Dob Flex Tubes Sticky

[Tosong (Daniel)]

Hey Everyone,

I recently had the pleasure of getting my hands on an 8" truss tube dobsonian. Everything's great, but when I collapse the telescope, I have to apply a decent amount of force. It's not a huge amount, but I do have to really push it, so I'm not sure if it's normal. Is it supposed to be like this? or is something too tight?

Thanks for any help!

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Hi Daniel,

The poles and glides get dirty, and condensation during the night compounds the dirt accumulation.

Clean the poles and the inside of the slide that they glide through with methylated spirits using a soft cloth. The glides might need a bit more attention, but don't use an abrasive. Just take your time with the cloth and metho. And don't use turps or similar liquid. Then give the poles a wipe with a good quality car wax. You'll be very surprised at the difference in the action. The wax also acts to repel dew, so reducing the amount of condensation that builds up on the poles.

Mental.

[Tosong (Daniel)]

Thanks a bunch Mental, I'll give that a go.

[Allan_L (Allan)]

On a skywatcher, the pressure can be adjusted by loosening the black plastic screws at the bottom of each truss pole.

[Tosong (Daniel)]

I thought that was the case. I actually loosened one until it fell off, and it didn't make much of a difference. Good to know though, thanks for confirming it. The skywatcher manual doesn't say much about them at all.

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Originally Posted by Tosong

I thought that was the case. I actually loosened one until it fell off, and it didn't make much of a difference. Good to know though, thanks for confirming it. The skywatcher manual doesn't say much about them at all.

Loosen all 3. 1 of those screws tightened can keep the UTA suspended. I've never actually cleaned my poles.