Lunatiki
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 08/07/05
Posts: 1252
Loc: Amarillo, TX
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Some of the top planetary imagers flock their scopes. Perhaps it is one of the reasons they are the top imagers. I just don't like the idea of taking apart my scope, modifying it and hoping for the best.
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Mars Watch
All images taken with:
Celestron NexStar 8i SCT
DBK 21AF04.AS
K3ccd/Registax4/PSP8
ALPO Member #4287
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smasraum
sage
Reged: 01/13/08
Posts: 492
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Quote:
Some of the top planetary imagers flock their scopes. Perhaps it is one of the reasons they are the top imagers. I just don't like the idea of taking apart my scope, modifying it and hoping for the best.
READ THIS ARTICLE. I suspect it will answer lots of questions and make folks feel better about what needs to be done when flocking a scope. I'd read lots of posts about it, but until I read this article, I had some incorrect theories.
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Steve
Houston (Friendswood), TX
 Space Center Houston
8" Zhumell Dob - Woo Hoo!!
Celestron C102 f/5 - Thanks Tim!
21mm, 13mm Hyperion
2.5x TV Powermate
Canon Rebel XT
Nikon 7x35
Bushnell 10x50
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panhard
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/20/08
Posts: 2574
Loc: Markham Ont.
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There seems to be an array of opinions on flocking a tube. Also I have noticed that there are some of us who should not go near a keyboard until consuming at least one coffee. 
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Orion xt10i
8 & 17mm Hyperion eye pieces
koning 32mm 25mm skywatcher eyepieces
lumicon 0111 & antares variable polarizing filters
12x50 binos
A love for this hobby
"What goes around comes around."
"She who must be obeyed."
Herb c
cloudy nights my # 1 site
43.53°n 79.17°w
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vinnie
Latinist
Reged: 01/05/08
Posts: 1446
Loc: Queensland, Australia
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Flocking
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Treehopper
sage
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 215
Loc: Upstate NY
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Quote:
There seems to be an array of opinions on flocking a tube. Also I have noticed that there are some of us who should not go near a keyboard until consuming at least one coffee.
*sheepish grin*
I'm sorry, that was pretty baa-aaa-aaa-aad. 
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Tim
Third oak on the right, and straight on 'til morning.
Meade ETX-125PE (NGC7000 Edition)
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23964
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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There can be another benefit to flocking, as I recently found out. I'm religious about keeping my mirror retaining clips loose after hearing people's troubles with pinched optics. But I didn't consider that when I packed my scope for Oregon Star Party last month. I took a long round about journey to OSP that included many dirt backroads. When I arrived and unpacked my scope I found that the primary mirror had fallen out of its cell and was laying loose in the tube. 
Thankfully there wasn't a mark on it, thanks to the black velvet flocking on the inside of the tube.
It was a bear to flock it with that material and my method probably wasn't the easiest way to do it but I'm happy with the end result.
There used to be an article here on CN that showed the effectiveness of different flocking materials. Darned if I can find it now.
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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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Saycbon
super member
Reged: 08/14/08
Posts: 163
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Quote:
Flocking
You go, Vin. I love it!!!
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Peyn
member
Reged: 04/12/08
Posts: 91
Loc: Cupertino (Bay Area), CA
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I, too have questions about flocking:
How do people get that protostar flocking paper down into their long dobsonian tubes?
What adhesive is best to use for flocking with protostar, do you figure?
Also, does anyone know anything about blackening objective lens edges?
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"JERUSALEM - Albert Einstein's long-lost telescope, forgotten for decades in a Jerusalem storage shed, goes on display this week after three years and $10,000 spent restoring the relic...."
"What could possibly have driven the cost that high? It seems to be a very simple instrument."
"It used quantum optics. Restoration was fraught with uncertainty."
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sixela
Postmaster
Reged: 12/23/04
Posts: 9499
Loc: Boechout, Belgium
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Quote:
I, too have questions about flocking:
How do people get that protostar flocking paper down into their long dobsonian tubes?
For some of us: we don't. Only the upper and lower parts are visible from the focuser anyway, and flocking is irrelevant in the rest.
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400mm f/4.46 David Lukehurst truss Dobsonian on Tom Osypowski equatorial platform
Orion Starblast (114mm f/4 reflector, Alt/Az)
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RogerF
member
Reged: 01/22/07
Posts: 53
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
I, too have questions about flocking:
How do people get that protostar flocking paper down into their long dobsonian tubes?
It's not necessary to flock the entire tube, but it you want to flock the tube near the primary mirror, you'll have to remove the mirror cell and do it from the bottom end.
Quote:
What adhesive is best to use for flocking with protostar, do you figure?
It has a self-adhesive backing; just peel off the paper. (And, it's sticky stuff too. Once pressed down, it's not easily coming back off.)
I flocked my 8xt this weekend: opposite the focuser; the near-side bevel of the secondary; at the bottom of the draw tube; and forward the primary. I also fashioned a baffle/shade for the top of the tube (opposite the focuser). All this made a noticeable difference, at least while viewing Jupiter last night between the clouds from my apartment patio in a mag. 3.5 sky. The background was much darker; not so gray.
One caveat to flocking "everything" is accurately centering the secondary after reassembly. It's dark in there!
Edited by RogerF (09/14/08 07:24 PM)
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mazzefr
I'll take door number three...
Reged: 02/12/07
Posts: 1732
Loc: Behind the Wheel in PA
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Quote:
.
There used to be an article here on CN that showed the effectiveness of different flocking materials. Darned if I can find it now.
This one? 
