Small Astrograph setup

Here is a pic of my new setup I've been working on the past month. Orion 4.25" (114mm) F3.5 newtonian with rings and dovetal mounted on the Celestron CG-5 equitorial mount. I added the Celestron dual axis drive system, some old knobs from http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmZvY3Vza25vYnMuY29t , my LXD55 polar scope and also did more mods to the DeWalt construction tripod to make it very rigid. I used Birch to make the eyepiece tray- leg speader and I am in the process of making a wheely bar system to roll it out and level the scope. I disassembled the mount completely then soaked and cleaned the original grease from all the interior parts, deburred the wormgear, and relubed all of the bearing components with white lithium grease which the manufacturer should use. After that I made critical adjustments to the wormgears and now the mount motions are smooth as butter with no backlash at all and the tracking is dead on. This is turning out to be a really fun project!

Now my next project on this system is to solder in an ST-4 usb autoguider port which I will obtain from http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnNob2VzdHJpbmdhc3Ryb25vbXkuY29t . My 102mm Maksutov will be mounted piggyback as a guide scope as soon as I get a set of mounting rings. The Maksutov alone is quite a nice scope giving nice images of planets, the moon, and brighter nebula. It is also excellent for splitting double stars. This whole project came about by a myspace friend ( Dave )sending me the EQ head at no charge or this project would have never started. Since I had open heart surgery I have ALOT of idle time and lack of funds, so this project was just what the doctor ordered! I can't thank you enough Dave.The info for the CG-5 mount at http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmFzdHJvbm9teWJveS5jb20= is priceless. There is step by step instructions there for doing the mount tune up for the CG5 and LXD55/75 mounts. If you have one of these mounts I would recommend this project.

Dual Speed Crayford Focuser w/ 10:1 Ratio

I have just installed a new GSO (Guan Sheng Optical) dual speed low profile crayford focuser with a 10:1 ratio on my 12.5" Dicovery PDHQ Dob. The focuser really has a nice feel and finish, better than I had expected. The focuser and the 1.25" adapter both utilize compression rings which will save my eyepieces from set screw marks on the barrels. I ordered it through Agena Astro and it arrived in 2 days. They always treat their customers right. Installation was a snap, I only had to drill 2 mounting holes in the telescope tube and that's it. I bolted it on and re-collimated my scope. My heaviest eyepiece setup is 4 lbs. and this focuser lifts it with no problems at all which seems to be the concern of some folks but that sure seems unfounded by me. With the micro focus I have been able to squeeze out the finest details from Jupiter and other objects.

Cleaning your telescope's primary mirror.

Okay here is the technique I use for cleaning my primary mirror. In the 4 years I have owned my scope, I have cleaned the primary and secondary mirror twice. Since I live in the desert my scope picks up alot of dust and I do hold off as long as possible before I do this. My mirror costs $850.00 to replace or $250.00 to recoat so I don't take cleaning it lightly. I have cleaned over 20 primary mirrors and have not had any problems with this technique. Here is the formula for the cleaning solution.....
2 cups distilled water
1/8th cup of 90% Isopropyl Alcohol
3 small drops of clear dishwashing liquid
I gallon of distilled water for rinsing.
1 bag of sterile cotton balls
You can get distilled water at the grocery store for around a buck a gallon.
Add the 2 cups of distilled water into a bowl, then add the alcohol, then the dishwashing soap (in that order) then mix with a spoon. you don't want the soap to foam up your mixture.
Remove the primary mirror from the mirror cell and blow off the dust with your breath. I don't use canned air because the propellant can damage your mirror coatings instantly. Fill your kitchen sink half full with lukewarm tap water and place the mirror in water face up and let it soak for around 10 to 20 minutes. Pour your cleaning solution in a bowl and add about 20 cotton balls into the solution. Take the mirror out and place it on a towell and keep it wet with the distilled water. Now take a soaked cotton ball from the solution and place it in the center of the mirror. Now drag the cotton ball using only its own weight (don't push down on it) to the edge of the mirror and throw the cotton ball away. Take another soaked cotton ball and do the same thing. Work your way in a circle around the mirror only pulling the cotton balls from the center to the edge. NEVER use a cotton ball twice. Always throw them away after 1 pass. After going around the entire mirror tilt the mirror up (in the sink) and rinse with the distilled water. The distilled water will mostly run off in a solid sheet . For any remaining spots of water use a paper towell folded to a small point and just barely touch it to the water droplet and it will soak it off of the mirror. That is pretty much it. Don't resort to cleaning the mirror unless it is REALLY dirty. If you end up 1 or 2 water spots don't worry about them for they will not affect your viewing at all.