How to Flock a Telescope and improve contrast and internal light reflections for Astrophotography

How to Flock a Telescope and improve contrast and internal light reflections for Astrophotography
#astrophotography #flocking #telescope
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In this video ill be Flocking the 130PDS Newtonian to improve contrast and internal light reflections
In the context of telescopes, "flocking" refers to the process of coating the inside of the telescope tube with a black material, such as felt or velvet, to reduce reflections and improve the contrast of the image. This is particularly useful for telescopes used for visual observation or astrophotography, as it helps to reduce the amount of stray light entering the telescope, which can wash out faint details in the image.
To flock a telescope, you will need to purchase a flocking kit, which typically includes a can of flocking spray and some adhesive. To apply the flocking, you will need to clean the inside of the telescope tube thoroughly, then apply the adhesive according to the instructions provided with the kit. Once the adhesive is dry, you can then apply the flocking spray, using a back-and-forth motion to evenly coat the inside of the tube. Once the flocking is dry, you can reassemble the telescope and start using it.
It's important to note that flocking a telescope is a relatively involved process, and it is recommended that you follow the instructions provided with the flocking kit carefully. Additionally, flocking a telescope may void the manufacturer's warranty, so you should be sure to check the terms of your warranty before starting the process.
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[@markbayfield6381]

Not long now. Astrobloke is one of my favs

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Mark very kind of you

[@JoesAstrophoto]

Massive difference Glenn and great video. Basically when you are done, you'll have a your own custom scope. Might as well paint the outside and add your logo to the outside. Would look awesome white with the orange Astrobloke on the side!

[@Astrobloke]

I am actually planning something like that. Hadn't thought of white....hmm got me thinking

[@malcolmdent241169]

Good evening everyone, thanks Glen for the wiring info for the wireless network adapter. It's great to watch the dome move via tablet from inside the house.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi there. Thank you for the comment and glad you have it working. Its great to watch isn't it?

[@dereksmythe9042]

Super video Glenn. Excellent mods, thank you so much for sharing

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Derek and for your superb support on my premier

[@lukomatico]

Flocking heck mate! - That stuff looked like a PITA to work with but the end result turned out great! :-) Super video as always, enjoyed it mate! Clear skies :-D

[@Astrobloke]

lol, Thanks Luke. It wasn't too bad just fiddly to get it started. Makes a huge difference though. Thanks for commenting mate, clear skies

[@MrBercis]

Thanks, man! Just now ordered the flocking material!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks for watching. Well worth doing. Best of luck and clear skies

[@mesenteria]

If you do it in strips, with small gaps, the tube can heat and cool, expand and contract, and it won't tug the applied flocking away against the adhesive. One monolithic swatch of the flocking will not expand and contract as the metal tube will, and it will pull away and bunch at times.

[@Astrobloke]

Good advice thank you. I seem to have got away with that as the 130pds is a small scope and also our temp swings are not extreme in the UK. A larger scope would flex much more. I think strips would have made it so much easier to install as well. If I do it again that is definitely how I will go about it. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts, clear skies

[@paulmckeown5672]

Thanks for the vid this is a project for the end of summer on my 150PDS

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Paul, thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. I think its a great mod to do and will improve your scope a lot. Best of luck, clear skies

[@ROY-COLLEY]

Again Great work and very informative. Great stuff Glen. 👏 👏 👏

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you very much for taking the time to watch and comment. I hope they are proving helpful

[@ROY-COLLEY]

@Astrobloke yes they are very helpful Glen. I'm pretty sure that I will go for a Skywatcher 130 pds or a 150. Cheers.

[@robertovolpini9359]

Hi Glen great video, lot of interesting tips 👏👍😉

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. All the mods I did to the scope improved its imaging abilities so well worth the effort.

[@DavesAstrophotography]

For flocks sake.... that made a huge difference!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Dave, Crazy difference really. They should come flocked really

[@DavesAstrophotography]

@@Astrobloke I though about painting the inside of mine with the Mosou Black or Black 3.0 and flocking the dome of the observatory.

