Re: ATM 55 Gal. Drums and Precision Optics !!

["Lawrence D. Lopez" <lopez@mv.mv.com>]

Ken,

        John Dobson doesn't use a barrel because it's a pain in the
        back.  Literally.  Especially when the mirror gets big.

        Basing he builds something with a board, which is supported at both
        ends, about chair height.

        The person grinding sits on the board (straddles it), the mirror
        also sits on the board.

        This works very well.  The weight of the person grinding
        is naturally tends to help the process with no back
        strain.

        Of course a grinding machine certainly seems like a wonderful
        thing.

        Do you finish grinding on a grinding machine ? 

        Larry.

Ken Lowther wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 24 Jul 1997 polaris@gsn.net wrote:
> 
> > OK folks,
> >
> >    I'm about to start working on a 16" mirror project and am
> searching
> > for an empty 55 gal. metal drum to make my grinding stand from. For
> my
> > previous mirror project I made a nice grinding stand but it's not
> stable
> > enough to handle polishing a 16"-er. Where do you find these things?
> > I've called numerous surplus shops and visited a junk yard or two
> but no
> > luck so far. No one I ask seems to know where you can get one. Any
> ideas
> > out there?
> 
> Many places turn their barrels over to companies that "recycle" them.
> Many have to be cleaned before they can be reused.
> 
> But forget the barrel.  Seriously consider building a machine.
> Griniding
> ain't to bad but drag froma 12 inch mirror is more than I could do by
> hand.  You may be younger and stronger, but....
> 
> Ken Lowther
> s0109366@cc.ysu.edu
> Youngstown, Ohio  USA

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