Creative DIY
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Creative DIY
Cameras - Blads, D70s, D3300, Lunar and Planetary Cameras (2)
DIY Glass - German military and opthalmic sourced items, AGFA AVIPHOT DIA C
- Lady Fraktor
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Re: Creative DIY
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1000101)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
- NikkiT
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Re: Creative DIY
A few months ago I bought a yoga mat for just a few pounds.
So far I have used it to make a dew shield and a non-slip cover for my camping/observing table.
And there is still plenty left!
- KingNothing13
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Re: Creative DIY
Basically make a washer out of a milk jug and attach to the screw that attaches the mount to the bottom board (correct?)
Scope: Apertura AD10 with Nexus II with 8192/716000 Step Encoders
EPs: ES 82* 18mm, 11mm, 6.7mm; GSO 30mm
Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars
List Counts: Messier: 75; Herschel 400: 30; Caldwell: 12; AL Carbon Star List: 16
Brett's Carbon Star Hunt
- avid.astronomer
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Re: Creative DIY
Pharmacy - eye patch (to keep observing eye dark adapted when not using it), air puffer (to blow dust off eyepieces)
Hardware store and/or gun shop - Foam-lined eyepiece and scope cases, reflex finder scopes, mounting hardware, electronic altimeter
Fabric store - flocking for interior of telescope
SCOPES: Sky-Watcher 300p f/4.9, Discovery DHQ-8 f/6, Meade DS-2080AT 80 f/10, Meade AS80 f/5
BINOS: 10x50, 16x50, 10x70
1,124 Observations, 603 Objects (97 Glxy, 185 OC, 58 GC, 17 Neb, 39 PN, 171 Dbl)
AL Awards: Messier, Double Star, Bino Messier, Planetary Transit
- KingNothing13
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Re: Creative DIY
I also use it to cover my non-observing eye when observing so I can keep it open while observing - makes for a more relaxing experience for me.avid.astronomer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2019 6:45 pm There are so many things from so many stores... almost every store can be an astro shop for the DIY'er.
Pharmacy - eye patch (to keep observing eye dark adapted when not using it)
Scope: Apertura AD10 with Nexus II with 8192/716000 Step Encoders
EPs: ES 82* 18mm, 11mm, 6.7mm; GSO 30mm
Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars
List Counts: Messier: 75; Herschel 400: 30; Caldwell: 12; AL Carbon Star List: 16
Brett's Carbon Star Hunt
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Re: Creative DIY
I have also seen the suggestion that mats like this could also replace foam in eyepiece cases.
Cameras - Blads, D70s, D3300, Lunar and Planetary Cameras (2)
DIY Glass - German military and opthalmic sourced items, AGFA AVIPHOT DIA C
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Re: Creative DIY
staying on the ball as it were and forever living in the 'astro-moment'.avid.astronomer wrote: ↑Thu Jul 18, 2019 6:45 pm There are so many things from so many stores... almost every store can be an astro shop for the DIY'er.
Pharmacy - eye patch (to keep observing eye dark adapted when not using it), air puffer (to blow dust off eyepieces)
Hardware store and/or gun shop - Foam-lined eyepiece and scope cases, reflex finder scopes, mounting hardware, electronic altimeter
Fabric store - flocking for interior of telescope
Cameras - Blads, D70s, D3300, Lunar and Planetary Cameras (2)
DIY Glass - German military and opthalmic sourced items, AGFA AVIPHOT DIA C
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Re: Creative DIY
Foam inserts and possibly caps for the bottom of the container for added stability (sourced from Agena?)
Currently the external walls are being cleaned prior to paint removal and application of a rust free undercoat and then a final coat.
It doesn't really matter that I don't have any 2" EPs.
Cameras - Blads, D70s, D3300, Lunar and Planetary Cameras (2)
DIY Glass - German military and opthalmic sourced items, AGFA AVIPHOT DIA C
- JayTee
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Re: Creative DIY
https://www.harborfreight.com/11-12-x-7 ... 69316.html
Cheers,
JT
∞ AP Scopes: #1: TPO 6" f/9 RC #2: ES 102 f/7 APO #3: ES 80mm f/6 APO
∞ G&G Scopes: #1: Meade 102mm f/7.8 #2: Bresser 102mm f/4.5
∞ Guide Scopes: 70 & 80mm fracs -- The El Cheapo Bros.
∞ Mounts: iOptron CEM70AG, SW EQ6R, Celestron AVX, SLT & GT (Alt-Az), Meade DS2000
∞ Cameras: #1: ZWO ASI294MC Pro #2: 662MC #3: 120MC, Canon T3i, Orion SSAG, WYZE Cam3
∞ Binos: 10X50,11X70,15X70, 25X100 ∞ AP Gear: ZWO EAF and mini EFW and the Optolong L-eXteme filter
∞ EPs: ES 2": 21mm 100° & 30mm 82° Pentax XW: 7, 10, 14, & 20mm 70°
Searching the skies since 1966. "I never met a scope I didn't want to keep."
