Re: [ATM] Life on the edge

[Mike Lockwood <melockwo@uiuc.edu>]

Hi,

ArtfulBodger wrote:
> But here's the thing: I can't get the edge clean.  The cerium -- 
> regular or super -- sticks better than paint.  I guess there's no 
> reason why the edge has to be all sparkly bright; I just want it to be.
> The cerium slurry drools over the edge and stays there, and however 
> hard I scrub, the white stains remain.  So.  Hmm.  The diamond hone 
> would clean things up fine, but I'm not going anywhere near that 
> mirror with a diamond abrasive.
> Or is there a simpler way I'm overlooking?  Or should I just not 
> bother?  I'll appreciate your suggestions.

I use one of those green scouring pads that people use for cleaning 
pots, etc.  Set the mirror up on edge and work around it.  With a 
little elbow grease, the cerium comes off.  Just don't scour the 
mirror surface, obviously.

If you have a rough mirror edge, you could wet sand it with sandpaper 
before you start grinding/polishing.  The smoother it is, the easier 
the cerium comes off.

I see lots of commercial mirrors in telescopes with cerium still on 
the edges, but I don't like that look on my mirrors.  Just seems 
careless, though as pointed out it does little harm.

	Mike Lockwood


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