Sky Watcher 130PDS Newtonian performance boost. M81 & M82

Sky Watcher 130PDS Newtonian performance boost update and test on M81 & M82 and the Iris Nebula,
#ASTROBLOKE #Astrophotography #Astronomy
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After painting the edges of the mirrors and the focuser tube matt black in my last video. I am now able to show 2 images that the scope took afterwards.
I feel the star shapes are a lot better and that the scope has a much better contrast in its image return.
I will be making further improvements after some excellent comments and will make a follow up video. No idea how to title that one....The boosted Newt boosted.
Here is a link to the Tent I show which is a great way to cover your mount and scope if you want to leave it set up.
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Sky Watcher EQ8R PRO bit.ly/39HVTpR
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Cameras
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Filters
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Telescopes
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Sky Watcher 130PDS
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Correctors
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ProLogik balance meter and tuning tool
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The meter is of a high quality and works really well. Not only is it great for helping to find perfect balance in stiff mounts but it is a fantastic aid to fine tuning your mount for the best guiding. It will assist you in adjusting your worm drive/gear mesh to the optimum setting and giving you great smooth tracking and excellent guiding numbers.

[@avt_astro206]

Awesome Capture Glenn. The Ha In the Galaxies Came Out Well!!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. I think the Ha in galaxies really adds another dimension to them and certain galaxies look a lot better with it.

[@JoesAstrophoto]

Great watch Glenn! That was funny when you came of out the shower tent, also great captures!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Joe. I may have opened Pandoras box with the slo mo run challenge. had a lot of fun making it though.

[@edjones3390]

Glenn, Another great video! Love the DIY aspect + amazing shots from the 130PDS !

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Ed and a pleasure to meet you at PAS. Thank you for your kind comments. Its a great little scope I think.

[@clairehunter7911]

Really enjoyed that and those images at the end , just wow especially the Iris

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you. I hope to add more to the Iris

[@secretstill]

Hi Glenn. Looking good! I have done the same mods on my 200PDS and I think the results are really noticeable. What I did was chop 15mm off the focus tube (this might affect the ability to focus when used for visual but it has reduced the amount of odd-shaped flaring around bright stars and I still have plenty of focus movement with an ASI1600MM), flocked the remaining part of the focus tube sticking out, flocked the edge of the secondary mirror, flocked the interior of the tube, put in place a primary mirror baffle. The baffle is perhaps the best mod as my stars are noticeably much rounder now. It was a bit nerve-racking at times to pull a new scope apart and take a hacksaw to it but definitely worth it.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Mark. The focus tube chop or something similar is my next move as is flocking.. I saw the baffle on Teleskop-express website. I met the guy that runs the FB group for 130PDS scopes and we chatted about making a 3d printed one. So now in talks with getting that made. I think that baffle will be a big improver like you say. I love these scopes and how much fun you can have modding them.

[@ziggyfrnds]

Great work Mark! I have a GSO/TPO 8" newt......I will be doing the same kind of project on. Although I don't think I need to do anything to the focuser. But the tube itself is kind of gray and not black. Plus the primary mirror cell leaks a lot of light. I will be painting the inside black acrylic (matt finish kind) as a starter. How do you test the before and after performance of the scope? Light frames? Thanks P.s. I love the fact that we can take apart these scopes and work on them for these kind of projects, a premium refractor owner would never even think of touching their scope like that :D But I guess they wouldn't need to either :P

[@secretstill]

@@ziggyfrnds Hi Ziggy, I haven't tested the improvement scientifically but the overall impression from the resulting images is better, especially the star shapes. I don't think my scope is perfect yet, more of an ongoing project!

[@ziggyfrnds]

@@secretstill Thanks for taking the time to reply! I'll be trying out Astrobloke's and your suggestions on my own newtonian OTA soon

[@ronlundgren4391]

Beautiful work Glenn!👏🔭🍻

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Ron.

