Thank you for the kind words. It was a very fun project. Two years later, the new owner brought it back and I got to do a little bit of service on it, but overall, it held up well. Clear skies!
Oh, wow, thank you! There's a short "prequel" audiobook on RU-vid called FIRST HOPE that you can listen to. It' leaves off right at the start of RED HOPE.
I really appreciate your site. I’ve done astronomy most of my life. My eyes are not what they used to be. I’ve learned that the joy of doing now outweighs the viewing. Thank you so much for all your “doing”. You inspire me.
I completely understand. I sometimes think I have more fun restoring them than using them. The light pollution here in Fort Worth has gotten so bad (Bortle 8/9) that there's really not much to see anymore.
Admittedly, that restoration was probably the most involved one that I've done. It had so much wrong with it. But in the end, it turned out to be a great little telescope.
@reflactor I have a Newstar (Efston Science) 8" f/6, the knockoff of the Skywatcher that became really popular 20 years ago. Unfortunately it came with. Rack & Pinion focuser rather than the crayford. That will be my next upgrade.
You did a great job on the scope, the basket ball was genius level. I have a few small dents on a C4.5 Celestron, now I have new ideas of how to repair them. Thanks! Clear skies!
This is a very important video especially now that Orion is now closed and will no longer be providing support or replacement parts, not that they ever helped people who were not the original owners anyway. Thanks.
I’m buying a “restoration” reflector telescope for my new home, which is my first telescope. No visible damage to the telescope, just some light corrosion from being at the coast, but more so on the mount. So thanks for all you informative and helpful videos that have convinced me this actually does fall within my technical skill-set. Just something from me to you, I suggest if ever you wish to clean up electronic and things like encoder wheels, potentiometers, switches, commutators, servos etc I recommend cleaning with Spanjaard Electo Clean and lubricating with Spanjaard’s Lubricating Switch Cleaner, this stuff works wonders.
Thanks for the tip. As you can surmise from my videos, I'm a complete amateur when it comes to electronics, so your recommendation is much appreciated!
Lovely hobby, repairing telescopes. I've done some myself. You wouldn't happen to know what the name is of the split bolts that hold the spiderarms? I've been looking around for those for my own builds.
Your timing is impeccable - I'm working on a restoration where I have to fix those. As far as my research goes, they don't have a name and nobody sells them. For now, I'm calling them "threaded spider lugs". I am making them from scratch. The video should be out in the next week.
I have 2 newtonians with similar large dents. This was a great tutorial! What were the tools you used for removing the dents? A rubber mallet, painters tape, and what was that large curved metal piece?
I'm glad it was helpful! The tools that I used were part of an autobody repair kit (removes dents). I borrowed one from my friend Bob. You can buy them at Harbor Freight, but they also sell a lot of different levels at Amazon: amzn.to/409mbY8 (Note, that's an affiliate link - Amazon might send a few pennies my way, lol). The dead blow hammer is sold at any hardware store. Pretty cheap.
@Refractor John, you did an excellent job restoring that Telescope ( I can't believe someone put the encoder on the wrong way?) Your methods and instructions are clear to help others restore scopes of this kind!, Q: What is the measuring tool you used on the focuser to gauge the piece of Teflon called or a link to find one?
Thanks! Those were dial calipers. I have one for inches and one for millimeters. I use them as a scribe sometimes which is probably a crime among machinists.
In Germany we can buy blow up bubbles. They are used to shut up waste water pipes in case of a flood. That way the flood would not come through your toilet or drains. I think this things would be perfect for bumping out dents, since they are a long cylinder.
That thing looks like it got hit by a tornado. Glad you brought it back to its former glory. I hate how some people let this happen/intentionally do this to these marvelous pieces of precision equipment. I've had the 10" version of this scope for about 4 years and the worst thats ever happened to it is a layer of dust.
I honestly don't know how it ended up that bad, but it was broken (flipped encoder disk) from the day it was assembled. He looked me in the eye and said it worked great!
@@reflactor Clearly that thing was in the wrong hands for way too long! He probably thought you were dumb to not know the azimuth encoder was installed wrong!
For the optical tube assembly you could use a piece of 6 inch black stove pipe and just drilled holes in for all your mounting of parts. and just replaced all the logos. But good job hammering out the dents. good video
Good point. I could've used a replacement tube, but I'd have to find a pretty exact match because of the end cells. They were made from cast metal with a very tight fit. The mirror was 6 inches, so the outer tube was somewhere between 6.5 and 7 inches. My sheet metal creation skills are sorely lacking. Thank you for watching!
I bought my first telescope very cheap and rebuilt it similarly. Should see the damaged telescopes my local area has advertised and the ridiculously high prices people want for them. Other postings are the same in all types of things. I got lucky to finally get one.
