ATM FREE TELESCOPE TUBES!

[David Sleeter <sleete19@idt.net>]

I just discovered a source of free aluminum telescope tubes. The copier 
repairman replaced the drum in the office copier today and was about to 
take the old drum with him, when I noticed that it was made of aluminum 
and asked him what he did with them. He said when they saved up enough of 
them to make it worth the trip, they took them to the scrap yard.

I asked him if I could keep it, and he said sure. It has a couple of 
press fit end caps which I popped off by reaching through from the 
opposite ends and tapping a few times with a metal rod. It has a red 
plastic "organic" coating, which I removed by wiping with a wad of paper 
towels soaked in MEK, and I now hold in my hand, a beautiful, thin walled 
3" dia. shiny aluminum tube 13-1/2" long; perfect for a 3" RFT or 
finderscope. Not only that, but it looks REALLY NICE.

The copier repairman says he scraps out probably 100 of these every year 
ranging in size from 2" dia. all the way to 12" and in lengths ranging 
from 12" to maybe 18". The bigger ones would be perfect for 
Schmidt-Cassegrians and Schmidt cameras.

I offered to pay him double the scrap price, which will amount to about a 
dollar a pound, and he's going to start saving them for me. The only 
question about all of this is what the coating on the drums is made of. 
Since scrap yards accept them, I assume that they are non-toxic, but just 
to be safe, I was careful when removing the coating not to get any on my 
hands. I then allowed the used towel to dry and placed it in a zip lock 
plastic bag in the trash. 

Call your local copier repair shops and see if you can make a deal with 
them to buy their scrapped aluminum drums. It could be a good deal for 
both of you.

Dave Sleeter 

  
-- 
Life is short and the path is often unclear.
It is a great sin to knowingly contribute to someone's confusion.