Does the woodwork on your Dob look shabby after a week at TSP?
Here’s something to make it look better.
Mix in a small mouth glass bottle:
1 part boiled linseed oil;
1 part turpentine; and,
1 part vinegar (any kind will do)
Be sure to use boiled linseed oil. Do NOT try to
boil raw linseed oil! You’ll only make a mess and probably set fire
to your kitchen. (The term “boiled” means it has been distilled).
Shake the mixture well before and during use; apply with a cloth; allow a few minutes to penetrate; buff with a piece of scrap flannel or similar material.
Many museum curators use this preparation on their colonial furniture. Unlike wax, there is no buildup and the polish does not tend to attract dust.
George Stradley, Novice Program (5/26/2002)
The attached
picture (taken during Astronomy Day in 1987) shows me (Leland Dolan) and my home-made
40 mm refractor. The air-spaced achromat was purchased from Edmund
Scientific. Back around 1960, I crafted a "cell" for the lens by
gluing up shims of thin cardboard, taking care that this cell would line
up squarely with the tube. I even inserted light baffles into the
tube to cut reflected glare.
The mounting was made from scraps of oak, which I shaped into a cradle for the tube, using mostly hand tools. The altitude axis consists of a plumbing pipe, that rotates in an oak bearing. Needless to say, the mounting is rather flimsy. The optics aren't bad when looking at the moon, but (hey) I put this together myself! About the only part of the mounting I did not make, is the tripod, an old photographic tripod, which a co-worker at my job gave me. (11/7/99)
See
article. Don Bates of Houston recently built a 6" f7.1 Dobsonian for
son Colin. In the article Don describes all the major pieces of the telescope
with plenty of pictures for the ATM. And he has included diagrams of the
hand ground mirror.
Full
view(50k) Terry Angelich of Humble, Tx. This is my 22" f/4.5 Dobsonian
that I constructed this last summer. This clone of an Obsession was
built from the guidance supplied in Kriege's / Berry 's new book " The
Dobsonian Telescope, A Practical Manual for Building Large Aperature
Telescopes" The mirror is from Nova Optical in Utah. The telescope
is made from Baltic Birch, Aluminum tube and Steel (mirror cell), with
certain parts (.eg focuser, spider etc) from Novak. I am very pleased and
somewhat relieved to report that the image quality is excellent and the
mechanical operation and stability is as good as any I have used
at Astrofest or Riverside Telescope Makers Conference. My oldest daughter
Alexandria (13 years) is in the picture for scale. (1/22/1999)
Binocular Observing Chair
(Full
size 117k) There is a new term in the world of ATM (Amateur Telescope
Making): CTI - Computer Telescope Interface. With the advent of computers,
stepper motors, encoders and cable, the telescope and the computer can
now be considered as "one with each other". Software can now drive a telescope.
But Houstonian Robert Frenzel decided to use a binocular chair for 2 people
in place of the telescope. In the Feb., 1999 issue of Sky & Telescope
magazine, page 74, his CTI is described. With 2 pairs of binoculars, he
can move around the sky showing the objects to a friend, without having
to "talk" the friend around the sky. Here are some close ups (file sizes
from 22k to 49k) of the various pieces of the workings of the chair:
(Full
size 117k)-
up- The back of the chair with the binoculars pointed at the zenith.
-
halfup- The back of the chair showing the elevation drive, and binocular mounting frames.
-
binomnt- A close-up of one of the four bar linkages that serve as adjustable binocular holders.
-
azencode- The azimuth encoder mount and lower kingpin bearing.
-
azdrive- The azimuth drive motor and first reduction set.
-
azdrive1- The final azimuth drive reduction and belt that wraps around the base ring.
-
altencod- The starboard altitude bearing, iron casters, altitude encoder, computer interface and joystick connection.
-
altbear- The port altitude bearing and iron casters.
Full
View(16K) This is Mark Lawrence's scope. Built in 1993 and 1994, and
converted to a trailer in 1997. It is a 12.5" F5.91, 1/15 wave mirror.
The visual secondary is 2.1" with a fully illuminated diameter of 0.828"
and a 2" custom helical focuser. The photographic secondary is 3.1" with
a 1.406" illuminated diameter and Starlight Feather Light low profile focuser.
The tube is 12 sided 1/4" Birch plywood. The mounting is fork-type on a
4" pipe polar axis. The RA drive uses a 9" diameter 359 tooth worm gear
set. There is also a RA slew motor and a DEC motor. (See the "land based"
version several images below) 
Full
View (29K) This scope belongs to Dewey Burkes, an ATM for over 40 years.
This scope was made completely by . It is a "stainless steel" piece of
art that has won numerous awards, including Stellafane and Riverside ATM
contests. It is a unique 16" combination Newtonian at f/4 and Cassegrain
at f/16. Dewey built every part of this scope including the RA and DEC
circles and drives, a special polar alignment device, the trailer and cover.
He also built his own mirror coating chamber for small mirrors. 
Full
View(29k) This observatory, located outside of Ft. Davis TX, USA, belongs
to Loyd and Patty Overcash of Houston, TX USA. After trying to decide between
a roll-off roof or dome for 5 years, they finally made a decision. And
then the work began. The building, built by Mike Morton of the Ft Bend
Astronomy Club, is 12' X 12' with a 10' Home Dome on top. There's lots
of room inside for computers, charts, video equipment and music, etc. It
houses a pier mounted CG-11 with a Takahashi piggy-backed on it. This set
up will be used mostly for photography & CCD work. There is also a
25" f/5 dobsonian (see next image below) for visual work which will be
housed next to the dome. 
Full
View(35k)This 25" f/5 belonging to the Overcash's of Houston and Ft
Davis TX USA, will be used for visual observations next to the observatory
pictured above. 
Full
view ( 55k) This is Mark Lawrence's scope. Built in 1993 and 1994,
it is a 12.5" F5.91, 1/15 wave mirror. The visual secondary is 2.1" with
a fully illuminated diameter of 0.828" and a 2" custom helical focuser.
The photographic secondary is 3.1" with a 1.406" illuminated diameter and
Starlight Feather Light low profile focuser. The tube is 12 sided 1/4"
Birch plywood. The mounting is fork-type on a 4" pipe polar axis. The RA
drive uses a 9" diameter 359 tooth worm gear set. There is also a RA slew
motor and a DEC motor. 
Full
view (53k) This scope is owned by Don Bates.
