115 replies to this topic

[jragsdale]

Fantastic result, good job, I've got some Unitron 142 legs I need to try this method on.

[deSitter]

Fantastic result, good job, I've got some Unitron 142 legs I need to try this method on.

Yup, linseed oil in the shopping cart! I have the blond legs Kasmos mentions. We'll see how they do - and my newly found 6335 and the old 6345 need some treatment as well. It's almost better to see these relatively easy fixes than the extensive renovations.

 

-drl

[Cavs56]

I use a product called Howard’s feed and wax. It does an amazing job.

[Kasmos]

Fantastic result, good job, I've got some Unitron 142 legs I need to try this method on.

 

Yup, linseed oil in the shopping cart! I have the blond legs Kasmos mentions. We'll see how they do - and my newly found 6335 and the old 6345 need some treatment as well. It's almost better to see these relatively easy fixes than the extensive renovations.

 

-drl

BEWARE, I wouldn't do this on blond legs and possibly many Unitron legs. I just did a restore on some Unitron 114 legs and it was a complete different story. I found out that Unitron put a semi opaque golden finish on them so if you do this to them it will make make very dark spots where ever the original finish is chipped. I stripped one set bare and they looked light but then it really really darkened them when oiled. This made me tested a spot on another set of 114 legs that only had some lighter wear and tear, and it's was a NO GO! and I tried to wipe it off with Mineral Spirits ASAP. I think the Lauan/Mahogany or whatever they used is like this and is why so many Japanese scopes have a semi opaque golden or white washed finish on the legs.

 

Another example is my Penncrest has a kind of strange yellow color on them. I think they usually used a one step finish on many of these scopes. Possibly a opaque stain mixted into a clear finish.

Edited by Kasmos, 08 July 2024 - 01:58 PM.

[Kasmos]

Not to stray too much off from the ATCO,

but I took a couple of photos to illustrate what I said about using Linseed Oil on some legs.

 

Before it was stripped and oiled, the darker leg originally looked like the one it's resting by.

I would even say it was lighter as it was terribly dry and chalky.

Until now I forgot that it was actually refinished with Watco Oil (Natural) but it has the very same effect.

And seeing the difference between the two legs in person is much more dramatic.

 

While doing the other legs, this where I wiped some Watco on to see what it would do on some scratches.

It shows why you need to be very carefull of what you might try.

Instead, checking them with a little moisture will usually give you a bit of a clue how an oil will affect them.

The ATCO's legs appeared to be only clear coated and the same was true of the Manon legs I had also treated with Linseed Oil.

If you look closely at Unitron legs, you can see that they actually have a semi opaque milky yellow ochre color to them.

At least the two 114 sets I have are like this plus the ones I refinished.

Edited by Kasmos, 08 July 2024 - 05:36 PM.

[Kasmos]

A lot was missing from this kit so it's kind of surprising that it's instructions were still in the box

 

The crossed out Eyepiece says OR-4 for 175x and has SR-5 typed below it

A Barlow is also added to the list.

The box doesn't seem to have a dedicated place for it or the Erecting Prism,

but the older wrinkle black versions have a cutout in the accessory box for the Erecting Prism

 

For a larger view or to download them go to the link below

https://wiki.telesco...nstructions.pdf

 

One thing of note is all of the older 1252s I've seen also have the SR-5 Eyepiece but the linked to instruction say H-5

Perhaps it was just a typo.

Edited by Kasmos, 11 July 2024 - 04:05 AM.

[Kasmos]

A  very aged product sheet was also in the box.

 

It gives some decent general information about telescopes.

I find it interesting that unlike many importers they down play the importance of using high powers.

So much so, it's brought up three times.

They also dismiss the use of a barlow but say it's included by popular demand.

In truth it's more likely because their competion did.

While it says they have been around since 1901,

I wonder if they sold any true astronomical telescopes back then?

[deSitter]

A  very aged product sheet was also in the box.

 

It gives some decent general information about telescopes.

ATCO-Telescopes.jpg

I find it interesting that unlike many importers they down play the importance of using high powers.

So much so, it's brought up three times.

They also dismiss the use of a barlow but say it's included by popular demand.

In truth it's more likely because their competion did.

ATCO-Telescopes-2.jpg

While it says they have been around since 1901,

I wonder if they sold any true astronomical telescopes back then?

I love the poetic approach - certainly translated from Japanese!

 

-drl

[Kasmos]

One of the last chores I needed to do (and kept putting off), was detailing the tripod hardware.

 

Since there weren't any legs or their hardware with this kit,

I bought new stainless bolts, washers, and recycled some old wingnuts.

 

Stainless hardware is nice but the markings on the bolt heads are ugly.

 

So I filed them off and polished them.

I've done this several times before and it's a tedious chore hence the procrastination.

 

Polishing the washers is a tedious job as well,

but leaving these kinds of details undone will bother me until I do it.

 

The wingnuts are 3 of the several old chrome ones that I bought for my Jaegers/Cave 4" back in '78.

When I refurbished that scope only a few were still good enough to use so they ended up on this kit.

They're kind of cool since they don't make them quite the same anymore.

