~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
   
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20969
Loc: North Texas
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Per this previous post about locking and restarting the long threads, here's the newest thread for the Pacific Northwest Mt. St. Helen's Eterna-Thread.
The second Mt. St. Helen's Eterna-Thread can be found here, locked but still available to read and copy pics if you wish. 
Rock on!
-------------------- Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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square_peg
Postmaster
   
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 22941
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Time to get busy creating another mess on the database!
-------------------- Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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~Steph~
Texas Wildflower
   
Reged: 06/11/05
Posts: 20969
Loc: North Texas
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As I mentioned in the Ohio thread, it needed to be done anyway, and after all, how often do I get a chance to start an eternathread on February 29? (Yeah yeah, "every four years".... )
Happy Leap Day, y'all!
-------------------- Steph
10" RCX400 ~~ 4" TV102 ~~ WO ZS80FD ~~ PST
Serenity Observatory
HansenAstro | CN Member Websites
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RS67Man
Tinker King
   
Reged: 11/10/07
Posts: 727
Loc: Spanaway, WA USA!
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I posted the first pics! Here is the Z10 with the new counterweight I machined!

-------------------- Celestron 15X70 binos
Zhumell 10" "Photon Cannon"
Baader Hyperions 5mm, 8mm, 13mm, and 17mm, + FTR's
70mm Meade refractor on "broken" 494 Autostar tripod
6" F/8 "Ellis" 50 Year Old Newtonian Project!
AEACC The Automatic Electric Aluminum Can Crusher thread
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square_peg
Postmaster
   
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 22941
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Nice work, Walt!
-------------------- Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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RS67Man
Tinker King
   
Reged: 11/10/07
Posts: 727
Loc: Spanaway, WA USA!
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Quote:
Nice work, Walt!
Thanks Tom! It is made from 2 pieces of 6061 T6 aluminum. I machined a cavity in the bottom part and filled it with molten lead. The top was machined .001" smaller then the bottom. The top part was then heated with a torch and placed onto the bottom. When it cooled, it shrunk and permanently assembled the top and bottom together. I then finished machined the piece and polished it. You cannot tell it is two pieces, the "break" line is invisible. It weighs 2 lbs, 6.6 oz.


-------------------- Celestron 15X70 binos
Zhumell 10" "Photon Cannon"
Baader Hyperions 5mm, 8mm, 13mm, and 17mm, + FTR's
70mm Meade refractor on "broken" 494 Autostar tripod
6" F/8 "Ellis" 50 Year Old Newtonian Project!
AEACC The Automatic Electric Aluminum Can Crusher thread
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square_peg
Postmaster
   
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 22941
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Quote:
I then finished machined the piece and polished it.
Can you describe that process? It looks great.
-------------------- Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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RS67Man
Tinker King
   
Reged: 11/10/07
Posts: 727
Loc: Spanaway, WA USA!
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The polishing was done on the lathe, with a rag dipped in polishing compound. 6061 T6 takes a polish very quickly, it is a hard type of aluminum. The finish machine process is just taking very light cuts being real careful to move the cutting tool as slowly and at a constant speed as I can. This is a pic taken several years ago of the Logan 10" lathe that I have.
-------------------- Celestron 15X70 binos
Zhumell 10" "Photon Cannon"
Baader Hyperions 5mm, 8mm, 13mm, and 17mm, + FTR's
70mm Meade refractor on "broken" 494 Autostar tripod
6" F/8 "Ellis" 50 Year Old Newtonian Project!
AEACC The Automatic Electric Aluminum Can Crusher thread
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CreationAstroGuy
professor emeritus
   
Reged: 05/18/07
Posts: 524
Loc: NW WA
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A new thread!!!
-------------------- Ryan Nelson
8" LX90 GPS UHTC
DSI with a 3.3 reducer
Eyepieces; 22mm Nagler, 16mm Meade Seires 5000, 26mm Meade Seires 4000, and a 9mm Burgess/TMB planitary!
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Downward Bound
Adrenaline Junkie
   
