[LVAS] Mirror Making Part 1

[Fred Rayworth]

MIRROR MAKING
In the next few months/years, I will be writing a series of articles on the fun of mirror making. I’ve made from 3 ½” up to 16” mirrors and loved almost every minute of the process.
I realize most of you will never attempt to make a mirror, and that’s fine. I’ll never buy a Nagler eyepiece, but I still appreciate the technology and how they’re made. Just think of this series as saving you having to buy the book, if you are curious about how it is done.
I will present the process a bit at a time, along with my usual witty narration. So, sit back, relax, and revel in the joys of mirror making. It might change your mind about giving it a try.
INTRODUCTION
There are many reasons to grind and polish your own mirror. I have to say right off that saving money is not necessarily one of them. The cost of the mirror kit and the labor involved go well beyond the actual cost of a brand new commercial mirror. However, you will miss out on the thrill of the process, the pride of a job well done, the tear in the eye as you take your first look at a celestial object in your newly aluminized mirror. You just can’t buy that stuff.
Mirror making isn’t rocket science. It involves a bit of algebra, but if you do end up buying the book, all the formulas are there for the taking, and all you have to do is plug in the numbers. I am the perfect example. I am lousy at math, yet, I made my first mirror when I was in high school. It not only gave me something to do (besides breaking into the local gas station), it taught me patience, which has stayed with me to this day. The ultimate thrill was looking at Venus for the first time and seeing how beautiful it was in my brand spanking new 8” f/9.44 reflector. Not long after that, I made the Antelope Valley Press with photo and a nice long caption. Having had such a lousy time in high school, that bit of publicity made my 1968 junior year brighter.
It all started when my parents bought me my first telescope for Christmas, 1966. It was a 60mm Sears refractor. Besides the mechanical and optical inferiority, it just didn’t show me much in the sky, especially not those Palomar photos that were on the box. Then a friend at school said his dad built telescopes. I asked how big was the largest one, and he said 12 ½”. I thought about that. My Sears refractor was longer than that! Out of curiosity and at his invitation, I came over to his house and met his dad. He took me to the garage and showed me his equatorially mounted 12 ½” f/7 reflector. As I was expecting some little punky scope 12 ½” long, I almost fell flat on the floor. That thing was a monster! He then dragged a smaller scope into the back yard and showed me the Lagoon Nebula. That was an 8” f/6 in a square plywood tube. I actually saw colors including purple and blue. I have never seen color in that nebula since. From that moment on, I knew I had to make my own telescope. His dad helped guide me to an 8” mirror kit from Telescopics, a company sadly now defunct.
Next up, I’ll describe some philosophy and the first steps. 		 	   		  
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