[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

My first refractor assemblage - using a short length of poly pipe, an Meade SCT visual back - interference fit into the tube. A WO SCT focuser attaches to that. The business end is a SuplusShed 80x400mm objective pre-mounted in a cell. I've used three short tech screws to hold the objective on to the tube. Length of the tube was determined by lying all the components along a board which I then aimed at a very distant object, and moved the pieces around until I thought I had focus. I measured the distance between the end of the cell and the back of the SCT visual back to determine the tube length.

It is not able to be collimated, which is a pity, but it is still pretty sharp. I have flocked the tube with self-adhesive flocking paper to keep internal reflections off the otherwise white tube to a minimum. I've also attached a Vixen-style dovetail by using short countersunk bolts and bolting straight through into the tube. The nuts and end of the bolts on the inside are not long enough to enter the light path. I've also mounted a WO red dot finder.

Views are good - but being achromatic the scope suffers typical colour - which is virtually cancelled with a minus violet filter on all but the brightest objects (Sirius, etc).

The stainless steel object on the end of the objective cell is the cover off a thermos flask's cup - and is used as a cap, not a dew shield. I plan to make a dew heater to combat the obvious.