Posts Made By: Joe Conway

My 9.25 SCT is showing Jupiter a little too bright. I tried the moon filters I have but they darken it too much. I'm guessing something around 75% transmittance would come close, but most moon filters are darker than this. I've tried Orion's adjustable polarizing moon filter but didn't like fiddling with it all the time for that "perfect" adjustment.

So what success have you folks had with "slightly" darkening Jupiter and bringing out a little more detail. Thanks, Joe Conway

My 9.25 SCT came new with a slight defect in the focuser shaft. It rubs while turning and always in the same spot. Not a big deal but it does make fine focus a problem.

So instead of fixing it, I figured maybe I'd get the feathertouch micro focuser. Then I found the JMI motor focuser for a little less money. I thought maybe the motor focus would be nice for hands off and maybe if I do astrophotography I'd be a step ahead.

So I'm leaning toward the motor focus. Thing is, I don't know if I'd like it. Always having to use the controller and no ability to move the focus by hand, I think, may not be something I'd care for.

Also, I don't know if the motor focus can be adapted to a computer for control.

Any comments would be appreciated. Any other options would be great as well. I've enclosed a picture of the JMI unit I'm looking at. Joe Conway

I hate "word doctoring", "white label" wording, "word smithing" or whatever you you want to call it.

Why is the current Congressional bill called "Immigration Reform"? Sounds like leftist wording to appease the soft belly folks. First, current immigration laws don't need "reforming" and second it's not about "immigration".

Why don't we call it what it is, the "illegal alien" bill or the "Mexican trespassers" bill. No word smithing here.

I deleted the rest of what I wrote since the moderator would've pulled it anyway. Instead, I'm sending it to my Congressman to choke on. Joe

Which axis are you replacing?

I assume it's the altitude axis with the tension adjustment knob? Since you didn't tell us which axis, I read a review and they mentioned bearings in the altitude axis.

My take is if it uses standard roller ball bearings you'll have to go find those to replace the stock bearing(s).

Needle bearings will lock up when you tighten the tension knob. Thrust bearings won't work either since they only take loads in one direction, in this case best for the bottom pivot of the mount and not the altitude.

I'm guessing you'll need a roller bearing(s) for this to work. Most likely metric size I would assume since I don't know anything about this scope and mount but it is Chinese.

Measure the original bearing(s). If metric, then look for that size exactly.

A little more info to us would help. I know a lot of places to buy bearings that are hard to find and cheap. Joe

edit, went back to read the review again and it was Rod's.

another edit, it's possible they used thrust bearings because of the tension adjustment, but not a good use here. Again, more info to stop my guessing.

even another edit: Hey Greg, are you the same Greg N in the Losmandy yahoo group? I'm the person who posted the latest worm block mod, single piece duplex pair. Still working on it and the drawings are about done and will be posted. Joe

I get it now. Couldn't envision it before the pictures. You'll still have the same problem of the balls falling out in time with the red colored bearing but it'll take awhile.

Maybe you could try the roller bearings with the washers since they appear to be captured better.

Judging from the grooves in the washers from the original bearings your co-viewer must get a lot of miles out of this scope. That's pretty darn cool.

I see the real load is taken up by what's on the other side, opposite of the bearing and tension knob. Looks like a Teflon disk in the picture.

Looks like you've got it fixed. Joe

This subject comes up over and over again. Not only here but at many sites. Many want the powers that be or manufacturers to give the exact how to to clean optics. On the other side of this argument the experts don't want to tell you because of responsibility of damage or you're not trained to do this. I respect this.

This said, I've seen many folks clean the top lens of an ep with their tee shirts while at the mount. I'm sure many of you are guilty of this. Please don't do this and I'm not advocating doing this, just saying I've seen it done.

Every used ep I've purchased had goop on the top and bottom lens. You can't tell me this doesn't affect viewing. It does affect viewing.

So what's this big fear of cleaning optics? You clean your glasses don't you?

Blow off the big chunks with a duster can. Get some cleaner and cue tips and view through a clean ep. It's your ep isn't it? Most Magnesium fluoride coatings are pretty tough, not all, and testing at the edge is a good practice, but what do you care, it's your ep and you want good viewing don't you?

The manufacturers clean them, why shouldn't you? Sure, multiple cleanings can reduce the coatings, but what's the use if you're looking through a blob of goo? Enjoy the views through a clean piece of optics.

If you're worried about resale, then don't sell it and keep it. If you screwed up and damaged it or scratched the coatings, then keep it and maybe you'll learn from your mistakes. Maybe learn on a cheap ep? Sooner or later optics need cleaning no matter who owns them.

Simple lesson, don't rub chunks of dirt or dust across the surface.

Sure, using a cue tip and some sort of cleaning agent (isopropyl, ethanol, acetone, breath) will displace the goo to the outer lip area of the lens, but at least it's out of the field of view for the most part. Rub that stuff back onto the surface and you will scratch it unless you followed step one, blow off the chunks.

I've hinted and told you about vacuum cleaning the chunks off and using vacuum probes to pick up lenses out of an ep housing. I'm remiss for not actually showing you how to do this. Until I do this, clean the outer lens surfaces and enjoy your clear viewing.

If you've got lint or big pieces of dirt inside, then pm me and I'll write to you how to get the lenses out in order with a vacuum probe you can make. You all have a vacuum cleaner I hope?

I work in a clean room. One of the lessons and books we have to read is clean room operations. One method of working in a clean environment is not in a clean room at all, but under a microscope. Anyone with a microscope can produce the same results as in a clean room. You just need vacuum, a probe (looks like a syringe needle) and a microscope, one lens at a time after its seated in the ep housing. You suck the lint or dust out with the vacuum probe and don't have to clean the lens. I use a stereo microscope since you can put bigger stuff under it.

