Dob Alt Bearings

Hi, got first light with my 10" Dob this weekend. It was the first clear night in several (seemingly a long time). Truly serendipitous. Now the but...

The scope was beautifully balanced and smooth in motion until I added the finder! I plan on using both a finder and a Telrad, so the additional weight of the telrad will really tip the scale.

Is this something I can fix with a material of different friction? I used those teflon furntiture slider disks you find at Home Depot. Or do I have to try to get it closer to pivot point (more invasive).

Thanks,
Matt

BTW, the motion is great from zenith until about 45 degrees. After that, it will continue down.

I'm hoping that adding a couple more of the disks will add enough surface area to increase the friction, although the additional surface area will decrease the PSI so I don't know if that will be the solution. Wish I was more of an engineer type.

Matt

Wouldn't it be better just to use some nice-looking weights and balance the tube? Scopestuff sells them for just that purpose.

S.S.

Some other alternatives to adding weights, since you said the balance is pretty close, could be:

-move the finder further down the optical tube toward the center of gravity. (no rule says it has to be at the top)

-use a detachable container (box, tupperware, screw-on-the-cooler-lid-water-jug-thingy) for the bottom counterweight that can be filled with local material (water, sand, rocks, etc.)once you arrive at your destination.

-virtual counterbalance using springs and pulleys.