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Old 13-10-2011, 06:08 PM
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Satchmo
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Satchmo is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Sydney
Posts: 1,876
I like this thread.

I think it would be a great idea to have a mirror making thread section on IIS which would allow people to start threads on their mirror making progress and swap ideas rather than a thread being buried in the ATM section which tends to be mainly about builds and rebuilds using commercial mirrors.. What do you guys think ? . I would be happy to be moderator on it in the sense that I would try to keep things 'focused' and keep my eyes on the section and lend advice where I can.

Mirror making is something that is almost approaching a lost art in comparison to 40 years ago where if you wanted a `huge' 6" reflector you would probably have to grind one yourself as a 6" mirror would have been a weeks wages. I don't think any amount of the advanced work I do these days can replace the romance of the art I felt as a 14 year old , walking around an old washing machine with a 6" blank on top - the smell and sound of fresh Carborundum cutting glass and the smell of resin on a lap and the excitement of seeing my frosty glass take on a shine which I could reflect light from.

I read somewhere that it was the introduction of the C5 and C8 that spelled the dell knell for the ubiquitous 6" or 8" reflector on a pipe equatorial that we aspired to . The Asian Dobs revived the Newtonian in the 90's but I don't think mirror making as a hobby ever recovered.
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