Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: reddog15]
#3594127 - 01/30/10 06:41 PM
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Looks like fun, you definitely got one of a kind and your work cut out for you,and like I said 1st "looks like fun" 
It's fun, but the funner part is after everything is cleaned up, painted, lubed and ready to be put back together again. The not-fun part is rust and old paint removal.
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akman1955
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/07/09
Loc: Alaska, USA
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594132 - 01/30/10 06:43 PM
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 start sandblasting..greatjob.  .john
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594140 - 01/30/10 06:46 PM Attachment (73 downloads)
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Teflon (not sure what kinda) plastic sleeve bearings are used on the Dec shaft. I was kind of surprised because I thought roller bearings like on the Cave mounts would be much better, but this mount is very sturdy anyway.
The dried out rusty goo on the aluminum parts will clean up easy and then it's just a lot of polishing.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594148 - 01/30/10 06:53 PM Attachment (73 downloads)
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The RA shaft is also secured with a threaded retainer ring. Once removed, I find a bushing pressed into the shaft that I gently worked off. On the other end was another bushing as well, but once the bottom one was off, the shaft was able to be removed quite easily.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594153 - 01/30/10 06:57 PM Attachment (68 downloads)
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Here's a closeup of the RA sleeve bearing (same on both ends). They are only about 1/2" long, but seem to work well.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594157 - 01/30/10 07:01 PM Attachment (63 downloads)
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The RA shaft is in very good shape. The ring gear wont budge though. All I'm doing today is getting the major pieces off and then will start on those one at a time. Kind of like assessing what needs to be done before getting real serious
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594164 - 01/30/10 07:05 PM Attachment (71 downloads)
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The three knobs that hold the base to the pier cap are removed. There are three "dogs" (I guess their dogs, might be some other name for them) that slide inside the groove to allow the entire mount to be rotated in azimuth. During install, these parts would be attached to the knobs on the underside of the base and then lined up to where the three holes are so that they can be seated and turned into the slots.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594169 - 01/30/10 07:08 PM Attachment (70 downloads)
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The three bolts that hold the cap to the column are removed, along with the eyepiece holder, and look what I found! I though it was dead, it wasn't, but is now!
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594173 - 01/30/10 07:10 PM Attachment (83 downloads)
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Fortunately, this one was already dead, neighbor of the spider.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594177 - 01/30/10 07:13 PM Attachment (68 downloads)
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Here's a closeup of the latitude adjustment assembly. It doesn't turn at all, due to some rusted collars near the knob end.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594182 - 01/30/10 07:14 PM
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That's all for today! The stand column and legs are apart, and there's a couple things interesting about them, but I'll save that for tomorrow.
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akman1955
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/07/09
Loc: Alaska, USA
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594184 - 01/30/10 07:15 PM
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 my god..glad i dont have these in alaska...had too chase cow moose and two calfs out of yard this morning too let dogs out..john
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Lew Chilton
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/20/05
Loc: SoCal
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594273 - 01/30/10 08:03 PM Attachment (80 downloads)
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The maker was obviously familiar with what was available on the amateur telescope market and thought he could do better than what was then available. He seems to have thought out every detail of the mounting and tube assembly - and succeeded in spades!
The mirror blank was obviously made by Corning Glass Works of New York. (My two 8-inch mirrors, one by Coast Instrument and one by Cave, are Corning glass that were both aluminized by Panchro, but neither had their backs ground flat like yours.)
I lived within a 30-minute bicycle ride of Signal Hill, Calif. from 1955 to 1960, was a rabid amateur astronomer and telescope maker but never heard of Morvac. The only places that I ever knew of that did aluminizing for telescope mirrors in Southern California in those days were Panchro and Keim.
There was a Nye Optical Co. on Cherry Ave. on Signal Hill, which I visited a number of times for mirror making supplies. (I donated a 1958 Nye catalog to Bob Provin for his Classic Telescopes and Catalogs website. Here's a link to it. On page 7, it mentions that aluminizing service was furnished, but I think they used Panchro and/or Keim, the same that nearby Cave and Coast Instrument used.)
http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/classics/nye/nye58.pdf
Perhaps the maker of your 8-inch had professional connections to Morvac on Signal Hill, which may have only done optical coatings for industry. Maybe they aluminized this mirror as a favor or as a "G-Job." 
Dan, so glad you're the one who found this scope. In your hands, it'll be brought back to better than new condition. Looking forward to the progress reports!
Lew
P.S. Oh, by the way, here's a picture of my Corning Glass Works 3-inch ashtray that was made as a sourvenir to commemmorate the successful pouring of the 200" Palomar Pyrex blank. I found it on the Bay a few years ago.
Edited by Lew Chilton (01/30/10 08:06 PM)
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The_Vagabond
sage
Reged: 10/27/08
Loc: Jacksonville, Florida
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594292 - 01/30/10 08:16 PM
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Fortunately, this one was already dead, neighbor of the spider.
