Frank’s Book of the Telescope

[Moonshed]

I bought my first telescope, a 4” reflector, from Charles Frank of Glasgow as a special offer in conjunction with The Sky at Night, I’m really not sure when exactly but it must have been in the early to mid ‘60’s. Along with the telescope they included a free book, “Frank’s Book of the Telescope”, the first edition of which was  printed in Glasgow in 1958. It’s a lovely book, covering such things as war surplus telescopes, light and the function of the lens, what to expect from the telescope and how to make and mount them, and lots more. I found it fascinating, it even included a section on guiding and attaching a camera that I found interesting, it explained how you could photograph stars! It took me until 1992, about 30 years later, to take my first photographs of the stars using a film camera, it was challenging because you had no idea how they would turn out until you got your prints back from Bonus Print 2 weeks later! 

I couldn’t resist showing a couple of pages from the book with diagrams on how to construct and mount telescopes. How times have changed, but they still work as well today as they did then.

Keith

Edited December 6, 2020 by Moonshed

[DAVE AMENDALL]

I have a copy of that book which came free with my scope a Charles Frank 4" Newtonian took two months to deliver it . I used for about three years before selling it on getting all my money back because scopes were generally not plentiful.It was a case of we make it but you try to get one!.......Dave

[Nigella Bryant]

My first Newtonian was a Charles Frank 6inch on a manual eq mount. Must of been around 14 years old at the time. Saved up my summer job, Christmas and birthday money to buy it, lol. Telescope's back then in the early 70's were expensive compared to today in comparison to wages. Pic added, but not mine, this has electric drives.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Nigella Bryant
Generic pic of telescope

[Moonshed]

41 minutes ago, DAVE AMENDALL said:

I have a copy of that book which came free with my scope a Charles Frank 4" Newtonian took two months to deliver it . I used for about three years before selling it on getting all my money back because scopes were generally not plentiful.It was a case of we make it but you try to get one!.......Dave

Hi Dave, You are the only other person I know that bought that reflector from Charles Frank and got the free book. Can you remember the year? I think it was 1962. I can’t remember what I paid for it but £16 popped into my head. I kept that scope for about 15 years and then gave it to a budding astronomer. It was cheap, the main mirror was held in place by basically a bicycle clip that held it against a couple of stops. It had a rubber bung glued to the centre so you could hold it while removing the bicycle clip and removing the mirror for cleaning. It was as basic as they come but it worked just fine and got me started in astronomy all those years ago.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Moonshed

[Moonshed]

9 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

My first Newtonian was a Charles Frank 6inch on a manual eq mount. Must of been around 14 years old at the time. Saved up my summer job, Christmas and birthday money to buy it, lol. Telescope's back then in the early 70's were expensive compared to today in comparison to wages. Pic added, but not mine, this has electric drives.

I was about the same age as you when I bought mine, I was born in 1946 and think I bought it between 1960-62. I can well imagine yours cost a lot of money in those days but mine was relatively cheap, still took a lot of saving up though.

Keith

[Moonshed]

2 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

My first Newtonian was a Charles Frank 6inch on a manual eq mount. Must of been around 14 years old at the time. Saved up my summer job, Christmas and birthday money to buy it, lol. Telescope's back then in the early 70's were expensive compared to today in comparison to wages. Pic added, but not mine, this has electric drives.

Hi Nigella,

I saw this in the book, looks like it is same as the one you had, only much longer, is that only because of perspective? It’s a big beast isn’t it? I love the way the Frank’s name is built into the mount, you couldn’t  miss it.

 

Edited December 6, 2020 by Moonshed

[John]

My school had an 8.5 inch Frank's newtonian in a nice dome. 1st proper telescope that I ever looked through.

The illustrations in the Frank's Book of the Telescope remind me a bit of those in the book All About Telescopes by Sam Brown:

Edited December 6, 2020 by John

[Moonshed]

22 minutes ago, John said:

My school had an 8.5 inch Frank's newtonian in a nice dome. 1st proper telescope that I ever looked through.

The illustrations in the Frank's Book of the Telescope remind me a bit of those in the book All About Telescopes by Sam Brown:

Your school had a telescope! In an observatory! My goodness you must have gone to a very posh school. 
I love those old illustration in Sam Brown’s book, just brilliant!

[NGC 1502]

Great thread. I too have a copy of the Charles Frank book.  It’s the second one I’ve owned, the first disappeared, may have leant it and never got it back.  Then a few years ago when browsing through one of Cromer’s several second hand book shops I chanced on another and couldn’t resist.

Very nostalgic from the days when a 6” reflector was a big gun. Mind you, such a scope is still very capable.

Ed.

