neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Thanks for the worning. I had no trouble with this kind of epoxy, and it states nothing on the label about being harmful in normal use condittions or anything. It smelles a little bad, but that is the only discomfort so far. I guess other types of epoxy are far more dangerous.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Two more pics...
The bisonite used on brackets is cured so.. ready for business.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Just checking how it looks....
I don't unclamp the base yet. I'll leave it to cure for a few more hours just to be safe.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Yey..the base is finished!  
This evening I've drilled the holes in the base for the screws which will secure the aluminum brackets. After the final mounting I've coted the entier plywood disk with a good layer of epoxy to seal it off. Nice finish too.
I'm still wondering if to paint it or not. What do you think???
So here it is....
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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And of course I couldn't resist and I've mounted the legs to see who it looks.
Pretty dandy 
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2928
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This is nice work - I would fill the countersunk area over the screws that secure the leg bosses with some sort of wood putty.
=drl
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deSitter
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/09/04
Posts: 2928
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I would definitely paint it matte black and bevel the top edge.
Now you need to make a cool accessory tray!
It's very nice aluminum work!
-drl
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Thanks man! 
Yep, I was thinking about using some matte black paint on it. I'll sleep on it until later after I finish fabricating.
Next I plan to reinforce the legs and make them collapsible. I'll use a thick threaded rod tied up on the base through which a bushing can run. The bushing is between to nuts. From that bushing I can connect three piece of aluminum tubing to the each leg and when I'm tightening the two nuts the tripod becomes rock solid. I've used the same system on other wood tripod I have and works great. I can sit on it.
And of course a nice eyepiece tray would be the final step.
So busy, busy, busy...
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
Edited by neo (11/01/09 04:48 AM)
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wmyers
member
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 44
Loc: High Point, NC
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Very nice, I've taken good notes..
thanks!!!
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Orion 120 ED Refractor
Feathertouch Focuser
Orion Atlas EQ-G goto mount
Orion 80 guidescope w/Starshoot autoguider
AstroTech 2" quartz diagonal
Canon Rebel XT
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sailor70623
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/12/08
Posts: 944
Loc: Ok.
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Well if you wood putty over the screw heads, I wouldn't paint it. But I like the look of wood. I'd make the accessory tray natural wood too.
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Corornado PST
LB 16" & 12"
Z 10"
LX50 8"
8" CPC
ETX127
102&90mm MAKs
80mm Richfield APO
70mm refractor
ETX60
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Thanks guys for suggestions!
The screw heads aren't quite blank. The base is coated with a layer of epoxy so the screws are covered too but the epoxy is quite transparent so.... Besides I don't mind to much that the screw heads are visible, after all the base top will be covered by the rest of the mount so only the side will remain exposed.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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A small update...
I've lowered the...how to call them  ...the original hinges on each leg. I'll use this hinges to attach the 3 arms (spacers) which will reinforce the tripod.
By setting the hinges lower helps to strenghten the tripod more.
Boy this was a boring job! 
Just drilling hole afte hole, 12 to be exact, then adjusting 12 screws. I thought it never ends. 
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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The whole picture..
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
Edited by neo (11/05/09 02:05 PM)
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Being very busy these last weeks at work, finally I got some spare time to look over my tripod again.
I got a long threaded rod, 14mm thick, which will be fixed in the center of the base and cut it at a desirable length.
Also I've made the bushing which runs on the rod.
The bushing is made of some sort of huge thick aluminum electrical connector for very thick wires I've found on the local hardware store. Luckily the inner diameter was perfect for what I need. Also on the bushing I've fitted three "U" shaped piece of aluminum, placed at 120 degrees which will hold the three arms...or spreaders I don't know exactly how to call them... for the each of the tripod's legs.
The bushing...
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Here's the three spreaders after drilling the holes and the bushing after the epoxy was cured this morning. I just have to trim a bit these parts a bit for perfect fit and tomorrow, hopefully, I'll do a quick assembling.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Today I've finally got the chance to put everything together. And of course like an old saying in my country goes " rushing up like the bride to get married" in same way
I've rushed to get the job done and measured wrong the length of the spreaders. So they were more then 2" to long.
 
Well...I guess I skipped the "measure twice and cut once" part . Good think that the spreaders were to long and not to short
Here's a pic after trimming them..
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
Edited by neo (11/19/09 04:38 PM)
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Here's the tripod with the new look. I have to do some adjustments here and there in order to be able to collapse it entirely but not big deal.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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The threaded rod will be adjusted too. I'll make another bushing which will be fixed in the base of the tripod and everything will be secured with a nut beneath.
another one
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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magic612
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/30/08
Posts: 561
Loc: Somewhere south of Chicago, IL
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Looking good, neo. I'll be very interested to see how stable this tripod is for your scope.
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- Celestron C8+, Orion 90mm f/10, Orion ST-80, 5" f/8 Dob, 127mm f/9.4 refractor, 114mm f/8 on DS GoTo, 60mm Sears 6333-A, 127mm f4.4 refractor lens (current project), 12" f/5 mirror (future project)
- Orion Vista 10x50s (5 deg), Sears #6207 7x35 (7 deg), Jason #138 Statesman 7x35 (11.5 deg)
Yes, I'm addicted to telescopes and binoculars. I am getting help. Every time I look at the heavens, it helps.
http://www.eyesonthesky.com
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neo
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/12/08
Posts: 623
Loc: Iasi, Romania
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Thanks magic!
Well I've tested it a bit and it's pretty much rock solid, anyway much solid than it was constructed. I've let myself with a lot of my weight on it and I couldn't move it, twiste it or anything. Anyway I don't plan to use this tripod for very heavy scopes. I tune it mainly for my 70mm Rodenstock refractor but I guess it could hold even an 8" scope. Because it's light it would be perfect for star parties when the summer will come.
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Russian 15x50 binos
Home made 8" f/5 Newton on eq mount
Home made 70mm f/6 (Rodenstock Rotelar lens) Apo refractor
www.astronomy.ro
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