Posts Made By: Steven Gorkowski

Hi Doug

Much of this you may have done but I will list it anyway. I have not polished with zirconium oxide but i would press more and make the polish times shorter. Mix your zirconium oxide to just a light haze in the water. If this did not help I would go to a harder pitch but only as a last resort.

Hi

I have had all my mirrors coated with it and cleans great. I keep my mirrors inside in the house so I don't know about storage in a garage. My first mirror is 3 yrs old as good as the day I had it coated. Well and the price umm the other mirror makers are lets say much higher. Also if you want to come back later and refigure as your mirror making skills get even better you don't have a ton of money in the coating. That is the great thing about making your own . Don't take my word look at the picture.

Experts predict something they are sure to be wrong

Great review. I think most of his optics are surplus over stock Edmund optics. I bought a pair of 30mm eyepieces and love them. You can't find a nicer guy. I have attached a picture of the Rini 30s on the binonewt I am building from a Russian range finder that Paul sold me on Astomart. Would like to see his Astro toybox

Steve

Hi

I would stay away from plastic gears. I would go to a two round plywood circles with a ribed rubber banding around it to make up the gears.

Steve

Why is it OK for a lessor cost EP to have poor off-axis performance where an expensive EP must perform to a much higher standard?

Polish time on lens = $ It takes more time olishing to get a good edge so the cost goes up. I think they know that a $50 eyepiece will not have a real sharp sharp edge like $200 eyepieces.

The EP is either good or bad or in between, but money is not the consideration when evaluating products is it?

If the review is for one that costs over $120 I just skip over it. I know I will not be buying it. I run slower scopes for a reason cheaper eyepieces.

So, is a $50 EP a better deal with a 20% soft edge and other aberrations than a $100 EP with 5% or less?
Should an EP that performs well at f/10 but poorly at f/4.3 be rated as very good or rated as good at f/10?
Where exactly do we draw the line between cost and quality?

I never really trusted reviews much anyway. You would be better off going to a star party and put it to a test.

Steve

I would go for a 8" f8 or higher and you may want to try your hand at grinding the mirror yourself.
Nothing really beats a long F/L scope for planets.

Steve

You may want to look into BVC glass. Closer to a ceramic.

Steve

I think if you get a Swayze you will be happy. He helped me refigure a 8" f7 and he knows his stuff. I know other mirror makers are out there that make good mirrors.