Got to respect your honesty, lesson learned and carry on fixing telescopes.
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! From now on I'm going to stick with my specialty of reflectors. I can handle mostly anything those throw at me.
@giantessmaria
Жыл бұрын
my condolences my friend...i'm sure that was mighty painful...
@reflactor
Жыл бұрын
Thank you. It was a very sad day indeed. I've been trying to get a good refractor ever since.
@bill5982
7 ай бұрын
There is a strap/handle system that is used to remove stuck oil filters from cars. The strap goes around the filter and connects back to the handle. Possibly you could one to remove the dew shield.
@reflactor
7 ай бұрын
That might be a great way to do it. I was able to remove the dew shield once, so I don't understand why it didn't come off ever again.
@joebass5163
Жыл бұрын
I found a Nighthawk ii for sale local posted on Friday. I messaged the seller and waited for a response. Finally Saturday morning they replied and said it was still available but couldn't pick it up until Sunday. I was hoping it wouldn't be sold out from under me as has happened in the past. Sunday comes and I picked it up! It came with 2 speed Crawford focuser. Aluminum alt az mount with slow motion controls. A nice oak tripod with Stellarvue M1 mount. Meade 6.3 and 26mm super Plossl eps, Meade diagonal and the carrying case and original manuals. It's in nice condition. Some small specks of dust on the lens but I'm gonna leave them alone.
@reflactor
Жыл бұрын
Sounds like you got quite a nice telescope. Definitely don't clean the inside of the lens pack. If you must, send it to Stellarvue - they have a relatively cheap cleaning service.
@joebass5163
Жыл бұрын
@@reflactor thanks, I'm ready for some clear skies now lol dang Oklahoma weather!
@Norm42551
8 күн бұрын
Stellarvue is an excellent company. I got a Stellarvue SVT180T and it is a fantastic scope. The company stands by you and can repair your telescope if anything happens to it. Not sure about a 23 year old scope!
@reflactor
8 күн бұрын
Stellarvue is a great company. In hindsight, I should've called them first - still a painful memory.
@christophpetermannmusic7645
Жыл бұрын
Hi, I have the same StellarVue NightHawk Telescope. With kitchen tools - those you use for opening lids on glasses - it was easy to remove the shield. I screwed of the whole lens holder, screwed on a FPL53 APO lens which I got for a good price (used) and ready was my NightHawk APO ... Very sorry about your mishap there.
@reflactor
Жыл бұрын
I think once I broke it, I was feeling pretty dumb and just wanted to send it to somebody who could put it to good use. Good on you for knowing what you were doing. I'm learning, slowly. :) Clear skies!
@Astronurd
Жыл бұрын
You can’t just fit an objective lens to a refractor. They are all optically ground to match the a very accurate light ray path for each model of telescope. I’m afraid you don’t even remotely have an apochromatic telescope.
@reflactor
Жыл бұрын
@@Astronurd It was a very educational (and painful) experience. I learned lots.
@craigsawyer6453
4 ай бұрын
That was NOT entirely your fault. I worked for Gallo Wine in their Glass factory at Modesto CA. When glass is not tempered properly the glass crystals are like wound springs waiting to fly off in all directions, all the glass needs is a sharp tap. Molten glass is first molded, then should be reheated to almost molten, and then aloud to cool very slow. This lets all the tensions, that form when the crystals harden and align, to even out, thus tempering the glass. (Not to be confused with thermal tempering, like in auto glass. This is a process of "cool" tempering so that it shatters into small pieces, while giving added strength.) I can only guess that they skip this reheating step in manufacturing to make the grinding and polishing process faster. One would have far less "cull" as distortion could be introduced when reheating, it is also cheaper. Perhaps the manufacture used a thermal tempering process to give the glass more strength, and thus less distortion, as lenses have varying thicknesses, temperature variation could introduce a minute amount of warping in large lenses. Either way, it should not have just shattered like it did. I know nothing about lens making, so I can only speculate, but you should feel vindicated.
@reflactor
4 ай бұрын
I guarantee you know more about glass than I do! In hindsight, I should've kept the telescope and made a circular mask to kindof "hide" the broken portion. It would've still worked, but gathered less light. Unfortunately, I didn't know about masking back then.
