Building a solar film sunfilter

Here's my construction of a solar filter for my 4"/f10 MTO-11CA russian maksutov using the Baader solar film. I didn't like the idea of building one using paperboard like proposed by Baader, I wanted something real ;)

Step 1: Visiting a building center to find cheap usable parts

This is what I found:

Bill of materials:
  • thin plywood
  • Baader solar film
  • some kind of PVC tube socket
  • screws & nuts

Step 2: Sawing & drilling


My jigsaw from childhood days helped to saw two identical frames for the thin film.

Step 3: Assembly


After assembly I sealed the spacings at the frame edges with duct-tape and the filter was ready for the...

Step 4: Firstlight


Ready for action. The filter fits nicely over the dew cap of the mak, some foam between the cap and the filter holds it firm in place.

Results obtained with this filter can be seen in the solar gallery.

MN61 with film filter construction