Astromart

January 31, 2018 09:29 PM Forum: Telescope Making

5" Refractor Build

Posted By Keith Lawson

Got the shipping notice for the lens today grin

Hope to start construction next week.

Keith (Scopejunkie)

February 3, 2018 02:31 AM Forum: Telescope Making

5" Refractor Build

Posted By Keith Lawson

Mount check. De-forked the "cooled" C8 so I could play with the pipe mount. The refractor will be more demanding but I just have to tinker. Getting itchy palms waiting for the lens to arrive wink

Keith (Scopejunkie)

February 8, 2018 12:39 AM Forum: Telescope Making

We have glass! Now to make a quick test rail to see if the lens is any good 8O Had plenty of time to make some design changes for the adjustable cell. Much simpler. The tinkering continues...

Keith (Scopejunkie)

February 8, 2018 06:57 AM Forum: Telescope Making

5" Refractor Build

Posted By Keith Lawson

Put together some wood scraps. Completed the test rail. Hope to have some fun tomorrow getting the proper spacing information and testing the lens. I love the flexibility of a long drawtube for rough focus.

Keith (Scopejunkie)

February 10, 2018 01:55 AM Forum: Telescope Making

5" Refractor Build

Posted By Keith Lawson

Lens checks out. Really nice glass. 250lpi glass Ronchi at two bands reveals straight lines of high contrast right to the edge of the lens. Star test is excellent. No zones, and the spherical correction is 1/8th wave according to the Star Testing book, pg 195. The E&F stars in the Trapezium were easy targets to start out last nights observing. Split Eta Orion, Zeta Orion, 32 and 52 Orion, Eta Gemini, which are some of my favorite winter targets. Well... out to the test scope. Going to push the envelope 8)

Keith (Scopejunkie)

February 13, 2018 03:49 AM Forum: Telescope Making

5" Refractor Build

Posted By Keith Lawson

Well... The seeing has been bad so I couldn't help myself. Went down the same road again for the same reason: Refractor on a Stick! Sam Brown, you affected so many of us ATM's! The total scope weighs in at marshmallow crushing 13.75lbs shocked

Will order material for short front and rear tubes for the lens so I can add dust caps. The lens will go into a full tube when I get bored with this current setup, then again, maybe not :S Now, if I could get someone to sell me an Ultima fork mount so I can turn it into a GEM... Still tinkering...

Keith (Scopejunkie)

February 19, 2018 09:22 PM Forum: Telescope Making