Flocking Focuser draw tube

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Don Quixote
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Flocking Focuser draw tube

#1

Post by Don Quixote »


The draw tubes on my fracs are 2" and 2.5".
On my AR152 f/6.5, which has a 2" focuser, I notice some dull light circle coming from the inside of the draw tube when viewed through the diagonal without an EP in place.

I used a smooth sided plastic soda drink bottle, photo mount adhesive, and thin wool felt to flock this tube interior.

I cut the top and bottom from a plastic soda bottle forming a cylinder. I split the cylinder and rolled it to fit in the draw tube. I cut this piece to size so that the rolled plastic expands to fill the inside diameter of the focus draw tube.
I cut a piece of black felt and mounted it to the split plastic cylinder from the soda bottle.

I rolled this mounted black felt, felt to the inside, and installed it through the back of the draw tube with needle nose pliers. Upon releasing the rolled plastic/felt sheet it expanded to the walls of the interior of the focuser draw tube.

I used no adhesive to attach the felt backed cylinder to the tube interior. This device can be removed if I don't find it useful.

Bingo!

Now there is no ring of light in the draw tube when I view through the EP collar on my diagonal.

You may not benefit from this flocking, but in my case it has improved the view.

I tested this in daylight on tree leaves in the back ward. Contrast has been improved.

Testing in daylight I observed that it was easier to come to focus on bright leaves backgrounded by even brighter unfocused distant leaves.

In prior daylight testing in my woods there was some struggle to find best focus between already bright leaves with a bright background.

I do not know the technical details of this difference, but the experience is enough for me.

I am now looking forward to a clear night.

I have attached an image of the ingredients for this project.

PS:
I forgot to mention that the felt sheet is cut 3mm long so that I could fold it back over the edge of the plastic cylinder.
The photo mount adhesive is applied to the felt.
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bladekeeper
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#2

Post by bladekeeper »


Very clever solution, Mark!
Bryan
Scopes: Apertura AD12 f/5; Celestron C6-R f/8; ES AR127 f/6.4; Stellarvue SV102T f/7; iOptron MC90 f/13.3; Orion ST80A f/5; ES ED80 f/6; Celestron Premium 80 f/11.4; Celestron C80 f/11.4; Unitron Model 142 f/16; Meade NG60 f/10
Mounts: Celestron AVX; Bresser EXOS-2; ES Twilight I; ES Twilight II; iOptron Cube-G; AZ3/wood tripod; Vixen Polaris
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#3

Post by Ylem »


Thanks Mark
Cool thinking 8-)
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#4

Post by Gulf Coast Guy »


Way to get your engineer on. All my focusers are 2" Crayfords. guess I'll be drinkin' more soft drinks.
OTA's: 203mm f10 Meade SCT (LXD75); Antares 80mm Refractor w/William Optics APOGrade f6.9 objective; Orion Starseeker 80 f11.2 Refractor
Mount/tripod's: Meade LXD-75 EQ; Orion Starseeker IV ALT/AZ; Celestron Heavy Duty ALT/AZ Farpoint UBM (Universal Binocular Mount)
Eyepieces:Meade - 26mm plossl, 12mm Astrometric; GSO (OPT badge) 2" Superview 50mm & 30mm 1.25" 15mm; TMB Planetary Series 9mm, 6mm, & 4mm: 10mm & 23mm 60° that came with the 80mm f11.2
Barlows: Orion 2x Shorty; Meade 4000 Series 3x
Binoculars:Brunton 10x50 Celestron Skymaster 15x70 Oberwerk 25x100 IF delux
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#5

Post by Lady Fraktor »


A nice modification Mark, I normally just use ultra flat or chalkboard paint in the tube to to get rid of stray lighting.
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#6

Post by John Baars »


Sorry, I'm late, I just saw this topic.
Marvellous idea!
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
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Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
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Richard South Africa
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#7

Post by Richard »


Yes that is great but as mentioned Chalkboard works especially if the tube is small, Ultra flat not available in lot of places , I got some in RSA but the paint was useless , high price for a normal flat not suitable lots of reflection
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John Baars Netherlands
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Re: Flocking Focuser draw tube

#8

Post by John Baars »


Richard wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2020 3:50 pm Yes that is great but as mentioned Chalkboard works especially if the tube is small,(...)
Quite so. I added the flocking material to the 2 inch focussing-tube of my 150mm f/5 achromat right away. But there are several places in the focusser I used Chalkboard paint. Sometimes there is simply no room for handling the material.
Refractors in frequency of use : *SW Evostar 120ED F/7.5 (all round ), * Vixen 102ED F/9 (vintage), both on Vixen GPDX.
GrabnGo on Alt/AZ : *SW Startravel 102 F/5 refractor( widefield, Sun, push-to), *OMC140 Maksutov F/14.3 ( planets).
Most used Eyepieces: *Panoptic 24, *Morpheus 14, *Leica ASPH zoom, *Zeiss barlow, *Pentax XO5.
Commonly used bino's : *Jena 10X50 , * Canon 10X30 IS, *Swarovski Habicht 7X42, * Celestron 15X70, *Kasai 2.3X40
Rijswijk Public Observatory: * Astro-Physics Starfire 130 f/8, * 6 inch Newton, * C9.25, * Meade 14 inch LX600 ACF, *Lunt.
Amateur astronomer since 1970.
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