@craigsawyer6453
4 ай бұрын
@@reflactor I have been enjoying your videos. I did not see any that were about taking "Christmas trash" and making it useable. I unfortunately have a reflector that I want to try to make a Dobsonian mount for and then upgrade the internals. I know that it is not worth the time, but I have Long Covid and cannot work. It is not like I need another telescope, but I just want the challenge. Perhaps a good video topic?
@reflactor
4 ай бұрын
I like that idea - "Turning Trash Telescopes Into Treasures". Sorry to hear about the long covid! That's pretty rough. I managed to fend it off for three years and then, wham, the whole house got it about 5 months ago. It derailed me for a good 2 or 3 weeks. I'd like to think that I'm over any long-term symptoms, but only time will tell. Okay, as for converting yours to a Dob, there is a middle-ground. If it already has a Vixen dovetail block on the tube, you can hook it up to a plethora of alt-azimuth mounts that will work nearly as well as a Dob (maybe even better if the telescope tube is smaller diameter). I do have an upgrade video planned for the Celestron Powerseeker 127EQ, the most hated telescope in the solar system.
@craigsawyer6453
4 ай бұрын
@@reflactor Sadly no vixen on my bright red Tasco (perhaps the most hated telescope in the known universe). I am planning to do a complete rebuild. I will salvage what little I can, then build the scope the way it should have been. I am not able to focus like I used to, so it will take a while, but I need something to look forward to. I get so loopy with the Long Covid, today I broke a watch just trying to change the battery. Today was a bad day, and on those days, I am not good for much. If I go slow - and avoid working on it when I feel bad, I know I won't make the telescope any worse. I will enjoy your video on the Powerseeker 127EQ, that sounds like good inspiration.
@reflactor
4 ай бұрын
The long covid sounds like a beating, but keep at it. I've heard that eventually, things do approach normalcy.
@danilorainone406
2 жыл бұрын
absolute amateur, here, suggest using very fine grit sandpaper to feather off sharp glass edges,less likely to chip and crack on hitting some metal obstruction
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
As a reflector person myself, I'll have to take your word for it. Seems like a reasonable thing to do. Ideally, I should've finally figured out how to get the dew shield off and loosen the set screws.
@Astronurd
Жыл бұрын
The Stellavue Nighthawk is an achromatic refractor which does have chromatic aberration due to the cheaper glass lenses. If you want to remove the CA you would need an apochromatic refractor which is about four times the price.
@reflactor
Жыл бұрын
True, and generally speaking the longer/skinnier the refractor, the less chromatic aberration it'll have. I've just picked up an 80mm Japanese-made Celestron from the 1980's. Will be testing soon.
@JoeJaguar
2 жыл бұрын
Like you dont mind telling mistakes once & awhile cause i think the people who watch us like that we are real. The good news is that scope made a video that you were able to use it sounds like the whole tube of scopes & parts didn't cost a whole lot (im guessing). Last as you say you found someone who could reuse the ota less the cell. Joe
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
Admittedly, this one was a bit embarrassing given my prior success with fixing reflectors - I guess there is always more to learn. :)
@JoeJaguar
2 жыл бұрын
@@reflactor That’s OK we all live in learn in the mix for a good video anyway
@johngiromini5745
2 жыл бұрын
There's nothing like a "slip..oops!" to ruin a person's day.
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely. Instant regret and crushing disappointment. As a complete side note, you were actually chosen as the subscriber to win a Meade eyepiece that I gave away in another video. Afterwards, I realized that I had no way to contact you. If interested in the free eyepiece, send me an email (it's visible on my Reflactor channel KZitem home page).
@danilorainone406
2 жыл бұрын
my experience comes from wood;glass/storm window assembly,in a volume environment,sharp glass is dangerous,, made much easier faster and safer to handle was the measure below
@nicolasmariotti
5 ай бұрын
In the case the telescope wasn't useful for parts, I wonder if it would be sort of usable with a mask on the damaged area? Edit: grammar
@reflactor
4 ай бұрын
This is a great question. And the answer is: it probably would've helped. Back when this happened, I didn't know anything about masking. If this happened now, the first thing I would've done would be to make a mask and test it. Oh well....