[@DavesAstrophotography]

Nice video and captures Glenn!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Dave. I am just about to watch your M81 & 82 capture, Clear skies

[@ClearAmbientSkies]

Hey Glen, thanks for not letting me down. :D Great video, I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing the flocking process. Nice shot of M81 and M82 too. The Iris capture was fantastic. Clear Skies big guy!

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you so much I really appreciate your kind comments and support. Clear skies

[@Tony-Elliott]

Another great video Glenn, Really interesting to see how much you can squeeze out of that scope

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you Anthony. What I like is a lot of things you can add or change are not expensive or difficult to do and they make a difference, I really enjoy the projects and get a buzz when it makes things better

[@dereksmythe9042]

Brilliant video Glenn, the Slow Motion clip had me laughing. Good to see people not taking life too seriously. Clear skies

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Derek. Its good to laugh

[@cliveroberts415]

Fantastic Glenn, having seen those images I think I will have a go at the paint job. It's nice to see you still use and enjoy the 130.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Clive and thank you. I love that little scope and every mod I make seems to squeeze a little more performance from it. I will always keep and use it and have a special mod in mind that I hope to share if I can pull it off.

[@KopLamp]

Brilliant images Glenn! What a little paint can do for you! Nice. I am working on a new video as well (for months actually) and I now see I will need to add a slow mo bit to it... ;)

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Martin and thank you. I will look forward to that and will love it if you do. Get in on the slow mo challenge

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Ey up Glenn those 130PDS scopes do pack a punch & glad you did a slow mo with the pop up tent lol, challenge accepted with the slow mo when I get round to doing a video of fitting the focus cube to the RASA 11 which should be soon now as I've finally got all the parts required to fit it. Clear skies & have fun at the star party.

[@Astrobloke]

lol the slo mo run. I couldn't not do it after challenging everyone. I will look forward to your contribution. Maybe we should have a monthly challenge..... I have still to fit my focus cube. Clear skies and star parties getting in the way lol. Got a cracking image from the party that I will share soon. The 130pds is firing on all cylinders. Clear skies mate

[@moyers_astro]

Hi Glen, great video. I faced similar problems with focus tube incursion on my 200P. I switched to a Baader MPCC MkIII Coma corrector coupled to a ZWO 16.5mm M48 to T2 spacer ring - these two items slide fully into the focus tube which now retracts fully clear of the OTA light path. Configured like this the back focus is 58mm for the corrector. Regarding mirror clips, I constructed a baffle ring inside the OTA just clear of the mirror, using Fowong Thick Self-Adhesive Foam Tape 25mm(W) x 20mm(T) Black Weather Stripping Foam Seal Tape from Amazon. For flocking the inside of th OTA, I used BENECREAT 20PCS Velvet (Black) Fabric Sticky Back Adhesive Felt A4 sheet (21cm x 30cm / 8.3" x 11.8") also from Amazon.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi there and thank you so much for watching and commenting. The information you have shared is excellent and I have plans in place to implement them. I need to save up for another Baader MPCC MKiii as I do have one but that is being used on mt CT10 set up. Thanks once again and clear slies

[@HogarthsAstrophotography]

Really good to meet you at PAS. That toilet tent has got be thinking.. could be an ideal solution as you say for a few days setup In the garden. cracking final image of M81/M82..

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Nigel and likewise it was a great day. The tent has been great and works a treat. Been up all week. Down now though as off to its first star camp tomorrow. Was really pleased with the results after the mod. I think its given better contrast which I was hoping for. With the reducer it was at 585mm which I thought might be a bit too wide but was happy with the fov and detail. clear skies mate

[@IcemanAstro]

Beautiful images Glenn!! Had a laugh with the slow mo clip 😅. Hope you have a great time on your trip. Will wait to see what the Legend has in store for us next!

[@Astrobloke]

Looking forward to your Slow mo run Isaac. Its the Astro youtuber challenge. Tell Jason too. Thanks for your comments man, speak soon

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Fantastic video mate, some great tips. I really need to pick up one of those pop up tents. Was great to finally meet you in person at the PAS show, can't wait for the next one. Really need to get to the next cloud camp as well, that looked like a lot of fun!

