On 28 Nov 2004 02:11:16 -0500, Allan Adler
wrote:



You also clean the inside of the telescope tube?

As far as cleaning out the spiderwebs, but all I do is run a dry towel
through it for that. Mine are all reflectors. I do have a wide field
made from a Kodak Aero-Tessar, but that lens is so heavy that I seldom
use the instrument, Very difficult to balance it on the mount. The
tube is some 20 inches long, not counting the focuser, and balances 3
inches behind the objective lens.

Is there a good book that discusses all the things you can do to maintain
a scope in good condition?

Amateur Astronomer's Handbook, J.B.Sidgwick, Dover press 0-486-24034-7
Also Amateur telescope Making, Ingalls, but it's long out of print,
might find a copy at a library. Scientific American Publishing, my
copy is copyright 1935.

If it's a refractor, they're almost impossible to screw
up as long as you don't take the lens out of the cell.

It's a refractor. I noticed that, where the lens is, there are 6 screws
holding a metal piece that I figure probably clamps the lens in a certain
position. The 6 screws are arranged in three pairs, with the three pairs
placed 120 degrees from each other.

Yes. Antagonistic screws, one will move the lens mount, the threads
are in the mount, the other is the locking screw, the threads are in
the part that is mounted to the tube. They should be snug, but not
tight, excess pressure from them can distort the lens, or in really
bad cases, crack it. Also a sign of a little better quality
instrument, BTW.

Even with the reflectors, collumination is a process of three
interactive adjustments, the degree of perfection being dependent on
your patience. I have cheaters methods I use in the field, probably
not giving perfect collumation, but good enough for casual stargazing.
Sidgwick covers it fairly well, but he also goes into making
micrometers and other attachments that would require a higher degree
of perfection than I do.