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Praise for the simple 60mm Refractor

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#1 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 02 December 2003 - 02:22 AM

Tonight I did some viewing with my old Celestron "Firstscope 60". I have been using an 8" reflector and 90mm refractor for some time now and the old 60mm was gathering dust in the corner. I forgot how nice and clear the moon looks in this scope. Using a 9mm Plossl, the moon was vivid in showing mountain ranges, "the wall" and craters. I saw no violet halo on the edge of the moon's half-disk. The f/15 ratio no doubt takes care of that. Mars was close by so I swung over and dropped in a 6mm Plossl. It was pretty small but I could still make out the polar ice cap and it had a nice reddish tint. One thing I noticed was how much easier it was to get a precise focus - again the "slow" focal ratio helping out.

An occaisional break from heaving 70 pounds of equipment outside is nice and the views are still inspiring. My 5 year old liked the views and claimed to see "Martians" on the Moon. It made me wonder what his "brand-new" eyes are capable of seeing that my older ones miss.

Clear skies

#2 rboe

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Posted 02 December 2003 - 09:06 AM

Dang! Kinda puts things into perspective doesn't it? It's cool to hear about the old equipment still able to hang in there.

#3 Bill Grass

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Posted 02 December 2003 - 09:52 AM

Cool story, Tim!

#4 desertstars

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Posted 02 December 2003 - 05:00 PM

I have an old 60mm (one that has significant sentimental value, in addition to being a surprisingly useful grab-and-go scope). And I mean old: I bought this thing when I was a teenager - 30 years ago! Although the OTA has survived very well over the years, the mount and tripod have not. I could make the old thing even more fun to use (while waiting for the resources to buy a bigger 'better' scope) if I could put something steadier under it. In my searching so far, I haven't exactly been overwhelmed with options. Any suggestions (mounts, sources for parts, etc.) would be greatly appreciated!

#5 rboe

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Posted 02 December 2003 - 07:29 PM

Any of the 3236 or 3036 Bogen (Manfrotto) tripods would make a good start. Then a head to go between the scope and tripod.

#6 desertstars

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Posted 03 December 2003 - 10:14 AM

Any of the 3236 or 3036 Bogen (Manfrotto) tripods would make a good start. Then a head to go between the scope and tripod.


That last is the catch. Tripods are not a big problem, but attaching the scope to a tripod has proven to be a stumbling block. Rings, for example, seem only to be available down to 76mm - close, but no cigar. I'm checking through hardware stores to see if I can solve that problem, but would still need some way to attach such a make-shift rig to a tripod adapter.

It would help if I were more mechanically inclined! :help:

#7 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 03 December 2003 - 10:41 AM

Try looking for some finder scope rings. That might be just the ticket.

You might have to fabricate a dovetail with a 1/4x20lpi hole for the tripod. Or just a hole with a washer and a nut.

#8 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 03 December 2003 - 11:22 AM

DesertStars:

A few weeks ago, I bought a Tasco 90mm Refractor for $91.00 with shipping. It has a nice wooden tripod and a "CG-3" equatorial head. You can see the set-up at this link:

http://www.bigview.n...asco Telescope/

The guy selling them is at this e-mail:
jntsupply@yahoo.com
Give him my name (Tim Briggs) and he'll hook you up. I think he has one left.

If you wanted to, you could get this nice 90mm scope and its CG-3 mount/wooden tripod and then interchange OTAs. I don't know what your tube set-up is - if it is a clean tube that sits in rings you could put some kind of sleeve around the 60mm tube and set it in the Tasco's mounting clamp. I'd be willing to bet there is some PVC pipe at home depot that you could make into a sleeve.

I plan to use the CG-3 mount and nice wooden tripod as a better mount for my 60mm Celestron. My Celestron OTA has two screws protruding from the bottom that make attachment to the "CG-3" a simple affair. I plan to figure a small piece of wood to attach it to the head since I used the mounting clamp in attaching the 90mm OTA to my 8" Newt.

Hope this helps



#9 rboe

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Posted 03 December 2003 - 12:49 PM

My Pronto has that mounting ring so I just threaded the adaptor to that. Job done.

Depending on your skill set and money bags, you could use duct tape, hose clamps (which hold a bar with the 1/4-20 hole for the mount - and use felt or tape to protect the paint finish) or a ring kit and mounting bar (which if it does not have a hole could be easily enough drilled at tapped).

Sounds like all you need is a 1/4-20 hole to mount the scope to any tripod head. It's just a matter of how you get that hole. Your scope should be light enough to let you use a number of methods.

Your local vendor in Tucson may have a solution. OPT has some nice ring kits (don't know off hand which ones would be good for you).

Good Luck.

#10 desertstars

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Posted 03 December 2003 - 04:49 PM

I'd prefer it if I could find some finder scope rings that are about the right size, but hose clamps are definitely an option. I may even have a few kicking around that are close enough in size. Thanks one and all for the input. I'll keep you posted. (Which is not to say I won't be receptive to additional suggestions, of course.)

