Date
1 - 12 of 12
Loosening Saddle Plate Knobs
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gary imm
I have a MACH1GTO with the DOVELM2 saddle plate, At the end of the night, especially if it is cold, I have a tough time loosening the two saddle plate knobs to release the scope. Perhaps it is because I have big old fingers, or maybe I just tighten them too much at the start of the night. Does anyone else have the same problem, and are there innovative ways to easily loosen them? Thanks, Gary
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Stuart Heggie <stuart.j.heggie@...>
How about one of those rubber jar lid removers. Not the big strap things but the one you would have in the kitchen. Thin disk of rubber. Give you a better grip. Stuart
-- Stuart Heggie
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Joe Zeglinski
Gary,
Most if not all, saddle knobs have an Allen Wrench
socket. Keep the appropriate wrench in your pocket, for set up and tear down of
the scope. Also suggest you tie a string or old shoe lace around it, so you can
easily find it when, as often the case, it falls in the snow or dark ground.
Could also paint it with Luminous Paint as well (Home Depot or Michaels Crafts
paints). Otherwise, putting on a rubber “dish washing glove” also gives plenty
of grip.
Joe
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Roland Christen
Rubber pad with vice grips ;^))
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Rolando
-----Original Message-----
From: Stuart Heggie stuart.j.heggie@... [ap-gto] To: ap-gto Sent: Tue, Feb 14, 2017 8:38 am Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Loosening Saddle Plate Knobs How about one of those rubber jar lid removers. Not the big strap things but the one you would have in the kitchen. Thin disk of rubber. Give you a better grip.
Stuart
--
Stuart Heggie
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Cheap little strap wrench with a rubber strap.
I carry two in my tool bag.
Christopher Erickson
Consulting Engineer Summit Kinetics Waikoloa, HI 96738 www.summitkinetics.com
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 3:45 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Loosening Saddle Plate Knobs I have a MACH1GTO with the DOVELM2 saddle plate, At the end of the night, especially if it is cold, I have a tough time loosening the two saddle plate knobs to release the scope. Perhaps it is because I have big old fingers, or maybe I just tighten them too much at the start of the night. Does anyone else have the same problem, and are there innovative ways to easily loosen them? Thanks, Gary
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Woody Schlom <woody@...>
Gary,
When I started reading these posts and suggestions I
couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, what's the problem? If
one of the knobs is too tight, you just pull out the appropriate long-handled
hex-key or Allen Wrench and loosen it. Big deal. The AP Mach1
manual even mentions this -- and AP even included a nice set of Bondhus
wrenches.
I was in the process of writing
a smart-a__ post about this when my atrophying brain said "Better
check your Mach1 before shooting off your
mouth."
My Mach1 is currently all packed up and hard to get at,
so I pulled out my field setup photos. And there in gorgeous ink-jet color
was my saddle plate showing its three tightening knobs -- each one with with
a hex key socket in the middle -- just as I thought -- and just like
the Mach1 clutch knobs. No problem, just use a long handled hex
key.
And then that same age-addled brain said, "Hey Woody,
you're now using the longer saddle plate with three knobs because you hated the
original short one with just two knobs. Maybe that short one is this
DOVELM2 saddle Gary is talking about. And maybe it doesn't have those nice
knobs with the hex-key sockets."
I never throw anything out, so I rummaged around and
found my original saddle plate. Son-of-a-gun, it has two knobs and neither
one has those hex-key sockets!
I think most of the suggestions you got were good and
workable -- particularly the small strap-wrench suggestion. But if I were
you, I'd also ask Howard if it's possible to buy a couple of the nice (and
I thought standard) AP knobs with the hex-key socket in the middle and
substitute those for the ones that you have. These would be similar to the
Mach1 clutch knobs.
The answer will probably be NO, but it doesn't hurt to
ask.
One of the things I didn't like about that little
dovetail plate were the just two knobs and the tiny little brass
wedge thingies on their ends that tighten down and hold your scope to the
mount. The longer optional plate I bought not only has three knobs and
dovetail locks, but the dovetail locks themselves are very large machined and
spring-loaded things that really work well. And each of the three knobs
has that hex-key socket.
If all else fails, you might consider the longer
dovetail plate with the three dovetail locks -- and three knobs with the hex-key
centers.
Woody
-----Original
Message-----
From: ap-gto@...
