1675 replies to this topic

[Augustus]

Just bought #27472, a tricolor model with the odd early tabletop wedge.

[bob midiri]

Please add 151756 to the C8 registry, thankyou

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[Jeffrauch]

I just bought a c8 from an Arizonia goodwill auction (see photo for serial#). I need to find a wedge/tripod for it. What should I look for? Where can i get them? Would like one solid enough to do so astrophotography. Thanks

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Edited by Jeffrauch, 26 July 2019 - 10:46 AM.

[Travbond]

Hi
My scope has Super Polaris mount on beefy wooden Tripod with dmd-1 hand control
OTA is black
SN#841533
Riverside California
Condition super clean

[jerrybHorseheads]

Hi Folks, 

Here is mine , bought it used last year been tossing a ton of love at it lately ... Serial number is 901609, previous owner bought it used as well. 

 

 

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[HGSTAR]

Hi to you  all

 

I would like to ad my C8 to the registry. It is an early tricolor model with SN # 573, so one of the really early ones made I guess in 1971. It comes with the typical table top V shaped wedge. I aquired it used some years ago in Nürnberg, Germany from the son of a deceased amateur astronomer.

It was in fairly bad shape, had been supplied with a ununsual Decl drive made of toy motors and gear.
Most of the mount was wrapped in silver tapes and the tube had been covered wth some kind of self adhesiv foil.
I decided to restore it to its original state and colors as far as possible. Pictures show the result. Everything has been freed of all tapes and foils and repainted. The only thing I did not yet repaint is the orange of the tube. Fortunately the foil could be removed relativly easy so that I felt I could leave it as it is for now. 
Optics were cleaned and realigned. RA Motor drive is working fine. The original finder was missing. I  bought one separately to complete the set. Currently the set is sitting on a nice alu tripod with orange ends which nicely fits the tubes color. The tube balancing systemt also is not original. Hope to replace it some time with an original one.

 

 

 

 

 

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[RyanSem]

Picked up this C8 last weekend in great condition. All that needed to be done was polish up the tripod which was fairly rusty. I purchased it from CN user bartine and he suggested rubbing the legs with aluminum foil which worked perfectly. The tripod is now super shiny and looks brand new. 

 

Optics are great. Even in my fairly light polluted development I've made out more details on Jupiter and Saturn than I ever have in the past with my 4" at a dark site in the middle of nowhere. Motor drive tracks well, the collimation didn't even need to be touched, and overall it's in great shape. The only additional touch-ups I've had to do were to the wedge, some of the black paint had chipped off so I touched a few spots up. Now it looks good as new. 

 

Loving this scope so far. In a few days I'll be receiving a piggyback mount so I can attach my C90 to it. I'm guessing the functionality of the mounted C90 will be fairly slim (I'm not even sure how I would be able to align it with the main OTA) but it begs to be done since I have both already. 

 

Badge number is 813789, take a look at some pictures below!

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Edited by RyanSem, 29 August 2019 - 01:39 PM.

[Kasmos]

Picked up this 1977-8 tricolor C8 last weekend in great condition. All that needed to be done was polish up the tripod which was fairly rusty. I purchased it from CN user bartine and he suggested rubbing the legs with aluminum foil which worked perfectly. The tripod is now super shiny and looks brand new. 

 

Optics are great. Even in my fairly light polluted development I've made out more details on Jupiter and Saturn than I ever have in the past with my 4" at a dark site in the middle of nowhere. Motor drive tracks well, the collimation didn't even need to be touched, and overall it's in great shape. The only additional touch-ups I've had to do were to the wedge, some of the black paint had chipped off so I touched a few spots up. Now it looks good as new. 

 

Loving this scope so far. In a few days I'll be receiving a piggyback mount so I can attach my C90 to it. I'm guessing the functionality of the mounted C90 will be fairly slim (I'm not even sure how I would be able to align it with the main OTA) but it begs to be done since I have both already. 

 

Badge number is 813789, take a look at some pictures below!

Nice C8. Just so you know it's not a Tri-color. (see the post above yours). They were the first sand cast models from the early Seventies. Mine has a lower number (800783), and was made in March 1979, so I'd estimate yours was made sometime in the early Eighties. All that really matters is that it performs well and you are happy!

Edited by Kasmos, 29 August 2019 - 01:24 PM.

