Ginormous ammo can needed

[+NotThePainter]

Ok, maybe it doesn't have to be an ammo can, it is more like a rocket can or something. But I know geocachers and they know containers.

 

I'm looking for a container to hold a telescope. It needs to be, ulp, 50" long inside and at least 9 inches on the other sides.

 

Now, yeah, that would make an awesome cache, but that's only if I get a good price on two of them.

 

Any ideas?

 

Paul

[+Trucker Lee]

pvc pipe with caps?

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

Allowing room for padding?

 

Swag rattling around inside is one thing but a telescope ain't exactly a McToy.

[+undertree]

We have an army navy story nearby that will sell you drop tanks. The sign even says "If we don't have it you don't need it"

[+Vater_Araignee]

Ok, maybe it doesn't have to be an ammo can, it is more like a rocket can or something. But I know geocachers and they know containers.

 

I'm looking for a container to hold a telescope. It needs to be, ulp, 50" long inside and at least 9 inches on the other sides.

 

Now, yeah, that would make an awesome cache, but that's only if I get a good price on two of them.

 

Any ideas?

 

Paul

Well considering your post leaves me with the impression that you don't need it to be water proof you could build a nice looking box from oak 1"x2" of a decent looking one from pine.

If you do need it water resistant then you could use fiberglass resin.

Add an extra layer of water resistance after mounting the lid and latch you could run a bead of silicon around it.

