Want to make a 5" dew shield, need help

jiahao1986 · Post by **jiahao1986** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:38 pm

Hi folks,

As nobody is selling a 5" dew shield, i want to make one. It is quite easy to make a dew shield, what I need are some flexi-foams, Velcros and glues. Now the problems is that I cannot find the place to get these things, especially the flexi-foams. So could anyone tell me where I can get these stuff?

Besides, what kind of glue should I choose to assure the Velcros and foams are tightly stick to each other?

Many thanks!

Jia Hao

Canopus Lim · Post by **Canopus Lim** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:05 pm

I attempted making a dew shield for my 5 inch scope before. It was made of foam (from art and craft stall at Bras Basah) and the velcro was sewn onto it. However, it did not last as the foam was not strong enough.

In the end, I bought the Astrozap dew shield which is much more ruggard (made of Kydex), has sewn on velcro and is also flocked (to absorb stray light).

kingkong · Post by **kingkong** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:39 pm

jiahao, go get some camping mat... the best i have seen is the one where one side is reflective. actually i saw it at megallen observatory in australia - very well made.
the velcros need to be sewn on not glued.
the concept is well proven. you only need to spend some time and efforts to do a good job.
the mat i got was like less than rm20, a couple of bucks for the velcro tape from some tailor or craft shops, some hand sewing (which need to be redone with machine) - if you don't have access to a sewing machine, you know there are these folks that provide sewing service on the street side... since there are so many foreign labourers in singapore, i'm sure there'll be some around. pay them a couple of bucks to do it for you. tip - on one side of the foam is the velcro tape, on the other side use some cloth to provide reinforcement so the thread dont eat too deeply into the foam.
i want two astrozaps too but as my finance minister said, if it's good enough for a pro obs, it must be good enough for me.

Post by **Airconvent** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 12:11 am

actually any thin black plastic sheet or even black art paper will do. You secure it with a rubber band. Rudimentary but works!
But can also buy Vincent Snr's 6" one (for sale in buy-sell) and cut to size (and relocate the velcro).

cataclysm · Post by **cataclysm** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 12:35 am

jiahao, go get some camping mat...

King kong's suggession works well. I had mine made of black foam camping mat for my Mewlon. It doubles as pillow when you are out in the field....Hee..Hee!

jiahao1986 · Post by **jiahao1986** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:41 pm

Thank you all for your suggestions. Actually I have tried camping mat before, and I use adhesive tapes to fasten it. The thing is that I couldn't find black camping mat. The one I used was green and it introduced some reflections into the scope in light polluted areas. Maybe I should go somewhere else to find a black one.

Besides, could anyone tell me where I can find sewing service in Singapore?

cataclysm · Post by **cataclysm** » Mon Feb 12, 2007 3:08 pm

I couldn't find black camping mat

Try the camping stores above the Beach Road food centre.

Besides, could anyone tell me where I can find sewing service in Singapore?

Quality glue and velcro will do the job