16 replies to this topic

[Moxized]

I'm starting a new storage case for my eyepieces. And out of the old case I don't have all my covers anymore. I looked online and can only seem to find options on ebay.  I need 1.25 and 2" plugs and barrel covers. 

 

I'm going to fit my new case with kaizen foam as soon as it is in stock again. Since I will be putting the eyepieces in vertically, I think a bright cap I can mark to make easier selection in the dark would be great. I see the yellow ones on ebay, just wondering if there is other sources or options before I buy.

 

Best regards!

[SeattleScott]

Agena has the best selection. Particularly if you are missing some top caps.

[scotsman328i]

https://www.amazon.c...s/dp/B013SD5T24

https://agenaastro.c...dust-plugs.html
https://eyepiececaps.com

 

...to name a few. Good Luck! 

[Moxized]

Thanks, my search on Agenaastro kept returning just screw type containers, I was using the wrong words I guess 

 

I think eyepiececaps has just what I'm after and looks like what was on ebay also. 

 

Thanks for the direction.

 

Best regards!

[scotsman328i]

Thanks, my search on Agenaastro kept returning just screw type containers, I was using the wrong words I guess 

 

I think eyepiececaps has just what I'm after and looks like what was on ebay also. 

 

Thanks for the direction.

 

Best regards!

In any search engine, try ‘dust plug for telescope focuser’ or ‘dust cap (dust plug) for telescope eyepiece’. 

[kevint1]

On the Agena site, search for “yellow”  

[sportsmed]

Yea I recently bought a bunch of end caps and dust plugs from Agena, they are a great company. You do have to spend more then $20 for free shipping though. 

[yeldahtron]

Thanks, my search on Agenaastro kept returning just screw type containers, I was using the wrong words I guess 

Those are bolt cases, and while they are not the end caps you were seeking, I recommend using them as well as the eyepiece end caps.  The bolt cases don't protect the glass the way end caps do, but they do protect the entire eyepiece. Moreover, as the thread www.cloudynights.com/topic/748888-did-i-just-drop-my-most-expensive-eyepiece-onto-concrete-why-yes/ explores, there is nothing worse than having an expensive eyepiece fall unprotected onto the floor.  I do see you intend to store your EPs in a foam-lined case, but bolt cases are handy, inexpensive intermediate protection for those times when your EP is not in the focuser, not in the scope's eyepiece tray, and not in the closed foam-lined case.  (Provided, of course, you make it a habit to always return the EP to its bolt case when it is not in a protected place.) 

 

If you always store your EPs in bolt cases, even when they are in the foam-lined case, then that one night when you're dog tired and packing up in the dark, that one night when you forget to latch the foam-lined case shut before you pick it up, the bolt cases will protect the eyepieces when they fall to the floor.

Edited by yeldahtron, 26 January 2021 - 12:30 PM.

[sanbai]

As someone in a similar thread pointed, the flexible yellow caps can touch the eyelens of the eyepiece and those field lenses that are near the limit of the barrel. Thus, one must be sure that they are clean, especially out of dirt and sand!

After reading that, I decided to keep my hard ones (for the moment).

[teashea]

I found it difficult to store sets of eyepieces.  Finally I came up with a solution that suits me.  They are in dustproof cabinets so I do not need end caps.  Here are some of them.

 

[scotsman328i]

I found it difficult to store sets of eyepieces.  Finally I came up with a solution that suits me.  They are in dustproof cabinets so I do not need end caps.  Here are some of them.

 

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Tom, that’s a sweet setup! Love the cabinet and wooden slabs to store that glass! 

[Starman1]

Caps are necessary to protect the glass from dew, dirt, and contact with the foam in a case.

If you replace the caps when you put the eyepiece back in the case, it will be protected.

You can store the caps in the hole when you pull the eyepiece out.

 

Bolt cases are way too much trouble in the field.  You would pull the eyepiece's bolt case out of your case, unscrew it, pull the caps off,

use the eyepiece, replace the caps, then thread the bolt case back together and insert it in the case.

By then, your object is long gone from the field.

 

A good rule is: If it's not in the scope, it's in the case.  Trays left outside (like the ones on the sides of scopes) are prescriptions for dew on eyepieces.

And if you leave caps on the eyepieces in a tray, what do you do with the caps when you pull them off for use?.  It's possible that might not be a problem in the desert, but it certainly would be where I observe, where the corrector on an SCT will dew up in <20 minutes if no dewshield is used, and I observe in fairly dry places.

[Moxized]

On the Agena site, search for “yellow”  

@Kevint1:  That did it! haha.