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Russell. The tents are very handy and do a brilliant job, nice and cheap and quick and easy to use. It was great to meet you in person and look forward to future events where we can catch up. Definitely try and get to a cloudcamp mate, it was an excellent experience, and great people.

[@AZ4Runner]

Great video Glenn! SloMo was popping!! Great captures!

[@Astrobloke]

Hey Jason how are you my good friend? Glad you liked it, I was so scared it would just show my fat bouncing around lol I was well happy with the images too, thanks Clear skies

[@AZ4Runner]

@@Astrobloke doing good!! lol!!!

[@catchingphotons]

Hey Glenn, what a lovely video! I enjoyed your marvelous images and as I own the 150PDS I was really curious about your boosting actions with the scope. Really interesting and I think I'll give it a go as well (given some spare time). Thanks for your thoughts and insights. Clear skies!! -Chris

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Chris and thank you for your kind comment. The 150PDS is another fine budget scope and so easy to mod. Time is one of those commodities that I know we all find hard to find, bit like clear skies with no moon. I actually have some more mod plans to do. Its surprising how much you can mod these. Clear skies Glenn

[@SimonsAstro]

Great video Glenn! Excellent images of Bodes & the Cigar, and I love the star in the center of the Iris! Great captures! Brilliant pictures from PAS👍 The portaloo idea is great! You can bring it to Dunwhich 😀 Second thoughts, there were enough innuendos last time!🤣🤣

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Simon. Very happy with the results. PAS was great wasn't it? Hilarious mate, lol...I think you might be right. We'll end up being talked about in every dark corner going. Hope yo see you next week though. Fingers crossed the weather is kind

[@SimonsAstro]

@@Astrobloke Looking forwarded to it mate🤞

[@lukomatico]

Hey Glenn!! I've no idea what's going on with notifications but I missed this one completely mate, my apologies!! Loved the video, I'm really enjoying following your mods with this 130pds and seeing all the improvements! - I had a 150pds for a fair while and really quite heavily modified it internally with fan-ducts and light baffles etc, all just designed and 3d printed at home - I definitely think the painting on the silvered outer on the secondary + drawtube that you coveed in the last vid makes a big difference, for flats especially I reckon too! loved seeing the PAS segment mate, was brilliant to relive that for a moment, and I hope cloud-camp went well for you haha! 🙂 Looking forwards to the next one! (brilliant shots by the way mate!) P.S - the slowmo run out of the tent to not let us down, had me in tears and I'm not even joking LOL! 😀 Clear skies mate!!

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Luke, who knows what youtube does, I don't think they even do. I can't get enough of modding it to be honest and can't believe just how much you can do. I have had so many further suggestions it looks like its being stripped down yet again for the next batch of mods. I really love that you can do that and its a lovely sense of satisfaction when the results show improvements. I still smile when I think of PAS. So cool that we could all meet and that everyone genuinely were the nicest people and that we all got along so well. It was like inheriting a new friend base. Glad you liked the SloMo run, I'm not a lot faster at full speed now days...lol Hope to catch up soo, Clear skies to you too

[@adamsastrojourney8537]

Hi Glenn, thanks for the shout out, really appreciate it! And yes, we're definitely going to have to have a look at those 3D printed primary masks. I've got a few more ideas that could work as well. Now who's got a 3D printer? 🤔

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Adam. Be great to hear what other ideas you have. I think the mask should just be a plain ring and the best way to mount I think is via a velcro pad on each clip. that way it can be removed and replaced whenever needed to clean the mirror

[@boaty1968]

Glenn put a small return on aperture mask stops reflection from mirror edge 👍

[@chessymajewski9669]

Hi Glenn, I had flaring to one side of bright stars in my images with my 200p f5 and thought of changing my focusor to improve my images. Thank god I never bought one so to cut a long story short I bought a $10 25mm x 40mm dark foam from a hardware store, cut it to length so it hugs the inside the contour of the tube about 5mm away from the front of the mirror ( NO GLUING). Now the stars are completely sharp, no more flaring just diffraction spikes like you would normally see and also COMPLETELY cuts out any stray light from the rear. Worked out the foam covers less than 5mm of the edge of the mirror, with no noticeable light degradation. so simple, but effective and cheap. Hope this helps. Great video buddy.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Chessy that is excellent and so glad it was a much cheaper fix than buying a focuser. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your results, thank you.