Not dead; that's a skin. Little fella probably lived a bit longer.
Also, no signs of black widows... yet. You need to look for sizeable egg sacs that should be fairly smooth, between 6mm and 8mm (possibly up to 12mm) in diameter. If you come across egg sacs of similar size but a little spikey looking, thems brown widow's. And they can be just as nasty...
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Bob Myler
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 05/18/06
Loc: St Louis, MO
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: The_Vagabond]
#3594354 - 01/30/10 08:45 PM
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In 1958, Radiometers were were marketed as cutting edge by Nye Optical. Ahhh, just one of many new scientific marvels displayed in Buhl Planetarium's product showcase - that fired the imagination of this 10 year old boy. Life goes full circle. Today, my Dealers use them to demonstrate low emissivity glass.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: akman1955]
#3594448 - 01/30/10 09:41 PM
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start sandblasting..greatjob. .john
Thanks, John. I wish I had a sandblaster booth, but I will probably do this the hard way 
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: akman1955]
#3594459 - 01/30/10 09:47 PM
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my god..glad i dont have these in alaska...had too chase cow moose and two calfs out of yard this morning too let dogs out..john
It's just a bug, and a long gone bug at that, so no worries there! But the live ones seem to come after me! I don't know how many times I've squished them. They usually come out in the summer at night and seem to hang out under wood. The Pack Rats are the worse though, they will eat wire insulation and are a real nuisance. I have to keep a drop light on a timer under my truck to keep them from climbing up into the engine compartment and eating the wire! They don't like light. But, light attracts moths, moths attract geckos and wouldn't you know, I have geckos living in my truck! It's all part of living in the desert I guess.
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Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 10/17/09
Loc: Tucson, Arizona
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Lew Chilton]
#3594510 - 01/30/10 10:14 PM
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The maker was obviously familiar with what was available on the amateur telescope market and thought he could do better than what was then available. He seems to have thought out every detail of the mounting and tube assembly - and succeeded in spades!
I agree, the designer/builder thought of everything when making this mount.
I am almost 100% sure I've seen this scope before featured in S&T's Gleanings for ATMs sometime after 1975. It sticks to my memory because of the Cave-like rotating rings and the humongous focuser base. There was a picture of it. I kinda remember the article saying that the scope was from the 60's but the mount was designed more recently at the time. I wish I had my old S&T magazines from back then because I would be going through every issue until I found it! Hopefully I will be able to contact the original owner, or his wife and get some invaluable information then. I like to keep a record that documents the telescopes I take care of just for future's sake.
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There was a Nye Optical Co. on Cherry Ave. on Signal Hill, which I visited a number of times for mirror making supplies. (I donated a 1958 Nye catalog to Bob Provin for his Classic Telescopes and Catalogs website. Here's a link to it. On page 7, it mentions that aluminizing service was furnished, but I think they used Panchro and/or Keim, the same that nearby Cave and Coast Instrument used.)
That's an awesome catalog! Dontcha wish to travel back in time and get some of those goodies? Not because the cost was nothing compared to now (bar inflation) but simply because nobody makes stuff like that anymore!
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Dan, so glad you're the one who found this scope. In your hands, it'll be brought back to better than new condition. Looking forward to the progress reports!
Thanks, Lew I don't consider this "my" scope. I'm merely the curator, someone who will make it like it used to be, maybe a little better and stainless steel fasteners are the first thing on the list! I do get a lot of enjoyment doing this, but I hope I've honored whoever made it in the first place - they're the expert!
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clintwhitman
Caveman
Reged: 01/01/07
Loc: CALI SoEasyACavemanCanSlewIt
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3594771 - 01/31/10 01:28 AM
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Lew Awsome as always!!!
Dan this was not built by anyone trying to make a living building telescopes. No way!!! Who ever built this was a total showoff and must have been friends with Byers, Cave or Carrol or all of them... I would bet you that if you contact some of the guys at the River side ATMers They can tell you who built this thing. I am sure he made the pilgramige to RTMC at least once to show that dude off....
My words of advice I never follow, until the AP landed in my lap. Go slow and dont hit the parts with hammers!!! LOL For the any gears or other parts you need call Bob Burns he can make new custom ones, Emory cloth works wonders....
This scope could be heart stoping and the mirror has a really good chance of being a lulu. know one would put this much work in a mount system and throw a junk mirror in it.
Clint
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reddog15
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/09/09
Loc: Wyoming
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Re: A Mystery Scope!
[Re: Datapanic]
#3595404 - 01/31/10 12:21 PM
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Looks like fun, you definitely got one of a kind and your work cut out for you,and like I said 1st "looks like fun"
It's fun, but the funner part is after everything is cleaned up, painted, lubed and ready to be put back together again. The not-fun part is rust and old paint removal.
Oh yes I know all about refurbishing You have a nice piece I,m sure you and all of us are waiting to see the finished product
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