30 replies to this topic

[Garyth64]

I cut the top off my mount too.

 

This is what the tangent arm looks like:

 

 

Here it is off the mount:

 

 

The one part of the tangent arm assembly fits around the dec housing like this:

 

-a plastic bolt should be used.

 

In looking at your photos do you have the gap where the tangent arm would ride:

 

 

You still may have the holes where the bracket arm attaches too.

Edited by Garyth64, 10 March 2025 - 07:08 PM.

[Bomber Bob]

Yeah, it should fit perfectly.  Thanks!!

[Garyth64]

I decided that one of the two 826 mounts, I would use for some of my "smaller" scopes.  With that in mind, after trying out different scopes to see how the mount reacts to the different weights, I knew the dec shaft was too long.  So, I cut 6" off of it.

 

You can see that for a 3" refractor, I only needed a very small CW:

 

 

So, this is the mount afterwards:

 

 

EDIT:  The shaft looks like I cut more that 6" off, so I went down to the shop to measure the cut-off.  It was actually only 5-1/2".

 

I should put the scope on it for a true comparison . . .

 

So I did have to go to a little larger, but still a small CW:

 

 

ONe thing that I have had to do in balancing the scope is to loosen the clutch, adjust the CW, and then retighten the clutch.  This makes the CD work much easier.

Edited by Garyth64, 13 March 2025 - 08:24 PM.

[Bomber Bob]

I use my pair of Meade StarFinder mounts often.  I store them in the shed, each covered with its own tarp.  Lately, I've noticed that the older of the 2 that I have on the short pedestal, gets corrosion on the DEC shaft much more often than the other...

 

Were the steel shafts on these mounts coated / plated originally?  If that wears off, what can be done to repair / replace & protect the metal??  I thought about paint, but that wouldn't hold up to constant sliding counterweights...

[apfever]

The Starfinder GEM shafts were chromed I believe. Mine were. One is still chrome the other is now a black oxide type plating. The chrome gave way to a nice even rusted shaft. I treated the shaft in rustoff fluid. The treatment left a nice gey coating that I wiped with inhibitor and not a sign of any brown rust in a year. Don't thoroughly rinse off metal soaked in rustoff fluid. Lightly rinse and the fluid will leave a decent protective coat.  You can feel the coating while rinsing by hand. I've painted over the coating with no issues after several years now. 

 

Try a piece of paper or plastic wrapped between the shaft and weight. The paper will slide with the weight, buffer the set screw, and help protect the shaft. 

[Garyth64]

Interesting,  In my #1 post, I show the two 826 mounts.  The one on the left has a shaft that is rusted.  It looks like it was painted black at some point, and that black paint has worn off in many places.  The mount on the right, has a chrome shaft that looks very good.

My Starfinder mount is not chromed and not painted, it is lightly rusted.

Edited by Garyth64, 14 March 2025 - 02:11 PM.