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Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

January 3, 2004 05:55 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Lightweight Rigid Portable Inexpensive Pier

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Although I do most of my observing with a 16 inch dob, I decided to refurbish an 8 inch newt that I had made as a kid. To make the pier for my old edmund mount and drive, I purchased an aluminum tube from a metal company for $15.00. I notched-out the top of the tube with a hacksaw and dropped the mount into it and sealed it with two tubes of JB weld. The legs of the pier are available from Home Depot exactly as you see them for $9.00 apiece and are large "L" brackets used to attach book shelves to walls. I attached castors with levelers to each leg which are sold by Apogee( three for $16.00)The aluminum-pier tube is about 30 inches tall with a quarter inch wall thickness and weighs only eleven lbs. It's very rigid but my nine year-old daughter can push it with her fingertips. All of these materials are easily obtainable and may be considered by ATMers for future projects.

January 25, 2004 06:40 PM Forum: Telescope Making

Stargazer Steve Conversion Project

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Steve,
Nice work on your dob. I've seen similar designs on a 6" dob from a semi-pro, and your work reminds me of his fine scopes. Enjoy it and thanks for sharing!

January 26, 2004 08:02 PM Forum: Telescope Making

ota weights for Newt.

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Ben,
I have one of these on an 8" newt that I am currently refurbishing. It was made by Novak and he will probably make one for you if you can contact him. I don't have his phone number at my fingertips but someone who reads this forum probably does. I purchased the sliding counterweights many years ago so I don't know his current pricing.

March 22, 2004 09:38 PM Forum: Telescope Making

Grinding Tips

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Rick,
Get the book, "All About Telescopes" from Edmund Scientific. It will walk you through the process and includes foucalt masks you can cut-out or duplicate and are most-helpful in the figuring stage. It also includes the actual appearance of the markings/lines from a foucalt tester for a 6" F-8 mirror. This was my top pick for a text on mirror-making many years ago when I made a 6" F-8 and an 8"F-6. I was pleased to find it's still in print and I just ordered one for myself. Thompson's, "Making Your Own Telescope" is very good and is back in print from Sky Publishing (Sky and Telescope).

April 23, 2004 02:27 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Re: The best pitch for polishing a mirror

Posted By Rod Kaufman
"All About Telescopes" from Edmund recommends Burgundy pitch and shows how to make a pitch lap with individual squares. You could also contact Newportglassworks as they sell optical grade pitch and ask for their recommendation.

April 27, 2004 12:39 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Enterprise Optics

Posted By Rod Kaufman
I called Ed Beck awhile ago and he did return my call promptly so I am abit surprised he didn't get back to you. I notice his ad states," Expect long waits and high prices". I couldn't believe he actually placed that statement in his ad but at least he's being honest. I hope there's nothing physically wrong with Ed. It does make me nervous when I deal with a single person who is essentially their own company because if something happens to the individual, you are left in a difficult situation.

July 1, 2004 09:59 PM Forum: Telescope Making

A Tale of 2 Secondaries

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Bob,
I would like to know what type of defect you are seeing in the star test.
You could utilize a ronchi eyepiece which might help. If you see a defect with it, you could rotate the primary 90 degrees and the defect should rotate 90 degrees as well. If the defect doesn't rotate with the primary, the secondary is at fault.

July 10, 2004 03:14 PM Forum: Telescope Making

Can fans be run off of 9 volts?

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Ian,
I had a fan kit purchased from Discovery that used a 9 volt battery: the same type of battery used in most smoke detectors. I've sold the 12.5" truss dob that had the kit but as I recall, the fan attached to the rear of the cell with two wires extending to the battery with a snap-in connector. It was super-compact with almost no added weight. It's probably just the thing you are looking for. The battery was attached with a small clip screwed onto the inside of the mirror box. No heavy batteries or recharges necessary.

July 16, 2004 03:28 AM Forum: Telescope Making

cost effective?

Posted By Rod Kaufman
Mark,
Yes it certainly can be more cost effective to purchase a manufactured scope that works right out of the box. There are many decent units available from an array of vendors.
I think some of us enjoy building the scopes for the joy of creating and optimizing a fine instrument. It may cost more to do this although some have created cost-cutting methods as well and have simplified the construction and portability of a scope while using quality components. You have the choice and good luck with your scope!

October 12, 2004 12:23 AM Forum: Telescope Making

What is the garbage on my primary?

Posted By Rod Kaufman
John,
Since most amateurs only (and correctly) clean their mirrors on an occasional basis, it's possible you may have not seen the water spots that could have formed on the mirror as it dried. Later, while peering down at it from a different angle, the spots have become more visible to you.
I think you may have to re-clean the mirror. I hope it's not a case of over-aggressive cleaning and damage to the coatings.
I took my dob to my usual observing site at Mt Pinos, Ca back in June. I had just cleaned the primary but the following morning it was covered with yellow spots! As it turned-out, the pine trees were pollinating like crazy! I mean they were really going at it! It was like an orgy up there and there were dust explosions everywhere! You would'nt believe the sh*t that got on my mirror!
Stuff happens...

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