Re: ATM Question on SONOTUBES and Dewaxing

[akkana@best.com (Akkana)]

>   Hi Chris, please don't be offended but how do you paint over wax.
>   Seems like an inconceivable concept to me.

The "QuickTubes" they sell at the local hardware store chains here in
the south SF bay area are lightly waxed inside, unwaxed outside.
I'm not sure how this compares to what people call "waxed" (sounds
like some types of sonotube have a thick coat of wax throughout
the cardboard, which these don't) but both spray paint and brush-on
house paint stick to the waxy inside surface of these tubes.
(The brush-on paint sticks better than spray paint.)

For my infant 6" f/4 RFT (built in a week for about $100 using a
mirror I bought at a swap meet), I'm using a QuickTube which was
painted over the wax (with brush-on house paint); this 'scope has
only been in operation for two weeks now, so I can't answer the
original poster's query on longevity of this setup, but it's been
great for the first two weeks. :-)

        ...Akkana