[@cliveroberts415]

It certainly makes a difference I did my 130 PDS and also inside the focuser on my 72ED. I am just trying to pluck up the courage to follow your video on painting the secondary and focuser. Looking forward to your next mod video.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Clive. I was really pleased with the difference. Much greater than I expected. Good luck with painting the mirrors, its not that hard. Just take your time, it great how many small mods you can do and the way they make the scope better with each one

[@leodellapietra]

Bubbles? punch it with a needle and the air will escape. Vacuuming the inside? Probably it's more effective to vacuum the flocking material before sticking it to the tube. You can vacuum it also in the tube afterwards if you want to be 100% sure. Nice video, thanks.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you, great tips. Flocking the scope made a huge difference, really pleased I did it.

[@robertferreira3286]

Wow that does make a huge difference. I’ve been hesitant to make these improvements on the 130, but after seeing the difference the flocking makes, I’ll have to give it a go. Looking forward to seeing how you fix the light leak at the mirror end.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Robert. Its a great improvement and I think a really good upgrade to do. I’ll follow up very soon with the other changes. Clear skies

[@royhagen423]

Great video, very informative. That flocking paper made a huge difference in the "quality of black"

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for watching and commenting Roy. Made a really big difference.

[@springy120453]

You're a brave man doing that live! And yes, it was mice - they ruined a couple of dew straps as well!

[@Astrobloke]

Ah, pesky mice. Thank you again for your kindness in giving me the flock Neil, i am very happy with the results.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Glenn, Wow, I never ever thought about flocking a scope until I watched your video. Will I ... ME ... ever do that to one of my scopes ... doubtful as I am not as 'tidy' as you in things such as this. However, I would imagine the resulting images will be better, if not much better. I am anxious to see the forthcoming video showing the difference. Good work, Glenn.

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Pat. It has definitely made a difference with bright stars and overall contrast. Well worth doing

[@DSOImager]

Interesting video. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the mods and some images.

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks James. Has made a huge difference has had my other work….to be revealed

[@Tony-Elliott]

Hi Glenn this mod looks like it's made a massive difference, will be interesting to see the end result

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Anthony. I was quite shocked. I will follow up asap with the other mods and show the results. I am quite impressed.

[@trevorgreen2232]

Thanks for sharing. If I could give you a tip if you have to do it again is to roll the flocking paper in a small roll rather than spreading it out. I did my scope a few months back and just keeping the paper roll small made it so much easier. Love your youtubes thanks again .

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Trevor and thanks for watching. Great tip, i’ e had quite a few since doing it. If I ever need to do it again I am sure it will be a lot easier. Wasn’t too bad to be fair and I love the improvement

[@marcomazzucchi9155]

Great, i have the same scope, tonight i am going to shoot the veil nebula. You are super

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Marco, thanks for watching and commenting. Great scopes. I am also on that target tonight.snap.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Nice job there Glenn look forward to seeing more mods.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you mate and really appreciate you taking the time to drop in and watch. The next one will be a bit more interesting and different and some images to show too.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

I look forward to it mate

[@charlesburks3988]

I did a Xt10 it helped dramatically well worth the effort. I repeat WELL with it. Clear skys

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for commenting. I was really shocked at how much of a difference it made as was sceptical at first. Kind of a must do mod now for me

[@charlesburks3988]

@@Astrobloke it's fun to tinker. Especially when it turns out better.

[@tibbs4gaming]

Great Video. It's on my toDo List. Have my self-adhesive velours film already (and also some chalkboard paint) to optimize my tube, but not enough time at the moment. My plan is to use 4-8 stripes in the lenght of the tube to make it easier and also heard that to use a lint roller before adding it to the tube is a real help to prevent all that little flock hairs. Still thinking about doing it in the focus tube also. Not sure about it yet.

[@Astrobloke]

Good luck with it. Makes a great difference. Another tip I have been told is to spray the flock with hairspray as that helps prevent shedding. To be fair to date I have not had any issues with it.

