I bead blasted the clutch surfaces of one of my G11's.? It did indeed grip well, at the expense of more difficult balancing.? The mount was used for astrophotography (30 minute subs).? The clutch held firm with little pressure but because of the increased friction of the clutch (even released) it was more difficult to balance.??
With regard to the axis binding when the clutch is tightened, Here's what I'd do and what I will do if I ever buy another used Losmandy mount.
Forget my posts about checking the gap between the bearings and the housing.? If you have binding or suspect some alignment issues, try this:
1.? Remove the motor, worm and shaft and the axis from the mount
2.? Place the bottom of the axis on a wood block
3.? Place a wood block on top of the axis
4.? Insure everything is sitting perpendicular and give a sharp rap to the top wood block (a dead blow hammer would be ideal, but I used a ball peen hammer).? If you have a press, you can do this in a press.?
5.? Reassemble the mount and re-check for binding.
This will help insure that you're, at least, starting with an orthogonal system.? This was the process I used to correct my alignment issues on my GM8 (after 2 unproductive trips to Losmandy for this problem).? Losmandy mounts are a very good value and are well built. Used Losmandy mounts are an even better value.? However, If you're looking for perfection in a mount, get an Astro-Physics.? My Mach 1 worked flawlessly from day 1.??
my 2 cents...
Eric
photon_trap
Eric Chesak
