4.25" F/4.5 Hex Scope
Here are some pictures of this scope just after it was finished.
The hexagonal tube was inspired by my success with my 16" F/4 Hex
Scope, and are made of 1/4" oak plywood. The wood was finished
and painted before being cut to the proper size. A shallow dado
locates the interior
baffles and mirror cell. The sides were taped to each other and
rolled
into a very nice looking tube. I made the spider and mirror cell.
I have a hunch this scope will end up as a finder on a future
large
scope, like the 30" F/3.8.
The mirror hogging, grinding and fine grinding was done mostly in a
day, and polishing took went fairly quickly. Working with a small
mirror can be challenging, since it's hard to polish without putting
pressures on the edge of the work. Pressure with the finger tips
can help quite a bit, especially in getting to a sphere. The
pitch can be quite soft, and this will aid in getting good contact.
First light was on the Orion Nebula, with the scope tucked under my arm.
