Picked up a black diamond ED80 from Hugh "Pluto" out of the trader - I wanted this to replace the FS60 I had to sell to help fund the now finalised Takahashi FSQ106EDXIII purchase. We agreed on a good price, told him I did not need the finder, EP's and motor focuser etc, and up she came. He warned me the 2 speed focuser was now not working, but at the time, I considered just replacing the focuser anyway with a Feathertouch or Baader.
Well, it arrived yesterday, and I only got to it this morning. First off was attending to the focuser. yup, no dual speed at all. I notice the knobs are on the wrong sides.... ipso facto and reverso abducto, I disassembled the crayford, put them on the correct sides (tightening down the small grub screw that locks the dual speed race in place in the frame and VOILA! Good as new! For good measure, I also put some heat shrink tube on the pinion - ok, it's not not as smooth as it was (higher tension) but by golly does it hold a LOT more weight without slipping now! I also stoned the drawtube flat so the pinion makes complete contact across this (the witness wear showed it only contacted evenly on a SMALL edge area).
Now, Skywatcher have always had BAD paint schemes. I mean REALLY bad - from that AWFUL blue of the early stuff, to the worse gold, and the not as bad black diamond tubes with the cruddy gloss white trim. I had to change this, so I took inspiration from Takahashi
Off to the auto repair shop, and I came away with 2 cans of OLD Holts Duplicolor Toyota Gypsum. It is a near PERFECT match to Takahashi blue-green. It is gloss, so a can of satin clear was also in order.
That sorted, onto the tube and dew shield. Again, armed with images of Tak tubes, I select Shetland White from the current range. A VERY nice not white, not cream colour. It's fairly glossy, but still a little satin, so bought a can of clear gloss too.
Disassemble the scope again. Mask up, fill apertures with foam and bubble wrap and start spraying. First the focuser assembly in Tak green. Man alive does it look NICE even glossy, but I waited 15 minutes, and hit it with a couple passes of satin clear. SWEET! SO Takahashi it's remarkable! Went so far as to spritz the dewshield cap the same colour too
Tube next, and was not expecting good coverage over the black but it really covered well - 2 light coats with 15 min drying in between, then a solid coat. I also sprayed the already white dewshield and lens cell the same colour just to be sure. Waited a little, then 2 misty coats with gloss, and looking fantastic!
I will leave these a week before handling.
In the meantime, I got creative on the computer and designed a dewshield stripe just like Tak does on the new series, with simply ED80 in italic bolt font. Will take the design to my laser cut decal maker tomorrow and have him print it up in the same Tak blue, with white ED80
Will post pics as soon as it is reassembled.
I figure life is too short to have scopes that you don't like the look of, so change em!
Oh, and HOPEFULLY the aluminium case the ED80 came in fits an FSQ106 with some modification
Yup, and then someone just had to offer me a new FSQ106 at the right price... so the FS60 went.
It was OH SO NICE!!!!!!!!!!!! Get one Chris, but do get a Feathertouch for it - it removes all the Takahashi adapter and gizmo woes that end up costing more than the scope, JUST to get it visual!!!
Yeah, I am currently drooling over the old ads and scared of the new prices.....hence my wanted post about some WO Apos and why I happened across your Tak post and Icetrade archives....
I need some APO goodness (at least that is what I have talked myself into) and want to try a shorty length one with my Atik for some wider field shots and easier guiding, the dirty big 200mm x 1000mm reflector makes the HEQ5 struggle and the BDED80 my brother in law leant me didnt rock my boat....
Pray tell, what did you end up offloading the FS60 for? PM me if you don't want to see me cry in an open forum.
Lewis, the stock BD 2 speed focusser responds well to fine tuning, one plus is that the Skywatcher focal reducer screws on to the draw tube, giving a nice wide image capable of covering a FF DSLR sensor, something that the aftermarket focussers can't accomodate.
Last edited by acropolite; 20-03-2014 at 07:25 PM.
My decal maker hadn't completed the dewshield decal yet, so this is as-is sans decal. The blue green ended up being greener than expected, but I still like it, a LOT. I LOVE the Shetalnd white of the tube - you can see how different it is to the pure white of the tube rings.
I also did first light with it - terrestrially. Whilst certainly no where near as crisp and contrasty as the Tak FS60, the views are exceptionally sharp with actually decent contrast - these ED80's sure do punch well above their weight.
For now, it's mounted on my Bintel alt-az in use as a balcony bases terrestrial and lunar/planetary scope (and the balcony is perfectly situated for Orion at present too). Still waiting for the finder to dry
Been a fun and rewarding project. Taking a ho-hum blinged scope back to basic, CLASSIC colours. It gives it a whole new feel.
I also did first light with it - terrestrially. Whilst certainly no where near as crisp and contrasty as the Tak FS60, the views are exceptionally sharp with actually decent contrast - these ED80's sure do punch well above their weight.
So what does that make a Tak FS60? A miracle from God? And where does that put the Vixen 102 FL you had? If the ED 80 is exceptional, whats the Tak's for? I see its for sale though so it can't be that...exceptional.
Adrian, the FS60 is a flourite doublet, and while smaller than the ED80, which had FPL53 ED glass, I think, as do many others (as I have been researching ED scopes between 60 and 80mm) that the Takahashi FS60 performs better than ED scopes of greater aperture.
That said, the ED80 is a fine piece of kit and one I was (and still might) be tempted to buy if I don't get myself a WO Zenithstar 71 just because.....
As for why the two are for sale (FS60 and ED80), well, in case you missed it, from all the emoticons lately, Lewis has recently acquired himself a Takahashi FSQ106EDXIII and is currently shouting from the rooftops in glee, hence the sale of the "non-essential" FS60 and Takawatcher ED80.....
If I was to get another 60mm Scope....the FS60CB would be my only Scope.
It is ' that ' good....especially combined with a FT Focuser.....it is a ' little ' power house and can take high magnification without complaining.
They are the best small Scope I have ever had the privilege of owning.
Why did I sell mine.....to raise funds for equipment I was looking for.
@ Screwdriverone ....you are quite correct with what you have said about the FS60CB.
So what does that make a Tak FS60? A miracle from God? And where does that put the Vixen 102 FL you had? If the ED 80 is exceptional, whats the Tak's for? I see its for sale though so it can't be that...exceptional.
The Vixen FL102S is BETTER than the FS60CB, hands down. IT is a SUPERB, HIGHLY sought after visual scope (that also works quite well photographically). It's a large scope, definitely not highly portable.
The ED80is a sharp scope, but CA is not as well corrected as even the 20 plus year old FL102S. It is SHARP, but the contrast is worlds apart to the FS60 or the FL102S.
And as already mentioned, it took hell to partially freeze for me to sell the FL102S, but the FSQ106EDXIII is (well, WAS) the ultimate dream of mine, now fulfilled. The ED80 is just a redundant scope now (and my mount won't handle it as guidescope with the FSQ.)
I see its for sale though so it can't be that...exceptional.
