Explore Scientific "Twilight Nano" Alt-Azimuth Mount

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Sky Tinker
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Re: Explore Scientific "Twilight Nano" Alt-Azimuth Mount

#21

Post by Sky Tinker »


LDW47 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 7:50 pm 4307FA5F-5EAD-45E5-84EB-E12A00558303.jpeg[/image]This is a great write but luckily with my newly arrived yesterday and with my largest refractor, an 80mm, f11.4, that I will ever mount on it attached I am not, initially, having any performance problems as described here ! Just lucky I guess but I will keep watching for anything to arise.
Glad to hear you like the mount. That looks like a Celestron "FirstScope", and made in Japan by Vixen. Is it in fact? If so, it's a beaut, and with a fine crown-and-flint doublet.

What I had noticed almost immediately about the altitudinal-axis what that it was a bit gritty and jerky in its motions; and I then found out why upon taking it apart.
"Look, son! Up there!" His son shouted back, "I see it! What is it?" The father regaled, "The galaxy! Andromeda! Our origin, our destiny!" And so the boy was hooked, and for the rest of his natural life.

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Apochromat: Takahashi FS-102 4" f/8 - Achromats: Meade S102 102mm f/5.9, Antares 805 80mm f/6(flocked & blackened), Meade "Polaris" 70mm f/12.9, Sears(Towa) #4-6340 50mm f/12(flocked & blackened) - Newtonians: Orion 6" f/5(flocked & blackened) - Catadioptrics: Explore Scientific 127mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain, Celestron "PowerSeeker" 127mm f/8 "Bird Jones" reflector(modified, flocked, blackened, and collimated!) - Mounts: Meade LX70(EQ-5), Astro-Tech Voyager I alt-azimuth
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Re: Explore Scientific "Twilight Nano" Alt-Azimuth Mount

#22

Post by LDW47 »


Sky Tinker wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:23 am
LDW47 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 8:21 pm
Sky Tinker wrote: Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:39 am

Oh, yes, the "steering wheel". It was bent upon arrival...

guiding rod.jpg

I took a small, butane torch, and straightened it.
Hopefully when you straightened it with the heat you didn’t cause fatiguing in that cheap metal ? It may come back to haunt but really with the lighter scopes you don’t need those handles to operate !
I thought I had tempered the metal with the torch, and you're saying that I didn't? Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But no matter, as that handle would be good only for guiding something smaller and light in weight; a pair of binoculars, or a camera, perhaps.
You are right it sure isn’t much of a handle, lol ! Its the most flimsy one I have ever seen !
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Re: Explore Scientific "Twilight Nano" Alt-Azimuth Mount

#23

Post by LDW47 »


Sky Tinker wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:43 am
LDW47 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 7:50 pm 4307FA5F-5EAD-45E5-84EB-E12A00558303.jpeg[/image]This is a great write but luckily with my newly arrived yesterday and with my largest refractor, an 80mm, f11.4, that I will ever mount on it attached I am not, initially, having any performance problems as described here ! Just lucky I guess but I will keep watching for anything to arise.
Glad to hear you like the mount. That looks like a Celestron "FirstScope", and made in Japan by Vixen. Is it in fact? If so, it's a beaut, and with a fine crown-and-flint doublet.

What I had noticed almost immediately about the altitudinal-axis what that it was a bit gritty and jerky in its motions; and I then found out why upon taking it apart.
It is a FirstScope that I bought complete for $100 C about 5-6 yrs ago. Last year I also bought a complete, wooden case and all, in near mint condition a 1959 Tasco Model 304 60mm refractor from a couple for $150 C. The 304 was determined by the experts on CN to precede all the Tasco refractors put out after 1960, I am one lucky guy ! They both perform flawlessly in my opinion. So you can see the types incl. several ST refractors and the size of scopes that I will be using that mount with, I sure won’t be overloading it. Its just, hopefully, a nice size G&G mount for those quick sessions along with my Celestron Omni, one will stay at my home and one at my remote camp and the nice thing is I’m not out a lot of $. I will keep your post as a back up just in case, for the future !
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