[@Luftbubblan]

Very nice :D

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you

[@senilestix]

will be doing all these mods to my 150PDS

[@Astrobloke]

Let me know how you get on with them.

[@mschmalenbach]

Thanks for an excellent addition to your videos on the 130pds. I bought this OTA on the strength of your videos about enhancing it - from at least a year ago. Other than chopping off some of the draw tube to reduce star shape oddities did you ever find/try other ways to get the focus plane to move a bit further out? I'm a Brit living just south of Phoenix, AZ. We normally have plenty of clear skies but there's a shed-load of light pollution and particulates as it's very hot, dry & dusty here. So this means I can't join cloud magnets :( But at least I can get out and practice (my word for when things don't got to plan!!) - I started with DSLR but with summer night time lowest temps never falling below about 30'C(!) I soon went to cooled, again helped by your videos. What a difference! Stay safe & well in these crazy times and if you ever get over this way, let me know! BTW, your website is not working, seems to have been down for a few days now.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Martin. Thank you so much for the lovely message and I am glad I have been able to help you with my videos. I did find that using the Sky Watcher 0.9x CC meant I could get a lot of the image train inside the focus tube and it is racked right out to get focus so not intruding into the OTA. There is still a bit and I am planning to cut off about 15mm. Where from Blighty did you live Martin? I believe you are near both Isaac (Iceman Astro) and Jason (AZ4Runner) who I have collaborated with on the Soul Nebula. I am planning to visit Colorado to see my friend Joe and we have discussed meeting up with the guys in AZ so I will let you know if I do. Thank you for letting me know about the website, I am aware it is down atm and in the process of fixing the issues. Clear skies

[@mschmalenbach]

@@Astrobloke Ah - I hadn't thought of the 0.9x CC - is it this chap linked to below? I buy a fair bit from FLO in the UK as it is generally quicker & cheaper to get it from them than any of the main US based suppliers, weirdly! There's not a huge difference in speed, but sometimes the price difference can be well worth it. If I understand your comments correctly about the CC you end up with not too much protruding in to the OTA. Right now I'm using the Baader Mk3 MMPC flattener you mentioned in your earlier video from 18 months or so ago about upgrades to your 130pds. It works very well for flattening. I just want to get rid of my odd star shapes caused by the draw tube racked almost all the way in to the OTA! We're moved here from Fareham, between Southampton & Portsmouth, back in late 2010 with work. I'm very familiar with Iceman Astro and AZ4Runner and do subscribe to their channels as well as yours. I keep meaning to reach out to them as the place they go to looks seriously dark - I'm in a Bortle 5 location, about as good as it gets here without driving in to the desert for a couple of hours, and round here there be things that go bump & howl in the night - unlike Blighty, some of the wildlife here bites back if you let it, so I'm not keen to be out alone! I did hook up with several others at the last new moon and we headed out to a dark site about 80 miles north of where AZ4Runner & Iceman Astro seem to go - it was excellent despite me forgetting my primary imaging camera!! I'm in Blighty for most of July for a couple of family weddings so if the stars align perhaps we can meet up & swap BS at some point!? I usually travel with my mobile kit now - Skywatcher AZ GTI and Apertura 60 plus bits & pieces - it all travels pretty well! Clear skies!

[@zyban99]

Glenn. I have a roll of VL KOPRO flock that I imported from Japan. It’s 99.95% light blocking. It’s enough for 3 x 130pds so happy to cut and post enough for you and one other person of your choice from your subscribers. I can’t find anything else that blocks more light than this material.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Matt. That is a lovely offer thank you so much. I would love to take you up on that but please let me pay you something towards it and cover the postage. if you mail me at [e-mail] I'll let you have my address.