- helicon Online
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Re: Creative DIY
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
- Chich
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Re: Creative DIY
I use pill containers for my smaller EPs. The price is right and most have tabs that make them easy to open in the dark. I put a small bit of foam in for cushioning. Write the
Keep calm and set SCE To AUX
Wildland fire: a strong tradition since 440,000,000 BCE
NEW for 345,000,000 BCE - Crown fires!
- Chich
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telrad dew shield
http://www.homebuiltastronomy.com/downb ... hield.html
Keep calm and set SCE To AUX
Wildland fire: a strong tradition since 440,000,000 BCE
NEW for 345,000,000 BCE - Crown fires!
- bladekeeper
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Re: Creative DIY
I've made the
And empty prescriptions bottles work well for
Scopes: Apertura AD12 f/5; Celestron C6-R f/8; ES AR127 f/6.4; Stellarvue SV102T f/7; iOptron MC90 f/13.3; Orion ST80A f/5; ES ED80 f/6; Celestron Premium 80 f/11.4; Celestron C80 f/11.4; Unitron Model 142 f/16; Meade NG60 f/10
Mounts: Celestron AVX; Bresser EXOS-2; ES Twilight I; ES Twilight II; iOptron Cube-G; AZ3/wood tripod; Vixen Polaris
Binoculars: Pentax PCF WP II 10×50, Bresser Corvette 10×50, Bresser Hunter 16×50 and 8×40, Garrett Gemini 12×60 LW, Gordon 10×50, Apogee 20×100
- pakarinen
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Re: Creative DIY
I bought an Apache pluck foam case from Harbor Freight for EPs, so take the above with a grain of salt.
Man... That's some icky-tasting stuff!
=============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
- Thefatkitty
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Re: Creative DIY
Not being able to afford a Twilight II mount, a couple-few years ago I made this:
The scopes do line up. &$20 worth of pipe and fittings at the hardware store, and an old tripod.
For the solar-heads among us, there's always the Sun-finder:
A 1-1/4" wide L-bracket firms up nicely in a Synta-style finder mount, just add a piece of plastic and a long bolt
If you have an old .965" diagonal, some of them do pair well with the typical neck-wrecking 6X30 straight-through finderscope. The bracket is from an old bicycle and a bent piece of flat bar aluminum:
Hopefully it's pretty self explanatory. Before attempting this, make sure the front objective on the finderscope is adjusted to be in the "middle" ; as in some room to go in or out. Then put the crosshair part of the finderscope onto the diagonal, and hold the objective part in front of that, and find focus on the Moon, for example. You may want someone to make the measurement as you hold all this in place. If the pieces are a bit loose, some margarine container plastic works well for shims.
I do have a clamshell and a few other things I made, but you would need a MIG or a TIG welder, and I have to think more of us don't have one than do, so I'll just skip that
That's pretty much it for me; some great ideas on here too!
All the best,
Mark
"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4, AZ-EQ5 and SolarQuest mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.
Solar:
H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.
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- Lady Fraktor
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Re: Creative DIY
See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1000101)
The only culture I have is from yogurt
- Chich
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$10 Bino observatory
Portable. Reasonably quick to set up. Rotates to a new field of view easily.
Also good for bird watching.
Note that the snappy hat and boots are pricey extravagant extras and not included in the price.
Keep calm and set SCE To AUX
Wildland fire: a strong tradition since 440,000,000 BCE
NEW for 345,000,000 BCE - Crown fires!
- bladekeeper
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Re: $10 Bino observatory
Excellent!Chich wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:08 am I'm sure most are aware of this amazing device, but posting in case a few might not.
Portable. Reasonably quick to set up. Rotates to a new field of view easily.
Also good for bird watching.
Note that the snappy hat and boots are pricey extravagant extras and not included in the price.
I did a similar thing with an inflatable pool lounger! I still have it though it has not been used for that purpose in a long while.
I may need to pull it out and relive the glory days of 5 years ago.
Scopes: Apertura AD12 f/5; Celestron C6-R f/8; ES AR127 f/6.4; Stellarvue SV102T f/7; iOptron MC90 f/13.3; Orion ST80A f/5; ES ED80 f/6; Celestron Premium 80 f/11.4; Celestron C80 f/11.4; Unitron Model 142 f/16; Meade NG60 f/10
Mounts: Celestron AVX; Bresser EXOS-2; ES Twilight I; ES Twilight II; iOptron Cube-G; AZ3/wood tripod; Vixen Polaris
Binoculars: Pentax PCF WP II 10×50, Bresser Corvette 10×50, Bresser Hunter 16×50 and 8×40, Garrett Gemini 12×60 LW, Gordon 10×50, Apogee 20×100
- Thefatkitty
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Re: $10 Bino observatory
That is freakin' brilliant! I know what I'm buying after work tomorrow..... thanks for the idea!Chich wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:08 am I'm sure most are aware of this amazing device, but posting in case a few might not.
Portable. Reasonably quick to set up. Rotates to a new field of view easily.
Also good for bird watching.
Note that the snappy hat and boots are pricey extravagant extras and not included in the price.
All the best,
"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4, AZ-EQ5 and SolarQuest mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.
Solar:
H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.
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