Kim, that's great if it works for you, I have no doubt of it's ease and utility. But I will never go the silicone route. No need. Nor plywood, for that matter. Again, no need. To each, his own. A fellow on the ATM list once put it very well. He said, essentially, that, and I'm paraphrasing him here, that "you build a telescope from plywood to use in your own lifetime. You use more durable materials if you want your great-grandchildren to use it." That was Mr. Frank Ward. I will always remember it. On 8/19/10, Kim <kimharch@cut.net> wrote:
I don't know about repairs - never had to. The 3/4" plywood I used was scrap CDX. If I were to do it again, I'd use marine grade plywod. Still, I sealed and painted it well before adhering the mirror, and I don't hesitate to even dip it in water to clean the mirror, which I haven't done for maybe 10 years, anyway. I think the key to easy removal of the cell, if needed, is to gap the mirror and plywood with some kind of shim when using the silicone. Then a saw blade can easily be slipped between the cell and mirror to remove it. I used three dollops of silicone, maybe 3/4" in diameter. Never regretted it.