Wrecked Telescope Returns! Was It A DISASTER?

[@deepskymike767]

It’s a good Saturday in my house when a Reflactor video is uploaded 😊.

[@reflactor]

Thank you for watching!

[@janomacko5764]

It was useful to see the pimary holder being completely disassembled.

[@reflactor]

I'm glad the video was useful. Thanks! Clear skies.

[@littlesunny63]

Always enjoy your videos John. I great tip for you and anyone that has a dob that is cleaning the mirror. I always take the time to swap out the Philip head screws that hold the mirror clamps down to hex head screws. They are far, far better about NO slippage.

[@reflactor]

That is a genius tip! Thank you.

[@davidgalemusic7447]

Even though most of your videos don't directly relate to what I'm doing in astronomy these days I always watch them because they're so enjoyable. Also I enjoy your humor. I LOL'd when you showed the picture of yourself with your face blurred out wearing the same cloths and still holding the Windex bottle😂.

[@reflactor]

LOL, I wasn't sure what to show for the anonymous "Mr. A", so I just did that really fast.

[@pepeimc]

Thank you so much John, as usually it was a joy to watch your video. You are doing a great job making our day happier. I really appreciate it

[@reflactor]

Thank you for the very kind words. I'm glad you found it enjoyable. Clear skies!

[@tubedude54]

'The thickness of my pinky'... dude... my fingernail is almost that thick! lol

[@reflactor]

Lol, agreed, it's a bit of a strange measurement, but go with the "tighten all the way and then back off 1/8" inch as a start" method. :)

[@JoeJaguar]

hey john nice video i do remember that scope you worked on i think was last year?cheers

[@reflactor]

Hard to believe, but it was two years ago. Time flies...

[@JoeJaguar]

@@reflactor oh wow that was two years ago OK

[@artyombeilis9075]

All the video I anticipated something to fall and break - mirror, finder, anything. Cheeky title 🙂

[@reflactor]

Haha, my special effects department is on vacation. :)

[@jackieblank4249]

By the way the distance between the primary mirror and the retainers you should use a paper business card as a feeler gauge. That's what I do. Works great.🎉

[@reflactor]

That's an excellent tip. I showed an accelerated cleaning, but I do a much more in-depth cleaning video on the channel.

[@hednik]

Fascinating video! That being said that squeeze ball is like nails on a chalkboard.

[@reflactor]

Haha, I'm not sure what to do about the squeeze bulb - maybe they make less irritating models? It's one of my main tools.

[@DavidMFChapman]

Good job! When you first do this kind of work, you have your heart in your mouth. With experience, you can tune up most telescopes without fear. I feel that modern mirrors have more durable coatings than old ones.

[@reflactor]

Good point - I was pretty nervous the first time I washed a mirror, but I've done it dozens of times now. The oldest mirror I've washed was from my very own home-made 6" Dobsonian. It's fared well from the early 1990's (admittedly, I rarely use it because of access to my 8 inch Dob).

[@MatthewHolevinski]

wait a minute, has it been 2 years already? oh my...

[@reflactor]

Hard to believe, right? Time flies when you're having fun.

[@jackieblank4249]

Oh boy does that scope bring back memories. Thanks for the update on it. I had alot of issues with my push to controller. It would never 2 star alighn. Only got the alt az to give me readings in a setting circle mode. Dont use it much any more because i have Stellarium n Astrohopper for my 6 inch starblast. Great video John. Clear skys to all. Jack

[@reflactor]

Was it an Orion PushTo? I was so bummed for getting rid of this one, that I kept my eyes open and found an 8 inch version. It's been working really well.

[@jackieblank4249]

Goodmorning John. Yes it is an Orion Starblast 6I. Bought it off my neighbor for only 2 Ben jamins couple years ago. Really good if not press tine shape. I got the encoders working. I can use it if I line up on Polaris first to set azimuth on 0 then set the alt.verticle to get my 90. Skip the 2 star align n hit function for encoder test to display the readings. Then drop the scope back down to N.Star n check readings against Stellarium. Pretty dead on. Problem is you have to see N n360 degrees all around. To many obstacles n have ing to move around the yard to get in a good spot makes it to much a hassle. Thanks to Stellarium n Art. Beli u s. AstroHopper push to is done like the dinosaurs. Stay safe with this bad weather.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Nice. I finally found a new focuser that I think will fit my Bresser 102/450, but will not be in stock until April? Have been struggling to collimate my 6" SCT. Very difficult. Wait till clear night, keep running into my bedroom and looking at the monitor and then running into back garden to make adjustment. Just bought a lap top, so I will now not have to do all that travel with my COPD. Waiting for clear weather.

[@reflactor]

I wish you luck. I don't know how to collimate an SCT.

[@10intexas]

No need to wait for a clear night. Make an artificial star from a $3 led flashlight from Harbor Freight. Cover the front with foil and secure with a rubber band. Then, pierce the foil with the tip of the finest needle you can find. For a 6" SCT place the "star" about 30 feet away and focus on the star. Defocus both directions. Pick the "side" of focus that has the most deformed donut and begin adjusting the three collimation screws. There are specific ways to proceed but trial and error will eventually get you there. Bobs Knobs are a tremendous help if it is a Celestron. I use a 20mm eyepiece so no going back and forth with a camera.

[@sjpp71]

@@10intexas+ 1, this is the way to go.

[@lornaz1975]

I have noticed that the o-rings do not do well with hot weather especially in a garage.

[@reflactor]

I think in my case, it didn't help that the o-rings are really stretched. I need to find one that is close to the right diameter, but already thin enough.

[@lornaz1975]

@@reflactor Well you work with what you have. My point is I have had the same experience which them turning to dust. It seems like you said common.