Como orgulloso propietario de un XT6 (sin Intelliscope), le felicito por su extraordinario trabajo! Ese telescopio que hubiese acabado en la basura, puede ahora mostrar la belleza de los cielos a alguien gracias a esta restauración.
¡Gracias por ver! Me enamoré de la función Intellicope. Este telescopio terminó siendo maravilloso. Sin embargo, no tengo ningún trastero, así que tuve que venderlo. Una familia lo compró para un viaje a campo traviesa.
Good question. I did check that. I've had a mirror in the past that had terrible pitting and it shined through like the Hercules Cluster, lol. This one only had a few pinholes which is okay.
Some very good practical methods, Loved the basketball method, To help the metal return to the original unstressed form, Some very gentle heated around the general area and avoiding heat spots really reduce the crease removal and dolly work, Use waxed cooking paper on the inside between the ball and tube to reduce mat black paint scuffing. The paint is quite durable. Makes one cry to see such an instrument of learn abused, Nice work mate.
Excellent advice! I didn't even think about applying heat - I think that would've definitely helped (and reduced the required effort). The hammering did really mess up the inside matte finish and it took a lot of matte paint to tone that back down. I probably could've even flocked it when I was done. Clear skies!
I picked up an 8" XTI my arm encoder was destroyed. The feet were attached with cotter pins that were bent over. It had no Teflon pads as the cotter pins were there. I didn't know about the o-ring for the spotter scope. Thanks The mirrorhadabouta1/4" of dust on it. It turned out great. You wouldn't know where to find an Azm encoder wheel would you? I enjoy your videos.
Congrats on the great find - I have been looking for an XT8i for a long time, they are extremely rare. Wow, yah, that encoder disc on Intelliscopes is pretty unique. The only place I could think of finding one would be on the used market like Cloudy Nights or eBay. Unless somebody is parting one out, you'd probably need to purchase the entire base (the Intelliscope system is so great that it might be worth it). Fortunately, the azimuth disc is the same as the elevation disc, so that might make it slightly easier to find a used one. Try contacting Skywatcher. Although Orion won't sell you parts, Skywatcher will and they often sell the same equipment, just rebranded. EDIT: This seller may still have the parts you need! www.cloudynights.com/classifieds/item/199338-orion-xt10i-part-out/
Thanks for the reply. I'll give Skywatcher a try. It's a shame that Orian is the way they are. The one I bought was in good shape except the base. The guy I got it from said that it was his father's and it was in perfect shape. Then I started pointing things out like the mirror and the base and the encoder disk. He thought that it was $1100 new. I showed him that it was much cheaper than that. I let him know that without the encoder disk it's just an XT8. But it still works and was worth the money I paid for it. Thanks again.
I’m interested in getting into my first telescope, a 6 or 8 inch reflector. I’d like to get a used one, but also buy one from someone like you that knows what good working condition looks like. Do you have any for sale? Or do you have a video that is a buyers guide for assessing a used scope? Loved this video. My son plays trumpet. You remind me of the craftsman that cares for brass instruments in my area, has repaired my son’s expensive instrument several times.
I see you have a buy/repair guide. Do you have a guide for assessing a used unit? Any smart suggestions for how to find one? I keep seeing 8 inch used on Facebook for $450. Orion sells refurb 8 inch for $550. Doesn’t seem like a deal.
I have a video that is a guide to buying a used telescope ( ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--qdi1dx7a-s.html ). The thing to keep in mind is that a lot of folks who are selling a telescope don't know much about it. So you'll need to show up kindof knowing what to look for (see video link above). I'm finishing an Orion 10 inch Dobsonian restoration and upgrade and it'll be for sale in a few weeks.
@@coletc You should be able to get an 8 inch Dobsonian from between $350 and $500 - it depends on accessories and condition. If it comes with a lot of eyepieces, then it'll be more.
I have a 12" Zhumell that has a few issues, but not as many as that one. My problem has always been that the trunnions do not hold firm enough; it's too easy to move the scope. That hand controller is actually fairly cool; not ever seen one like it. Great job on repairing a really beat up telescope.
I have a 12" Zhumell too! When you say it moves to easily, do you mean it tilts up and down at the slightest touch and/or change of eyepieces? I ended up building a really cheap adjustable magnetic counterweight for all of my telescopes. I create one for the camera at the end of the the following video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HAbyDqZl83Y.html
@@reflactor Yes, that's it. I really enjoy going to star parties with our Fort Worth group. Unfortunately, younger folks get excited easily and want to touch it. Or people put their eye on the eyepiece and move it. So I guess it is right to say it too easily moves in both axes. I currently use the same blue straps as you and put 1/2 lb ankle weights under the straps. The weights are covered in soft material. It allows some movement but not near as much as you washcloth-wrapped-magnet-weightbar. Cool!