[RyanSem]

Nice C8. Just so you know it's not a Tri-color. (see the post above yours). They were the first sand cast models from the early Seventies. Mine has a lower number (800783), and was made in March 1979, so I'd estimate yours was made sometime in the early Eighties. All that really matters is that it performs well and you are happy!

Thanks for the information! Edited appropriately.

[GalaxyPiper]

You can add mine. It's # 808389

I bought it off ebay in 2016 from someone on the east coast. It's in very good shape, and I have not modified it...yet. 

I do plan to install computerized setting circles on it. I have the Lumicon Sky scout, and Celestron Sky Master. but I don't plan on drilling or marking up the scope to fit them. I like to keep things vintage as much as possible.

I'll add a picture later.

[scythe]

I recently inherited a C8 from my uncle, #339305 (3rd quarter '75?).  I don't know much about telescopes in general, or about C8s in particular, but my husband and I like restoring old things (tractors, pickup trucks), and love looking into the night sky.  Something about this telescope made us want to see if we could get it in running order again, and, happily, our search for information led us to this terrific site. 

 

I want to thank everyone here for so generously sharing your experiences and insights!  You've helped us a lot already.  

 

This C8 is pretty rough: lots of corrosion, and filthy inside and out.  That's not too surprising, as it spent the last 20 years or so sitting in a barn attic.  We decided we couldn't really check out the optics until we figured out if we have all the parts and cleaned things up a little.  The retaining ring was stuck fast, but my husband (who is braver than I with a hammer and a wood wedge) finally worked it open so we could pull the correction plate and vacuum out the insect carcasses inside.  (Don't worry; we made sure to mark the locations of the serial number and cork shims, per the instructions here!)  This site also led us to Arkansas Sky Observatories' cleaning procedures, and we plan to clean the correction plate and eyepieces.  We'll leave the mirrors alone for the time being. 

 

No power cord, but we found information here on the Cinch Jones plug it needed, wired it up, and it sounds like the clock drive may be working.  We have the finder scope, but no mounting bracket, and the crosshairs are broken.  We also have the tripod and equatorial wedge, although the tripod seems somewhat out of whack.  Dust covers are also missing, which probably explains the dead bugs.  

 

Looks like it'll be quite a project, but we're hoping to get this old lady back on her feet again before long! 

[Creedence]

I have one to add to the registry, and I'm soliciting feedback as well.  This little cat followed me home yesterday, and who am I to turn her away?  The story on this one: the seller's friend was moving after many years and this had been in their attic.  It was given to them by their uncle who was the original owner.  It is apparent that the uncle knew what he was doing because there are some interesting/unique upgrades from the period along with a box of accessories that went well beyond the typical low-grade eyepiece collection you'd expect to find. 

 

First, it appears he configured the OTA so he could use it both right side up and upside down because he attached a telrad finder and a Japanese-made Celestron 10x40 finderscope to the underside.  He then affixed a pretty robust piggyback camera mount for a film camera.  The mount has also been the recipient of at least two coats of paint during its life.  The first was a stunning shade of 1970's metallic burnt orange/gold, and the next coat was a slightly more subdued dark brownish-tan.

 

 

Here's where things get a little odd.  The mount is the sandcast single-tone variety, so that's early production; and the OTA has all the hallmarks of being early production.  But there are indications the OTA and mount were not born together.  The first clue (which is also the most perplexing element) is the fact that the mount has a serial number that differs from the serial number on the OTA...  You read that right; the OTA has a serial number plate on it.  My best guess is that the first owner may have had an issue with the original fork mount and had the mount replaced and somehow moved the original mount's serial number plate to the OTA for traceability.  If I am interpreting the serial numbers correctly based on what I've learned from this thread, both the OTA and mount are from 1974.  The OTA was produced in the 2nd quarter, and the mount produced 1st quarter.  If anyone has any thoughts on that, I'd love to hear them.  (OTA SN: 2 2056 4)  (Fork Mount SN: (1 1713 4)

 

 

 

The optics look great.  I haven't taken it out yet, though I may get a chance this evening.  I removed and cleaned the corrector and secondary as the corrector had the typical significant haze on it from the offgassing and secondary had a bunch of spots that easily cleaned away.  The primary is immaculate- I mean it looks factory new.  With the clean corrector on it, the optics really look fantastic.  I cant wait to get it collimated and see how everything is figured.

