Re: Another ATM scope sees the light of day....err night :-)

[Malcolm Macdonald <toliman@wave.co.nz>]

>My 10" f5.8 had it's official first light tonight.   My only regret is the
large number
>of scratches in the glass.  In the second-to-last figuring session I
>contaminated my full sized lap while I was trying to scuff it up with a
>wire brush. I think it picked up some rust.  (Another lesson learned.) 
>-Buck
>
This happened to me too, recently. A whole lot of scratches appeared and the
only thing I could think of to blame was a wire brush that I had just used
to scuffed the lap. It was an unused brush that I had bought special for the
job, to avoid contamination. I hadn't finished polishing so went back to a
fine grind, and have now almost finished figuring with no further scratches.
 Buck, your post has confirmed my suspicion that wire brushes (even new
ones) shed, something.
 The question is now, how to treat the brush to remove rust or any other
contaminant. Soak it in oil? Perhaps some of the chemists on the list could
suggest a treatment that would sterilise the brush without creating a new
problem.  Do they make stainless steel brushes???
  Although scratches are not the end of the world, I think most of us know
how disheartening it is when they appear at the end of the process, (and it
always seems to happen then) after all that painstaking work.
  Malcolm.
===================================================
Malcolm Macdonald.
Rotorua / New Zealand.

The trouble with experience is, you always get it after you need it.