Re: ATM Amatuer vacuum coatings.

["Michael J. Coslo" <mjc5@psu.edu>]

At 7:33 AM -0700 04/08/1999, Steve Krause wrote:
>I am interested in seeing what goes into it.  I work at a school district
>and am planning on getting the kids involved in building telescopes.  I
>hope to have a grinding workshop occasionally plus grinding a 24" mirror
>for the school.  If we are going to do a number of mirrors, it might be
>worth our while!

        You might also be interested in silvering the mirrors. This process
is easier, much less expensive, and doesn't have quite the learning curve.
It also involves chemistry, so the kids could get more of a
multi-disciplinary approach. The silver doesn't last as long as an aluminum
coating, but with proper care (like don't cook eggs around it, and don't
set it up next to a coal-fired power plant, the results can be very nice.

        - Mike -