Working on 8 inch Cassegrain telescope F 30-40 with small secondary and optimized for planetary observations.
But in order to get there, I need to rework a couple of mirror grinding machines in the club according to specs by the professional optician teaching us.
This means building the right set of mechanical thingies to safely hold glass and tools from 6 to 16-inch diameter optics. According to our optician, we need an aluminum disc the same size as the mirror with a reverse threaded hole in the center of the aluminum disc. This disc will be screwed onto a coupling which is attached to the shaft of the turntable motor.
We are currently working on sourcing the parts, machining, and doing a trial run with a 6-inch mirror. Then I get some blanks, get the curve I need generated to save me hours upon hours with 80 grit hogging out the glass before he can settle down and let the combination of grit, water, moving glass and time work their magic on the surface, every minute bringing me closer to optical eh-its-good-enough".
We have enough members in the club building telescopes that the effort of making these mirror grinding and polishing machines work is well worth it. With any luck, you'll see me at Stellafane next year.
But in order to get there, I need to rework a couple of mirror grinding machines in the club according to specs by the professional optician teaching us.
This means building the right set of mechanical thingies to safely hold glass and tools from 6 to 16-inch diameter optics. According to our optician, we need an aluminum disc the same size as the mirror with a reverse threaded hole in the center of the aluminum disc. This disc will be screwed onto a coupling which is attached to the shaft of the turntable motor.
We are currently working on sourcing the parts, machining, and doing a trial run with a 6-inch mirror. Then I get some blanks, get the curve I need generated to save me hours upon hours with 80 grit hogging out the glass before he can settle down and let the combination of grit, water, moving glass and time work their magic on the surface, every minute bringing me closer to optical eh-its-good-enough".
We have enough members in the club building telescopes that the effort of making these mirror grinding and polishing machines work is well worth it. With any luck, you'll see me at Stellafane next year.