[@avt_astro206]

The Upgrade Makes a Massive Difference Glenn, Very Interesting! I tried Using a Dew Shield on my 5 inch Newt! It Does Reduce The Amount of Sky Glow I get. My Newt is Fully Matte Black from The Inside. Unfortunately I still have some Issue When shooting Near Bright stars I get an Oblong Halo around my Image. Great Video man 👍🏻 Clear skies!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Avanteesh. I have a dew shield that I made as well which helps, the flock is so much better than matt black paint, I am surprised at just how much better. My next video has some other upgrades and will also show some images with bright stars. So you can see the results. Clear skies

[@rushandothercoversongs6166]

Enjoyable and informative as always. Any chance you could do a focuser to tube alignment video? That'd be great

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for watching and commenting. I shall be releasing more videos and will look to include this

[@wessmith6196]

If you treat the flocking like contact adhesive it may be easier . Just roll up tight then cut 10 odd mm of the backing down the edge to stick down . Line up on the seam then press down and slowly unroll . Vwala👍🏻 glad you got a good result .

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. I would do it differently next time for sure. But this worked and I am getting great results so all good.

[@wessmith6196]

I flocked my 10” atm years ago and it worked well. Mind you I had a 12” diameter tube to roll around in . 🙂👍🏻 I never quantified the difference though . How will you ..?

[@tullyfisher]

Very interesting video Glenn and massive improvement. Seems you also fixed the light leak (at least partially?). Very nice! 👍🏼 Looking forward seeing your other future video about that one. - Great video! Just out of curiosity: Why did you not paint the inside dark mat black, what's the advantage to use this?

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Tully. The inside already has black mat paint but as you can see it still reflects light. There are very black paints available but they are quite costly and I can imagine its not easy painting the inside of the tube. Flocking gives a great result, its quite easy to do and not expensive.

[@tullyfisher]

@@Astrobloke Thanks Glenn, yes I saw the initial paint and the reflections..just thought to paint it over with new paint..but sure, I didn't know that it's so expensive.. Very nice job! cs

[@AstroBoater]

Wow that is a big difference Glenn, my only problem with my 200pds is that my arm isn’t a metre long 😆

[@Astrobloke]

Lol. You only need 1/2metre as you can attack from both ends

[@AstroBoater]

@@Astrobloke 🤦‍♂️

[@bottaripaolo]

Grazie!!! 👍

[@Astrobloke]

You are welcome, thank you

[@paolobottari6672]

@@Astrobloke thank you again 🤗

[@dettie1948]

Using a stanley plate to make linear slices along the length of the tube at numerous points around the tube is recommended to prevent future "lifting of the flock" also spraying with Hair spray inhibits fluff dropping off in the tube...

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks David, helpful tips. I think the 130pds won’t suffer too much with expansion as its quite small but I bet on large tubes the flock could lift easily. The hairspray tip is a good one and will definitely look to do that but at the moment its all been good.

[@SterrenKijkenInDeStad]

Plus one. I flocked the 130pds and othet newton scopes by using strips in the long direction of the tube. Easier to hold the end and pull the backpaper off and press down to affix. Very nice improvement. Can also be done with the inside of the focuser tube!

[@steveg4iwr]

Rather you than me. We cut lengths of paper about a third of the inside circumference and pulling it taught laid it n the tube

[@Astrobloke]

In hindsight it would have been more manageable in smaller pieces. First time flocking so its always a learning experience. The difference it makes is bigger than I expected.

[@darrenbuchan3957]

Hi Glenn .i was thinking about buying one of theses scopes ,and would you need a coma corrector in the image train for using a asi 533 camera with it ? Thanks for any help !! Great videos you do !!

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Darren and thanks for watching and commenting. You would need a Coma corrector to correct the stars at the edge of the field.

[@darrenbuchan3957]

Ok ,can you suggest one to me please ? Thank you !!

