[ATM] meade saturn scope

["j h" <quantemlp@hotmail.com>]

Hello to all,

this is just some feedback on a scope I have on loan and a question about 
it.  A good friend of ours purchased a Meade Saturn 4.5" f/8 scope off of a 
shop at home tv show.  They paid pretty  good money for it too.  He past 
away now 3 years ago and the wife lent it to me until her kids are a little 
bit older (oldest is 5 now).  She realy doesnt know anything about the scope 
and I being in cubscouts she felt that I could use it for a while and then 
teach her kids about it.  Anyways, I took it apart, dusted it down. First 
thing I noticed was the secondary was in a enclosure that gobled up 1/16 to 
1/8 of an inch all the way around the secondary and for the most part, 
floated in there,,, ewwwww. Took that apart and put it together with some 
silicone and got rid of that nasty enclosure.  Second and the sadist part of 
this,  I took the mirror out,  Cleaned it down with some optical cleaning 
stuff I have here, and dried it.  After letting it cool for a few hours, I 
threw it onto my ronchi tester just for giggles.  found the focal to be not 
a f/8 but a close f/7.97.  I also found that the mirror although spherical, 
has a turned down edge.  The mirror has lost its luster, its nice reflective 
surface also on most of it is gone.  Kinda looks like it wasnt polished out 
all the way though.   Anyways, any suggestions?
   I am kinda thinking about grinding it down to remove the finish with a 30 
or 15 micro, and then a 9 and into polishing.  Once that is in a nice sphere 
minus the TDE, pull it into a parabolic shape.  thoughts?? comments??  I can 
send it off with my 2 - 12" mirrors once they are completed if I take this 
path.  is that the correct step? or would it be simply going to a lap, and 
polish the silver off and remove the TDE.

Thanks and clear skys

Charles Federico.


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