I've heard excellent things about the Fort Worth Astronomy group and hope to make it to one of the star parties soon. Congrats on getting the carrying straps - those are real back savers.
Awesome video. I have the 8 inch version of this telescope. I've never used the intelliscope feature but seeing your video has given me the confidence to try it. I have trouble getting to my target with the 9×50 finderscope
Thank you for the kind words - glad you enjoyed the video. Congrats on owning the XT8i, that is pretty much my most desired 8 inch Dobsonian - haven't found one at a good price yet. As far as "locating astronomy targets" goes, the Intelliscope is so much faster than the GoTo version. I loved this Intelliscope. For my 8 inch Dobsonian, I use a red-dot finder because it works so well. My larger telescopes have a red dot finder (for quick coarse aiming) and then an optical viewfinder for more precision.
@@reflactor you really do have a way of bringing across the information clearly and is easily followed, keep it up bro. I recently purchased an Astromania telescope reflex sight so I can maximize my time with the scope not struggling with the 9×50.
Thanks for watching! I used a very matte black spray paint called Rustoleum Camouflage Black. You can buy it at Walmart or at Amazon: amzn.to/3Pz6pRj Clear skies!
@@reflactor excellent thank you very much for your prompt response . Hopefully that is going to solve my issue, the telescope is properly collimated but still, when watching bright objects such as Jupiter or Mars, there is some glare around the object, some people say it can be some light bouncing back.
nice work! you only need to level the base when adjusting the mechanical vertical tube stop bumper so that the top of the tube is also level, ie: tube square to the base. Once that is done you no longer need to level the base during setup. It will work sitting on an angled driveway for example.
That is fantastic news and frankly, it makes me even more impressed by the PushTo system. I've used a GoTo and it's kindof a chore to get setup, so the ease with which this PushTo is setup keeps surprising me. It is extremely accurate too (I've been using it every other night as weather permits). My driveway has about a 5 degree slope.
My god! What on earth did they do to it? Drop it off a multistory car park or something similar. Great job sir. When aligning the scope your stars were too close to each other and this often results in poor accuracy. Much better for the stars to be at least a quadrant apart >90 degrees.
I met the seller at a gas station. He looked me in the eye and said, "It works great." HAHAHA. I agree on the star alignment, but in my case, my view is very constricted due to trees and neighbors house. Regardless I love the Orion PushTo system. It works great.
What do people do to these poor things? Is this a case of "if all you see are nails, anything will serve as a hammer in a pinch" type of situation? I mean, I understand accidents happen, but these are precision instruments. How on earth do so many of them end up so beat up?
Looks like a flat earther bought it and found out they were wrong. 😅 They started smashing it, then just like in the pursuit of knowledge, they quit. 😂
😳Outsch!! 🥺This poor thing was really kind of brutalized by someone. It's good that you took care of it and saved it.👍 Reminds me of my purchase a few years ago: A Tasco 4.5"/900mm from the 80s. Probably stored for years in hot attics and damp basements. The tube is practically full of spiders and webs, the axles are bend and parttially rusted - not to mention the dirt all over it and on the mirrors... But was really cheap, nearly given. So I took it and puttet also 1 Week of work into it... I still have it and love to to have look through into the sky here and there...
@@reflactor 😆😆😆 Unbelieveable! 🤣Hope you did get a really good price for this excellent working and carefull maintained Newton😅 And that you have so much fun with your big, shiny teleskope! Yeah, it was. 😃
Look for a product called Bullfrog electronic cleaner... After using a rubber eraser to scour off contact corrosion on the hand controller. a swab of that stuff on a Qtip will keep them corrosion free for months. The stuff is spendy... but it's 100% legit. Best electronic cleaner/protectant for maritime and outdoor environments out there in my experience. Used to use it on sensitive electronic components in high voltage protection system instrumentation at my substations. Discovered it years ago when looking for something to keep my fish finder electronics in my kayak from getting fried by salt water. Trust me... the stuff is really really good. Smells a bit funky... but it WORKS.
It is a good compromise between smaller sizes & the real big sizes. But sooner or later everybody gets aperture fever. I'd like to get an 8" or 10" Dobsonian, thru I may have to build it myself. I think my next project will be a pipe EQ mount on a tripod for my little 6" mini-Dob. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
@@jons2447 You bring up a good point. Since I buy broken telescopes and fix them up, I've ended up with quite a few. The current mantra is "Aperture is King" and in theory, that's true. But here in the light-polluted city, I've found that my 12" Dob doesn't really perform much better than my 8" Dob. It's kindof frustrating actually. After a couple of experiences taking the 8" telescope camping in dark skies, I have a new version of that saying: "Aperture may be King, but dark skies trump everything". Clear skies!
