Quote:
Originally Posted by monoxide
still no reply from the guy i emailed 
does anybody know anywhere else i can buy supplies from? (in aus hopefully) |
Hi TJ,
Maybe the Adelaide contact is on holidays at this time of year?
I made my own mirror a lifetime ago, it was an 8 " F7.
When we did it, we bought the whole grinding kit and two
pyrex blanks (the old style thick ones) from Astro-Optical
in Sydney. Chances are I probably dealt with a bloke who is
a member here
I still have what is left of the grinding powders and cerium oxide.
I would offer them to you TJ, but I would be doing you a disservice
because they are contaminated by adjacent different powders.
What I mean is, the bags they originally came in started to perish
after being in storage for 20 odd years.
When I re-bagged them, I couldn't guarantee that any of a certain
powder did not end up in another powder.
When you grind a mirror you almost need a laboratory clean work area.
That's pretty hard to do in a backyard shed but something even worse
is having one speck of a lower grade grit in a higher grade grit!
You could get to say, 4th powder and have a terrible scratch (caused
by me ) , and have to go back to an earlier powder.
If you just want to have a dabble, by all means give me a pm and
you can have what's left anyhow.
I can't see myself ever using it again.I'm in Adelaide too.
If you wanted a clean batch and the contacts you mention don't pan
out, maybe try a lapidiary (gemstone cutting) supplier, they could have
a range of silicon carbide grits.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Steve B