Help Identifying Mirror

[Tasastro (Bill)]

Hi All,

Putting this up in case someone out there might know who made this mirror I found some time ago. It is a 150mm F7, and the person I bought it from said it belonged to her father who was a very keen astronomer. He could have made it himself but I doubt this. I'm thinking it is probably commercially produced, perhaps by Astro Optical?

[torana68 (Roger)]

look for any engraved information, could be on back or sides

[Tasastro (Bill)]

Originally Posted by torana68

look for any engraved information, could be on back or sides

There are no markings other than that shown on the back. I guess this probably indicates amateur production. Quality of finish is very good, the blank is ground truly circular and the back is finely ground flat. Bevelling is also very well done so I am hoping it might be a good one. However it looks like I'll have to wait for re-commissioning of my Foucault test rig to see whether its a gem or dross.

[Wavytone]

The box suggests home-made, though the fact someone felt the urge to write the focal ratio and focal length on the back does suggest it was made by possibly a small-volume local shop for Astro-Optical, there were one or two at various times.

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

The box is typical of the shipping boxes recommended in the 60's

[Tasastro (Bill)]

Originally Posted by Merlin66

The box is typical of the shipping boxes recommended in the 60's

It is almost exactly to the design recommended by Texereau for transporting of mirrors.