More 12" progress for Keith...

The Mirror Board and Upper Ring are completed for Keith's 12"
I'll be completing the OTA in the next day or two.

Keith's 12" Strut Telescope . . .

Keith's "Mirror Board" now complete for his 12" F5 Strut Telescope.

The 12" with Mirror Cover in Place.

The Mirror on its Cell in Place..

Cleaning an 8" mirror -- photos from Greg in Pinellas Park, Florida. . .

Greg, from Pinellas Park, Florida, sent me these photos
of his telescope and cleaning the primary mirror.
This telescope is an 8" F6 with ETT option.

Removing the mirror is easy with a serrated
cutting knife. Just "cut through the silicone"
using a "sawing motion".

"FIRST: let the water run over the surface to remove

loose dirt and dust. A can of "air" works well, too.

I like to use slightly warm water and any dish washing liquid.
With plenty of liquid soap, lightly clean the surface
using circular motion. Coatings are tough, but be gentle!!
I sometimes use cotton balls on the surface as well.

Just rinse the surface with water. I don't worry about using
distilled water -- the water isn't on the surface long enough
to make any difference.

Stand the mirror on edge to let the water drain. I use the corner of a paper
towel to remove any drop that stay on the surface.

In my telescopes, many of the mirrors are held in place with silicone.
Don't forget some sort of "spacer" so the silicone will cure. I like
to use 1/4" "bumperons" -- but cardboard from a shoe-box works well.

Thanks for the photos Gary.

Two 12"'s Still . . .

Scott's 12" mirror is sufficient thickness that a non-flotation
mirror cell is more than adequate  Here, the 6-points have been
optimized with Plop

Once the mirror cell is affixed to Scott's mirror, it'll be time,
I'll finish the mirror board.

Clamps, clamps clamps -- for Scott and Keith's 12" strut telescopes.

Two 12" Telescopes. More Progress. . .

A good start on George and Keith's 12" Telescopes.
Here the alt bearings and rocker sides are coming togeher.

Two 12" Telescopes . . .

Two 12" Strut Telescopes are coming together for George in Melissa Texas
and Keith in Las Vegas Nevada. Here the OTA rings are completed.

UTA and Mirror Cell for a 14" F4.5 Truss Telescope. . .

16" I.D. Upper Tube Assembly Kit for Paul in San Ramon, California.
Finder board (L), Focuser Board and UTA rings. The 6-point
Flotation Mirror Cell is on the Right.