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=85
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Franco
Orion XT12i w/ MoonLite
13T6, 9T6, Pan24
Scopos 35mm
Lumicon UHC, Baader M&S
DIY- Denver Chair, Light shields
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)
Lehigh Valley, PA
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Peyn
member
Reged: 04/12/08
Posts: 91
Loc: Cupertino (Bay Area), CA
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Quote:
What adhesive is best to use for flocking with protostar, do you figure?
It has a self-adhesive backing; just peel off the paper. (And, it's sticky stuff too. Once pressed down, it's not easily coming back off.)
Hey, that's awesome! I'm gonna order myself a big 'ol square of the stuff soon.
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"JERUSALEM - Albert Einstein's long-lost telescope, forgotten for decades in a Jerusalem storage shed, goes on display this week after three years and $10,000 spent restoring the relic...."
"What could possibly have driven the cost that high? It seems to be a very simple instrument."
"It used quantum optics. Restoration was fraught with uncertainty."
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star drop
Guilty as Charged
Reged: 02/02/08
Posts: 3286
Loc: Cattaraugus Co., NY
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If you wear an eyepatch don't flock it because that makes it tickle. 
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Ted
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G Smith
member
Reged: 11/22/07
Posts: 29
Loc: Central Ohio, USA
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Question of "ProtoStar" resolved Sept. 16. I was able to reach ProtoStar this afternoon. They were hit by the windstorm that went through central Ohio last Sunday and are still without electricity, and are still not operational. As I spoke to them they were connecting a generator. Sorry for any concern about their status. Gene Smith
Edited by G Smith (09/16/08 01:18 PM)
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square_peg
Postmaster
Reged: 03/26/04
Posts: 23964
Loc: Maple Valley, WA
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Quote:
Quote:
.
There used to be an article here on CN that showed the effectiveness of different flocking materials. Darned if I can find it now.
This one?
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=85
Yeah, thanks! 
That's what inspired me to go with the Fidelio Black Velvet from Joanne Fabric. It was a bear to work with but it's sure black. Considering the hassle factor I really can't recommend it.
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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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cuzimthedaughter
cuzimthegenius
Reged: 08/14/07
Posts: 313
Loc: Touristville, CA
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Isn't flocking when groups of telescopes get together and bring their humans along? 
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Celestron Nexstar 8SE (AKA Rachael); Orion Stratus 13mm & 17mm EPs; Green Light Saber; and a lot of other bank account draining accessories to go with her!
"I'm desperately trying to figure out why kamikaze pilots wore helmets" - Dave
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Protheus
Vaguely offended
Reged: 09/01/07
Posts: 4658
Loc: Illinois, US
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Quote:
Isn't flocking when groups of telescopes get together and bring their humans along?
I'm not sure. The term usually used for that is "star party," most likely due to the high probability of having Elton John in attendance.
Chris
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"To tread the sharp edge of a sword;
to run on smooth-frozen ice,
one needs no footsteps to follow..."
"Well, people sometimes ask me 'how did you get involved in astronomy?' I said 'I got born, what's your problem?'" -- John Dobson
"In discussing the large-scale structure of the cosmos, astronomers sometimes say that space is curved, or that the universe is finite but unbounded. Whatever are they talking about?" -- Carl Sagan
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RogerF
member
Reged: 01/22/07
Posts: 53
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
Question of "ProtoStar" resolved Sept. 16. I was able to reach ProtoStar this afternoon. They were hit by the windstorm that went through central Ohio last Sunday and are still without electricity, and are still not operational. As I spoke to them they were connecting a generator. Sorry for any concern about their status. Gene Smith
I saw your original post this morning, but didn't have time to reply that indeed the windstorm may have been the problem. Large swaths of Columbus are dark. Making the best of the situation, I thought maybe I might get some half-way decent viewing. But nooooo! It's been mostly cloudy. No matter I guess; even if it was clear, the moon is full. 
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Fujinon 16x70 FMT-SX, Celestron G-5, Orion 8XTi, Orion XX12
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bigbeck
member
Reged: 08/13/08
Posts: 58
Loc: Trenton, NJ
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I flocked my entire 8" dob with Protostar. I could not tell any difference while viewing Jupiter or M17.
A week earlier I flocked my 5" reflector with Michael's flocking paper. I left the middle 8" of the tube unflocked. Jupiter looked the same but M17 was amazing. I've never seen it actually look like a swan in the 5",it was always a smudge.
The Michaels paper looked very black in the store, but when I compared it to the Protostar, it was gray and had a slight sheen on it. Protostar is very black and flat.
Why did the *BLEEP* shiny "almost black" paper work in the 5" while the Protostar seemed to do nothing in the 8"? Maybe I just had a moment of excellent transparency wher using the 5"?
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RogerF
member
Reged: 01/22/07
Posts: 53
Loc: Columbus, OH
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Quote:
I flocked my entire 8" dob with Protostar. I could not tell any difference while viewing Jupiter or M17.
A week earlier I flocked my 5" reflector with Michael's flocking paper. I left the middle 8" of the tube unflocked. Jupiter looked the same but M17 was amazing. I've never seen it actually look like a swan in the 5",it was always a smudge.
The Michaels paper looked very black in the store, but when I compared it to the Protostar, it was gray and had a slight sheen on it. Protostar is very black and flat.
Why did the *BLEEP* shiny "almost black" paper work in the 5" while the Protostar seemed to do nothing in the 8"? Maybe I just had a moment of excellent transparency wher using the 5"?
It's hard to say. Was this on the same night (side by side comparison)? What were the conditions? What is the distance from the focuser to the top end of the tube of the respective scopes? Draw tube length of the scopes within main tube? - Could be light impinging on EP objective from the front of the 8". Just kicking out some ideas.
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Fujinon 16x70 FMT-SX, Celestron G-5, Orion 8XTi, Orion XX12
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