[Den (Dennis)]

I just wanted to know how many owners have a fear in collimating their scopes. This discussion may bring combined experiences in helping others in achieving that magic wow factor in their scope. For example my Tal 200k. After owning different types of scopes from refractors to mirrors each had to be collimated at one stage mostly due to couriers or factory alignment. Over the years you develop your collimating skills through reading and practical sessions.
Telescope owners really rely on optical parts being attached accurately especially on fixed rear mirror cells. If your rear mirror is out then you can only collimate with limited success. The benefits in being able to collimate two mirrors instead of one can mean you have some control in achieving that magic sharp focus. In my case it is the Tal 200k FL 8.5 (1700mm) these scopes have a self centring design so collimation is very simple. Another point in the optical train is the focuser in some scopes they have their focuser attached to their primary mirror support, so you need to align that to the centre of the tube and work back from there.

In the diagrams the red and green bits are self centering.

Has anyone had to realign 3 or more optical paths eg. Centring the focuser, primary mirror, secondary mirror or even having to machine parts.
Regards

Den