#11 BCB

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Posted 03 December 2003 - 05:16 PM

If the mountinmg rings you find are just a tad too big Go hit home cheapo, and get a package of 1/4 x 1/4 weatherstriping (adhesive backed), and put that inside the rings... Voila!! Nice n snug, and no tube scratches. :) Might even help with damping as well.. Then all you'll need to do is sort the mounting..

#12 desertstars

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Posted 04 December 2003 - 11:38 AM

If the mountinmg rings you find are just a tad too big Go hit home cheapo, and get a package of 1/4 x 1/4 weatherstriping (adhesive backed), and put that inside the rings... Voila!! Nice n snug, and no tube scratches. :) Might even help with damping as well.. Then all you'll need to do is sort the mounting..


The weather striping idea answers a question my wife brought up about using hose clamps, namely, how to protect the finish (which has survived pretty much intact for 30 years!) That should be useful no matter which idea I apply to the problem. (Or which ideas, I should say. I have a feeling the final solution will be something of a hybrid.)

Thanks! :bow: And keep 'em coming! :grin:

#13 rboe

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Posted 04 December 2003 - 07:40 PM

Up North we had felt weather stripping available - still. That may be preferable to foam. Then again, you can get quite dense foam and NOT suffer from felt sourced lint.

#14 desertstars

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Posted 04 December 2003 - 07:53 PM

Up North we had felt weather stripping available - still. That may be preferable to foam. Then again, you can get quite dense foam and NOT suffer from felt sourced lint.


My house here in Tucson was built in 1950 and still has its original crank windows, which are anything but snug when you close them. We buy a very thin, very dense foam-type weather stripping that just fits inside the frames of these windows and allows them to close. It looks like with would be exactly the right width for the hose clamp idea, if a more off the shelf approach does not work out.

The only problem with all these ideas is that I need to wait until Sunday to try anything out! And in the meantime, the skies have cleared! (Good thing I have some good binoculars.)

#15 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 04 December 2003 - 10:04 PM

The one reason I havn't had my old 60mm refractor out of its case is that it's too much of a hassle to assemble the equitorial mount and tripod. :( But, like Tim described, it sure gave nice views once set up. :) I wonder if I could rig it up to the parallelogram that I made for my binos. There wouldn't be an slow motion control but what the heck, it may work for some quick peeks at a fraction of the set-up time. Time to dig out the duct tape. :o

Nick

#16 jrcrilly

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Posted 04 December 2003 - 10:12 PM

I dunno what the tube diameter is but you can pick up a Trashco Starguide 60 for not very much and have tracking (and even goto) and the tube might just drop in?

#17 desertstars

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Posted 05 December 2003 - 10:10 AM

The one reason I havn't had my old 60mm refractor out of its case is that it's too much of a hassle to assemble the equitorial mount and tripod. :( But, like Tim described, it sure gave nice views once set up. :) I wonder if I could rig it up to the parallelogram that I made for my binos. There wouldn't be an slow motion control but what the heck, it may work for some quick peeks at a fraction of the set-up time. Time to dig out the duct tape. :o

Nick


Another reason to go to all the trouble of replacing the tripod/mount on this old thing. I already have a grab-and-go scope that's good enough (for now). ;)

#18 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 05 December 2003 - 09:39 PM

John,
I was just sitting here looking at the picture of you and your scope, and I swear it looks like a 55-gallon oil drum on a pedestal (with all due respect .... for all I know it may be bigger than an oil drum). What a real thrill it must be to have an instrument like that to look through. :bow:

Nick

#19 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 06 December 2003 - 07:41 AM

NickK,
Johns scopes keep getting larger because he is getting older eyes, he needs the extra light grasp!
(Just teasin ya John um......honest.)
Dave

#20 jrcrilly

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Posted 06 December 2003 - 08:45 AM

What a real thrill it must be to have an instrument like that to look through.


Hi, Nick.

What a thrill it is to have the cosmos to look at!

I enjoy telescopes (large and small) and have met very, very few I didn't like. I will measure the diameter of the Tasco mounting clamshell and will post it here in case that proves to be suitable for any of the good 60mm scopes for which folks need mounts. If it fits it would make a really inexpensive tracking/goto mount. :jump:They are fairly easy to find for well under $100 complete with a not-very-good refractor. They aren't precision instruments and don't track all that well but they would be much less expensive than the alt/az mounts folks sometimes use with small refractors and those don't track at all!

#21 Guest_**DONOTDELETE**_*

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Posted 08 December 2003 - 08:52 AM

Dave,
Ah, so that's how it works. The older the eyes get the bigger the scope you need. I knew there was a formula to all this.

John,
Thanks for the reply. I will keep my eyes open for the information you mentioned.

Nick


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