crashtestdummy

theres a few decent areas up near petersfield and the new forest,both about 30-45 mins away then maybe a bi monthly trip to Dartmoor/Exmoor or isle of wight. I have a similar grasp of mirror grinding jargon ,im just well practiced ;)

have updated with some better pictures of the curve :)

It's just shadow from the angle,it's pretty uniform all the way round :) will try nd get some better pics or a pic with the tool on the edge

may pop up some time early next week if that's ok?i actually have some old tiles in the garage that wer can have a look at using if you like although probably better just to sort some mosaic tiles.may be having Friday off,if so will try and sort some out :) thinking I may definitely go for 12.5mm to make sure as its only another hour and a half grinding.

Well as per, ive not had much time to grind but ive made the most of the time I have and im now just short of the 12mm sagittal that I was aiming for!!! Im still in two minds if I should go a little deeper before I cast my tile tool as its much easier to shallow the sphere off during second stage grinding than it is to deepen it if I go too shallow(need to cast a new tile tool and re hog out the depth again).My target sagittal for my focal length is 9.75mm so hopefully 2.25mm is enough extra depth to get me through second stage grinding but I may go to 12.5mm for extra security.the curve doesn't show up well in camphone photos but it looks amazing to the naked eye!!!!hopefully by the end of next week I will have cast a tile tool and started grinding with it :) 11.5mm nice curve curve doesn't quite show in photos close to 40 hours hogging to get to this point!! tbh the hardest parts are yet to come.While hogging out is hard work its not particularly intellectual, anyone can do it with a bit of practice but the next stage will involve interpreting a ronchi screen to tell me if im grinding right so its a bit scary. Big changes are afoot in my life too as im moving from west Yorkshire to Portsmouth to be with the gf full time so we are currently house hunting but think we have found a nice detatched bungalow with a garage which will be my grinding den!!this will put me further away from my mirror knowledge support base so may need to make a few trips back up north every now and again for council :) nearly 6000 views now,well humbled.hope everyone keeps looking and hope to have another update in a week or so :) clear skies Rich addition: a better set of pictures showing the curve as it looked to have a flat/turned down edge in other pics

Well after what seems like an eternity,ive finally broken through 10mm depth of sagittal on my 22" grind!!!another 2mm or so to go which will hopefully be done by the end of the weekend and its tile tool time.been some clear skies this last week or so and with virgo up well ive missed galaxy hunting but it will be worth it when the beast is ready!!!! Happy days. clear skies Rich

Well im still not getting as much grinding done as I would like due to a combination of having the worlds most unreliable car,a long distance relationship and a day job that leaves you with little motivation in life but the grind is coming along now.Im currently at about 8.5mm sagittal so there's a well defined curve now although my phone camera wont show it too well but will try and get a better picture next weekend.currently the mirror grind stands me at 46h 15 minutes with 31h 45 minutes of that being spent grinding the front.currently the mirror is a 22" f4.1 with the current depth but obviously this is a rough curve and I would lose 2mm of that in second stage grinding.for my desired f3.6 I need a 9.75mm sagitta for the finished mirror so I need to get down to about 12/13mm to allow for shallowing up with second stage grinding.hopefully I can get first stage grinding finished next week as I have the weekend away from the girlfriend so both days free although I have front and rear brakes,a diesel particulate filter and half the front suspension to replace on my car,hopefully which will be possible in a day leaving me the other day to grind.then its tile tool time and another bit of research on second stage grinding.have to start thinking about making a ronchi test rig soon too. here is a grainy pic of an 8.5mm sagitta Im also coigning a new term for the medical journal GRINDERS ELBOW!!!! after an hour of heavy grinding your arms are getting pretty tired.i can manage 2 hours but most of the time I do 1 to 1 1/2 hours to preserve my body.i usually get 3 or 4 nights a week to grind as one night is usually out climbing and Friday night is travelling down south where I live on a weekend. another update next weekend hopefully. cheers for looking clear skies Rich

I would say the feathertouch is definately heavier than a moonlite but the sips is similar to the weight of a paracorr 2.I will try and weigh them seperately but I don't have the moonlite or paracorr 2 to compare so will need help on that.

You adjust the sips for focus after collimation and then you just focus each new eyepiece as you would without a coma corrector.there's much more yet to come grinding wise,I doubt I'm half way through yet!!!

Yeah I can't wait to use mine.the paracorr in the old scope was ok but with the sips you set it up and don't have to adjust it again all night which for me is a big plus.

