Today I took Nate over to a friend of mine named Mat who is teaching me to grind my own mirror and is going to help me make my own 12.5 truss telescope. Mat is willing to take a Saturday each month and help anyone who wants to grind and polish their own mirror and build a scope to do so, kinda of a ATM workshop day. Mat learned the trade from Jeff Baldwin who is a member of the Stockton California Astronomical Society and has made a 16" truss (his own) and many 8" mirrors. Mat recommends if interested order a William Bell Publishing Kit located at http://www.willbell.com/ATMSupplies/ATM_Supplies.htm A 6" mirror kit will cost $76.95 A 8" mirror kit will cost $145.95 A 10" mirror kit will cost $312.95 A 12.5 mirror kit will cost $579.95 The kits each come with 2 Pyrex Blanks, the grinding and polishing materials (see the link for details). IF someone is interested, two people could split the cost of a kit, each getting a blank (they each make a tool for grinding) and then order a two of the grits. So my question is, is anyone interested in joining us in grinding and polishing a mirror with the purpose of making a reflector/dobsonian telescope? If so please feel free to email me at JayLEads@g something.com or respond here. Should be a fun project over the next couple of months. -- Jay Eads
I truly admire you folks with the drive to make your own telescopes. That must be a grand feeling, to draw the heavens to your eyes through your own work, like Patrick with the refractor. If I were younger I'd consider it, except that when I was younger I had to work all the time. -- Joe --- On Sat, 10/23/10, Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Making Your Own Mirror To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 6:04 PM Today I took Nate over to a friend of mine named Mat who is teaching me to grind my own mirror and is going to help me make my own 12.5 truss telescope. Mat is willing to take a Saturday each month and help anyone who wants to grind and polish their own mirror and build a scope to do so, kinda of a ATM workshop day. Mat learned the trade from Jeff Baldwin who is a member of the Stockton California Astronomical Society and has made a 16" truss (his own) and many 8" mirrors.
Mat recommends if interested order a William Bell Publishing Kit located at
http://www.willbell.com/ATMSupplies/ATM_Supplies.htm
A 6" mirror kit will cost $76.95 A 8" mirror kit will cost $145.95 A 10" mirror kit will cost $312.95 A 12.5 mirror kit will cost $579.95
The kits each come with 2 Pyrex Blanks, the grinding and polishing materials (see the link for details). IF someone is interested, two people could split the cost of a kit, each getting a blank (they each make a tool for grinding) and then order a two of the grits.
So my question is, is anyone interested in joining us in grinding and polishing a mirror with the purpose of making a reflector/dobsonian telescope? If so please feel free to email me at JayLEads@g something.com or respond here. Should be a fun project over the next couple of months.
-- Jay Eads _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Amen, Joe. Along with a half dozen other crazies I spent one night each week throughout much of one winter a few years back grinding and polishing a 13-inch mirror in Brent Watson's basement. It was a lot of work, but yes, it was satisfying in the end, even if imperfect. (I found that imperfect mirrors can still give good images.) I used my mirror for a couple of experimental projects, then sold it to (gee, I forgot his name - but I can still see his face) who used it for something; I don't know what or where the mirror ended up. Ken Warner, I believe, still uses his 13-inch Dobsonian, and I think Bill Cowles still has the eight-inch that he made in the same class. More than anything it was a lot of fun to spend a night each week working with good friends on a great project. I would never do it again. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 10:42 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Making Your Own Mirror I truly admire you folks with the drive to make your own telescopes. That must be a grand feeling, to draw the heavens to your eyes through your own work, like Patrick with the refractor. If I were younger I'd consider it, except that when I was younger I had to work all the time. -- Joe --- On Sat, 10/23/10, Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Jay Eads <jayleads@gmail.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Making Your Own Mirror To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010, 6:04 PM Today I took Nate over to a friend of mine named Mat who is teaching me to grind my own mirror and is going to help me make my own 12.5 truss telescope. Mat is willing to take a Saturday each month and help anyone who wants to grind and polish their own mirror and build a scope to do so, kinda of a ATM workshop day. Mat learned the trade from Jeff Baldwin who is a member of the Stockton California Astronomical Society and has made a 16" truss (his own) and many 8" mirrors.
Mat recommends if interested order a William Bell Publishing Kit located at
http://www.willbell.com/ATMSupplies/ATM_Supplies.htm
A 6" mirror kit will cost $76.95 A 8" mirror kit will cost $145.95 A 10" mirror kit will cost $312.95 A 12.5 mirror kit will cost $579.95
The kits each come with 2 Pyrex Blanks, the grinding and polishing materials (see the link for details). IF someone is interested, two people could split the cost of a kit, each getting a blank (they each make a tool for grinding) and then order a two of the grits.
So my question is, is anyone interested in joining us in grinding and polishing a mirror with the purpose of making a reflector/dobsonian telescope? If so please feel free to email me at JayLEads@g something.com or respond here. Should be a fun project over the next couple of months.
-- Jay Eads _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
It's been a while for me for an ATM project, but I spend a lot of time on the car, sometimes with friends. I'm adding a cold air intake this winter and a few external appearance trim pieces. The difference is, working on a sports car means the Irish whiskey is mandatory! On 10/23/10, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote:
More than anything it was a lot of fun to spend a night each week working with good friends on a great project.
I would never do it again.
The Poncet mount you mentioned earlier sounded like a good project. Is that something you intend to do soon? I wouldn't grind another mirror because of the amount of time versus the result. For the time spent I could have paid myself a modest wage and still have been able to buy a bigger, better mirror. I'm glad I did it, but I'm also glad that I have some good commercial mirrors in my two Newtonian scopes - a 10" Parks and a 12.5" Cave. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 12:43 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Making Your Own Mirror It's been a while for me for an ATM project, but I spend a lot of time on the car, sometimes with friends. I'm adding a cold air intake this winter and a few external appearance trim pieces. The difference is, working on a sports car means the Irish whiskey is mandatory! On 10/23/10, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote:
More than anything it was a lot of fun to spend a night each week working with good friends on a great project.
I would never do it again.
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1152 / Virus Database: 424/3219 - Release Date: 10/25/10
participants (5)
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Chuck Hards -
Jay Eads -
Joe Bauman -
Kim -
Kim Hyatt