Lightbridge Truss Tube Mods

I spent some time today spending some TLC time with my Lightbridge. Just tightening the odd bolt and screw, blowing dust and hair (?) off the primary mirror etc. It's something that needs to be done once every few months and I am guilty of not being as disciplined in this regard as I should have been since buying the scope.

I had read about folks changing their Lightbridge truss tubes by either painting them black or covering them with black pipe insulation. I chose the latter option. It was far cheaper (under $10.00 for three lengths of 1" foam pipe insulation) and also makes it easier to hold the truss tubes when steering the scope in the cold! The pictures below show the results (before and after). I love the new look of the scope after performing this very simple modification, and it should cut down on the inner reflectivity of the main scope when using the light shroud.

Click on both images for full size pics!