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Cass Member Posts: 321 |
posted 08-07-2003 04:01 PM
  
I have agreed to help sell the equipment from a guy who is retiring from optical fabrication of very large optics up to 100 inch diameter. The equipment includes a polishing machine capable of doing 70" diameters and a cam generator capable of grinding aspheric surfaces up to 70" diameter. There is smaller equipment and various glass material and diamond wheels. I would like to hear from anyone who has an interest in this type of equipment or knows of anyone. This equipment has been sitting for a few years, it is custom made and the number of people with experience with and need for large optics fabrication is very limited. The family is very interested in liquidating the equipment as the owner is in poor health. IP: Logged |
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JimK Moderator Posts: 1042 |
posted 08-07-2003 07:51 PM
Those seem to be Awfully Large Numbers!! 100 inches is the diameter of the mirror of the Hale Telescope at Mount Palomar. As far as I know That is still the largest single piece of Pyrex uses as a mirror in a reflecting telescope. Many of the big 40 and 60 inchers date frm the late 1800's and early 1900's. They carry manufacturer's names like SIP and Warner & Swasey (yes, Warner & Swasey, the turret lathe guys). A 20 inch reflector is considered big, even in the Academic astronomy field. The University of Maryland has a Good 20 inch reflector. (ex NASA) The local school system and the amateur astronomy society just erected an observatory near here to house a 16 inch reflector donated by the US Navy. It is a Research Grade Instrument formerly used at the Academy at Annapolis. Even if the equipment would do rough grinding at half the 100 inch diameter, there is a possibility that a University or a large amateur astronomy society would be interested. Do a search on amateur telescope making on the net. You will be flooded. Somewhere out there you will probably find an interested party or individual. May The Force be With You! IP: Logged |
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Astro_Guy unregistered |
posted 08-07-2003 08:05 PM
The Palomar hale telescope is 200 inches in Diameter. 100" radius however. The Hooker Telescope on Mount Wilson is 100 inches. Also I believe the Soviet Union made a larger than 200" mirror out of a single blank, possibly in the 300" size range if I remember correctly. But perhaps not... IP: Logged |
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Cass Member Posts: 321 |
posted 08-07-2003 08:23 PM
The polisher and generator both have tables about 70 inches in diameter. A 100" mirror would overhang the table of the polisher but it would handle it. The generator will only grind things about 70" diameter. As big mirrors go, several 8 meter diameter one piece mirrors have been made in the last few years. One is down in Chile now. This is large optics fab equipment but not nearly the largest equipment in use. I am checking on some amateur telescope sites but they are not nearly as easy to use as this one. Physicists I suspect; they love complexity. IP: Logged |
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atm_ken_hunter unregistered |
posted 08-07-2003 11:04 PM
What are you asking for prices and where is the equipment located? I am in Amarillo and interested. Ken Hunter IP: Logged |
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Steve Stube Member Posts: 270 |
posted 08-07-2003 11:18 PM
My immediate thought was Lighthouse beacon magnifiers. IP: Logged |
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Cass Member Posts: 321 |
posted 08-08-2003 02:40 AM
The equipment is located in New York state. I can supply photos of most of the equipment. If you send me email about any specific item you are interested in I can give you more details. The owner and his family are looking for offers and do not have a price list at this time. They are eagar sellers though. Large polishing machine, small polishing machine, large optical grinder/generator, small optical generator, large glass, small glass, tooling, waterjet cutter, large laps, and polishing materials would be general categories. Tell me what type of equipment you are interested in. I will give a good description and you can make an offer. IP: Logged |
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J Tiers Member Posts: 1111 |
posted 08-08-2003 08:50 AM
Steve, I think exactly ONE lighthouse still remains officially operational..... In Boston Harbor. The rest have been closed and sold off (generally as parks).
