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cirrusCategory All / General Furry Art
Species Bear (Other)
Size 570 x 482px
File Size 138 kB
LOL!
Oh, have I been there (in RL).
Me: "But dad... it's a C-14! Do you know how awesome these are?"
Dad: "Do your chores and we'll talk."
Me: "About the scope?"
Dad: "No, about how much you'll get in your allowance to pay for it yourself. It will teach you the value of money."
...so, "F" that! I went and built my own
Oh, have I been there (in RL).
Me: "But dad... it's a C-14! Do you know how awesome these are?"
Dad: "Do your chores and we'll talk."
Me: "About the scope?"
Dad: "No, about how much you'll get in your allowance to pay for it yourself. It will teach you the value of money."
...so, "F" that! I went and built my own
A Newtonian reflector, with an 8 inch aperture.
I've also constructed a 16 inch mirror from the glass of an old ships porthole, but the surface didn't polish out like I wanted. I'm planning to re-do the surface.
Then I've got two unused 8 inch mirrors boxed, which I'm thinking of making into a binocular telescope (when I have time though).
One of these day's I'd love to try making lenses for a refractor.
I've also constructed a 16 inch mirror from the glass of an old ships porthole, but the surface didn't polish out like I wanted. I'm planning to re-do the surface.
Then I've got two unused 8 inch mirrors boxed, which I'm thinking of making into a binocular telescope (when I have time though).
One of these day's I'd love to try making lenses for a refractor.
Really it's not that hard. It's just patience.
Start out with two round pieces of glass (one Pyrex mirror blank and the other plate glass, which will be your tool) and appropriate metallic grinding abrasives (called grits). We use water to keep the material moist. I could probably send you a note with links to suppliers if you like?
A bit of the right size metal grit (starts out the size of course beach sand and works down to fine grits that remind one of talcum powder). Then, you put a polishing surface on the glass tool (made of either a special rubber/plastic or refined pine tree pitch) and that's where you make the parabolic surface.
The last process (depending on the original rough grind) can take from 2 hours to 40).
If you've got a local observatory/science center, or even a good long standing astronomy club, they maybe able to help.
In the SF Bay Area, there's a place called Chabot Space & Science Center. I paid a visit to it once when I was visiting my folks. They have a telescope workshop on Friday nights. There's no charge to go in, get help or to use the facility to work on your mirrors. I'm usually not a name-dropper, but this place was awesome - they've been building scopes at this workshop for years!
Start out with two round pieces of glass (one Pyrex mirror blank and the other plate glass, which will be your tool) and appropriate metallic grinding abrasives (called grits). We use water to keep the material moist. I could probably send you a note with links to suppliers if you like?
A bit of the right size metal grit (starts out the size of course beach sand and works down to fine grits that remind one of talcum powder). Then, you put a polishing surface on the glass tool (made of either a special rubber/plastic or refined pine tree pitch) and that's where you make the parabolic surface.
The last process (depending on the original rough grind) can take from 2 hours to 40).
If you've got a local observatory/science center, or even a good long standing astronomy club, they maybe able to help.
In the SF Bay Area, there's a place called Chabot Space & Science Center. I paid a visit to it once when I was visiting my folks. They have a telescope workshop on Friday nights. There's no charge to go in, get help or to use the facility to work on your mirrors. I'm usually not a name-dropper, but this place was awesome - they've been building scopes at this workshop for years!
I think the cheapest is between $120 to $250 (depends on the company and the diameter of the glass). Most, but not all, come with the abrasives.
Let me look at the links I tend to visit (between tonight and tomorrow afternoon Pacific Time) and I'll see what I can dig up for you. I'll post it as a note through FA.
As a good reference book (assuming a library has it) is a book called "Handbook for Telescope Making" by Neil Howard. Outside of the 3 volume "Telescope Making" books put out by Scientific American many years back, the book by Howard is what I would recommend. Of course, you could always check Amazon as well.
Other books include Richard Berry's book on "Build Your Own Telescope."
Check with the Columbus group too. They may have members who've built their own scopes.
In the mean time, let me get some info together for you and I'll drop you a note.
MP
Let me look at the links I tend to visit (between tonight and tomorrow afternoon Pacific Time) and I'll see what I can dig up for you. I'll post it as a note through FA.
As a good reference book (assuming a library has it) is a book called "Handbook for Telescope Making" by Neil Howard. Outside of the 3 volume "Telescope Making" books put out by Scientific American many years back, the book by Howard is what I would recommend. Of course, you could always check Amazon as well.
Other books include Richard Berry's book on "Build Your Own Telescope."
Check with the Columbus group too. They may have members who've built their own scopes.
In the mean time, let me get some info together for you and I'll drop you a note.
MP
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