[Nigella Bryant]

1 hour ago, Moonshed said:

Hi Nigella,

I saw this in the book, looks like it is same as the one you had, only much longer, is that only because of perspective? It’s a big beast isn’t it? I love the way the Frank’s name is built into the mount, you couldn’t  miss it.

 

Yep that's the same one. 

[Moonshed]

5 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Yep that's the same one. 

Wow, that’s a long reflector, bet it was a brilliant scope. That mount looks like it’s made of cast iron, must have weighed a ton!  How on earth did you manage to lift it?

[Nigella Bryant]

1 minute ago, Moonshed said:

Wow, that’s a long reflector, bet it was a brilliant scope. That mount looks like it’s made of cast iron, must have weighed a ton!  How on earth did you manage to lift it?

It was really heavy. In the end I left the cast iron feet and pilar in the garden and just attached the eq head and scope when I wanted to observe something. I was quite privileged. I sold it the next year and bought a 10inch fullerscope on a mkiv mount. My parents bought me a second hand dome a year later. I remember the dome cost £600 back in 1975. 

[Moonshed]

18 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

It was really heavy. In the end I left the cast iron feet and pilar in the garden and just attached the eq head and scope when I wanted to observe something. I was quite privileged. I sold it the next year and bought a 10inch fullerscope on a mkiv mount. My parents bought me a second hand dome a year later. I remember the dome cost £600 back in 1975. 

You were a very lucky girl back then, but you already know that. Paying £600 for a dome in 1975 would in today’s money  be £5000, makes you think! I am fortunate in that I have a dedicated shed for my telescope, hence my Moonshed name -  thank you grandchildren -  and with its double doors I am able to lift out my scope onto a concrete apron ready to go. But a dome would be perfection! Do you have a dome now? 

[Moonshed]

1 hour ago, NGC 1502 said:

Great thread. I too have a copy of the Charles Frank book.  It’s the second one I’ve owned, the first disappeared, may have leant it and never got it back.  Then a few years ago when browsing through one of Cromer’s several second hand book shops I chanced on another and couldn’t resist.

Very nostalgic from the days when a 6” reflector was a big gun. Mind you, such a scope is still very capable.

Ed.

Ah yes,  Cromer’s second hand book shops, I loved to rummage around in them pre Covid, I could easily spend all day in them. But it’s only a 20 minute drive away so I will return soon, hopefully.

I take your point about the 6” reflector being a big gun in those days, it certainly was, how things have changed!

[RobertI]

There’s a trend emerging here - I also have this wonderful little book and my first scope was a 6” Newtonian with a Charles Frank Mount (back in 1979). I still dip into the book occasionally and most of it is still relevant today (except perhaps the chapter on WW2 optics). The author’s  recommended scope for best combination of price, convenience, light gathering and ability to cut through bad seeing was a 6” F8 Newtonian. Many would still make the same recommendation today! And I love the simple way the author explains some telescope concepts - for example ‘exit pupil’ is referred to as ‘eye beam’ - a much clearer term. A lovely little book. 

[JamesF]

I'm too young to remember these things having only been born in the late 60s, but I do love the cast iron pier with "C Frank" cast into it.  It's almost a shame they didn't make it more ornate, like those pre-electric Singer sewing machines with the cast iron stand and treadle to power the machine.

James

[Nigella Bryant]

20 minutes ago, Moonshed said:

You were a very lucky girl back then, but you already know that. Paying £600 for a dome in 1975 would in today’s money  be £5000, makes you think! I am fortunate in that I have a dedicated shed for my telescope, hence my Moonshed name -  thank you grandchildren -  and with its double doors I am able to lift out my scope onto a concrete apron ready to go. But a dome would be perfection! Do you have a dome now? 

Hi, yes, again a second hand pulsar 2.7m and a RoR. I do consider myself very lucky. 

[Moonshed]

4 minutes ago, RobertI said:

There’s a trend emerging here - I also have this wonderful little book and my first scope was a 6” Newtonian with a Charles Frank Mount (back in 1979). I still dip into the book occasionally and most of it is still relevant today (except perhaps the chapter on WW2 optics). The author’s  recommended scope for best combination of price, convenience, light gathering and ability to cut through bad seeing was a 6” F8 Newtonian. Many would still make the same recommendation today! And I love the simple way the author explains some telescope concepts - for example ‘exit pupil’ is referred to as ‘eye beam’ - a much clearer term. A lovely little book. 

Hi Rob, I am amazed that members are not only saying they once had the book but that they still have it. Yes, it really is a smashing little book, I would never part with it and as you say most of it is still as relevant today as it was back in the day. As for the recommended 6” F8 Newtonian, yes, a good choice indeed, takes me back to my early days peering at the sky through my 4” Newtonian and not a blasted camera to be seen 😄 it was all so much simpler and more enjoyable then. I sometimes wonder why I went in astrophotography because apart from a few 2nd rate images I get so much frustration and so little observing. Maybe time for a rethink.

