ATM low tech, cheap mirror support:

["Charvell" <charvell@sofnet.com>]

Take a triangle and drill a hole in the appropriate center of balance. Make
the hole slightly (about two sizes) larger than a standard brass toilet
bolt. insert the toilet bolt from the top and place the rounded brass nut
with the rounded end facing up onto the shaft and spin it up so it just
barely contacts the aluminum triangle. Take this assembly and screw the bolt
into the appropriate place on the mount and tighten it so it is secure but
using the rounded nut as a jam nut. You now have a very accurate pivot point
and the toilet bolt heads are very flat so they don't stick up above the
triangle much at all (low profile). You can also grind the bolt heads so
they are just slightly larger than the hole.

For the three points on the triangle, use a large fender washer with a hole
diameter a little larger than the screw you intend to use (a tapered screw
made for countersinking).
. Tap the triangle corner holes for this screw and use a lock nut (the kind
that are rounded on one side) the same way you did the triangle base. Cut
rubber washers to glue onto these metal washers or if you used a large
enough washer you can add a three point contact to them increasing your
points three fold. About as high tech as I like to get and brass doesn't
rust  {:o])

Now if you support the edge of the mirror properly the whole assembly can
ever so slightly move and there is absolutely no drag on the back of the
mirror when tilted.

I made one of these in an 18 point design for my 16" mirror and by using
appropriate sized washers, was able to increase it to a 54 point design very
easily.

To keep from pinching the mirror when the scope is rotated downward I used a
octagonal shaped assembly with all the intersections of the angle stock
screwed together so they can all "just" move i.e.: Drill your holes in the
exact center and at each end of each piece of angle stock. now bolt all the
ends together so you have a moving octagonal structure. Place your pivot
blocks or points at 8 equal distance points around the mirror housing using
the 8 center drilled holes (don't use the mirror cell to bolt this to. It
should stay separate). Now you should have an octagonal shaped
(sling/structure) around your mirror. At each of the 8 points where the two
pieces of angle stock intersect place a mirror support block using the bolt
that is there and a piece of angle stock with an adjustment screw. The
entire sling can be tweaked so it just barely touches the mirror at all 8
points. Just tighten all the points up the same amount and one at a time
until you have the desired snug fit utilizing a very thin rubber pad at the
contact points.

When the scope is tilted, the mirror will begin to exert pressure at the
lowest points. Since all the points in the edge cell are preventing all the
other points from moving the weight is distributed evenly along the lower
points while some of the upper edge supports are helping to support the
mirror also, thereby adding to the distribution of the weight and pinching
is prevented.

Works for me.

Herb Watson
Lamar, Mo.