@nicolasmariotti
4 ай бұрын
@@reflactor Well it's not like the telescope went to waste, imo :)
@johnwarner1929
11 ай бұрын
Recently I purchased a box o stuff that included 1980s eyepieces, including 8 TV Naglers and Plossls (which is the main reason I bought this stuff) with a TV Big Barlow and Paracorr, and many other items. Many of these have dirt and fungal growth, so I am in a learning mode on what solutions I can mix to do a good cleaning. Most I have already cleaned with the usualy methods, plus 1 that I sent out to a pro for cleaning, but the barlow and paracorr have haze which is more of a challenge. Not sure what to do about these and may have to send them in to that shop. I'm waiting to see the results of the TV 13mm Nagler I sent in. Any suggestions on how to dissolve haze? I think it might be between 2 glued lenses and the glue has started to decompose over the years. On one the haze might be just on the surface, but the regular cleaning liquids have done nothing. There is also a Unitron Unihex. Not sure what to do with this. Sell it! Also 2 large finder scopes, adapters for cameras, and old Telrad, 6" solar filter, etc. Still sorting though it all.
@reflactor
11 ай бұрын
It sounds like you found quite the treasure trove. If the haze is on the surface, you can try to clean it with a good lens cleaning liquid (some people just use rubbing alcohol). You may want to give a LensPen a try too (kzitem.info/news/bejne/p36NnZ6Qg3iapWk). If the haze is in the glue, then I don't know if that is fixable at all unfortunately.
@johnwarner1929
11 ай бұрын
Got most items cleaned, but the paracorr and big barlow need new lenses. Do you know what adapter is needed to connect the Unihex model A to a 1.25 or 2" diagonal?
@dantexas4571
Жыл бұрын
You could say you couldn't FOCUS on your work.
@ranjitneelakandan9551
2 ай бұрын
Hey, any idea why did the lense crack ?
@reflactor
2 ай бұрын
Yes. There were set screws to help center the main lens in the tube. I didn't know about them and applied torque at just the wrong spot. :(
@ranjitneelakandan9551
2 ай бұрын
@@reflactor Oh ok. Very unfortunate incident. No issues. Hope you can salvage the scope.
@jons2447
2 жыл бұрын
Hello, Mr. Dreese; I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune. I hope you know that, often, damage like this is fairly minor, or maybe, even negligible. The only way to know for sure is to reassemble & try it to see. Another astro-'tuber (don't recall the name) has a video w/ a damaged objective lens. (Maybe Ed Ting?-I can't recall.) In his video he said the damage did not make a real difference. I suppose the details of the damage determine how it affects the use of the lens. Thank you for sharing your 'lesson' w/ your 'tuber crew. I could not understand exactly how the lens broke so . . . BTW, I have a very inexpensive refractor. My dear wife bought a Tasco 70mm SpaceStation & gifted it to me. I think they are ~$150US on amazon today, July 17, 2022. My O.T.A. has fairly good optics as far as I can tell, tho I don't have much experience. Like your Stellarvue it has a blue fringe on observed objects. The main issue is the flimsy tripod, even if the OTA is fine the tripod really not good. A tripod costs nearly as much as that entire 'scope, ~$100-$150 & up (very much up!). Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
Hi Mr. Steedley, thank you for watching! Although the camera didn't show it, the damage looked ( at least to me) quite substantial. With reflectors, I would just paint the damaged area flat black and it wouldn't be noticeable in the image, but with this particular crack/chip, I couldn't see spending the time to finally get the lens cell out (my first big mistake) to remove the set screws. As for when the lens broke, I was being extremely careful with light pressure and that's all it took. I guess it was just crooked enough and the set screw was pushing on the wrong spot. In the end, it was my fault and very frustrating..
@kamilmoucka6811
2 жыл бұрын
Hi Well, that's unpleasant. But you can probably buy the whole SV80/F7 doublet within about $100.
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
Good to know. I'm going to stick with Dobsonians for a while longer.
@RKClements
2 жыл бұрын
Well, at least it can be an organ donor!
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
That's a great way to look at it! Thank you for watching.
@bumohamedubualooy7111
2 жыл бұрын
a rule of thumb, if it aint broke then dont fix it.
@reflactor
2 жыл бұрын
That is great advice. Wish I would've followed it!
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