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  #21  
Old 05-12-2014, 01:28 PM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
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Very nice Alex! Any chance of one for a C8 Edge?
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  #22  
Old 05-12-2014, 01:43 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
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Thanks lads for compliments

Duncan, no problem. Happy to make one. Just need to know the diameter of your scope's focusing knob. What I'll send you will be just the neat, trimmed disc. Then you can finish it off how you like.

Last edited by mental4astro; 05-12-2014 at 02:37 PM.
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  #23  
Old 05-12-2014, 03:02 PM
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Awesome...thanks Alex!
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  #24  
Old 14-03-2017, 07:34 PM
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mental4astro (Alexander)
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Just made a new focuser knob for my new SCT OTA. I just HAD to make it after first light with the new scope - I felt that the scope lacked something without it. Probably because I was so used to having one on my C8,
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  #25  
Old 15-03-2017, 01:23 PM
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A sensational knob Alex...truly quite large. Any bigger and it would be too big

Quite like the homage to steampunk....of course I'd prefer a black and brass beauty but hey...thats just me.

All you need to do now is glue a whole pile of gears onto the OTA along with some leather and copper studs

Matt
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  #26  
Old 15-03-2017, 02:33 PM
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You like my new, big, shiny knob, eh You'll be gushing when you see it in the flesh!

I tried to make it bigger, but it wouldn't fit. It's as tight as I can go. Any bigger and I'll start causing damage.

I'm working on some more studs, brass, and maybe leather. I've got some lovely roo leather that is sheer luxury. Strap it on and start swinging away. Will be a sight to behold in a crowd... few telescopes will match it...
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  #27  
Old 15-03-2017, 03:03 PM
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I imagine your SCT something like the pic below....

gushing???? will have to look up gush, must be an adjectival type of word...akin to fekund perhaps??
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  #28  
Old 15-03-2017, 08:14 PM
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Well this thread took a weird turn.........
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  #29  
Old 06-05-2017, 02:04 PM
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Evolution...

After what I made for Les, I was inspired to pimp the focuser knob of my SCT.

The end result, it begins to resemble a 19th Century time machine, Les said Not a bad analogy as a telescope is something of a time machine, eh!

Some of the gears have a lot of height to them, so it was essential that I check for clearances before fixing anything. This change also does not affect how the scope is stored.

The pieces are all hand polished, glued into place and then varnished.

Looks like a citadel out of some Steampunk capital city,

I have a bunch of little old electronic glass valves. This project has given me some ideas on how and where to use these. This whole SCT might evolve into some Steampunk beast like you suggested Matt!

Alex.
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  #30  
Old 06-05-2017, 02:55 PM
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  #31  
Old 09-05-2017, 03:04 PM
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Quote:
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Lookin' real good
Paint it gloss black, change the screws to brass and steampunk all the way.
I like the three smaller holes too....
lol, what about those glass ball floats you see on boats? insert some marbles into the holes or make the portholes? punk that steam.

maybe some hot wire engraving scrollwork, embed some small brass cogs in the surface?
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  #32  
Old 10-05-2017, 02:19 PM
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At least you won't loose track of the time while observing with that , cool.
Brian.
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  #33  
Old 22-05-2017, 08:14 AM
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ok a little less elegant - but cheap and effective....

a 20mm pvc tee piece and a hit with a heat gun later....
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  #34  
Old 22-05-2017, 06:28 PM
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Sharkie, mate, that's what it's all about - just making something that works,

It's also just occurred to me that if you put a ruler or length of dowel into the hollow of the tee, you would have even more leverage and even finer control. Doesn't need to be a tight fit either, just a gentle grip with a clip, and you can remove it too for stowing the scope. Marvellous

Alex.
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  #35  
Old 22-05-2017, 07:18 PM
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multiweb (Marc)
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Originally Posted by mental4astro View Post
Looks like a citadel out of some Steampunk capital city,
.
Call it the Winterfell focuser.
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  #36  
Old 23-05-2017, 11:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro View Post
After what I made for Les, I was inspired to pimp the focuser knob of my SCT.

The end result, it begins to resemble a 19th Century time machine, Les said Not a bad analogy as a telescope is something of a time machine, eh!

Some of the gears have a lot of height to them, so it was essential that I check for clearances before fixing anything. This change also does not affect how the scope is stored.

The pieces are all hand polished, glued into place and then varnished.

Looks like a citadel out of some Steampunk capital city
This is one of the best things I've ever seen in these forums. Absolutely brilliant!
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  #37  
Old 10-06-2017, 05:51 PM
Finite (John)
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Wow indeed, - how cool! I bet you can see a long way into the past with that, Mental!
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  #38  
Old 10-06-2017, 07:21 PM
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Wow indeed, - how cool! I bet you can see a long way into the past with that, Mental!

AND I can regulate how far back I want to go - from as little as one second, the Moon, to 2.5 billion years, the Virgo Quasar, with just this scope

A bit more tinkering and I may get to see the future...
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  #39  
Old 12-06-2017, 07:28 PM
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A bit more tinkering and I may get to see the future...
I'll buy the lottery ticket, you provide the numbers.
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