A few months ago I found a trash pile at work that appeared to have a couple of large Newtonian objectives on top (I work in a physics department, so this is not overly strange.) After doing the initial double-take I found a ruler and went back for a closer look. They were 13" and 9", and both were mounted in adjustable cells. However, the cells didn't look like anything that was supposed to go at the end of a tube. I wasn't completely sure that these were being discarded, so I asked a friend in the Astrophysics group to inquire for me. Eventually, I got the word that these were indeed trash, but by this time the 13" mirror had disappeared. Since I already have a 10" scope I wasn't thrilled with taking the 9", but my friend convinced me it could be used to fund my eyepiece habit, so I grabbed the mirror and stuck it in the corner of my office
...Fast forward to present day...
I am now getting ready to move across the country, so figured it is time to get rid of all my junk. Since I don't have a Foucault tester handy, I figured I would just sell this glass as a blank and let the buyer have a pleasant surprise if the figure happens to be good. Still, to be thorough, I wanted to post the focal ratio so they buyer would know what kind of curve they were getting. Here is the punchline...this thing is completely flat! I think I might have an optical flat on my hands. IIRC, flats are worth a lot more than curved mirrors, correct? By how much? More importantly, how can I confirm that it is indeed an optical flat and check the quality? I don't want to sell this thing and screw the buyer over if it happens to have a crappy surface. Most of the reflective coating is missing (about 80%), but otherwise it looks like the surface is in pretty good shape. That protective layer of dust must have worked. Any suggestions for how to get rid of this thing?
...Fast forward to present day...
I am now getting ready to move across the country, so figured it is time to get rid of all my junk. Since I don't have a Foucault tester handy, I figured I would just sell this glass as a blank and let the buyer have a pleasant surprise if the figure happens to be good. Still, to be thorough, I wanted to post the focal ratio so they buyer would know what kind of curve they were getting. Here is the punchline...this thing is completely flat! I think I might have an optical flat on my hands. IIRC, flats are worth a lot more than curved mirrors, correct? By how much? More importantly, how can I confirm that it is indeed an optical flat and check the quality? I don't want to sell this thing and screw the buyer over if it happens to have a crappy surface. Most of the reflective coating is missing (about 80%), but otherwise it looks like the surface is in pretty good shape. That protective layer of dust must have worked. Any suggestions for how to get rid of this thing?