Well i have just got back from a week away with the girlfriend and a nice package from starlight instruments was at home waiting for me. Astronomy does seem to bring the child out in me as I usually have to stop myself ripping boxes apart to get to the toys inside!!and boy,what a toy was waiting inside this box. 2" feathertouch focuser unit and SIPS module fully built up unit dismantled units ">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/beastofackworth/IMAG0303_zpse5a09f13.jpg the sips unit looking down the focuser barrel cant wait to use this unit once the 22" build is done as it is silky smooth!!!I had a moonlite on my last scope and this is so much smoother its unbelievable.I must admit I do prefer the look of the moonlite unit with its red casing and shiny stainless knobs but this to me is better built,smoother and feels in a different league quality wise.Im totally shocked by this as I thought I would never surpass the moonlite but it did show some drawbacks when it was weighted up with a 20mm 100 degree eyepiece and a a paracorr.It wasn't near smooth enough when locked down for weight hence why I decided on the sips unit as it seem as though it will be much stiffer with a weighty eyepiece on it. grinding wise-nothing really to report as I have been away for the week.im at about a 6mm sagittal but hopefully in the next 2 weeks that will increase to 12mm and I can start making the tile tool for stage 2 grinding :) current mirror grind total hours are 38h 45m and 24h 15m of that are grinding the front including bevelling.thinking another 20hours to get to 12mm sagittal so wish me luck. clear skies Rich

Tested it out last night and initially dissapoinyed that the views aren't as bright as my 15x70 binos then realised that one eye is never as good as two on similar aperture.think I want a slightly zoomier eyepice too as the supplied 23mm at 328mm fl isn't quite enough.nice and light though!!!

I had decided long ago that I wanted to go above the mainstream 8x50 finder for my 22" build and had settled on an 80mm finder guider scope.well yesterday it arrived and it's awesome!!! It may look a bit on the big side but at 1.2kg it's quite light.it also comes with a straight through focuser which is good because I prefer a straight through finder. Feathertouch focuser with SIPS coma corrector is on order from the states so hopefully that will be here in a week or two. No grinding updates because I have tonsilitis so not got the energy . Clear skies Rich

Well everything seems to be moving along quickly now as im around 5mm sagittal on the mirror grind and ive just sold my 16" Lightbridge and my paracorr and my 30mm es 82 is provisionally sold.I have also just placed an order for a starlight feathertouch focuser with the SIPS coma corrector system and an altair 80mm finderscope package.at this moment im technically scopeless,I only have a pair of 15x70 binos to keep me company until my mirror grind and scope build is finished so looks like that is it until after summer.on the plus side the stars will still be there when I come back and im sure I can have a few light sessions with the 80mm finderscope and the binos plus there's many hours left in the mirror grind yet!!!! not done any grinding for a few days as ive developed the lurgy that seems to be going round and as I fix one problem with my car,another seems to develop :( hopefully update in a week or so with a deeper sagittal :) clear skies

First things first,2000 views!!wow!!so glad people like looking at this and keep coming back.i hope it also gets people into some mirror grinding too as its a great way of getting fit!!!!!!! :D well the first bit of news and a big shock to some is this http://stargazerslounge.com/classifieds/item/3114-modified-16-lightbridge-for-sale/ yes,the 16" needs to go to make way for parts and build cost for the 22".i was going to wait a while,keep until after spring but with nearly £1500 of car repairs over 2 weeks lowering my scope fund ive decided to get rid early.Its not as if I get to use it much with the weather as it is these days plus im looking at moving in with the girlfriend over the next few months and we don't have space for it until we buy a new place.so essentially I will be scopeless until the autumn but I can live with that as I have a lot on in the next 6 months with mirror grinding,job hunting and moving. anway onto the mirror. first thing,ive been wasting quite a lot of grit by spreadin it across the mirror rather than confining it to the centre for the opening strokes.ive gone through 12.5kg of 80 to get just over 2mm sagitta!!!!so ive modified how I spread my grit and my clean up process as ive been cleaning off a bit too early,wasting more grit before its fully ground down.YOU LIVE YOU LEARN!!! today I received a 25kg sack of 60grit and hammered 2 1/2hours and im now around 4mm sagitta and aiming to pass 10mm by the end of the month and finish the hogging ready for a tile tool and second stage grinding. as I don't have a great camera I cant really show the sagitta that well. currently ive done 28 1/2 hours total on the mirro and 14 1/2 of that is on the front hogging out and bevelling. small shell from not being carefull enough bevelling.luckily its ok and wont cause problems sagitta after tonights grind if you can see it ok its amazing how quick a couple of hours goes by when grinding,it really flies by!!!!I don't even listen to music and it still flies by. next update probably in a week or so when I get much closer to sagitta so you can see the curve. clear skies Rich

Yeah I suppose.luckily I don't have many outgoings asside from about £1500 I'm spending on fixing the car over the next week :) probably do another update tomorrow and there may be a shock

When I say budget,I mean more "what I can afford" ;)

Actually I didn't factor in the coatings :( still,well within budget.