Great photos Chuck, thanks for the update, good luck with the fiberglass!! I like the access doors for the mirror and fans nice design feature. Are you planning on any interior surface features to act as baffles? Howard --- Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com> wrote:
I've added a few photos to my Gallery page:
http://www.utahastronomy.com/Chuck?page=5
These show some aspects of preparing the Sonotube form prior to gelcoat application, and spraying the gelcoat itself. Many thanks to my employee Marty Harrison, who does a great job in my paint booth.
The fiberglass will be laminated into the mold on 1/11 and after curing for up to several days, I'll peel off the Sonotube and begin working-up the surface gloss.
I will be molding end-rings from fiberglass, as well as tube clamp-rings for attaching to the mount.
This scope is somewhat of a throwback design, incorporating some new ideas into a tried and true classic tube assembly. It will be gloss white as are all my scopes since the early '90's. After building dark tubes with metallic charcoal finishes, I found that the traditional white tube is much easier to discern under a dark sky- easier to find one's way around all the appurtenances in very low-light conditions.
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