree wild field eyepiece. Thank you for informing newer and beginning astronomers!😃
My 1060 fully assembled with the 80mm guide scope weighs around 225 lbs.
Definitely fix, not even a question.
I know a guy with that optical tube but it’s been moved to an Atlas mount. Great views.
Now that I've actually gotten to watch this...
I'm fairly confident that I'd probably have the mount fixed up visually before the mirror came back from the coaters. Like a two week thing total. My standard would be "presentable, but not necessarily showroom." I'm sure your guy would go a step or two past me there.
Evaporust is an amazing product and will go a long way towards the cleanup.
The finder is something that's outside of my wheelhouse to correct, but I'd probably just Telrad it anyways, my preference.
Definitely keep us posted.
great video. always wanted that meade when i was a kid. still do , I remember seeing the advertisement for that 10 inch scope back in sky and telescope magazine an astronomy. Would look at that over and over and over again. Anyways great video I'm very confident you guys will get that telescope back in to mint condition
Cool project. I am curious as well how it will turn out.
The guy over at the Hand Tool Rescue TH-cam channel might be of help in restoring the metal parts.
Hey Ed PB Blaster works extremely well on loosening extremely corroded screws/bolts just spray on and let it soak in
I would love a video on how to evaluate, clean and collimate a telescope. I have one from college and while it seems fine I have the feeling it must need some maintenance after 20 years.
As for the finder scope lens, to my untrained but experienced telescope owner for years eyes, it looks like the coatings are splitting/breaking down? I could be wrong, but that's what I see Ed! Awesome vid btw Ed! I loved the surprise ( was it even a planned surprise? I don't know? ) where you suddenly take the viewer to the actual day of picking it up in situ! Didn't expect that nice surprise! In answer to your question at the end, I am confident as its possible to be that this grand old lady will be just fine after you and your friends have finished working on it Ed!
That is fungus - believe it or not very common on old optics in humid environments (even in typical basements etc. in eastern USA)
@@bartwaggoner2000 yes it could well be! I have anti-fungal packets inside all my Newtonian reflector tubes when not in use, and I put them inside my refractors optical behind and in front of the objective lens, plus I always store my scopes indoors in a warm dry environment. Fungus is my biggest concern for the condition of my optics, and as we all know, this hobby is damn expensive so anything we can do to negate risks is a must!
I had the Meade 10" Starfinder back in the 80's most likely the same OTA but a cheaper mount, with moving to the US i had to sell it , whish i hadn't now lol .
great job on cleaning the mirror, on your comments with the coating deterioration will you be getting the mirror re-coated?
Dude! Use bust rust on the rusted set screw and let it sit for a day or two, then try it. If that does not work, apply heat. If all else fails, just drill the little sucker out and tap the hole for the next size up. You local hardware store should have everything you need. You could even use some kind of tapping block to make sure you are square during the drilling and tapping. It's just metal. Humans have been working with metal for thousands of years. There is always a way.
I think the objective lens has lens fungus
Car and motorcycle mechanics deal with rusted on bolts every day and have a lot of tricks for removing them.
Kroil is what you need to get the mount, counterweight and such apart.
i have the 12.5in version of this telescope in great condition and its a real great scope. the mount is lacking but what can you expect for a vintage scope lol
Item Description: Meade Starfinder 10" Reflecting Telescope - with mount, eyepieces, accessories in a case. (we realize the telescope was assembled backward...) C1990s. 40lbs
Approx. Measurements: tube 45.5 inches length x 12.5 inches diameter at the rim. Base 35 x 35 inches Total height 57 inches as it stands. Base to bracket 40 inches height.
Condition: Very good condition, aluminum ring slightly misshaped. Some scuffs to the white tube. Oxidation to the rod connected to the counter weight.
Are you asking for my opinion? Don't buy that. The Starfinders were some of the worst products Meade ever sold. They are essentially worthless today.
A vintage telescope restoration what could be better.