Edited by Kasmos, 18 July 2024 - 04:16 AM.

[deSitter]

I don't mind those symbols - you only see them on quality hardware. I thought removing the outer coating will compromise the stainlessness? Nevertheless the usual Kasmos results!

 

-drl

[Bomber Bob]

Wow, Chris!!  I really admire your attention to detail.  Let's see more Eye Candy of your finished Classics!  They are inspirational.

[Kasmos]

Since it's stainless it won't affect anything. Now if it was steel, you'd be removing the zinc plating so they would tarnish and rust quicker... and perhaps some of the hardness, but being only the top, probably harmless.

 

The number of marks (usually none to 6) on steel heads indicates the grade, or the numbers on stainless.

 

On small amateur scopes we're usually not concerned with the grade of bolt.

But for those who don't know or never gave it much thought:

https://www.youtube....p&v=GMtw6d_o_2M

 

 

[Kasmos]

Wow, Chris!!  I really admire your attention to detail.  Let's see more Eye Candy of your finished Classics!  They are inspirational.

Thanks BB!

 

I don't know why but I didn't see your post until now. Looking back at the time of our posts I was probably watching the  rest of that video after I started to write it and hit post not knowing you posted.

 

I do have some other projects to post but I need to edit a lot of photos and such. But the grandaddy of them all is the Jaegers/Cave 4" that I refurbished in 2020. There's so much to organize and edit I never got around to posting it. Because of that it's kind of intimitdating just to get started. The one good thing that came from my procrastination was the semi-recent discovery of 16 slides I took while building it in 1978. 

[Kasmos]

This kit only came with one of it's original 3 eyepieces.

A SR5mm that I restored and showed way back in post #20

https://www.cloudyni...pes/?p=12910248

 

It's sort of a coincidence that I've had these 3 EPs plus the one for a finder for about 35+ years.

I don't remember exactly how I got them, but I think it must have been at a swap meet table at the RTMC.

For the longest time I assumed they were from an old Tasco, but one day a little before I got this scope 

I realized the unique finder EP only matched those I'd seen on the older black and white ATCO 1252s.

 

I also noted that the EPs matched the focal lengths and style of these from several examples of 1252s from the same era.

I guess i should point out that the 5mm shown here is the only one that I've noticed with that strange little triangle mark.

I only used it as an example since it was the best photo I had in my files of the ones that came with 1252s.

 

Here's another look at the finder EP I've had...

 

... and here's a photo of what came with the older 1252s

Mine and the other later gray/white 1252s have a different finder

 

The H20 on the left is from my Kenko TA-710 and the right is the one I've had all these years.

The one from the Kenko is actually like the ones that would have come with a later 1252 like mine.

It's sort of weird since the older model 1252s had EPs with plastic bezels and the later ones were metal.

 

While the one on the right would have been a very close substitute,

it's not usable since it's missing it's field lens.

 

For now I can use the 9 and 20mm to fill the holes in the accessory box, but since I'm a purist,

I'd kind of like to find ones with metal bezels that match the EPs of the later 1252s.

Edited by Kasmos, 24 July 2024 - 02:06 PM.

[apfever]

I have a box of these .965  and would give you what you need if I have it.  I didn't go through all the post to put together just what you would like.  Consolidated picture with arrows if needed or circles of what exactly you would like.  IF you have such a photo of the exact model ep as far as you know.  The subtle little differences in how the center cone looks how the lip looks, exact writing (or close since it changes) etc.   Also the eyepieces might have changed at the factory so ... give a photo and I'll check.  Cost you shipping.  Bear in mind that I probably won't have any because even with boxes and shelves there are a gajillion variations but I'd check.  Also the maker of the scope(s), the Japanese Symbol not ATCO retailer.  I might be able to find a match with the scopes I have, then I'd have one in hand to match up with my pile(s).

Edited by apfever, 24 July 2024 - 04:45 PM.

[Kasmos]

I have a box of these .965  and would give you what you need if I have it.  I didn't go through all the post to put together just what you would like.  Consolidated picture with arrows if needed or circles of what exactly you would like.  IF you have such a photo of the exact model ep as far as you know.  The subtle little differences in how the center cone looks how the lip looks, exact writing (or close since it changes) etc.   Also the eyepieces might have changed at the factory so ... give a photo and I'll check.  Cost you shipping.  Bear in mind that I probably won't have any because even with boxes and shelves there are a gajillion variations but I'd check.  Also the maker of the scope(s), the Japanese Symbol not ATCO retailer.  I might be able to find a match with the scopes I have, then I'd have one in hand to match up with my pile(s).

That's nice offer.

I have photos of the style of the two EPs (9mm & 20mm) I'm looking for but didn't post them since most are small,

plus I didn't want to cause confusion by posting too many in one post or by the mixed up two below.

These are the correct type but in this example the guy who owned the scope accidently switched the outer bezels between the 5m and 20mm.

But if the 20mm was assembled correctly it would match the one from my Kenko in my last post.

In anycase I'll PM you with photos with arrows, circles or whatever it takes, and a explaination of the details. 

Edited by Kasmos, 24 July 2024 - 06:56 PM.