[@zyban99]

@@Astrobloke done mate

[@boaty1968]

I’d be intrigued to know if there is a noticeable difference over standard Wilkinson’s black flocking .

[@bengterlandsson7921]

Hi Glen. Great videos. An idea sparked when you mentioned cutting of 15mm of the tube to be able to rack the focuser out. At the same time you mentioned that you where going to print a baffle. Why not print a spacer to put between the focuser and the tube? Then no need to cut the tube and it’s reversible if you decide to going back to the original setup. Clear skies.

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Bengt and thank you. Now that's a very good idea and I will look into that. Thank you for sharing it. I don't have a 3d printer but will chat with some friends I know have and see what we can come up with.

[@mrcleanxxx]

If you get the TS-Optics GPU Coma Corrector, it pushes the focal point out by 20mm and no more focuser intrusion into the OTA. Best thing I've bought for my 130PDS. A baffle to hide the mirror clips is also a great modification. Cheap and easy to do and really sharpens up the stars. 👍

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Anthony and thank you for the great information. The mirror baffle I am working on right now and will hopefully have fitted soon. I will look into the CC by TS-optics. Thanks again

[@ziggyfrnds]

Thanks for doing the update Glenn! The pictures look amazing!!! but not sure how much of that is your processing prowess and compared to gains in contrast by all that work you did ;) All kidding aside I trust you when you say the images are now better :) I have a GSO/TPO 8" newt that I will be doing same kind of project on. Can you please let me know what sources you used when you started on this project? Thanks again!

[@Astrobloke]

Hi Ziggyfrnds and thanks for commenting. I should have done a proper comparison but that's hard to plan sometimes. I try and be as honest as I can and I do think the mods have made a difference. I haven't actually used any sources for the projects its just come from observations I have made between the 130 and my CT10 and just general discussions I have had with other Astronomers. I have a few more mods planned too like flocking etc. Clear skies

[@boaty1968]

Just a thought if you use a m48 direct connection Glenn then that may make less tube intrusion in ota and save cutting more off drawtube

[@Astrobloke]

Hi boaty and that's a good idea and I will take a look at that. I love all the ideas coming from the everyone, Its like a big fun project. Tanks again

[@ticcc3]

i run a ts optics gpu cc on my 130. plug and play no headaches~

[@Astrobloke]

Thanks Jordan, i will take a look at one of those

[@Cheshire_Astronomy]

What was the difference? Was it noticable? Date added to diary for march (seeing tim peake on the monday) and loo cover ordered. I use a silver scope cover but gets damp under it

[@Astrobloke]

Hi craig. Yes it was noticeable and I further improved things by flocking the tube which I have a different video on. Main improvement was contrast which looked a lot better and on very bright stars I sometimes hot a strange reflection which has also gone. Thats a shame you get some damp or dew under the scope cover. You will like the tent as everything stays dry as it has good air flow. Clear skies

[@petecarpenter1068]

Hi Glenn, As a committed Newtonian user I was wondering whether you could shed any light on a problem I’m having with mine? I have recently bought a Skywatcher 200 quattro and the lights I am getting are very encouraging, I use the SW dedicated coma corrector for the f4 with an ASI 294mc pro controlled by the ASIAIR pro. The calibration frames seem to be the cause of my headache, the darks are straightforward enough and the bias too but are there any special tips for the flats? I have tried the white tee shirt method to take sky flats and have used an led flat panel with and without a tee shirt leaving the exposure calculation to the asi air. The flats produced seem to have a pronounced darkening in the corners and when combined with the other cal frames and lights in either Siril or Pixinsight are producing an image with an irregular white border roughly following the vignetting in the flats. As a newcomer to all this I assume that I have tripped up somewhere on the steep learning curve and would sincerely appreciate some help. Thank you and clear skies. Cheers from New Zealand. 🇳🇿

[@Astrobloke]

Hi pete. I don't know if its the same for the 294 osc camera as it is for my 294 mono but the flats are easily messed up. I use a light panel from Amazon with sheets of white sheet in front (about 5 layers) to dim it right down. The flats need to be of a good exposure length and over 1 sec long. Mine on ave are 5 -8 sec depending on which filter I am taking them for. Even on the lowest setting without extra sheets the sub lengths are like 0.03 of a second which for my camera just does not produce a flat that will work. I unfortunately do not have experience with the ASIAIR as I use NINA for all my Astrophotography control. Try getting longer exposure length and see if that helps, I don't think its a scope issue but the faster your scope the more critical things like flats and collimation etc are.

