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Stellafane 2008-09 Mirror Class

Announcements

This class is over. To sign up for a future Mirror Class, see the pink box on the Mirror Class Main Page. We expect the next class to start in October 2009. Please email any questions or corrections to mirrorclass@stellafane.org.

Schedule & Class Pictures

Schedule
Including brief notes about the session
Class Pictures
Click Image for Photo Album

0: Saturday, September 27, 2008:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
    Pre-Class for returning students only
Click photo for Session 0 Photo Album

X0: Saturday, October 11, 2008:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
    Pre-Class for returning students only
Click for Session X0 photo album

1: Saturday, October 25, 2008:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
  • 10:30 - 11:30: Class #1:
    Overview & Rough Grinding

Sorry, no photos
are available
for this session

X1: Saturday, November 08, 2008

  • Extra Session #1
Click for Session X1 photo album

2: Saturday, November 22, 2008:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
  • 11:00 - Noon: Class #2: Fine Grinding
Click for Session 2 photo album

3: Saturday, December 20, 2008:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
  • 11:00 - Noon: Class #3: Polishing


CANCELLED
due to
Snow Storm

4: Sunday, January 25, 2008:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
Click for Session 4 photo album

5: Saturday, February 28, 2009

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
  • 11:00 - Noon: Class #5: Testing
Click for Session 5 photo album

6: Saturday, March 28, 2009:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
  • 11:00 - 1:00: Class #6: Constructing a Telescope
Click for Session 6 photo album

7: Saturday, April 25, 2009:

  • 10:00 - 4:00: Workshop
Click for Session 7 photo album

X: May 2009:

Dennis & Dave Randy & Dave
A few students completed there mirrors the month after class ended, at various ad-hoc
sessions. Here are the completion photos we have (L to R) Dennis & Dave; Randy & Dave.

Mirror Status

Here is a report on our participants' progress:

Mirror Maker
*Club Member
Mirror
Size/Type
Focal
Ratio
Mirror
Status
Status
Date
Alex* 6" 8 Polish 04/09
Alexa 6" 7 Rough 04/09
Anne 6" Rough 01/09
Brendan 8" 6 Rough 04/09
Carl* 8" 6 Done! 04/09
Christy 8" 6 Rough 01/09
Claudio 8" 5u 04/09
David* 8" 6 #40 04/09
Dennis* 6" Done! 05/09
10" 5 Polish 04/09
Dixie 6" 6 40u 10/08
Doug 10" 5 Done! 10/08
6" 4.5 Done! 11/08
Fran 10" 2 Done! 02/09
8" 5 Done! 03/09
Gary 8" 6 Polish 03/09
Janet 6" 7 #120 11/08
Jay* 12½" 6 Figure 04/09
Jeff* 10" 5 Done! 01/09
12.5" 5 Done! 02/09
Jim* 8" 6.0 Figure 04/09
Kayla 6" 7 Polish 04/09
Kim* 8" 6 12u 04/09
Liz 6" 6 Polish 05/09
Nancy* 6" 7 Rough 09/08
Randy 6" 5 Done! 05/09
Ray 8" 6 Done! 04/09
Rick 8" 7 Polish 04/09
Samantha* 10" Polish 04/09
Team Reilly 6" 11.2 Done! 10/08
6" 4.2 Figuring 04/09
Terry 6" 7 Polish 04/09
28 Mirror Makers 32 Mirrors  11 Done

Instructors

Thanks to our large group of volunteer instructors, we can hold these mirror class and give everyone the individualized attention they require. Several of our instructors work professionally in the optics industry, and many have competed dozens or mirrors and more complicated optics as amateurs.

Officers, Trustees and Full Members of the club have had to successfully made a mirror or other quality optical surface.

Instructor Jay Drew
Jay Drew
Mirror Class Leader, Full Member
Eats #80 Grit for a Snack!
Instructor Junie Esslinger
Junie Esslinger
Full Member
Explaining a Polishing Stroke
Instructor Tom Gorka
Tom Gorka
Full Member
Making Mirror Kits
Instructor Wayne Hilliard
Wayne Hilliard
Full Member
Uncrating a 16" Blank in the Bunkhouse
Instructor Rick Hunter
Rick Hunter
Full Member
Using the Foucault Tester
Instructor Dave Kelly
Dave Kelly
Full Member
Demonstrates Polishing Techniques
Instructor Jeff Lowe
Jeff Lowe
President
Mechanical Judging at Convention
Instructor Dave Prowten
Dave Prowten
Truestee
Assembling the Domed Observatory
Instructor Phil Rounseville
Phil Rounseville
Full Member
Making Pitch Laps at the 2001 Convention
Instructor Ken Slater
Joyce Sinnot
Full Member
At the Foucault Tester
Instructor Ken Slater
Ken Slater
Trustee and Webmaster
Explaining Foucault Testing
Instructor Dave Tabor
Dave Tabor
Secretary
Making a Pitch Lap in the 2006-07 Class
Instructor Samantha Tabor
Samantha Tabor
Full  Member
At the 2007 Convention
Instructor Paul Valelli
Paul Valleli
Full Member
At the 2006 Stellafane Convention
Instructor Brad Vietje
Brad Vietje
Full Member
Explaining Telescope Construction
Instructor Wayne Zuhl
Wayne Zuhl
Full Member
Assembling his telescope, 2006 Convention

Final Report

What a wonderful and productive mirror class season we had! Over the course of 12 sessions we were able to complete 11 mirrors, all to a super high level that met the exacting demands of our parabola guru Dave Kelly. Any of these mirrors will be very competitive in the Stellafane Convention optical competition and we hope to see some of them entered this year. Several mirror class students who caught glass pushing fever joined the Springfield Telescope Makers as Associate Members this season. The Refractor Interest Group continues to make progress towards completing a unique design and has been busily cutting blanks. It was another harsh winter in Vermont, with one ice storm that cut power to our area and thousands of residents for a week. Fortunately the Fletcher House, an accessible location in winter, was again donated to the club by our friends at Newsbank. Having Fletcher House available is a great winter resource for Stellafane Mirror Class and we appreciate the opportunity to use it. During the better weather students made use of the Breezy Hill site, enjoying the Bunkhouse and the McGregor Library for grinding and polishing. During mirror class activities several STMs are working on the club 16 inch mirror which has reached the polishing stage. This full-thickness Newtonian optic will probably be mounted in a Dobsonian truss. I would like to thank all our amazing mirror class instructors, who give so much time and talent to make this magic happen. Your infectious enthusiasm for Stellafane and for mirror making keep our sessions fun and engaging. We hope to see our students who finished mirrors at Convention this August with completed scopes on the field in front of the historic Clubhouse. And we hope to meet up with everyone next fall for mirror class, when all the grit slinging and pitch melting will begin again. Thanks for another great season, Jay Drew

Attendance Sep Oct
#1
Oct
#2
Nov
#1
Nov
#2
Dec Jan Feb Mar April May
Students 14 7 11 12 15 X 15 14 15 13 7
Instructors 10 9 10 7 10 X 11 7 12 7 3