Re: ATM Sky instruments or other cheap 10" mirror -- opinions?

[Nik Cain <nikcain@yahoo.co.uk>]

Why not buy a cheap probably crummy mirror, build the telescope (which will be
tricky enough to get really smooth), and then when you're really fed up with
the quality of the commercial mirror (and have learnt how to test it), refigure
it yourself. You'll have two 'upgrade' steps then instead of one!

nik

 --- Dave Strout <dstrout@megapathdsl.net> wrote: > 
> 
> Bought a cheap ETX-60 for $109 and am loving it, but not having a lot of
> luck getting the messiers.  Soooo, I was going to take a local mirror
> making class & make either an 8" F6 or a 10" F5.  Price was $125 - $150
> + $20 to aluminize.  Then I flip through the back of Sky & Telescope &
> see an 8" F6 from Sky Instruments for $210.  For the $75 difference, it
> seems hardly worth it to grind my own.
> 
> So my question is two part -- 1.)  how do these cheaper mirrors stack up
> to what a newbie can grind, and 2.)  What other source of 8"-12" cheap
> mirrors do you know of?
> 
> thanks,
> dave.
> -- 
> "Engineering is the art of making things you want out of things you can
> get" 
> 
> Dave Strout  dstrout@megapathdsl.net
>  

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