DIY Parallelogram Binocular Mount

Binoculars:

Andrews 20x80 Triplets, weight: 2 kg's, normally retailing about $250.00

Tripod:

Sturdy aluminum in the surveyor style, normally retailing about $250.00, available at all good astronomy supply stores.

Material:

Aluminium square tube, M6 Socket-head cap screws with nylon lock-nuts, small zinc plated washers, spring washer, M6 hex-head zinc plated bolts and nuts. Spray cans of etch primer and paint colour of your choice.

Tools:

Hammer, centre-punch, engineers rule, scriber, square, Hacksaw, files, emery paper, drill and bits, Allen-keys, spanner, vice, bench grinder/sander.

Don’t worry if you don’t have all these tools, use your initiative and improvise. Ask friends, family and work mates if they have something you can borrow for a weekend or go somewhere to use those tools.

Make sure you know how to use power tools before you operate them and always wear appropriate personal protective equipment. (PPE)

Introduction.

First of all, you need to start with the known factors, like size and weight of binoculars and how you are going to attach them to one end of the parallelogram and how to attach the parallelogram to the tripod. Draw lots of sketches and have a play with different fasteners and mounting ideas.

Have a look on the internet for different ideas and print off photographs of different styles. Don’t start cutting stuff until you are happy with design.

The parallelogram itself is a relatively simple thing to make. Decide if you are going to use aluminium or wood. Either one has its unique characteristics and both look equally as good. Both are easy to work with.

I decided on aluminium simply because I had some lying around. My good friend Ron has a set of 2Kg binoculars so I set to the task of building this project.

Step 1.

Measure, mark and cut your materials.

You can do this two ways. Plan it all out first to the last millimeter cut, or like me, make it up as you go along. The latter is only preferable if you are able to visualize the end result.

Step 2.

Building.

Lay all the lengths and parts you have cut out on the bench. Have a good look at how you want it all to fit together and lay it out in it’s rough assembled shape. Mark, centre-punch and drill all the holes in your tubes for the bolts and joints. Make sure you file and sand off any sharp burs when you are finished.

Slide your bolts through and place washers between moving joints to stop the aluminium tubes rubbing against one another. If you want certain joints to be adjustable in tension, then place a spring washer under the nut.

Tapping.

This is how you thread a hole so that a screw or bolt can screw into the metal without a nut on the other end. For example, if you need a M6 (6mm) threaded bolt to go into a hole, then you drill the hole with a 5 mm drill bit. Take a tool called, funnily enough, a tap, keeping it square to the hole and screw it in. Keep the pressure even and keep it straight. Back it off a little bit every ½ to a full turn, to prevent clogging of the tap and stripping the thread. Screw it back out then you can screw in your bolt. I used two tapped holes to make adjustment bolts for the telescopic part of the counterweight bar.

Step 3.

The counterweight.

Ron’s binoculars are a little over 2 kilograms, so I bought 5 0.5 kg weights from the local fitness shop. These are REALLY cheap!! If you mount the weights on the end of the parallelogram and make it telescopic, you can use the same weight to balance something lighter by sliding it nearer or heavier by sliding it away.

The square bar I used did not quite fit through the hole in the weights, so I used the grinder, (you can use a file), and took the corners off the bar. Just a little at a time so that you get a perfect fit. The weights should not slide on easily, they should have to be forced (persuaded by tapping lightly with a hammer). If they turn out to be too loose and slide off the bar, then you can spread the end of the bar by hammering it with a ball-pein hammer to spread it over the weights.

Step 4.

Painting.

Disassemble the whole thing. Remember or write down which bolt goes where. Sand off all sharp burs, corners and edges. Sand smooth any scratches or blemishes where the chuck held the material. Give the whole thing a light sand then wipe clean with a dry cloth.

I tapped a heap of nails into the side of my work bench and slid all the parts onto the nails, so I could paint them from all angles without having to touch them. Make sure you don’t try to spray on too much paint at once or it will run.

Aluminium LOVES etch primer. This forms a chemical bond with the metal and gives your colour coat something to grip. This way, when you scratch or drop it, the paint will only scratch, instead of flaking or chipping off in big chunks. Give it a light coat first then a slightly heavier one once it has become tacky.

Let that cure for a couple of hours then spray on your colour coat.

Step 5.

Re-assembly.

Give the paint a FULL day to cure and harden. If you can delay this for a couple of days, all the better. Re-assemble the whole thing and its ready to mount your binoculars!

Remember: Improvise, adapt and overcome. There are many ways to do the same thing, so persevere!

God Bless you in your efforts!

Baz.