[@petecarpenter1068]

Many thanks for that. I know the flats are being taken at a very short exposure length so I will try to slow them down to see if that improves things. Thank you.

[@Astrobloke]

@@petecarpenter1068 please let me know how you get on. Good luck

[@AB-ft2lb]

The primary baffle was one of the first mods I made to my 130P-DS along with re-spotting the primary. The baffle instantly cured the mirror clip reflections/shadows. Telescope express sell them for about £30. It screws on top of the mirror clips with the existing bolts. I've never really felt the need to remove it to clean the mirror. It's a great addition, however I am now wondering if I should try the other method of fixing the primary mirror with three blobs of silicone and losing the baffle and clips altogether. The reason being is that the baffle stops down the mirror, increasing the focal ratio and slows the scope down. The slower the scope, the longer the sub lengths and total integration time. I really liked your cable management hack btw in another video, really tidy. Are you on SGL? There's a whole thread there dedicated to the 130P-DS. Some great tips on it.

[@Astrobloke]

Thank you for taking the time to comment. That's very interesting regarding removing the clips altogether and the first time I have heard of this approach. Really interesting and I will look into that. I hadn't thought of the fact that the baffle would stop down the scope speed but of course it would as you are reducing the mirrors diameter. I am on SGL and will take a look. Thank you Clear skies

[@AB-ft2lb]

@@Astrobloke Glenn, not sure if you have gone ahead with the baffle but I have decided to fix my primary with silicone sealant now instead. Anyway, you're more than welcome to my baffle if you want it. Clear skies, Alan

[@Astrobloke]

@@AB-ft2lb hi. I did go along the baffle route. I 3D printed one so only cost pennies. Calculated that it took the F ratio from F5 to F5.1 so its not that detrimental to add one. Also done some other 3D printed parts and new video out soon showing what I have been up to. Thanks for the message though and please report back on the silicone results

[@AB-ft2lb]

@@Astrobloke Nice one, glad you have found an efficient solution. Not sure if you had it fitted for the pictures at the end of this video but the stars look nice and tight. I'd of kept mine on only it covered a little too much of the primary's surface. It took about 5mm all around which essentially stopped the mirror down to 120mm from 130mm. My images were a lot better looking but I calculated that the 120mm as only having 85% light gathering as the 130mm. 12cm × 12cm = 144 13cm × 13cm = 169 144 ÷ 169 = .85 I must add too that mine cost pounds rather than pennies, about 42 of them to be exact 😬! Looking forward to seeing your new video. It would be interesting to see you print up something for the primary end. I think there's a lot of light leak there on these scopes.

[@Astrobloke]

@@AB-ft2lb i have come up with an end cap that really cuts down the light leaks but also incorporates a fan. The mirror mask I made literally covers the edges of the clips so you lose 3mm of the diameter.

[@Seanjones1990]

i did this now my stars are like diamonds and weird shapes, think i fucked up. same exact scope. collimation is spot on via collimator and mirrors appear to be spotless

[@Astrobloke]

I Sean. I am not 100% but that sounds like it could be pinched optics. How tightly did you screw down the primary mirror clips. These have to be just touching to stop the mirror flopping about and not tight

[@Seanjones1990]

@@Astrobloke ok I’ll look into it, cheers

[@Astrobloke]

@@Seanjones1990 a tip I was told by someone was to put a small piece of paper under the clip and tighten until you can just slide it out with a very small amount of resistance.

[@craigi2009]

✔️ ᵖʳᵒᵐᵒˢᵐ

[@Astrobloke]

👍