36 replies to this topic

[Uncle Milt]

To kind of "redirect" this thread, is anyone doing any kind of restoration / modification

of these small vintage scopes right now?  As mentioned, I am working on converting

a Tasco 4VTE to astronomical use with interchangeable .965" oculars and possibly

remounting and adding a finder to a very early 50 x 600 mm Milben refractor.

 

(Here is a thread that talks about / shows a similar little refractor, although mine did not

come with a box.  https://www.cloudyni...is-this-milben/ )

 

Like Kasmos, I generally resist moding a nice original scope, especially if an uncommon

one, but some of the are so plentiful, like the Tasco 4VTEs, that I don't feel that I am killing

off the last of the species, lol.  Likewise, I also have some representative versions of these

scopes that I am keeping in their original state.

 

Here is a little 40 mm Selsi "spyglass" refractor that is pretty much identical -- right down

to the paint colors -- to the one that I had (my first telescope) when I was about ten or

eleven years old.

 

 

After all these years, I still remember looking at the moon with the original version of this

telescope.  (Many years later, the metal parts of this OTA got converted into a 7 x 40 mm

finder for my home built 6" reflector.  An early example of adaptive reuse.)

[Uncle Milt]

Here are some images of an earlier 4VTE conversion, using the scope's original drawtube

with the erecting optics removed, the interior of its barrel painted in flat black, and a .965"

EP holder end installed.  The main tube has been shortened, and a small finder from a 2.4"

Shrine Manon refractor has been added.

 

 

As I think that I have mentioned, I use this little telescope as a quick look white light solar

scope, and it works very well in this capacity.

 

Here is a comparison shot showing the full size . 965" R&P focuser for the other 4VTE

that I am working on.

 

 

I like to think of these as "what if" examples of the 40 mm "astronomical" telescope that

Tasco never marketed.

[Uncle Milt]

They did, or course, offer 50 mm scopes, but they needed the slo-mo equipped mounts that

most of their 60 mm cousins came with.

 

Other makers / importers -- per the nice examples that have been shared here -- seem to

have taken the hint and offered some pretty credible, and very usable small refractors.  

Decades later, I guess that I am trying to make up a few of my own.

[Garyth64]

I converted a Tasco 4VTE into a finder:

 

 

Here's the 4VTE on a 10TE:

 

 

Here's a 66TE on a 10TE:

 

-sitting on an old Edmund mount.

Edited by Garyth64, 02 March 2025 - 10:40 PM.

[clamchip]

My Swift 838 50mm f/14 had the most interesting 3-dimenional ball airy disk of a star at

high power, I miss it. What a fine telescope it was. I'm sure it still is, only I don't own it anymore I traded

it for another telescope I had to have.

 

Robert

[Kasmos]

Chuck Hards made several small custom scopes in various formats. Some were 60mm, or 50mm...

 

but here's three 40mm scopes he posted back in June 2018 in the 'A Classic Telescope Has Been Sawed Off' thread

Top to bottom, Unitron 40mm, home-made 40mm f/20 (old Edmund objective), and the little Tasco 4 VTE freed of it's erector and simple eyepiece.

 

I miss Chuck's topics and posts.

 

[Kasmos]

A very similar finder, but with a black tail piece came with the B&L 4000

 

B&L-4000-Finder.jpeg

Kasmos -- That's amazing.  It certainly does look like the same finder, doesn't it.  Wish

that I could find a few of those.

 

Milt, Paulie (AKA Starwizard) was once selling them and their bare tubes on ebay.

 

He also has a website where it might be easier to comunicatet about them

He usually has more stuff than listed.

 

https://www.astroptx...stroptxcom.html

 

His ebay items:

 

https://www.ebay.com...ssn=starswizard

 

I couldn't find his astroptx site in my bookmarks, so thanks to clamchip (Robert) for posting the link in the B&L 40000 thread

[Senex Bibax]

Kasmos -- That's amazing.  It certainly does look like the same finder, doesn't it.  Wish

that I could find a few of those.

