We had a great ATM session on Saturday. Charlie, Jay, Joan and Josh were there and my neighbor who is working on a couple of 8" mirrors also came by. Charlie brought parts of his 17" telescope that he is adapting for use for his 13" f9 project. The purpose of this is to get the scope operational to the point that he can star test to determine if the mirror is astigmatic. Jay worked on the azimuth motion of his Orion 10 " scope. After shimming the central bolt up with disks made of milk jug plastic, the motion seemed much better. This had the effect of reducing some weight on the teflon bearings. He did not have the OTA with him to try the motion out, but it should be improved. Joan brought the optics from a 17" telescope from which she would like to build an ultra-compact style dobsonian. This must fit in her car trunk when finished, hence the need to go with the ultra-compact design. This should be a nice telescope when finished and I look forward to seeing it and seeing through it when finished. Josh brought his 8" mirror and supplies to strip the mirror of its coatings. This is something I had not done before so it was good to learn together. As it turns out, ferric chloride does a great job. Josh soaked the front surface with the chemicals and gently swabbed with cotton balls. It did take awhile, probably an hour, to get the bulk of the aluminum off the mirror. At that point, we poured a sub-diameter pitch lap he will will use to touch up the figure of the mirror. My own current project is a 4" f4 mirror. Prior to the ATM session, I quickly threw together a mini dob mount for the purpose of star testing. So far the mirror is making a good impression on me, but I have yet to have a good night to really see what its limitations are. At that point I will either decide to work on its figure some more, or call it done and get it coated. I plan on mounting the OTA in a ball rather than a dob mount. The next session is on Nov. 12th from 9:00 AM to noonish. As usual, email me off list at mat.hutchings@siemens.com and I will give you directions to my house. Mat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Medical Solutions and are intended only for the addressee(s). The information contained herein may include trade secrets or privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you received this message in error, or have reason to believe you are not authorized to receive it, please promptly delete this message and notify the sender by e-mail with a copy to Central.SecurityOffice@siemens.com Thank you