BAZ Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 Are we there yet? The old girl has been taken to Orion Optics for a spruce up. Hi-Lux coatings, front and back and a good service and tune up. I can't wait! philjay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 (edited) Nice one Martyn. Should get some good views at kelling. Have you just dropped off the mirror or the whole scope? Edited August 12, 2017 by tuckstar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted August 12, 2017 Author Share Posted August 12, 2017 The whole tube. I might have to have a new secondary, as the original owner glued the two heater resistors on. If, when they come to remove them, it takes any glass with it then the mirror is toast. It causes stress which distorts the front face. The scope was one of the first Flex-tubes and I think the original owner had it a couple of years before I picked it up off him, so she is due for a bit of spa treatment and a professional looking at. I am going to spend the afternoon mooching through the rest of my astro clobber. +RonC and Tweedledee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Graham Posted August 12, 2017 Share Posted August 12, 2017 If you dont mind me asking what is the cost of re-coating the main mirror or are you just having the hilux coating applied Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted August 12, 2017 Author Share Posted August 12, 2017 The Hi-lux work on the main mirror is £142.00 + Vat. Secondary is £50.00 + Vat. I am assuming the original coating will be stripped off and new hi-lux coating applied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Graham Posted August 13, 2017 Share Posted August 13, 2017 11 hours ago, BAZ said: The Hi-lux work on the main mirror is £142.00 + Vat. Secondary is £50.00 + Vat. I am assuming the original coating will be stripped off and new hi-lux coating applied. Thanks Martyn. Let us know what they do. Gives me a ball park figure for when I get my mirror finished ready for coating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 Not going to be ready until Tuesday now, so will be collecting it next Saturday. Ah well, I still can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuckstar Posted August 19, 2017 Share Posted August 19, 2017 1 hour ago, BAZ said: Not going to be ready until Tuesday now, so will be collecting it next Saturday. Ah well, I still can't wait. Bring it along to ww for its first light matey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted August 19, 2017 Author Share Posted August 19, 2017 I am just sorting through the Astro kit as we speak. My Eyepieces have just had the spa treatment with the wonder fluid, they look brand new again. It's got all the snot and fingerprints off from the last outings, particularly the Baader Zoom which inevitably gets used for outreach events. If the weather looks like playing ball I will bring it along for it's first outing with it's new coat on. tuckstar and philjay 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 (edited) I collected my scope from Orion Optics on Saturday. Aside from getting my loved one back, John after a little badgering agreed to let me have a look around the facility. My God! It's amazing. We started in the mirror shop, where they have every blank you can think of, a pallet of 600mm blanks had just been delivered, half a tons worth! There are racks of others from 150mm to 500mm. John showed me a grinding machine, which they have designed and this can grind multiple mirrors of different dimensions at the same time, really clever, there are numerous other shaping and polishing machines. A CNC machine was part way through making a spider for a ODK, made from a single piece of aluminium, this takes around a day to finish and if it goes pear shaped, that's a whole days production lost. John showed me the vac chambers where the mirrors receive their new surfaces and the finishing room. Aside from the optical machinery, they have a full scale anodising plant for coating the inside of the various baffle tubes and other scope related goodies they manufacture on site. Although John was busy, he was happy to explain the operation from beginning to end. They certainly have some lovely goodies there. Many Thanks John if you ever get to read this. I have been putting my shiny new scope back together this weekend. I had to take most of my clutter off for it to be attended to by Orion Optics. They have coated both mirrors with Hi-Lux coating and serviced it. It didn't help the collimation by bringing home on the back seat of the car, where it normally resides any how. I have put the rear cell baffle and fan back on, I tidied the wiring up on that. The biggest problem I had is that where the two heater resistors were mounted on the secondary, these had to be removed to coat the mirror. unfortunately, the previous owner had araldited them on. On trying to remove them it left a small sliver of the ceramic resistor face still attached to the rear of the mirror. I had another resistor kicking about and I set about that with various bits in the dremmel box, I found one which slowly removed the ceramic without destroying the stone, as it's bloody hard stuff. I placed the mirror on a clean bit of clingfilm and doubled it back and taped it down. The other bits in the pics are to stop a small vacuum pulling the clingfilm up and moving the mirror about. The vacuum was to remove the dust created. So, after a good while slowly taking my time, both remains were removed down to the layer of glue. I didn't go any further than this so that the glass wasn't touched at all. The new resistors were attached with silicon and left to cure. This will make it much easier to remove next time as a razor can be slipped under the resistors to remove them. I then wired them back up with some new cable and used heat shrink to protect the joints. I need to collimate it again and then see how it performs. I don't know why the pictures aren't particularly clear, it's a new second hand phone from my son. Edited August 28, 2017 by BAZ Tweedledee, philjay, tuckstar and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweedledee Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Nice neat job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZ Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 Cheers Pete. The camera doesn't do it justice really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philjay Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Top job mate, silicon is easy to get off, Ive used it on a few mirrors in the past. I was wondering what the mole grips and spanner were for but figured it out now, was worried for a moment BAZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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