(ATM) Re: Mirror Hold-down Force

Mel Bartels (mbartels@efn.org)
Tue, 1 Aug 1995 16:28:04 -0700 (PDT)

Interesting idea. Reminds me of the old timers that would (justify) partial correction because during cool-down, the mirror looks overcorrected. However, isn't it easier in the long run to make the mirror 'right' in the first place? Along the same lines, it is possible to add weights in order to pull down certain sections of the mirror. I tried this once on a large thin undercorrected mirror, and it worked great, except that the correction varied depending on angle, and getting the cord that held the weight to move smoothly with no friction proved impossible. I was able to adjust correction (though, as I just alluded, in an inconsistent manner) by 2 waves. It took about 15 lbs to do this.