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Byers 58 Mount

Discussion in 'Vintage Telescopes & Equipment' started by Turk, Nov 23, 2015.

Byers 58 Mount

Started by Turk on Nov 23, 2015 at 6:59 AM

7 Replies 3897 Views 3 Likes

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  1. Turk

    Turk Well-Known Member

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    Turk, Nov 23, 2015
    #1
    I just acquired a Byer's 58 mount. I've wanted one for quite some time. Looked at an 812, but it's size was just too large for the telescopes I have. I was fortunate to snag this one. I will be picking it up on my way to NEAF in the spring.

    Here are some images:

    Byers 58 (30 of 6).jpg Byers 58 (31 of 6).jpg Byers 58 (32 of 6).jpg Byers 58 (33 of 6).jpg Byers 58 (34 of 6).jpg Byers 58 (35 of 6).jpg
     
    LewC, george and Bomber Bob like this.
  2. Turk

    Turk Well-Known Member

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    Turk, Nov 23, 2015
    #2
    I will be disassembling it to clean and relubricate once I get it on my bench. I've never seen one in person, but can't wait to see the quality that Ed put into this mount.
     
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  3. clintwhitman

    clintwhitman Well-Known Member

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    clintwhitman, Nov 24, 2015
    #3
    Great find Turk, What scope are you going to use on it? You know Jim Witt has one of these I think. Really nice mount cant wait till you get it all setup and working....
     
  4. Turk

    Turk Well-Known Member

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    Turk, Nov 24, 2015
    #4
    I have a couple 6" Jaegers scopes, f10 and f15. Assorted others. I have to take a look at the mounting plate to see how things will fit. Won't see that till Spring!
     
  5. Bomber Bob

    Bomber Bob Well-Known Member

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    Bomber Bob, Nov 26, 2015
    #5
    Tom, you snagged another uncommon & beautiful Classic - congratulations!!

    I created an archive just for that mount. It's such a fine example of American engineering excellence and quality - for several lifetimes of use.

    I know that I'm biased, but I think my 70/80 year old Tinsley would look perfect on that Byers 58... Though the Meade GEM is a faint echo of its style, I like the fact that their drives can operate independently of handsets - for us visual observers.
     
  6. Turk

    Turk Well-Known Member

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    Turk, Dec 6, 2015
    #6
    I just received the legs for the Byers mount. A friend had a few sets and sold me one. Now I need to find a 6" steel or aluminum tube 6 feet long. Byers legs (1 of 1).jpg
     
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  7. clintwhitman

    clintwhitman Well-Known Member

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    clintwhitman, Dec 7, 2015
    #7
    Aluminum rocks!
     
  8. Turk

    Turk Well-Known Member

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    Turk, Dec 20, 2015
    #8
    I recently had a conversation with Ed Byers about the 58 mount. I told him I acquired one and he immediately said "Well, it wasn't very good compared to my other mount like the series II." I told Ed that the series II was in a different class altogether and a lot more money, but he maintained that it was not as sophisticated. Thanks Ed.

    I ask him if he had any tips on taking it apart for cleaning and he said, "No, No, No, don't take it apart unless you want the ball bearings to fall all over the floor. You will not be able to put it back together." He said he designed it to run 3 lifetimes and that tearing it apart was "Not necessary". So much for being inferior. But why would you not use bearings and races if they were available? I'm sure he would have had an answer for that, but I didn't press him further.
     

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