23 replies to this topic

[DouglasPaul]

I promised to put up some pictures of this to CN member Piaget I believe if my memory serves when I won it on the Goodwill site so here goes.I have decided this will go to my granddaughter for her birthday. She has expressed a interest in "space stuff" and is still young enough that a high powered shot of the moon rather startled her so this should be aperfect way to start and she can use the right side up optics during the day  .

 

The tube is a bit scratched up but no dents.

 

 

The dew shield doesn't unscrew it pulls off, oops, think I lost a bit of paint finding that out.

 

 

The lens is of course dirty.

 

 

The legs on the mount are not tolerable for a young person even though the OTA is, no tray or anything to hold it together. A disaster waiting to happen.

 

 

So I decided to get a donor scope to make this more usable for her. Another GW purchase.

 

 

It even comes with a box!

 

 

 

 

So the legs, tray and box from the Jason are going to the Selsi and I'm stowing the originals away. The legs were a bit beat up so I sanded them down.

 

 

 

 

I had to cut some off the tops to make them fit the Selsi mount. Then I thought hey, I know I have some kind of wood stain out in the shed. Looking around I came up with a can of tung oil as old as the Selsi and never opened. I had to put that thing in a vice to get it to budge..  .

 

A couple coats later..

 

 

Tomorrow I have a rare day off so I'll be looking to paint the OTA and the hardware. More to come. Funny it took a present for a child to finally get me on the scope improvement detail. 

[DouglasPaul]

The eyepiece end is in pretty fair shape so I'm going to hope I can get a good match on the objective cell and dew shield with the paint and leave the eyepiece end alone.

 

 

 

 

 

Any suggestions on paint would be appreciated. I guess you can get a aerosol can made? I probably will use my cheap Harbor Freight HVLP sprayer. It actually does a pretty good job, just wondering what paint to use. I'm not going to the expense of powder coating.

 

 

[Piaget]

Thank you , my friend ... Fine present for your granddaughter & for remembering to post it. JW

[DouglasPaul]

I'm finally almost done and I made a horrible mistake and really could use some advice now to hopefully keep me from compounding the problem I created. I found really good matches for the paint scheme on this scope and painted it yesterday evening. I was looking at it this morning and noticed the paint needed a little touch up and tried a quick pass and managed to get it on the lens. I'm a bit beside myself right now. Does anyone have a method to safely remove it? Will Goof Off damage the glass? Ugh, I was basically done and now I'm afraid I've ruined it.

 

 My only other option is to try to use the Jason lens in that OTA.

 

[LukaszLu]

Hi, you didn't write what paint have you used (or did I miss it?) - it's hard to advise without knowing the exact kind of paint.

[DouglasPaul]

Hi, you didn't write what paint have you used (or did I miss it?) - it's hard to advise without knowing the exact kind of paint.

Thanks.

 

Edited by DouglasPaul, 01 June 2021 - 10:25 AM.

[Piaget]

That is acrylic enamel paint you are trying to remove & it is a tuffy ! It can be done with fingernail polish remover , but that is a very harsh substance since it is acetone & dissolves plastic. Glass is non-porous & should be safe , I have used it on glass with no damage , but never a lense. Another safer alternative is wd-40 or rubbing alcohol , lowest % you can find. A natural gum eraser is another alternative ... Good luck JW p.s If you need a new lens , I have a beauty from a Tasco 14TE , that was suppose to be one of Tascos best hand select lenses , I can send you for nada ...

Edited by Piaget, 01 June 2021 - 10:49 AM.

[CharlieB]

Some acetone should take care of it.

 

Charlie

[DouglasPaul]

Would this work?

https://www.homedepo...QAC18/100144922

 

And what method of application and removal? Just dab at it with Q-tips? 

[LukaszLu]

Unfortunately, I do not know this paint, and the manufacturer does not provide any information about its type and composition. However, typical acrylic paint in an aerosol dries about 2 hours, and here the manufacturer specifies the drying time as only 10 minutes, which may indicate the presence of some much more volatile solvents - maybe acetone? The presence of a primer does not bode well either - primers can be quite aggressive and in some cases can even etch glass, not to mention the anti-reflective layer.

 

I think the first rule you have to follow is not to experiment with the lens. Spray another piece of glass in a similar manner, you may even find an unnecessary lens with an anti-reflective coating, wait as much as you need and try on this test piece of glass. I would try different methods, including heating or hot bath and mechanical removal after such heating.

