[ATM] first light

[Guy Brandenburg <gfbrandenburg@yahoo.com>]

Yahoo! I just had first light - sort of (it was
daytime and cloudy) with a 12.2" f/6 classic
truss-tube Dobsonian that I made (much like the Kriege
* Berry models), and have been working on very slowly
for a number of years. Can't see anything tonight,
either, because it's snowing. But I did see some trees
earlier on. The balance works. Got it reasonably well
collimated. The thing I was really worried about was
whether I would cut the poles too short. But they
appear to be fine. I didn't make the mirror, but,
rather, traded a large lens blank of really fine glass
for it (and some other stuff) a few years ago. The
plywood is nowhere near as fine as advocated by Kriege
and Berry; that was too rich for my tastes, which run
to eyepieces that cost under $60, for example.
However, I think it looks pretty nice (but nowhere
near nice enough to win any prizes at Stellafane!).

The project was a lot of fun, and it forced me to
become more proficient with a few more wood-working
and metal-working tools.

I'll post some photos later, after the film is
developed and I get a copy put on a CD. I don't have a
digital camera!

But the bad weather you cannot blame on me; it was
here before I finished it.

Guy B

=====
Guy  Brandenburg
Washington, DC
My home page:
http://home.earthlink.net/~gfbranden/GFB_Home_Page.html
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