[mailto:ap-gto@...]
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 5:45 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Loosening Saddle Plate Knobs
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I work on a lot of scope and mounts. I take care of most of the
scopes in our local club as well as the Onizuka VIS scopes as well as a number
of professional observatories and I have to say that my two small
rubberized strap wrenches get used a LOT. Everything from diagonals,
knobs, eyepieces, focusers, etc. They work great and don't damage the
finish.
Christopher
Erickson
Consulting Engineer Summit Kinetics Waikoloa, HI 96738 www.summitkinetics.com
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 10:35 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: RE: [ap-gto] Loosening Saddle Plate Knobs Gary,
When I started reading these posts and suggestions I
couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, what's the problem? If
one of the knobs is too tight, you just pull out the appropriate long-handled
hex-key or Allen Wrench and loosen it. Big deal. The AP Mach1
manual even mentions this -- and AP even included a nice set of Bondhus
wrenches.
I was in the process of writing
a smart-a__ post about this when my atrophying brain said "Better
check your Mach1 before shooting off your
mouth."
My Mach1 is currently all packed up and hard to get at,
so I pulled out my field setup photos. And there in gorgeous ink-jet color
was my saddle plate showing its three tightening knobs -- each one with with
a hex key socket in the middle -- just as I thought -- and just like
the Mach1 clutch knobs. No problem, just use a long handled hex
key.
And then that same age-addled brain said, "Hey Woody,
you're now using the longer saddle plate with three knobs because you hated the
original short one with just two knobs. Maybe that short one is this
DOVELM2 saddle Gary is talking about. And maybe it doesn't have those nice
knobs with the hex-key sockets."
I never throw anything out, so I rummaged around and
found my original saddle plate. Son-of-a-gun, it has two knobs and neither
one has those hex-key sockets!
I think most of the suggestions you got were good and
workable -- particularly the small strap-wrench suggestion. But if I were
you, I'd also ask Howard if it's possible to buy a couple of the nice (and
I thought standard) AP knobs with the hex-key socket in the middle and
substitute those for the ones that you have. These would be similar to the
Mach1 clutch knobs.
The answer will probably be NO, but it doesn't hurt to
ask.
One of the things I didn't like about that little
dovetail plate were the just two knobs and the tiny little brass
wedge thingies on their ends that tighten down and hold your scope to the
mount. The longer optional plate I bought not only has three knobs and
dovetail locks, but the dovetail locks themselves are very large machined and
spring-loaded things that really work well. And each of the three knobs
has that hex-key socket.
If all else fails, you might consider the longer
dovetail plate with the three dovetail locks -- and three knobs with the hex-key
centers.
Woody
-----Original
Message-----
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 5:45 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Loosening Saddle Plate Knobs
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Gary,
I have a pair of these, and while I don't use them on the saddle plate knobs I'm sure they would work https://www.amazon.com/Crescent-52910N-Connector-Pliers-10-Inch/dp/B00170RES8 also, if you do a search on amazon for "rubber jaw pliers" or something like that you will likely find some other options. It looks like Craftsman makes a 10 piece pliers cover set as well as some other options. BTW (my saddle plate has the allen wrench socket... and I really liked the idea of painting the wrenches with a bright color!) Steve H
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John
A quick, at hand, substitute for the pliers etc. is an electric cord. The (old?) heavy, round rubber ones usually work best, but the flat plastic type will often do, particularly on knurled knobs. Unplug the cord!!! Wrap one turn around the knob and use it as a strap wrench. Inspect the cord for damage before use.
John
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gary imm
Guys,
I can't thank all of you enough for the excellent suggestions. Well, except that I should use an allen wrench. I was so excited with that suggestion that I ran out to look at my scope, and then sadly discovered that the knobs are just knobs. Oh well. Sure seems like the option to use a hex key would have been great and easy to manufacture. Now, on to do some experimenting! Thanks, Gary
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Woody Schlom <woody@...>
Gary,
As I
suggested in my previous message:
1) Ask
Howard if you can buy knobs with the Allen key hex sockets and install them in
your saddle.
2) Buy
the longer AP saddle. That's what I did and not only does it have the
Allen key socket knobs, but it just plain works a lot
better.
Woody
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gary imm
Woody, thanks, those are both useful suggestions and I will check into it.
Gary
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