Quote:
Originally Posted by hamishbarker
Newby Hamish here, I guess this fits in DIY mirror to a certain extent:
I've bought a cheap 8" F4 mirror on aliexpress for $94
I'm in Nelson, NZ. Is anyone nearby who would be willing to assist or have a look to critique mirror/test results?
Any tips on figuring and for where and how expensive aluminizing an 8" mirror is likely to be? (Stephen, where did you get your big mirrors aluminized, and how many $?)
wishing dark skies to all!
Hamish
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Hi Hamish, most probably the mirror will be spherical. To perform satisfactory it would require parabolizing. However a simple Ronchi test would confirm that. I have a spare 85 lpi grating which I could let you have,(PM me). The test is easy to set up and gives an immediate visual profile of the mirrors figure. Pic of my Ronchi tester made of scrape materials.
Regarding aluminizing: I have had a few small mirrors aluminized by Andrew Leary at 265 Waipara Road, Kerikeri, 0295.
Email:
scopes@scopesnz.com (Can do to 14").
Another option is Kiwistar Optics in Lower Hutt.
Daves email:
d.cochrane@irl.cri.nz (Told can do to 1m).
Regarding coating my bigger mirrors I have been silvering them myself. Been having an issue with importing fresh chems, but have cleared that with NZ Customs so looks like I will be able to continue to do my own.
If anyone out their wants some silvering done, let me know.
Best regards
Stephen