 

~~~edit to add~~~

fill it with Great Stuff foam and let it cure then carve out the exact shape you need to keep the telescope from moving around.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Vater_Araignee

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

This is the biggest I could find. Not sure you'll be able to find anything longer in military surplus.

[+va griz]

You could get a Pelican case for it. Kind of spendy but it would be well protected.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

You could get a Pelican case for it. Kind of spendy but it would be well protected.

 

They don't have anything that long that is 9" x 9".

[Clan Riffster]

Yup. Closest I could find from Pelican was a rifle case, 50.50" x 13.50" x 5.25".

http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1750

Were it me, I would opt for something handmade.

[+J-Way]

Good luck on the container, and CR is probably right that this has to be handmade. The first question that popped into my mind, though, was are you SURE you want to leave a telescope of this size (and obvious expense) just lieing around somewhere? Aren't you worried about it walking off or getting dropped?

[Abighog]

Ok, maybe it doesn't have to be an ammo can, it is more like a rocket can or something. But I know geocachers and they know containers.

 

I'm looking for a container to hold a telescope. It needs to be, ulp, 50" long inside and at least 9 inches on the other sides.

 

Now, yeah, that would make an awesome cache, but that's only if I get a good price on two of them.

 

Any ideas?

 

Paul

moon cache??? lemme see what i got for a good trade item.............

[+trainlove]

For my smallest telescope I use a golf club case. I have nothing for the bigger one yet.

 

Now, for nice cache containers you could use a Transit Case, cases that were used to transport military equipment. All are waterproof. You used to live near a place that sold them. I call it Electronic Planet, but they are known as Electronics Surplus Superstore ESS. Off Candia Road in Manchester.

Edited January 29, 2009 by trainlove

[knowschad]

I found a cache that was exactly what you're looking for. I see that it has been muggled, but the cache owner might be able to tell you where he got the original. Check out the gallery for GC3128 northbound I-35 Wayside Rest

[+Thrak]

I found a cache that was exactly what you're looking for. I see that it has been muggled, but the cache owner might be able to tell you where he got the original. Check out the gallery for GC3128 northbound I-35 Wayside Rest

 

Nope. Not even close. He specifically said it had to be 50" long and 9" on the sides. That cache is a 24" long, 5" round cannister.

[Clan Riffster]

Another valid concern would be the cost. Guessing from the dimensions, you're not talking about a cheap Wally World telescope.

Browsing around, I found this, which is real close:

Beacon ATA Double Golf Travel Case w/ wheels

Inside Dimensions L x W x H: 49.75 x 20 x 13.75

 

This one seems to be the right size:

Tuffpak Original Guncase

52"x13"x12" outside and 50"x11"x10" inside

 

This one is also close:

Cabela's Do-All Heavy-Duty Flight Proof Single-Rifle Case

Dimensions: 52" x 10" x 7-1/2"

Edited January 29, 2009 by Clan Riffster

[+stagunner]

here is a good link, but not much help unless you know some one who can get one of these types of containers,,

 

but they are very water prof

 

Spectre

[+Tequila]

Are you going to place this out in the woods somewhere???

[+FastChapter]

I was going to say, you'll definitely have to make this a good, long hike to the cache. How do you plan to hide it other than maybe half-bury it and cover it with leaves, XD

[+NotThePainter]

Wow!

 

Thanks for all the ideas. I don't want to reply to everyone in their own post, that would just pump up the thread fatter than the biceps on a baseball player on steroids.

 

But let me read them all and try and clear up the air.

 

PVC with caps. Great idea, but I've not found a cheap source of PVC that big. At the prices that PVC goes for I can get a custom case built.

 

Yes, I very much allowed room for padding. The telescope itself has a 6" mirror and the tube is between 7 and 8 inches in diameter. (You want the tube bigger so there is room for air to circulate so the mirror cools faster.) There are various doo-dabs hanging off the scope but they can be removed if I need to.

 

Drop tanks - wow, who knew. Cool idea. I did have a friend years ago who transported a 8" diameter tube that was about 9 feet long on top of his car. Yes, he put a nose cone and fins on it. Got plenty of strange looks. I can't imagine trying that today...

 

Oak box - there is a long history of scopes from the 60s, Japanese refractors, that came in wooden boxes. (I have on, a 60mm Swift.) So this idea has great apeal to me. My wood working skills are limited but I certainly hope to make one someday. I just need this in 3 weeks. It does not need to be waterproof, this is going in my car.

 

I loved the 31 1/2 inch tall ammo can for $15. That rocks. If only I didn't live in geocaching hell I know I'd place one of those! (I'm surrounded by ocean an National Park land..., hard to cache here.)

 

Yes, I've seen the Pelican gun case. Very pricy and a little thin.

 

And no, I'm not leaving this lying around. This will be in my basement or in my car when driving to events. In particular, it is going from Mass to FL in 3 weeks.

 

Golf club case rock. I have 2. But the problem is, this is BIG. I have 2 but one is still in the box unopened, because this didn't fit. I'm very leery of buying another golf club case. I have an email out on one of them. One website say 50" inside, another says 50" outside. Big difference. They also tend to be sloped on the "top" which is fine for golf clubs, but not cylinders. And yes, I'd stop by ESS in a heartbeat if it was a 6 hour drove, that store rocks. (And when I left town, I'm pretty sure I had the closest cache to it, 300ft of 12 foot diameter tube under the highway, placed right in the middle... heh heh...)

 

The I-35 cache is actually the type of container I was hoping to find, just bigger.

 

The Tuffpak guncase - wow! That is weird, I was on their web site last night and didn't see that. Oh wait, I did see that. $355. Ouch! You can get custom cases with custom foam for that price.

 

The Scepter military cases - neat stuff, but small. 50" is ginormous.

 

And no, I'm not going to put it out in the woods. But lets just say, if it was cheap (like under $50) and two were available, I'd be sorely tempted. I like big containers. I hide them when I can.

 

Oh, I asked on a telescope forum also. Their ideas were car top carriers (expensive) and sonotubes (I think they are expensive.) I was just about to give up on a hard case and get a soft sided padded case when a fellow told me about an ATA store on ebay. 50 x 8 x 8. A little smaller than I wanted but it could work, I need to measure the tube tomorrow. (I just got in from observing, Saturn was gorgeous!)

 

Oh, and some wondered about the telescope, that it wasn't a wally world one. No, it isn't. Those things destroy so many young astronomers they get me made.

 

I have 4 telescopes. A 8" Schmidt Cassegrain (which rarely gets used anymore), a 5" Burgess refractor (which I use all the time, love that scope), a 60s vintage Swift refractor, 60mm with Japanese optics (for sale, probably) and the baby this post was about, a 1963 Edmund Scientific Space Conqeuror. You can see it http://notthepainter.com/2008/08/1963-edmu...pace-conqueror/ . I only paid $100 for it, it is probably worth about $500. It taught me a lot about what I don't know. It is a keeper.

 

Thanks everybody!

 

Paul

[+hydnsek]

I just need this in 3 weeks. It does not need to be waterproof, this is going in my car.

Are you going to a star party? A friend took me to one here in Washington a couple years ago, and it was amazing! Some of the telescopes were HUGE and came on custom trailers. I never thought I'd get to see so many nebulas, globular clusters, and galaxies with my own eyes. Someone even had a sun scope so we could look at the sun's surface and flares in daytime. Too cool.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Wow!

 

Oak box - there is a long history of scopes from the 60s, Japanese refractors, that came in wooden boxes. (I have on, a 60mm Swift.) So this idea has great apeal to me. My wood working skills are limited but I certainly hope to make one someday. I just need this in 3 weeks. It does not need to be waterproof, this is going in my car.

 

 

Oak is going to be pretty heavy. Someone else suggested using pine. Here's what I would do. I'd construct a case using the same techniques that are used to build cedar strip canoes or kayaks (I built a cedar strip kayak a few years ago) . There are numerous books on cedar strip kayak/canoe building and the same techniques could be used to build a round case rather than a kayak shape using 9" diameter discs for the forms instead. Note, that you'd want to build the case in two halves. Once the halfs are completed you can put protective foam on the inside then glue to two halves together. You can even get some rice paper and printer your name, number and a graphic on it that can be applied to one of the shells before varnishing.

 

Have a look at the pages I created when I built my boats to see the process:

 

http://mayfly.mannlib.cornell.edu/paddle/outerisland/

[+NotThePainter]

Are you going to a star party? A friend took me to one here in Washington a couple years ago, and it was amazing! Some of the telescopes were HUGE and came on custom trailers. I never thought I'd get to see so many nebulas, globular clusters, and galaxies with my own eyes. Someone even had a sun scope so we could look at the sun's surface and flares in daytime. Too cool.

 

yup, I am! I've been to small ones before but this is the "Winter Star Party," on Spanish Harbor Key in Florida, just a short drive to Key West. And yes, I'll do some caching down there in the day, including the very odd virtual that claims to be the most southern spot in the USA, which is odd weird because the maps clearly show land south of it.

[+NotThePainter]

Oak is going to be pretty heavy. Someone else suggested using pine. Here's what I would do. I'd construct a case using the same techniques that are used to build cedar strip canoes or kayaks ... Have a look at the pages I created when I built my boats to see the process:

 

http://mayfly.mannlib.cornell.edu/paddle/outerisland/

That is a gorgeous boat!

 

Oh, I don't know much about wood. Oak, pine.... guess they're not the same, huh? :- ) I would think that even pine would be heavy and yes, that is a concern.

 

Thanks!

[+Vater_Araignee]

Have a look at the pages I created when I built my boats to see the process:

 

http://mayfly.mannlib.cornell.edu/paddle/outerisland/

Nice!

 

Oh, I don't know much about wood. Oak, pine.... guess they're not the same, huh? :- ) I would think that even pine would be heavy and yes, that is a concern.

 

Thanks!

1 cubic foot of dry:

White Oak about 47lb

Red Oak about 44lb

White Pine about 25lb

Western Red Ceder about 23lb

Northern White Ceder about 22lb

 

There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot.

Assuming you constructed a case from 1/2" thick stock then it would be 10"x51" or 5100 cubic inches.

Remove your empty internal dimensions and you have 1050 cubic inches or about 60% of 1 cubic foot.

So about 28 pounds for White Oak and about 13 pounds for Northern White Ceder.

This isn't taking into account things like nails, screws, hinges and latches etc, but I doubt you would add another 2 pounds.

 

