counterweights. wanted

[ving]

:help:
I need a 15lb or 10 and 5, counterweight for my starfinder EQ mount.
I currently have a 25lb on there and it way too heavy apparently.

I am willing to either swap my 25 for what i need or buy 15 lbs at a reasonable price:)

[ballaratdragons]

What size shaft David. Mine has weight-lifting weights on it. Any size weight I want I can just buy at a sports store, Kmart etc.

And they are about quarter the price of Telescope weights.

[ving]

thats a very good question ken.... 1"? think i read that somewhere....

i'll have to check.

[ballaratdragons]

Take your existing weight to a sports store and see if it will slide onto a weightlifting bar!

If it does, you will have your choice of weights ranging from about 0.5 pound to about 30 pounds.
I have seen many photos of EQ mounts using them.

This pics shows mine with 2 x 20 lbs and 1 x 10 lbs weights.

[ving]

yes sir!
right away sir!
:salute:
:P

thanky ken :)
exciting stuf this EQ business isnt it :)

[ballaratdragons]

Yep!

And I should re-phrase my last post.: "An idea might be to take your existing weight to a sports store If you like. Just an idea you may consider!" :lol:

[ving]

what size holes do the sport store style weights have?

[ballaratdragons]

David, I just went out and measured mine (as far as I am aware, all weightlifting equip is the same. Something to do with standards) Without a micrometer or vernier caliper the closest I can be is 28mm.

[ving]

just 3mm off 1 inch :)
good enough i think :)

now should i get 3x5lb, 1x10 and 1x5lb or 1x15lb?

[ballaratdragons]

May I suggest 4 x 5lb. Easier to change, you can be more critical with weight, easier to handle too, smaller diameter, etc.

I suggest 4 just in case you add lots of goodies!

If they are a bit oversize just place a rubber washer between them to stop them clanging and wobbling.

[ving]

4x5lb... sounds er.... sound :)
thanks ken.

[ballaratdragons]

Please let me know how much you pick some up for David. There are 2 manufacturers of weights in Melbourne but postage would cost a fortune.

[ballaratdragons]

I hope 15lbs is enough!

Mine currently has 70lbs and when I put the 12" on it I am going to have to bump it up even more!!!

[ving]

70lbs!!!! L:eek:

15 should be plenty... the 25 is what comes with the 10" the mount was made for...

[ballaratdragons]

Yep 70lbs.

But remember it is also counterbalancing a car axle & hub, a steel 'scope cradle' and steel lock-in straps (tube ring set-up) a relatively heavy scope, plus gadgets.

[ving]

hmm... interesting... think i'll get the 4 5lbers and experiment. I never thought that too little weight could be the problem too. still think i have too much tho

[ballaratdragons]

What scope used to be in it? Was it the same weight as yours?

[ving]

it used to have a f4 10" in it. I'd think it was heavier.

[ballaratdragons]

You may be OK then.

I like the fact that mine is heavy and has so much weight.

Heavier=steadier! (I hope) :confuse3:

[ving]

should be ken, should be...

how are you going with aligning it?

[[1ponders]]

Hi ving. There are all sorts of calculations to work out what weight you need, but I prefer the old sand bag method. Find a sturdy bag and hang it off the end of your counterweight shaft (have it level and another person holding the scope so it doesn't swing up or down wildly) and keep filling the bag with sand until its balanced level. This is the minimum weight you need to balance your scope.

However its better if your weights aren't right to the end of your counterweight bar (flexure in the bar can be a problem) so once you've done the initial balance move the bag along to about half to 2/3 the way along the bar and keep filling til balanced. Take the bag off and weight it on the bathroom scales :thumbsup:

[ving]

gunna have to purchase bathroom scales to counterweight my scope... :eek:

thanks paul :)
I hae plenty of kittylitter, will that do?

[[1ponders]]

As long as its heavy. Wet Kitty Litter would be better from a weight stand point. Better stop throwing it out.

[ving]

:rofl:

it'd be stinky tho!

[ballaratdragons]

Put Kitty in the bag too, just for added weight.

Good method Paul for determining the needed weight!!

I agree with doing the test about 1/2 - 2/3 way down the bar. Apart from the flexure problem I would hate to have the exact weight at the end of the bar and then realise I need to slide it down that little bit more after adding a Heavy EP! :lol:

[gbeal]

If you can't buy what you want, get Mick to spin it.
I did this (well not with Mick, but a local machinist) and got some very nice counterweights and saved on postage when I bought the mount(s).
Kitty litter sounds just like you though Paul.

[ving]

if one wanted to be punny one could state the the weight is over... however this is not my style ;)

time to balance stuff :)