Help - please?

Started by DansWifeKat, 07/08/2013 01:46PM
Posted 07/08/2013 01:46PM Opening Post
Hi. Not at all sure this is the correct place to post this? I am cleaning out my husband's shop, he died very unexpectedly a bit ago. In addition to observing, he enjoyed building his own scopes. I have uncovered several mirror blanks, sizes 17 x 1.5, 12.5 x 2, 8 x 1.25. I believe there may be one or two more. I also believe they are Pyrex blanks and that he purchased them in the 80/90s.

Don't know if I should try and sell them, give them away or just throw them away? The two larger ones appear to be in the original shipping crates. I have pictures ...

Thank you.
Kathleen






Posted 07/08/2013 02:11PM #1
Kathleen,

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss.

Don't throw them away! Corning no longer makes Pyrex, so such blanks are in demand and there is a robust market for them. A search of Astromart classifieds would help you come up with reasonable prices. Even quality plate glass blanks would have a market.

If you have the original shipping crates, it would also be useful to know where they were purchased.

Clear skies, Alan
Posted 07/08/2013 10:34PM | Edited 07/08/2013 10:35PM #2
Kathleen Wickles said:

Hi. Not at all sure this is the correct place to post this? I am cleaning out my husband's shop, he died very unexpectedly a bit ago. In addition to observing, he enjoyed building his own scopes. I have uncovered several mirror blanks, sizes 17 x 1.5, 12.5 x 2, 8 x 1.25. I believe there may be one or two more. I also believe they are Pyrex blanks and that he purchased them in the 80/90s.

Don't know if I should try and sell them, give them away or just throw them away? The two larger ones appear to be in the original shipping crates. I have pictures ...

Thank you.
Kathleen

Hi Kathleen:

Sorry to hear about your loss. You can sell the blanks here on Astromart. The 17 inch blank should be worth at least a few hundred dollars:

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=776384

Make sure to include the shipping cost, which will be substantial, in your asking price (unless you are lucky enough to find a local buyer.) If selling and shipping the blanks seems like too much hassle, you can probably find a local astronomy club that would be happy to have them. I certainly would hate to see you throw them away!

If you do decide to sell them, the classified ads here on Astromart will reach a much broader and safer astronomy-oriented audience than any non-astronomy specific auction site.

Best wishes, Jim
Posted 07/09/2013 12:06AM #3
By far the best place to sell such things is here on Astromart. The Classifieds have a "Telescope Making" category.

Clear skies, Alan
Posted 07/10/2013 12:36AM #4
Kathleen…

Please allow me to also express my sympathy for your husband's passing. I agree that Astromart is your best bet if you want to sell the mirror blanks.

There are a couple of other things to think about:
1. In addition to the mirror blanks, your husband probably had other things in his workshop related to mirror grinding such as tools, abrasives, etc. I don't grind mirrors so I can't tell you everything you should look for, but it's probably there somewhere. We have a club member who used to be a part-time professional mirror maker. He had turned his entire garage into a mirror shop. He had three machines that did the initial grinding, a setup to test mirrors, and lots of other tools, gadgets, and supplies. Depending on how much your husband put into this activity, he could have a little or a lot of this type of stuff.
2. Did your husband have any friends who also did mirror grinding and/or did he belong to a local astronomy club? These people may be able to help you sort all this out. Even if he didn't belong to a club, they may still be able to help you.
3. If you are interested in donating the mirrors and other stuff, I suggest contacting the people I mentioned in #2.

I hope this helps.

Fred