~~~edit to add~~~

You probably don't need 1/2", it is what I am use to working with.

Edited January 30, 2009 by Vater_Araignee

[+MadMoravian]

From past accounts online, the author Joe Haldeman usually makes it to the Winter Star Party. You might keep an eye out for him.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

You could probably use plywood (1/2"?). You can get homedepot or lowes to cut it to length, and then into appropriate width strips (9-10"), plus 2 ends to the right dimensions. Some construction adhesive (liquid nails) and screws for the ends, and bottom three "sides". Then just some screws to hold the "top" on.

 

Even good quality plywood shouldn't be too expensive.

[+Too Tall John]

Oh...

 

Wait....

 

Can I blame it on a double post?

 

No?

 

Oh well....

Edited January 30, 2009 by Too Tall John

[+Roarmeister]

Wow!

 

Thanks for all the ideas. I don't want to reply to everyone in their own post, that would just pump up the thread fatter than the biceps on a baseball player on steroids.

.

.

Oh, I asked on a telescope forum also. Their ideas were car top carriers (expensive) and sonotubes (I think they are expensive.) I was just about to give up on a hard case and get a soft sided padded case when a fellow told me about an ATA store on ebay. 50 x 8 x 8. A little smaller than I wanted but it could work, I need to measure the tube tomorrow. (I just got in from observing, Saturn was gorgeous!)

Sonotube shouldn't be that expensive especially if you have a contractor friend who can give you his extras. You would need at least the 10" dia. which isn't nearly as common as the 12" or 16" dia. I also suggest not "borrowing" a piece from a construction site!!! The heavier the tube the better for strength but much will depend on how you pack it - I would suggest getting some disks of foam and custom cut to insert.

 

I have 4 telescopes. A 8" Schmidt Cassegrain (which rarely gets used anymore), a 5" Burgess refractor (which I use all the time, love that scope), a 60s vintage Swift refractor, 60mm with Japanese optics (for sale, probably) and the baby this post was about, a 1963 Edmund Scientific Space Conqeuror. You can see it http://notthepainter.com/2008/08/1963-edmu...pace-conqueror/ . I only paid $100 for it, it is probably worth about $500. It taught me a lot about what I don't know. It is a keeper.

 

Paul

 

My scope is a 6" Newtonian, just over 20" long so it is quite compact. I slip it into a medium sized duffle for transport. The mount is the heavier of the two pieces but that can be carried separately. I haven't used it much lately, unfortunately. -45*C is not the best weather for observation!!! So I limit my self to the occasional back yard experience. Almost glad I didn't buy the 8" /w motor drive that my heart was yearning for as that would be too heavy.

[+Roarmeister]

Dang these double posts!!!! [All content deleted so you don't have to read it 2x!]

Edited January 31, 2009 by Roarmeister

[+webscouter.]

I saw a large mortar tube at an army navy surplus store. Don't know if it was quite 50" long but I know some of them get pretty big. I'll go back and check it out when I get back home next week.