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.

Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3


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.

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