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Re: [ATM] List "reference material"

Bob,

It is impossible to write in a style that is perfectly understood by 
everyone, or that appeals to every audience.  Some people in my group don't 
really get much out of reading, and need the hands-on demonstration, social 
exchange with others, and contact with a live "teacher".  Others would 
rather read about it and then go home and do it by themselves.

Grinding seems relatively easy to understand and produce a sphere within the 
limits of the grain size and mechanical measurement.  Polishing with pitch 
is trickier, but there is soon a surface which can be tested optically, and 
gross misshapes corrected without much wasted labor.  Figuring seems to be 
where people get frustrated both in concepts and in the practice of the art. 
Figuriing is where experience plays the big role.  An expanson of that 
section of your treatise would be of great value to the "readers and doers"

Stuart Hutchins


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob May" <bobmay@nethere.com>
To: <atm@atmlist.net>
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 1:13 PM
Subject: Re: [ATM] List "reference material"


> The article is now several years old for a basic article (it has been 
> slowly
> added to and modified when poeple have written about problems and things
> that they didn't understand) and the weakest part that I see now with the
> article is the quick discussion on the figuring of the mirror.  I need to 
> do
> some work on that area with the various strokes and when to use them to 
> get
> that perfect final figure.
> The article is pretty much written the way that I talk (Issac Asimov spoke
> of that being the best way to write) and is indeed a bit more folksy than
> some stuff that I've seen.  It does get the point across as you have
> mentioned although it is a bit more wordy than others.  It is also built 
> to
> wander about through it rather than as a book where each section is listed
> as such.  I may end up doing an index for it some day as some sections are
> rather buried in other parts of the text.  After all, it is a work in
> constant, if slow, progress.
> Bob May
> bobmay@nethere.com
> http://nav.to/bobmay
> http://bobmay.astronomy.net

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