 

Good luck and do not worry - these types of mistakes are most often made at the end of work, when vigilance already falls asleep, wanting to improve something "quickly". I recently broke the Unitron lens like this - I wanted to make one more "quick" test at the end of the day ...

Edited by LukaszLu, 01 June 2021 - 11:08 AM.

[DouglasPaul]

That is acrylic enamel paint you are trying to remove & it is a tuffy ! It can be done with fingernail polish remover , but that is a very harsh substance since it is acetone & dissolves plastic. Glass is non-porous & should be safe , I have used it on glass with no damage , but never a lense. Another safer alternative is wd-40 or rubbing alcohol , lowest % you can find. A natural gum eraser is another alternative ... Good luck JW p.s If you need a new lens , I have a beauty from a Tasco 14TE , that was suppose to be one of Tascos best hand select lenses , I can send you for nada ...

I appreciate that. Hoping to save the one in there.

[Piaget]

Life in all it's facets , is ever a learning process ... 

[DouglasPaul]

Unfortunately, I do not know this paint, and the manufacturer does not provide any information about its type and composition. However, typical acrylic paint in an aerosol dries about 2 hours, and here the manufacturer specifies the drying time as only 10 minutes, which may indicate the presence of some much more volatile solvents - maybe acetone? The presence of a primer does not bode well either - primers can be quite aggressive and in some cases can even etch glass, not to mention the anti-reflective layer.

 

I think the first rule you have to follow is not to experiment with the lens. Spray another piece of glass in a similar manner, you may even find an unnecessary lens with an anti-reflective coating, wait as much as you need and try on this test piece of glass. I would try different methods, including heating or hot bath and mechanical removal after such heating.

 

Good luck and do not worry - these types of mistakes are most often made at the end of work, when vigilance already falls asleep, wanting to improve something "quickly". I recently broke the Unitron lens like this - I wanted to make one more "quick" test at the end of the day ...

I have a little cheapo Bushnell 50mm that I have for some reason or another, it's about to take one for the team.

[DouglasPaul]

The WD-40 with a q-tip worked fantastic, that's what I went with as I had some on hand. I used Zies wipes to clean up, there is some kind of residue that doesn't seem to want to come off though. I'm going to give the Selsi lens the same treatment now.

[DouglasPaul]

One thing is for sure, I'll never use acrylic again, no matter how close the color matches. Not the right product for a telescope. However, finished product later today and I'll quit boring you all with my beginner tribulations..

Edited by DouglasPaul, 01 June 2021 - 01:52 PM.

[marcyc]

Not boring me! I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the kit you put together for your granddaughter, and I am especially happy to hear your little oopsy is fixed. Curious, though, why you say acrylic isn't the right paint for the job.

Edited by marcyc, 02 June 2021 - 01:09 AM.

[DouglasPaul]

Not boring me! I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the kit you put together for your granddaughter. Curious, though, why you say acrylic isn't the right paint for the job.

It's soft, essentially like plastic or rubber after it dries. The clamshell leaves imprints on it. I've run out of time so it will have to suffice for now, maybe this winter I'll strip it and paint it again.

[DouglasPaul]

The mount is greatly improved, I of course saved the original legs and put them away. The front lens cleaned up very well, way more than I had any hopes for and I'm very grateful for the help. She's turning 7 so I think this will be a nice scope to start with, hope it propels her into the "hobby". If she continues to show interest she's welcome to my Tasco 9F. This scope has nice terrestrial upright views and decent views of the moon, is very easy to operate.

 

Edited by DouglasPaul, 02 June 2021 - 12:14 AM.

[DouglasPaul]

[LukaszLu]

Great job!

[Piaget]

It came out great. Fine scope for a budding young astronomer. Thanks for the great pics & storyline. As always forum members step up with solutions for another member ...

[LukaszLu]

There is no reason to be offended by acrylic paints - they work great, both in aerosol and ordinary art paints in a tube, which are great for minor corrections and retouching. Eliminating them from your own workshop is a big mistake.

[DouglasPaul]

There is no reason to be offended by acrylic paints - they work great, both in aerosol and ordinary art paints in a tube, which are great for minor corrections and retouching. Eliminating them from your own workshop is a big mistake.

It may be I just didn't let it cure long enough. 

[LukaszLu]

I believe that the appearance of acrylic paints, which are initially water-dilutable with all the advantages of such a solution, and finally create chemical bonds that give the coating durability comparable to solvent paints, is a great help when working at home.