Skywatcher EQ5 / EQ6 Counterweight Thumbscrew

thingiverse

The typical Skywatcher thumbscrews used to tighten counterweights are extremely fragile and prone to breaking when dropped or mishandled with tools. In my experience, it's rare to come across a decent used mount where these screws remain intact. I decided to design and build replacement thumbscrews that meet my own requirements, as the original ones were too small for my liking. These custom-made thumbscrews are slightly oversized and fit snugly on the 9.5 mm wide grooved head of the factory M8 bolts. To ensure a secure hold, apply a drop of epoxy to the bolt head before gently hammering in the new thumbscrew. Please note that these replacement thumbscrews extend slightly beyond the counterweight edge on one side. Lesson learned: Initially, I printed the first set of thumbscrews using PLA with 15% infill, but they failed after some time in use. To address this issue, I reprinted them in PETG with 40% infill, which significantly improved their durability. Now, I highly recommend increasing the infill percentage on PLA prints or switching to PETG for a more robust thumbscrew design.