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JimK Moderator Posts: 1042 |
posted 08-08-2003 09:08 AM
I stand corrected It is 200 inch I don't know about any bigger ones, I do know that the 200 inch was supemely difficult ot make. Of Course, "The Telescope is a Russian Invention". They probably did the biggest one, just to do the biggest one. IP: Logged |
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Steve Stube Member Posts: 270 |
posted 08-08-2003 09:34 AM
You are right JT about the official status. Bull market is not always the yardstick I use for deciding to make a purchase/own a tool. Would I be correct in assuming you have at least one spoke shave in your box? Now if we could get GPS to make a good cup of coffee for the shipwreaked and lost. IP: Logged |
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Richard Rogers Member Posts: 435 |
posted 08-08-2003 09:55 AM
Didn't I read somewhere that the Palomar lens had to be left to cool under controlled conditions for a very long time when it was made? Enlighten me (no pun intended---Forrest took care of puns for today!) Richard IP: Logged |
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Cass Member Posts: 321 |
posted 08-08-2003 10:17 AM
Look at this site for big telescope education: http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/mlab/ IP: Logged |
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Stan Member Posts: 135 |
posted 08-08-2003 10:55 AM
Great book about Palomar and telescopes in general: "The Perfect Machine" author- Ronald Florence. How mechanical problems were solved, bad politics etc. Cheers, Stan. IP: Logged |
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J Tiers Member Posts: 1111 |
posted 08-08-2003 12:50 PM
AND I use it........... Just call me Ned for short. IP: Logged |
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Bob May unregistered |
posted 08-08-2003 02:44 PM
The equipment is of interest to mostly those who are already in the business. Being in the New York area, places like the Springfield Telescope Makers and other large organizations like that will be possibly interested in some of the equipemnt. I know for a fact that at least one person at the Springfield Telescope Makers has a business with optical manufacture as I've been to his company for a tour. I'll note that the equipment really won't get that much when sold and the glass usually needs to have tracebility back to the source for what it is. Too bad that the place is in NY as I'd love to get some of the stuff to do work with. IP: Logged |
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stephen thomas Member Posts: 277 |
posted 08-08-2003 03:22 PM
well, since he _is_ trying to sell, can you say _where_ in NY? If it's close it would be educational to go have a look see. I also legitimately know several who are involved with telescopes; maybe not on that size level, though. smt, one mile down the hill from Mark Twain's farm, and about 3 miles up as the crow flies overlooking the abandoned American LaFrance plant, the wreckage of the Remington typewriter factory, faded remainder of the Eclipse/Bendix coaster brake plant and norden bombsight factory, and the (for now) still viable Hardinge/BP manufactory in Elmira. IP: Logged |
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Mr Bridgeport Member Posts: 135 |
posted 08-09-2003 12:52 AM
Yea, a 100 inch mirror takes about 1 year to cool off after casting. Corning Glass found out about that after the first one cracked. It's hanging in there museum in Corning NY. Right next to it is the display about fibre optics that I built. Ever get a chance, check it out. Really cool. And the wife will love the artsy glass in the rest of the place. Bill [This message has been edited by Mr Bridgeport (edited 08-09-2003).] IP: Logged |
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Starmutt unregistered |
posted 08-09-2003 12:56 PM
I am a machinist and a "certifiable" nut relative to making telescopes. The machinery will only be of use to someone local. Unfortunately the units will be heavy and cost as much to rig and ship as to buy ( a common problem with used machinery). I agree that if someone in the NY area is close enough it would be well worth their effort to buy and move it themseves if they have a similar addiction to "glass pushing". Just a note - backyard telescope makers are routinely making telescopes in the 40+ inch range and currently have the ability to take CCD images that rival those of the 100" Wilson observatory. Times and technology are changing. IP: Logged |
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BillSct Member Posts: 307 |
posted 08-09-2003 01:30 PM
Lighthouses are still very much operational all over the country. There are 6 in the immediate vicinty of Fishers Island Sound, located between New London CT and Westerly RI. More if you start counting the ones on Long Island and Block Island. They are no longer manned but they still flash their beacons and sound their fog horns. IP: Logged |
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avritt unregistered |
posted 02-04-2004 05:57 PM
I Need to know specific info on this equipment, as I am in this business, and looking for more machines. Please contact me. avritt@qwest.net IP: Logged |
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Cass Member Posts: 321 |
posted 02-04-2004 09:41 PM
I believe there are a lot more talkers than doers on the subject of optics fabrication. It is one of those things where "easier said than done" is extremely applicable. On large optics that goes triple both on difficulty and the amount of dreaming and bs. Most of the machinery is gone now. Quite an experience to help sell that special equipment. Real good stuff went very cheap. A very large amount of really foolish bs and very few real people. I have some nice machinery though. IP: Logged |
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Evan Member Posts: 49 |
posted 02-05-2004 01:42 AM
And for something that makes all those others look like a pocket spyglass: http://www.astro.caltech.edu/mirror/celt/ IP: Logged |
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stephen thomas Member Posts: 277 |
posted 02-05-2004 02:18 PM
Mr. Bridgeport said: "Yea, a 100 inch mirror takes about 1 year to cool off after casting. Corning Glass found out about that after the first one cracked. It's hanging in there museum in Corning NY. Right next to it is the display about fibre optics that I built. Ever get a chance, check it out. Really cool. And the wife will love the artsy glass in the rest of the place. Bill"
smt IP: Logged |
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