ED80 powdercoated...got the tube back today

[gquinzi]

I was getting rather tired of looking at all the scratches, cracks and imperfections. To be perfectly honest, I really didn't care for that gun metal grey color since it really didn't match any of my gear.  I know, I know... does it really matter when most of the time you'll be in the dark anyway?  What can I say, I prefer that classic white finish.  The guy who does the powdercoating is up in NY and is the same person who sells binoscopes and tube shortening services.  I originally asked for bright white however, they didn't have that color in stock so I went with AP / TAK White (standard white).  I'll be sure to post the results once the tube comes back.  

[Jason C]

Pretty cool Greg, I will likely epoxy/enamel coat my guide ED80 tube at somepoint, that has been on my list of things to do for quite some time, it's nice when everything looks nice together even though you don't see it most of the time can't wait to see how it comes out are you leaving the focuser the same or did you have an aftermarket one installed

[gquinzi]

I removed everything from the tube and both the objective lens and my WO focuser are sitting in zip lock bags :)  It's gonna look sharp.  The thing I read on andysshotglass site was he did a paint job on his however after a couple of years the paint (appliance enamel) is cracking where points of pressure occur....like adjustable teflon screws.  I decided to go with the powdercoat because they bake it with a clear coat which makes the finish pretty resilient. 

[gquinzi]

Well the tube and dewshield arrived today.  Very nice job with the powdercoat.  He even provided me some flocking material for the dewshield which is so much better than what Orion provided.  It fits nice and snug unlike previously where It would slip off during transport.  The shade is just a tad darker than the shorty but it sure looks a whole lot sharper than before.  

[drasbell]

Looks great to me  he did a very nice job. What was the turnaround time?

[gquinzi]

Due to his holiday schedule, it WAS going to be 30 days but that was due to my request to have it coated in bright white.  I guess certain color choices may take longer or need to be ordered. I almost balked until he said he was getting a batch ready for standard white (AP / TAK white).  I said go for it and had the tube and dewsheild back in 7 days after he recieved it.  He even packed a quite a bit of flocking material for the dewsheild so I could re-apply as needed.  The usual turnaround time is 10 - 15 days which is very reasonable.  Binoscope dot com is who performs this service and operate out of NY state.  Joe Castoro is very good to deal with.

[jr#8]

Nice job. You should contact ORION and see if you can get any of the stickers for it.

[Jason C]

I was going to suggest that I know when Woody did his he was able to have Orion send him new decals, bub I would suggest asking them for the same decal as is on the ST80's dew sheild, btw looks great Greg

[gquinzi]

Thanks Jason, I'll probably get around to calling em when I have some free time.  Orion is really good about stuff like that.  I lost set screws in the past and they immediately sent me a couple.

[Jason C]

Hey Greg BTW are you going to be making the ECA 2010 Popsicle party at NJAA?

[gquinzi]

Jan 16th?  I'm not certain if I'm in town but I will check.