Re: Mirror help please...

Jim,

hopefully you will get some money back from Uncle Sam, one thing to consider is, how much time/effort/$$$ you will spend on shipping, testing, coating, building new tube etc. instead of observing.

Check:
http://www.starmastertelescopes.com/html/10inch_hybrid.htm

and consider one idea - even if you find that the hobby is not for you and on the sale of the SM10 you would loose let's say $800, (maybe the same amount it would cost you to bring your current scope in shape), you would still have the joy of using a perfect scope.
Just ask Floyd what he thinks about the mirror ;-)

The Starmaster 10" f/6 is a heck of a deal really. The cost of building a scope is quite high today. Especially if you are dealing with high quality parts and structure. The cost of the Starmaster is not much different than others and the Zambuto mirror is worth the cost alone. You would never be unsatisfied with this scope. The aperture is more than just the inches of the mirror, it is the quality of the aperture. This 10" mirror is exciting, outstanding and never ceases to amaze me with the performance it delivers.
You could not go wrong with this choice.
There are others out there that are also very good and now there are 7 makers that offer Zambuto mirrors. But there are only 2-3 that are offering the 10" f/6, which I feel is a perfect size and focal ratio.