 

 

Now my question for the group.  This was obviously a working telescope during its prime.  It was not purchased as a decoration, and it certainly bears the marks of use.  Do you think I should work to restore it to its original configuration- remove the camera mount, ditch the 10x40 finderscope, and repaint the fork mount to the original grey?  OR do I leave it as-is since the modifications are all from the period and let its patina tell its story?

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Edited by Creedence, 16 September 2019 - 09:50 AM.

[JoshKnight]

Add our 1975 C8  S/N  1 3101 5

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[thb]

The Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) in Huntsville AL has an older C8 just donated this month.  I haven't taken it apart yet but the base has a SN that doesn't seem to fit well in any of the listed formats.  The SN is 5 digits "2356 3".  There is a definite space before the final "3".  This seems like the first format but I don't understand the term "tricolor".  This scope is orange all over.  What am I missing?

[davidmcgo]

Tricolor had tan fork arms, grey drive base, orange tube.  End cells on the tube were grey.

 

See HGSTAR’s in post #606 above.

 

If it is a tri color, the final 3 in the SN with the space before it likely indicates 1973 and maybe they didn’t start indicating the quarter with additional leading digit yet.

 

Dave

Edited by davidmcgo, 28 September 2019 - 02:49 PM.

[Tom Stock]

Add two more to the list:

 

Both standard 1980's model on die cast fork. No special coatings stickers. Pebble finish. Hex collimation screws.

 

Pebble finish, 

 

#811853 OTA only (deforked)

#811679 die cast fork, motors dated (I think) 10-80

Edited by Tom Stock, 26 October 2019 - 11:34 PM.

[Defenderslideguitar]

Hi   I am not sure the Sandcast c-8 I purchased  last March was listed here yet

 

Serial number   212433    not sure what year this serial number equates to..

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Edited by Defenderslideguitar, 28 October 2019 - 04:24 PM.

[Defenderslideguitar]

I also had bought C-8 die cast era (1979)  scope  highly modified by a college astronomy club

Deforked with anti mirror flop pegs and  double Losmandy bars and Telrad and Rigel finders  It even has notes written on it in pencil 

 

Finally   the last pic shows the sandcast c-8   (albeit on a die cast tripod)   and the student modified c-8 on the AZ8

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[Kasmos]

Hi   I am not sure the Sandcast c-8 I purchased  last March was listed here yet

 

Serial number   212433    not sure what year this serial number equates to..

This is the conventional wisdom for dating that type of serial#.

 

2     2nd quarter

243 number in production

3     1973

[Erik Bakker]

[...]

Now my question for the group.  This was obviously a working telescope during its prime.  It was not purchased as a decoration, and it certainly bears the marks of use.  Do you think I should work to restore it to its original configuration- remove the camera mount, ditch the 10x40 finderscope, and repaint the fork mount to the original grey?  OR do I leave it as-is since the modifications are all from the period and let its patina tell its story?

My suggestion: leave it as is and let the patina tell it's story.

 

Just my 2 cents 

[Augustus]

This is the conventional wisdom for dating that type of serial#.

 

2     2nd quarter

243 number in production

3     1973

Wow, they only transitioned from Velvetone/tricolor to regular orange paint in late '72 or early '73, and my tricolor is a late '72 unit. Barry's scope used to be mine. So I've had both one of the first regular sandcasts and last tricolors.

Edited by Augustus, 29 October 2019 - 09:42 AM.

[Defenderslideguitar]

This is the conventional wisdom for dating that type of serial#.

 

2     2nd quarter

243 number in production

3     1973

Thanks   folks  

   someday  I will find  a sandcast era  tripod for the 73   

[apfever]

I need to identify my tricolor with the central helical focuser. I haven't found a label.  Possible serial number etched into the corrector from what I've heard? The tripod is a replacement die cast. The trunk may be a replacement as well, not sure, it is the green metal but may be newer.  I'll post picture request. It has the correct early wedge. I found some price sheets and questionnaire about the new manual , dated 74 and 75. I don't have any manual for the helical focuser, and no idea what the large knob shaft is that comes out the back. 

[apfever]

Does this help.  I wouldn't think this is a serial number but this location has been mentioned before.

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[Creedence]

My suggestion: leave it as is and let the patina tell it's story.

Just my 2 cents

Unfortunately, she’s cleaned up now. I tried to do the least invasive cleanup/restoration possible. I started a thread on it. I was surprised to find that Rustoleum has a near-perfect color match for the OTA. All in all, I’m pretty happy with the results, though i did try to respect its original form as much as I could.