Re: [ATM] VIVA towels protect optical surfaces?

[Douglas Hudgins <hudginsclan@mac.com>]

It is certainly a good idea to talk with the coater as they have lots  
of experience and may be able to provide guidance.  However, one  
should also bear in mind that simply because they ship lots of  
mirrors does not mean that they are necessarily thorough and  
conscientious.

Consider: I once purchased a 24" mirror from Steve Swayze.  When  
Steve finished the mirror, he shipped it to the coater and then they  
shipped it to me.  They packed it in a cardboard box with a few  
layers of cardboard padding along the edges and a couple of extra  
layers of cardboard above and below.  The shipping company (Airborne  
Express) delivered a box of broken glass to my house.  Airborne  
Express refused to pay up on the insurance (their position: the  
packing was insufficient; its the shipper's fault)  and the coater  
refused to accept any responsibility (their position: the packaging  
was adequate; its the shipping company's fault).  That box of glass  
is sitting in my garage to this day.  In the end, Steve came through  
with another mirror for me, but he took it in the neck.  Not fair,  
but in the end cheaper than trying to recover the money through a  
(interstate) law suit.

Bottom Line: The coating company apparently felt it had no  
responsibility beyond applying a thin layer of metal atoms to the  
face of the blank.  It was no skin off their nose if the mirror got  
broken.

Now, I believe that the above cavalier attitude is the exception  
rather than the rule in the businesses we deal with, but its always  
safer not to assume that a company has your best interests at heart.

Just a word of caution...

Doug




On Jul 11, 2007, at 4:03 PM, Jeff Rowe wrote:

> Friends;
> I think our packing solutions are contingent on the size of our  
> optics.
> Spectrum Coatings has some good suggestions on how they want to  
> receive
> work. What works great for a 32" mirror might not be the cats meow  
> for a
> 6" mirror. IIRC Spectrum recommends making a box of cut  foam with a
> central  cutout that is the same size as the mirror.  If the optic was
> placed in a plastic garbage bag I seriously its figure would be  
> altered
> as long as the bag was free of CEROX or other polishing compound  
> and the
> bag was not in contact with the optic. Two boxes OK, plastic packing
> peanuts are a bane for anyone receiving our treasure. My humble
> suggestion would be to contact your coater and listen to their  
> suggestions.
> Regards
>
> JR
>
> Bob May wrote:
>
>> Andy, I aree with your specs.  I usually do scrrew in clamps to
>> hold a mirror in place  that hold the mirror in place on a board
>> and then put the board in a wood box.  The box is usually  two by
>> fours Ior deeper as neededO for the sides and three quarter thick
>> plywood for the top and bottom with the bottom also glued in
>> place.  Good long screws of plentiful quantity hold the top in
>> place and everything gets indexed with magic marker so that it
>> will go back together the same way.
>> Thenb this all goes into a larger cardboard box so that UPS will
>> have something to bust up.  Don't forget to put in a return
>> address sticker and the address where you are sending it on the
>> wood box. Don't use paper but rather use peanuts of the
>> industrial strength in the paper box.
>> Bob May
>> Due to the large volume of SPAM thaat I'm getting, add an open
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>> your post~
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>> http: slash /bobmay dot astronomy.net
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>>
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