Reged: 03/29/06
Posts: 1981
Loc: Seattle
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Happy Leap Year to you too Steph!!
-------------------- Bill
'flector: Vixen R200SS
'fractors: TV-85, NP-127, PST-2X
Orion 15x63, Minox 10x52 HG, GO 22x85 HD
Sphinx, Telepod, EZ Touch, G-11 (waiting)
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Sky Captain
Scope Builder
   
Reged: 11/07/04
Posts: 5576
Loc: Seattle Washington
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Quote:
I posted the first pics! Here is the Z10 with the new counterweight I machined!
Very nice Walt!
-------------------- Equipment Overload!
http://scopebuilder.webs.com/
Kerry.
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Sky Captain
Scope Builder
   
Reged: 11/07/04
Posts: 5576
Loc: Seattle Washington
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Quote:
Rock on!
-------------------- Steph
Thanks Steph...I was really getting tired of the last thread.
-------------------- Equipment Overload!
http://scopebuilder.webs.com/
Kerry.
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Tom L
   
Reged: 01/07/04
Posts: 29707
Loc: Sunny Oregon
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Hello (again!) everyone. Walt, that looks really cool!
-------------------- Tom
12" f/5 DSO Dob
Tele Vue 102mm f/8.6 on an EzTouch
Vixen 80mm f/5 A80SSWT on a grab-n-go mount
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rwiederrich
Goldfinger
   
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 5649
Loc: Bremerton Washington
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Sweet job Walt...very sweet. 
Rob
-------------------- www.goldmtobservingcenter.com
Providing a great place for amateur astronomers, and ATM's to come and enjoy their hobby.
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rwiederrich
Goldfinger
   
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 5649
Loc: Bremerton Washington
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Awesome old timer....it does such a great job too.....
Rob
-------------------- www.goldmtobservingcenter.com
Providing a great place for amateur astronomers, and ATM's to come and enjoy their hobby.
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gripweed44
scholastic sledgehammer
   
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 898
Loc: PDX
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WOW - Iam out of the loop
-------------------- John
Omega Centauri is the finest Globular I have seen with my own eyes.
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square_peg
Postmaster
   
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 22941
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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I got a wild hair again. 
I didn't feel like hanging around in Maple Valley this weekend so I headed out to the Olympic Peninsula for some geocaching and general screwing around. 
I just holed up in the 'Dew Drop Inn' in beautiful downtown Forks, WA (pop. 13 elk, a cougar and 2700 steelhead). I just uncorked a bottle of Knob Creek.
I post some pics in a bit. Orion is shining bright overhead right now. Too bad all I brought is binocs.
-------------------- Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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trainsktg
Post Laureate
   
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4406
Loc: Pacific Northwest
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Well, one of my CN buddies from New Jersey is shipping me a 40mm Optica b/c eyepiece. As you all know, I'm a sucker for classic equipment, especially the high end Japanese stuff. It should work very nicely in one of my RV-6s.
Keith
-------------------- He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
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larrymax
super member
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 130
Loc: Orting, WA
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First light for the ETX 60 with a noob at the controls:
I'll make this quick
Never underpower Autostar. I finally figured out tonight that the 9v connector was for the 6 AA pack and not for a single 9v battery. Autostar is spot on when powered properly. It's only taken me a week to figure that one out. Autostar REALLY works!!!
10mm really makes a difference. My other Walmart wonder (AZ70) gives noticably better views, but it's unstable and can't track. That makes Larry very mad 
Great but frustrating learning experience. I think the price I paid for both scopes (less than 200.00 including tax) is worth the knowledge I have gained.
I will probrably stick with this hobby.
Now to spend more money...
--------------------
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square_peg
Postmaster
   
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 22941
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Here's the Pt. Wilson Lighthouse at Ft. Worden.
-------------------- Tom (Pegster)
DSH-8 (GSO Dob)
15x70 Oberwerks
SVP 100 f/6 achro
WO 66 Petzval
Sears Discoverer EQ 60/900
8x42 Regals
History is Philosophy teaching by examples.
Thucydides
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