Hi all! Nice forum. I live in Shady Point, Okla., and had a fantastic night of viewing last night. I'm fairly new to astronomy and last night was the first time I had used my 6-inch Dobsonian Orion Deep Space Explorer to see the rings of Saturn and Jupiter's moons and bands. WOW! Everyone in my immediate family came out side and screamed when they saw Saturn. They thought it was fake!
Anyway, I'm having a bit of a problem. The mount of my scope sticks and slips when I rotate the scope on its swivel base. Tilting up and down is no problem, but when I tried to track the planets, it was so jerky, it was nearly impossible to hold them.
Does anyone know a way to fix this? Lubricant, perhaps?

Hello Marcus.

Have you considered fabricating a formica bearing which would be "sandwiched" between the friction surfaces of the rocker box and the swivel base? If you try a lubricant, I recommend using marine-grade grease (used sparingly!).

I hope you are successful in resolving the "stick and slip" problem. A mount which is not smooth is frustrating indeed!

Regards,
jtresh