light shield. If you are going to Michaels to get cardboard/tagboard/posterboard, just get the foam. It’s easy to work with and will last longer. I can’t imagine true cardboard would be flexible. Most of the difficulty in making the shield is with getting things lined up for cutting, so you might as well have a nice product when finished, plus the foam is flexible and easy to work with. I suspect the foam weighs less than heavy duty cardboard too. You could use possibly use paper/tagboard/posterboard to make a template, and then use that to cut the foam at a later date.
I found mine at a Hobby Lobby store. 12” x 18” x 2mm Black EVA Foam Sheet $0.89 Part #232637
Although I have not flocked the tube, I have added a light shroud and it has made a significant difference for my suburban viewing.
Black art foam and hot glue. Held in place with Velcro. Cheap and works well!
If you have the light shroud I would not worry at all about flocking the lower tube.
here’s some pictures of the foam shroud I made a tutorial for (the dimensions should get you pretty close) the steps I laid out here
http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/463109-onesky-newtonian-astronomers-without-borders/page-10#entry6226404
The overhang is ~ an inch, I just hot glued it to the upper ring
Mine is made from Kydex (black plastic), and it collapses inside the tube without damaging the mirror.
In the bottom picture, you’re seeing it all the way down. It stops 1/4” short of the primary. It is 11-3/8” tall.
I’ll have my Kydex for the light shroud Friday. I am getting help from a friend to do this because it definitely looks like a job that requires two functional hands. I read somewhere on here that the upper tube ring needs to come off. Can I get some detailed guidance on doing this.
definitely don’t have to take the upper ring off - once you make the cylinder just fold it in on itself, slide it down past the secondary mirror, unfold it, then attach to the upper ring
I have about an inch overlap on mine. I just used superglue because I was nervous about pop rivets scratching the secondary when it’s collapsed.
I found it easy not to glue the the shroud and still have it snug. If you used hot glue wouldn’t it come out easy enough without tearing the whole scope apart? I just pinch and hold the shroud in place when sliding the tube assembly, that should I ever need to remove it I can easily.
I went on Amazon to order a sheet of 12”x 24” Kydex to make the light shroud for my Onesky when it arrives. I noticed they sell different thicknesses. Several people here have made these shrouds so I am wondering what thickness I should order. The available thicknesses from Amazon are .028”, 060”, 080”, 093”, and .118”.
I’d use the thinnest as it will be easier to work and will have less tendency to snap back to it’s original shape.