November 7, 20187 yr On 11/3/2018 at 1:48 AM, Monkey Paws said: Hello All, I went ahead and made the changes to my design today so stability will longer be an Issue. I remembered that this scope is going to a 10 year old boy so I think the changes were a good thing. I did a test assembly to see if everything works like it should and was surprised it actually did. Now I have to finish the mirror cell, fabricate a mirror dust cover, build a secondary mirror holder and support. Still I think the project is coming along nicely. Man, I am loving this. You are doing such a great job of telling your story with pictures. It's like being at the movies. I bit the end of this movie is going to be great.
November 7, 20187 yr Author Popular Post I made more progress on my project this week. Once again I have changed my mind about the finish I am using on the telescope and went with good old fashioned spar varnish. True, spar varnish shows defects in your work that other finishes would hide but I like the warm tone of the varnish. I brushed on the first two coats and then worked on my primary or main mirror holder and secondary mirror holders. Both mirror holders need to be adjustable in order for the telescope to work properly. The aluminum hoop will be attached near the eyepiece holder and it will serve as a mount for the secondary mirror and the round light shade. I still need to make a dust cover for the primary and secondary mirror plus make a mount for the secondary mirror. I am happy with my work so far and hope to do a mirror test next week sometime.
November 9, 20187 yr Author Popular Post I managed to make more progress this week. Between visiting my wife at the hospital physical rehab and taking care of the household it is mandatory I make time for myself to finish this project. Anyway I have the final coat of spar varnish on the wood and I am waiting for that to dry completely. I completed the main mirror cell and you can see in the photos how I use clear silicone to make a cushioned mount. I start by putting a large dollop of silicone on the wood of the mirror cell and place the mirror on the mount. I put spacers all around to keep the mirror off the wood. I also put silicone in four places around the edge of the mirror. After 24hrs I have a nice cushioned mount. I also finished the secondary mirror mount. When you look at the pictures you can see how the mirror holder is mounted. Everything is going well and my sun catchers will be here tomorrow. These I will incorporate into the mirror dust cover. Not much more to go.
November 9, 20187 yr 1 hour ago, Monkey Paws said: Between visiting my wife at the hospital physical rehab and taking care of the household it is mandatory I make time for myself to finish this project. Sorry to hear your wife is in the hospital...prayers to you both that her rehabilitation goes well and is complete. Your project is beyond amazing as are your knowledge & skills. Glad you chose us (here) to share the talents.
November 9, 20187 yr Author Thank you for the complements it is appreciated. When building something like this the majority of the time you have to fabricate parts because you can't run to the hardware store and buy what you need. I grew up in Spokane Valley and we were dirt poor so I had to learn to fix and fabricate things if I wanted them. I built my first bicycle from parts I worked for at a local bike shop and the same goes for my first car. I learned a lot of life lessons that I really couldn't appreciate until I got older. I guess this is where I learned to tinker. Now its off to another forum so I can learn how to use a used scroll saw my wife bought me.
November 9, 20187 yr 3 minutes ago, Monkey Paws said: Now its off to another forum so I can learn how to use a used scroll saw my wife bought me. Some great scrollers here too that are very knowledgeable and helpful...I'm not one of them though Post questions HERE. Plenty of great help & ideas await.
November 10, 20187 yr Author Popular Post Today I reached a milestone with this project, the test build. I put everything together to check fit and function of all of the components. Just about everything fit well with only a couple of hiccups. The mirrors lined up great with only a few adjustments needed. I will need to add some weight to the front end to help the balance and some rubber washers to help hold the altitude bearings. The altitude bearing allows the user to move the telescope up and down The base stability is good with no tendency to tip and the metal bearings make for a smooth rotation. This type of mount for a telescope is called an Altazimuth mount. The scope is about 90% complete with only a few things left to do. I still need to mount the red dot sight that helps aim the scope and the dust cover for the main mirror. I will keep you posted on my progress.
November 10, 20187 yr I hope your wife is doing well Kenny. This project is really interesting and cool!
November 15, 20187 yr Author Popular Post The telescope I built for a friend is finished and ready to go.😀😀. The only thing you do not see is the mirror cover which I removed prior to taking these pictures. The mirrors lined with no big issues and they perform very well. I star tested the scope last night and enjoyed a very nice view of the Orion Nebula and Mars. Crystal clear images. Now onto my next project.
November 15, 20187 yr Holy cow Kenny! That is impressive! NASA ain't got nuthin on you! Edited November 15, 20187 yr by Cal
November 15, 20187 yr Very cool. I enjoyed all the pictures along the way too. A good visual always helps.
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