[Moonshed]

7 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Hi, yes, again a second hand pulsar 2.7m and a RoR. I do consider myself very lucky. 

I am happy for you, honestly I am, really I am, so happy happy happy, and not even a tensie  wensie bit envious, not at all, not a bit, not a shred, not even the smallest, littlest, titchy wichy bit.

[Moonshed]

20 minutes ago, JamesF said:

I'm too young to remember these things having only been born in the late 60s, but I do love the cast iron pier with "C Frank" cast into it.  It's almost a shame they didn't make it more ornate, like those pre-electric Singer sewing machines with the cast iron stand and treadle to power the machine.

James

My dear old mum had one of those for as long as I can remember, it was amazing the things she could run up on it. Back in those days many types of machines were made using cast iron and they were ornate, today it’s all aluminium lightweight materials made as plain as possible, maybe because of lack of structural strength?

[Alien 13]

5 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

My first Newtonian was a Charles Frank 6inch on a manual eq mount. Must of been around 14 years old at the time. Saved up my summer job, Christmas and birthday money to buy it, lol. Telescope's back then in the early 70's were expensive compared to today in comparison to wages. Pic added, but not mine, this has electric drives.

I was given one of those for Christmas when I was about 13, lovely piece of kit and if I remember correctly mine came with 4 swift eyepieces..

Alan

[Moonshed]

3 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

I was given one of those for Christmas when I was about 13, lovely piece of kit and if I remember correctly mine came with 4 swift eyepieces..

Alan

Hi Alan,   I am genuinely surprised at the number of members who have said they bought a scope from Charles Frank, I suppose it’s because back in the day most scopes purchased in the UK were made in the UK and Frank’s was a substantial telescope manufacturer in Glasgow then. I moved up to Glasgow in 1990 from the London area and after having lovingly kept Frank’s Book of the Telescope since around 1960 I couldn’t resist calling in to see them. I was so disappointed! It was by then only a small workshop in a larger building where a single guy was repairing rifle scopes and red dot finders and the like, telescope manufacturing had long since stopped. I was gutted, silly I know,  but that name had meant so much to me for so many years, I bought my first scope from them. Such a shame to see these once great manufacturers close down.

[John]

2 hours ago, Moonshed said:

Your school had a telescope! In an observatory! My goodness you must have gone to a very posh school....
 

Nope, it was just a normal state comprehensive school, as they were called back then.

It had a good science dept though and a keen local volunteer who got the scope / dome setup and also a planetarium in a small shed. I joined the after school astronomy club when I was 11 along with a couple of friends.

Granted, I expect that this was unusual but also lucky for me. I could build on the interest in space that following the Apollo missions had given me

 

 

 

 

[Moonshed]

12 hours ago, John said:

Nope, it was just a normal state comprehensive school, as they were called back then.

It had a good science dept though and a keen local volunteer who got the scope / dome setup and also a planetarium in a small shed. I joined the after school astronomy club when I was 11 along with a couple of friends.

Granted, I expect that this was unusual but also lucky for me. I could build on the interest in space that following the Apollo missions had given me

 

I also went to comprehensive school but unfortunately no telescope there, the only thing we could look through was dirty windows. You mention how the Apollo missions gave you an interest in space, and no wonder, that period in the 60’s with the so called space race against the Russians was without doubt the most exciting, eventful, action packed period in space exploration to this day. The dreams those lunar landings inspired, moon bases, humans on Mars by 1990, manned exploration of the solar system and so on, and then the bubble burst and reality and budget restraints returned, and not forgetting the Vietnam war of course. Still, at least we have Elon Musk to carry our dreams now, and he may just be the man to do it.

Keith

Edited December 7, 2020 by Moonshed

[DAVE AMENDALL]

18 hours ago, Moonshed said:

Hi Dave, You are the only other person I know that bought that reflector from Charles Frank and got the free book. Can you remember the year? I think it was 1962. I can’t remember what I paid for it but £16 popped into my head. I kept that scope for about 15 years and then gave it to a budding astronomer. It was cheap, the main mirror was held in place by basically a bicycle clip that held it against a couple of stops. It had a rubber bung glued to the centre so you could hold it while removing the bicycle clip and removing the mirror for cleaning. It was as basic as they come but it worked just fine and got me started in astronomy all those years ago.

It was June 1963 when I ordered mine It was delivered towards the end of August with apologies for the delay.  I also bought a small EQ from them with 5" dia plastic setting circles. All very primitive compared to modern kit but like you say it worked! and I had a lot of pleasure using it in those days.......Dave