 

Yea I recently bought a bunch of end caps and dust plugs from Agena, they are a great company. You do have to spend more then $20 for free shipping though. 

@Sportsmed: So I should add an eyepiece to my order?   Actually there is a few items I need that can stack up to free shipping easily.

 

@Sanbai: That's good to know, I'd not have thought of the soft caps touching the glass, but also have some ideas to work around that maybe. Cheap enough to experiment with!

 

@Teashea: That's an awesome set of Vixens. I hope someday to have a set of Morpheus lenses to fill a case.

 

@Starman1: I agree on the bolt cases being too much, I would probably drop my eyepieces more so using those with cold, numb fingers.  Also, Don, that 30mm APM arrived safe, Thanks for the speedy delivery!

 

I found my missing caps buried under the foam corners of the old case, but I still want something not black that I can see better in the dark, and can write on.

 

Best regards!

[Starman1]

@Kevint1:  That did it! haha.

 

@Sportsmed: So I should add an eyepiece to my order?   Actually there is a few items I need that can stack up to free shipping easily.

 

@Sanbai: That's good to know, I'd not have thought of the soft caps touching the glass, but also have some ideas to work around that maybe. Cheap enough to experiment with!

 

@Teashea: That's an awesome set of Vixens. I hope someday to have a set of Morpheus lenses to fill a case.

 

@Starman1: I agree on the bolt cases being too much, I would probably drop my eyepieces more so using those with cold, numb fingers.  Also, Don, that 30mm APM arrived safe, Thanks for the speedy delivery!

 

I found my missing caps buried under the foam corners of the old case, but I still want something not black that I can see better in the dark, and can write on.

 

Best regards!

Get the translucent caps--they can be written on with a Sharpie and they're easy to see at night.

[f18dad]

Get the translucent caps--they can be written on with a Sharpie and they're easy to see at night.

 

Caps are necessary to protect the glass from dew, dirt, and contact with the foam in a case.

If you replace the caps when you put the eyepiece back in the case, it will be protected.

You can store the caps in the hole when you pull the eyepiece out.

 

Bolt cases are way too much trouble in the field.  You would pull the eyepiece's bolt case out of your case, unscrew it, pull the caps off,

use the eyepiece, replace the caps, then thread the bolt case back together and insert it in the case.

By then, your object is long gone from the field.

 

A good rule is: If it's not in the scope, it's in the case.  Trays left outside (like the ones on the sides of scopes) are prescriptions for dew on eyepieces.

And if you leave caps on the eyepieces in a tray, what do you do with the caps when you pull them off for use?.  It's possible that might not be a problem in the desert, but it certainly would be where I observe, where the corrector on an SCT will dew up in <20 minutes if no dewshield is used, and I observe in fairly dry places.

These are great suggestions. Some I have practiced intuitively. Good to have them confirmed. Now I can just detach the tray on my Dob that rattles around, drops off, and I never use anyway.

 

There was also a comment about using closed cell foam for encasing eyepieces. How important is that? If the caps are on is there any significant concern? Isn't closed cell foam harder to find, more expensive, and harder to cut out and work with? I have no experience.

[Starman1]

These are great suggestions. Some I have practiced intuitively. Good to have them confirmed. Now I can just detach the tray on my Dob that rattles around, drops off, and I never use anyway.

 

There was also a comment about using closed cell foam for encasing eyepieces. How important is that? If the caps are on is there any significant concern? Isn't closed cell foam harder to find, more expensive, and harder to cut out and work with? I have no experience.

There are a lot of different qualities of foam.

Some are harder and last longer.  Pelican foam, for example, is a higher density and lasts far longer than the foam in the Vanguard cases I've had over te years.

And the even harder foam used in electronics packaging, or a Coronado solar scope will last even longer before it deteriorates.

The outgassing of deteriorating foam isn't really a problem if the contents of the case are used regularly--you'd replace the foam before it deteriorated to that point.

It could be worrisome if the case wasn't opened for a few years, however.  Possibly a good reason to replace the foam in a case periodically.

[Moxized]

I can't comment much on the foam I ordered yet, It hasn't arrived. It's called Kaizen foam and ordered from my local hardware store, 57mm thick in a 2ft x 4ft sheet, used for organizing tool chests and drawers.

 

I have seen others use the cell foam sleeping pads sold in camping sections, usually a blue roll sized for a sleeping bag and go for only like $10 as a cheaper option. Would have to be layered though. Again can't comment, never tried it.

 

I'm using a Pelican clone case and replacing the soft spongy pluck foam with the Kaizen.

 

I can post an update once I have it trimmed and fit.