TheSkySearchers

Bigzmey liked my 60mm refractor with multiple finders on it so much, that as I was putting multiple finders on my 6 inch reflector I thought I would post a picture here for anyone's enjoyment.

I cannot twist myself into a pretzel any more to look through a finder in an odd position when using an equatorial mount, so I fixed this one up with a red dot and a 30mm RACI finder on each side. I tried it with just RACI finders, but kept having trouble being sure I was aiming at the right star or position and would be sighting down the side of the optical tube anyway.

I ordered a couple of the double gizmos from Orion and bought a couple of the nice red dot finders from Agena Astro like the good ones Orion used to sell but does not any more. I had some doubts about being able to line these up in a way that would allow me to use everything and still be able to look through an eyepiece without interference. Just with a quick test, it seems like this is going to work, no mater how odd it looks.

Enjoy!

Wow, lots of finders on your scope!

helicon wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 2:34 pm Wow, lots of finders on your scope!

I like to be able to find things, and when I need to, I want a finder in the spot I need it and not way off somewhere else!

Can't have enough finders! I dig your EP stool to.

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 6:27 pm Can't have enough finders! I dig your EP stool to.

Thanks! Those have worked out well for me.

I made myself several of those for different sets of eyepieces. In some cases, modified for a particular scope or mount/tripod. The last four big ones, like the one in the picture, are eleven inches in diameter, with twelve holes for 1 1/4 inch eyepieces. There are two twelve inch pieces of 3/4 inch plywood glued together, then marked drill locations, drilled the holes, and sanded them out, to make sure eyepieces would fit in and slide smoothly. I then glued on a piece of quarter inch plywood, cut the outside circle, sanded, then sprayed with several coats of lacquer.

The eleven inch size will slide in on top of the original eyepiece tray of Polaris and the larger Infinity mounts. For smaller rigs, I make an eight hole version that just uses a single 3/4 inch piece of plywood. The diameter is such that it will fit inside either the triangular pans of some mounts and the circular trays with holes on others. The little ones are what I give to kids when I give them a 60mm refractor and some Ploessel eyepieces. I have been thinking about making some of the little ones a little thicker and then put a bottom on them.

The stool the eyepiece tray is sitting on is one I bought at Walmart, then cut a couple inches off the legs to use with Meade's EclipseView 114, while I sit in a canvas camping chair. It works double duty for holding an eyepiece tray when I am using the CG4 or LX 70 mounts. I do not like the tripod brace/eyepiece holder on those units at all.

Great ideas both!

The finders made me think of spaceships, like an early prototype of the Enterprise in Star Trek.

The Happy Parrot wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 11:16 pm Great ideas both!

The finders made me think of spaceships, like an early prototype of the Enterprise in Star Trek.

Check out my 60mm refractor, if the reflector reminds you of a space ship!

Wow, what a beauty. This is more like a star fighter. Color coordinated too.

MistrBadgr wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 12:44 am

The Happy Parrot wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 11:16 pm Great ideas both!

The finders made me think of spaceships, like an early prototype of the Enterprise in Star Trek.

Check out my 60mm refractor, if the reflector reminds you of a space ship!

Just two finders on this one, how can you manage?

Bigzmey wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 9:51 pm

MistrBadgr wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 12:44 am

The Happy Parrot wrote: ↑Wed May 05, 2021 11:16 pm Great ideas both!

The finders made me think of spaceships, like an early prototype of the Enterprise in Star Trek.

Check out my 60mm refractor, if the reflector reminds you of a space ship!

Just two finders on this one, how can you manage?

It has been tough! Now that I have found someone that carries a nice, reasonably priced red dot finder that I like, I may buy one of those for the empty middle spot on "Sky Hunter."

I have tried quite few varieties of red dots and reflex sights and ironically the cheapest plain red dot works best for me. I buy them in bulk from eBay and put on all my scopes. You can ask them for discount if you buy more than one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383895247631?h ... SwfbJdQWP8