Mirror Grinding - Diamond Curve Generating Machine

http://hubach.deviantart.com/

This is my father's garage where he is currently working on his telescope hobby.

The Diamond curve generating machine in this video is grinding a 16' mirror blank. The purpose of this machine is to generate a curve into the mirror using homemade grinding tools, a diamond saw. The saw is a 4' diamond saw blade. The turnbuckles, when tightened will bend the high chromium, high carbon "spring steel" steel.
The machine uses a parts washer pump circulating the water runoff as a cooling agent & prevents dust & cools the blade while grinding. The machine is working perfectly.

The design of the machine is a homemade idea created by David Hubach.

Any questions feel free to contact Hubach88@gmail.com, Frogshark40@gmail.com OR
Message this YouTube account.

The design is reproducible and is open to the public. Any questions regarding the design email the above accounts.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• telescope
• mirror
• blank
• 16'
• diamond
• grinding
• machine
• curve
• generating
• polishing
• amateur
• home
• made
• david
• hubach

[foreilly1958]

Pretty neat. It appears to me that you are grinding a home generated plate glass thin blank to a short focal ratio. How did it come out?

Best regards,

Francis J. O'Reilly

foreilly1958

[xFrogsharkx]

1 1/2" thick F4.93.

5 hours for diamond generating.

Took roughly 7 hours through grinding stages & clear polished using polishing pads on aluminum facets. Using coal tar and paraffin wax. 9:1 ratio. Slightly under corrected parabola.

Have to many projects to work on to continuously work on. Next 2 mirrors I'm working on are 20".

[xFrogsharkx]

Yes you can adjust the curve radius.

Adjusting the turnbuckles, either tighter or looser changes the curve in the track. It can curve from 1' 1/4 to 0' deep. The tracks are spring steel and are able to go back straight.

There are some still photos in the video that this is responded to, "Telescope Making," there is a deviantART link which you might find interesting.

[skbaliyan]

Could you let me know the sources of curve generating machines for glass samples.

Thank You !

[attila8685]

Hi,

Can you adjust the curve radius what you want to grind, or tis machine is able to make only one radius of curvature?

How many steps do you need to reach the right saggita?

Thx.

Attila from Hungary

mirror maker