How to Grind a Mirror (40min Video)

Wanna make a scope? Or better still, grind a mirror yourself. Or, you have some good tips in making a really useful accessory? This is the place to show what your hands can do...
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Gary
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How to Grind a Mirror (40min Video)

Post by Gary »

Amazing. Aperture fever anyone? :)

[video width=640 height=390]http://www.youtube.com/v/p0iyRgRhvLk&hl=en_US&rel=0[/video]
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
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"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
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andeelym
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Post by andeelym »

Frankly too deep for me to understand most of it.

I'd just buy a mirror off from the experts if I ever get to that.
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orly_andico
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Post by orly_andico »

this is true if

1) the mirror you want is small-ish

or

2) you have really deep pockets

in the past people ground mirrors as small as 4.5" or 6" -- in fact Mark Harry got his start as a boutique mirror maker by making his own long-focus small planetary mirrors.

but today anything <= 12 inches, you're probably better off buying. You can buy mass-market, or boutique (Royce, Lockwood, Zambuto, Mark Harry speaking-of-the-devil, Mike Spooner..) and the prices won't be out-of-this-world (I guess for Singaporeans.. I only bought a 10" commodity mirror long ago back in Manila because a 10" Royce was out of my budget).

another option is get a 16" commodity mirror and have it refigured. still cheaper than buying new from a boutique vendor.

above 16" -- unless you have tons of cash, grinding your own begins to become attractive.
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