Oops! I’ve accidentally bought a 10″ Dark Star Dobsonian in need of much TLC for an incredibly good price. The owner was leaving the UK and glad to see it find a good home.
Google suggests that someone not far from RAG already has one of these scopes! Unlike the one in the PDF, this mirror appears to be glued onto a wooden triangle for the mirror cell – eek!
I like to think I’m an impecunious astronomer, but my projects do tend to burst their budgets….
Luckily I’ve got a decent finder I can use, not sure what to do about the focuser – it might not be beyond saving. I’ve got a filter wheel, but its loaded with imaging filters. Perhaps I need another filter wheel… oh dear!
You can buy visual filter wheels quite cheaper – around £50.
Andy
I would not get worried about your mirror cell. The Sky Watcher 8″ and 10″ Dobs just use a piece of wood and work well – the need for a wonderful mirror cell is overhyped on anything < 16". More important is ensuring you have a good focuser and finder. Also you can drill holes in bottom and move the mirror up two inches and this now gives you a scope with enough back-focus to add in a filter wheel - now that really makes a difference! My Dark Star Dob when well collimated will deliver 7 rings in the Airy disc and out-perform my Meade Lightbridge Dobs any day of the week. I recommend that you come and take a look at mine before you spend any money on yours. Just a warning - I fully restored by £31 Dark Star Dob.....at a cost of just short of £400 - £431 could have bought a nice scope right out of the box. So you need to think what it is you want out of this project. Andy
You need to be a penny-pincher like me, I think my restoration is going to work out at about £250. Oops…
I had spotted your PDF of the restoration and notes on SGL!
I’d much like to take a look some time. Yours appears to be a bit more sophisticated, my ‘mirror cell’ is two triangles of wood, separated by springs with the mirror glued to the front one! Other features are ‘basic’ but with a good mirror at its heart, I have great expectations!
Very busy for a couple of days but I will be in touch.
Hi Neil,
I have one of these scopes. The mirrors are VERY good and the scope is a robust battleship of a scope that will perform very well once you have restored it. Would you like to come and take a look at mine to give you an idea of what you can do?
Andy
Tel 07966882157