60mm f700mm fitted with DIY 2 inch focuser

[Barnacle]

Hi All,

Others have done this before.
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/45162-the-return-of-jason/

Here I have my DIY take here with minimal fuss, for those with a 2 inch diagonal and eyepiece.

I have an old Tasco f11, 60mm scope missing the rack & pinion focuser tube and dew shield when I first got it.

Therefore, I decide to fashion a black plastic coffee "Keep Cup" as dew shield and wrap a few plastic coffee cup hand holder around it to tighten the fit.

As for the 2 inch focuser tube, I had an aluminium tube with caps from a foldable umbrella, something similar to below:
http://www.umbrellasonly.com.au/compact-umbrellas/umbrella-in-tube.htm

One of the two caps for the umbrella tube now becomes my two inch eyepiece cap!

I flocked the aluminium umbrella tube with matt black cardboard paper and also between it and the 60mm Tasco telescope tube to make the fit a snug one when inserted into the telescope tube.

Then I insert more black cardboard paper between it for inserting a Wrigley mint plastic bottle at the focuser end of the umbrella aluminium tube, such as one the one below, sold in supermarkets and petrol stations in Australia for $5 a bottle with mints. Reason is when the bottom of the plastic bottle is cut off, it gives a snug fit to 2 inch eyepiece and 2 inch diagonal.

https://shop.aussiefarmers.com.au/tgs/wrigleys-extra-white-peppermint-64g/p/21017

I then inserted the plastic mint bottle with the bottle opening facing the objective, so acts as a narrow opening or baffle and use permanent marker to paint it black, then flock another black paper ring inside the plastic bottle.

Once I insert the 2 inch diagonal, the 2 inch focuser scope is completed. The diagonal slides in and out well within the plastic mint bottle. I had to hammer the Tasco telescope baffle a bit further towards the objective end to achieve focus, but flash light tested that it still has a 60mm aperature opening, ie, no stop down.

The finished scope with my 35mm 2 inch eyepiece provides 20x, and it is best for viewing Jupiter's two main cloud belts and its 4 Galiliean moons and for surfing the Milky Way!

Photos include are the final product, hope others will find this simple and easy project worthwhile to give their abandoned 60mm frac and 2 inch eyepiece a new lease of life. It is now one of my favourite 60mm telescope!

Kind regards,

Bill

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Interesting , how is the movement ? is there any play ? etc but a good job .
Brian.

[Barnacle]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your interest shown.

The movement is very snug, there is no play. The black cardboard paper flocked between the telescope tube and aluminium umbrella tube is very snug, so is the black card board paper flocked between the plastic mint bottle and the umbrella tube. Nothing moves, drops or falls off.

The most amazing thing is how snug these Wrigley mint bottles fit the 2 inch diagonal or eyepiece adaptor ends so perfectly when you cut the bottle bottom off and slides in and out so well due to the plastic it is like lined with Teflon.

It is so easy to make. If one does not have a 2 inch diagonal, then it is just like a straight thru look with the 2 inch eyepiece. Yes, then it is harder for the neck and head when you point up the zenith, and extend the umbrella aluminium tube further out, I tested it and it works fine, no movement or play.

By using 2 inch eyepieces, this 60mm frac turns into a killer unit with 3mm to 3.5 mm exit pupil (or more) and from 56 to 62 (or more) degrees field of view that only 2 inch eyepieces can afford. Being f11 at these low magnifications from 8 to 20x, they are wide and sharp to the edge.

Manufacturers generally have 60mm achromatic lens made to perfection these days. If not, rotate the lens and we will get there, but at such low magnifications it is not necessary. 2 inch eyepieces are not aim at high magnifications, that task is left for 1.25 inch eyepieces.

From a dud 60mm frac that I once abandoned, it turns into an el cheapo wide field and sharp filed scope for me.

I will acquire an 82 mm focal length eyepiece soon, can’t wait to test it out on the Milky Way with it. With the keep coffee cup lid, it has a smaller round opening about the size of a 20c coin, so keen to see if I can still see Jupiter’s cloud belts at less than 10x when I stopped down the objective aperture to reduce Jupiter’s brightness.

Jupiter’s two main cloud belts has been seen at twilight time at 15x with binoculars, keen to test the lowest magnification limit we can see the two main cloud belts by reducing its brightness, as Jupiter is like a light globe as we know.

I hope others also make use of their abandoned 60mm f11 units, as they come so often in 0.965 focusers and lying around unused or being disposed of in the waste tip or sold for $10 on eBay second hand. Yet these very units costed a month’s pay in the 1950s and 60s and was the pride and joy for the owner and family in those generations before us…we have it lucky these days, so should treasure and be humbled by what these 60mm units can still perform for us.

Thanks.

Kind regards,

Bill