Upgrading to a carbon fibre tube so I will have a flocked tube looking for a home.

[Ian Robinson]

I've sourced my mandrel.

I'm ordering my 12k unidirectional and 3k 2x2 twill weave carbon cloth from china tomorrow or early next week.

I expect to have my stuff and be ready to get cracking on building the 312mm OD x 1.27m carbon fibre and epoxy composite tube sometime after Xmas.
Toying with the idea of subbing the labour out ....

An expert fibreglasser will have everything on hand and can probably do the job in a day or 2 , whereas I'll have to buy a stack of consumeables and bits and pieces and am flying blind so it'll be a time consuming job for me which I may stuff up.
Getting a quote for the labour.

So when I've dismantled my 10" f4.66 astrograph, there will be a 12" nominal bore UPVC tube which is trimmed square , has a 2.6" diam hole for the draw tube, holes for the mirror cell and spider bolts , and is completely flocked with Protostar self adhesive flok .... the best around.

Would prefer it go to a good home , is ideal for the 10" dob upgrade , the tube is solid and quite stiff , if somewhat heavier than a Formatube of similar size. Would suit a dob project more than a newtonian to go onto a GEM project (unless you've a GEM capable of handling a 21kg OTA (that's how much mine weights at present .... will grow big muscles moving it about and is no fun lifting it onto the GEM craddle.
Unlike Formatube , this tube is completely uneffected by dampness and will not fall apart after use over several years in heavy dews or on contact with damp grass or concrete.

The flok cost near $150 to get .... the tube cost me nothing. So if I can get a good part of the cost of the flok back that'll be good (will go towards the cost of flokking my new tube when it's made).

Anyone interested PM me with an offer..

Who every gets it is responsible for collection or shipping costs from Newcastle. It fits on the back seat of my Pajero.