 

Bomber Bob -- Yes, I have been looking for a better quality achro objective for the little

Asahi-style finder, but no luck so far.  I have found a simple meniscus lens that will work,

though.  

 

To all -- I have found that these small scopes are perfect vehicles for replicating the 19th

Century rambles through the sky that Garrett P. Serviss described in such classics as 

his Astronomy with an Opera-Glass or, later, in Pleasures of the Telescope.

 

Aty w Opera Glass.jpg

 

When he advises a "closer look" through a telescope, using these small refractors is

probably about as close as most of us are going to get to what sky gazing must have

been like back in those days -- and all the more reason to put these small instruments to

use.  Indeed, I find that Astronomy with an Opera-Glass -- hand in hand with The Pocket

Sky Atlas and my 40 mm refractor -- is the next best thing to a time machine.

If only we could recreate the night skies of a 19th century city as well - minus the coal smoke, of course
 

[Vesper818]

Uncle Milt, on 25 Feb 2025 - 6:57 PM, said:

Charlie --

Is there somewhere that you list and identify each of these small, tripod mounted
refractors in the group photo?

I have to admit that I am not familiar with most of them. Likewise, are most of
these pristine, lightly (or never) used vintage scopes, or have they been restored?
Whatever -- it's a great collection.

scngcSC7317 --

That is a beautiful long focus 40 mm scope, but -- again -- I haven't a clue as to what
it might be. Is all of that original, or have there been modifications?

To all --

For those of us not fortunate enough to find such nice, pristine vintage scopes --
is anyone doing any restoration / modification to similar small instruments that have
led harder lives?

Here is a modifed Tasco 4VTE that I use for a quick look at sunspots. I am currently
working on another one of these, this time with a conventional, full size drawtube for
.965" oculars.

T_40 mm Solar.jpg

Hi Uncle Milt
ScngcSC7317's 40 mmF20 Monolux refractor was purchased from Starbird, whome I sold it to several years ago. The story behind it is here (long read):
https://www.cloudyni...n/?fromsearch=1

Hope that helps!
Carol2

Edited by Vesper818, 20 March 2025 - 12:27 AM.

[steve t]

Back in the 1970's, I remember, the two-page Jeagers adds in S&T that listed a 52 mm lens with a 50 inch focal length (F/25).

I've wondered if anyone ever made a scope out one of these. From their catalog it looks like they sold all the fixings for a nice scope.

Steve T

[Terra Nova]

I had this cute little bug in years gone by. It’s a Sears Tower 50x600 made by circle T from around 1960. The tripod and yoke are reprocessed Tasco of somewhat later vintage. I gave sharp images of the Moon! Nice and sharp views of Jupiter and Saturn too, albeit small with it’s native 8mm H.M. eyepiece, (75X). It also came with a nice 20mm Kellner (30X). My grandson has it now. It will remain in the family.

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[deSitter]

I had this cute little bug in years gone by. It’s a Sears Tower 50x600 made by circle T from around 1960. The tripod and yoke are reprocessed Tasco of somewhat later vintage. I gave sharp images of the Moon! Nice and sharp views of Jupiter and Saturn too, albeit small with it’s native 8mm H.M. eyepiece, (75X). It also came with a nice 20mm Kellner (30X). My grandson has it now. It will remain in the family.

Terra I have the same scope in Monolux brand, white and black, and with legs from I think Sean. I moved the yoke from the table top tripod to a tripod hub taken from a Milben click-zoomer. The legs are beautifully finished and the scope and tripod make a very elegant combination. I will try to get a pic.

 

The scope itself is a great little performer. At first it wasn't that hot, but I did some shake adjustment and the elements settled into the right configuration and a great performer emerged. Can easily do 50x per inch. I had it up to 150x during the day and the image held together.

 

First light pic Used a Meade MA 40mm and held my phone up to the eyepiece.

 

-drl

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