I will never tell you to clean optics without a microscope. If you don't have a microscope, leave the "interior" surfaces alone. Me personally, I wouldn't clean the outer lenses without a microscope, but don't let that discourage you from cleaning your top and bottom lenses. Blow off the chunks.

Ok, let the flaming begin. Sometimes I hate to hit the "post" button. Joe

The whole idea of my last thread was to teach you how to clean eps and lenses without much physical contact. Of course this is done at the bench and not the mount.

In most cases when cleaning the outside lenses of an ep the only contact necessary is with your breath and a cue tip after you’ve suctioned any dirt or chunks off a lens using suction and a solution. You wet the surface of the lens with a solution and quickly (so it doesn’t wick under the lip) suck it up with the polypropylene needle at the lens housing lip, not the middle of the lens. Contact with a cue tip is to remove any slight film mark left at the suction point where the solution was sucked up. It’ll be about the size of the needle used. You may have to swab the lens entirely with a new cue tip, but only once and with your breath. You of course have to supply the vacuum cleaner for your suction source.

Here are the parts in steps that they’d be used.

1) Cleaning only the outside lenses

Surgical tubing, rubber cork and polypropylene needles from McMaster Carr

http://www.mcmaster.com/ surgical tubing - 5234K76 long enough to keep vacuum cleaner away from you to work comfortably, and solid rubber cork ( measure your vacuum cleaner hose and make sure the biggest size (top of the taper) of the cork will fit tight - 9545K51 and finally polypropylene needles - 75175A691

What’s nice about the polypropylene needles is they can be cut down or cut on a slant to get right up to the lip of the ep. They’re not affected by acetone, alcohol or ethanol. Good for simple dry sucking of small pieces of dust or lint without scratching coatings. The needles will fit snug in the I.D. of the surgical tubing.

Your solvent of choice – I use ethanol a lot. Since it’s hard to get, then use Everclear from the liquor store. Make sure it’s 190 proof. Some prefer acetone or isopropyl, but I find it evaporates too quickly and my best result has always been ethanol, especially on eye goop.

Last, some magnification - http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_612263_612263 or wherever you can find something like this with the extra eye loupe.

2) For disassembly of an ep to clean individual lenses or vacuuming lint and dust

You need everything from above and also some suction cups to suck up lenses and lift them out of the ep housing. Also good for holding a lens while you clean one surface at a time.

http://www.howardelectronics.com/virtual/vacuumcups.html you can buy the ESD safe silicone ones since they clean up nice. Always clean the lens before handling it with a suction cup or you’ll put goo on every lens you touch. A kit of (8) will give you an assortment or you can buy individual sizes per the lens size of your eps. Your choice.

A basket ball inflation needle. Cut off the end flat and deburr it. This is to put the suction cups on and is inserted into the surgical tube.

Finger cots. Never handle lenses without finger cots.
http://www.harmonycr.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=1AC0000-1144681379&gclid=CJGgvPynh40CFR_ygAodpVl5kA

Finally you’ll need the disposables like clean room wipes and a duster can if you want to detail an individual lens. Use the duster can to blow off any lens before putting it back into the ep housing. Never blow particles off a loose lens in an ep housing, use the vacuum probe instead and suck off the particles.

Still a long post, but I hope I captioned all that’s needed. I really wish I could show you how to do this, but hopefully you’ll figure it out with the tools in hand. Take your time and don’t get in a hurry. Go to it folks and clear viewing. Joe

Soon you'll be seeing labels on gas pumps in certain markets in California and soon in some other States. This is due to (13) or more lawsuits that are ongoing in the "hot fuel" fraud across the Nation. The labels will read;

"This pump dispenses motor fuel by volume measured in standard gallons (231 cubic inches), as certified by the California Division of Measurement Standards, without adjustment for possible variations due to temperature or other factors which may affect the energy content of each standard gallon dispensed."

People will read these labels and probably say "huh"?

California has ok'd the use of temp. compensating nozzles made by Gilbarco, but the company under pressure from the oil companies refuses to sell these in the US. The nozzles are used in Canada. The oil companies prefer the extra dough during the summer.

Kind of like a telescope maker claiming your 120mm apo is really a 122mm apo in the summer (thermal expansion) and should cost another $100.

In the summer you lose about 50 cents a tank because of expanded fuel vs. temp. Not much you say? Multiply that for every car in America each day. The retailers are breaking the law for not selling fuel and collecting taxes on a temp. base set at 60 degrees F. according to the lawsuits.

So the oil companies are marching into your representative's office and asking them to "hold this briefcase for a little bit" while this battle ensues.

However, the lawsuits may not go well for retailers and they're frightened, thus the labels. The oil companies are pissed at those retailers using these labels because the attention of the consumer on this issue will grow over time and the brief cases may have to be returned.

"Ask your Congressman if he sees his briefcase as half empty or half full". Joe

edit: here's the total for summer 2007 from the House subcommittee for all States. This is the estimated number of gallons or plus gallons the oil companies make from thermal expansion.

(518,731,828.40)gallons. Now multiply that times $3 Sweeeeeet

I just bought a new finderscope (thanks Herb). Now my problem is my rings on my mount are just a little too small. I could order a whole new ring and base plate assembly, but I like the one I have.

Does anyone know where to buy just rings. I need 2 11/16 I.D. like the ones from Stellarvue. I looked at scopestuff and I don't see just rings, at least in that size.

UPS sure does some amazing things with a shipping box. Good thing the inner box was still intact and not crushed, but barely.

Well, gotta go, my wife is watching "Live Earth" on TV and the rappers just came on so I gotta go drink some Drano. Joe

I use Chatillon force measurement instruments at work and the price is way beyond what you're looking for.

I believe the fish scale idea is the best for the price. Joe