[@Astrobloke]

@@darrenbuchan3957 the Baader MPCC mkIII is a very good one

[@IcemanAstro]

I think you should open your own astrophotography mod shop Glenn. I do have to admit, this one wasn't as nerve racking as the other one where you paint the mirrors 😅. I'm sure you have great results

[@Astrobloke]

I haven’t stopped yet lol. Maybe I should sell an upgrade kit. Include a can of bravery for doing the mirrors lol

[@IcemanAstro]

@@Astrobloke 😅😅

[@CameronM47]

I wonder if those blackest black paints would be a viable option? I suspect cost would be a major factor, unless it can be diluted.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Cameron. I think they would work really well but they are expensive. Flocking as far as I know is the best affordable solution.

[@stulivelife]

Glenn, this is so cool. I'm new to astrophotography. it was pure luck that my first scope just happened to be a second hand130 PDS that I got for a bargain. I have already done your mirror paint upgrade and looks like I'll be ordering some flocking paper today. I love the vids and content. Quick question, I need to get a coma corrector and have been recommended the Skywatcher one. I'm pretty sure you recommended the badder 1 in a previous video. I don't really understand back focus or adjustment. Does the badder need to be set up or does it just clip in. what would you recommend. sorry about the barrage of questions! 😊 thanks again I absolutely love you videos. Stu Australia 👊

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Stu and thank you for watching and commenting. Happy to help where I can so please ask as many questions you like. Its a hobby with a lot, I know. You got a great first scope there and glad my videos are helping. The Baader MPCC mkIII is an excellent Coma corrector but atm I have that on my CT10 and am using a Sky watcher 0.9x CC. My images are just as good and it is correcting the coma great. I would look at price and availability and get the one you can. The Baader will leave you at 650mm focal length where the Sky watcher I have will reduce to 585mm and drop F5 to F 4.5. The Coma correctors screw onto the end of the image train. They need 55mm backfocus

[@stulivelife]

@@Astrobloke Thanks mate, so the 55mm back focus, how do I work that out, it an equation or something I have to actually measure?

[@Astrobloke]

@@stulivelife what camera do you use?

[@stulivelife]

@@Astrobloke Canon 80D, astro modified, 2" T adaptor

[@Astrobloke]

@@stulivelife so the camera ring adapter attached gives you the 55mm from the edge of that to the sensor. So remove the T adapter and replace it with the coma corrector. That will slide into the focus tube and you tighten onto the edges of that

[@syberand]

Flocked my 150PDS, A few things I learned: 1. It is a Pain 2. It helps alot 3. The "flocking material" throws small "hairs" of itself - at least the material i used 4. It makes it a bit easier if you do it in strips. A question about your focus tube. Doesn't it protrude into the main tube? Or what have you done with it?

[@Astrobloke]

I defo should have done strips but its worked out well. The difference is amazing, not had any issues with bits as yet but the small vacuum is charged ready to go. Using the sky watcher 0.9x CC pushed into the focus tube the focus point is almost all the way out so none of it protrudes inside the OTA. I’d cut some off otherwise, 15mm is apparently ok to lose.

[@syberand]

@@Astrobloke How have you been able to push it into the tube, isn't there a flange on it?

[@Astrobloke]

@@syberand apologies, this is something I will be talking about in my follow up video. My father is an engineer with a lathe and he machined the flange off for me.

[@syberand]

@@Astrobloke ah, well that is just cheating...

[@Astrobloke]

@@syberand lol, i suppose. Lucky to have a resource like that to use. Unfortunately its the only way you can really remove the lip. The Baader MPCC has a lip that unscrews.

[@fellpower]

HAHA, im using cords as well for measuring things ;)

[@Astrobloke]

The best!

[@simmias9397]

Why not just order that new Paint that's pure black and absorbs all light?

[@Astrobloke]

Firstly this paint was not available then and secondly have you checked the price? Flocking is extremely effective and a lot less expensive.

[@simmias9397]

@@Astrobloke fair