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Well after improving the mounting of the base hinge to the tripod head the only real play is in the hinge bolt itself, but not enough to be an issue it turns out.
After clamping a paver brick to the bottom of the boom as a counterweight it was almost balanced with the binoculars attached. I might drill a few extra pivot holes along the boom to find an optimal position.
I gave the mount a spin tonight and I was impressed. I wasn't expecting much, but it worked surprisingly well for a first attempt. I had some initial issues attaching the ball head tight enough to the boom so that it wouldn't come loose until I tightened the clamp on the U-bolt holding the threaded rod. The mount enabled me to find/set a position to view the sky in any direction without having to hold the binoculars steady. I was even able to set it up to view the zenith with my 20x50 refractor telescope with no major issues (I really need a better chair!).
Sure there's plenty of room for improvement, but I can happily say that it is usable right now, and any fixes from here on will be a bonus! Additionally, I can work on said improvements in my own time and have a better idea of what I might need.
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