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PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: JohnRW]
#5412296 - 09/09/12 08:39 PM Attachment (28 downloads)

I wish I knew what the significance of these is. Only a few Caves have them that I've seen. I have four and only my 8" Model B Deluxe has this on its secondary hub. Mine is CM 121749.

I think I'm going to back, find the other one or two I've seen, and add this information to the registry. Maybe if we get enough of them it will become obvious what they mean.

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5422725 - 09/15/12 06:15 PM Attachment (28 downloads)

We have a number of new mirrors so, time for an update.

7 new mirrors added. Changes from the 7/7/2012 edition are highlighted in yellow.

We have a second consecutive pair in M793838 and 793839.

I've added the three secondary mirror engravings that I know about to the notes field. Maybe if we get more it will become obvious what they mean.

A higher resolution version is here:

Cave Mirror Registry 9/15/2012

A total of 131 mirrors are now in the registry.

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RLTYS
Post Laureate

Reged: 12/18/04

Loc: New York (Long Island)

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5423409 - 09/16/12 09:13 AM

Wow, the list is getting bigger and bigger.

Rich (RLTYS)

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clintwhitman
Caveman

Reged: 01/01/07

Loc: CALI SoEasyACavemanCanSlewIt

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: RLTYS]
#5423490 - 09/16/12 10:15 AM

Awesome Jon!! Lew Chilton Called with some interesting info I need to call him and see what he was talking about

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catboat
sage

Reged: 12/01/09

Loc: Maine

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5423606 - 09/16/12 11:39 AM

Jon, great work!

Looks like I should have sent the following info to you a few days earlier. Anyway, for your next update, I have a 6" f/8 mirror by Cave. March 1960. The mirror is inscribed on the back in a loopy cursive script that resembles the script on Lew Chilton's mirror.

m1631
made by Cave Optical Co.
48" focal length f/8
March 1960

The inscription is so light I haven't been able to photograph it. If you weren't looking for it, you'd be unlikely to notice it.

Edward Mitchell

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JohnRW
member

Reged: 09/02/12

Loc: Oakland, California

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: catboat]
#5423856 - 09/16/12 02:25 PM

Thanks for maintaining this resource, Jon. It's "The List" when it comes to Caves, as far as I can tell. I'm pleased to contribute a data point! Now if we can figure out the secondary inscriptions.... I didn't notice my inscription until I looked several times.

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PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: clintwhitman]
#5423956 - 09/16/12 03:36 PM

Thanks Clint. Let me know what Lew says. He always has some great research and information.

I sent you a PM about another Cave history related question.

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: catboat]
#5423963 - 09/16/12 03:41 PM Attachment (24 downloads)

Great addition Edward, thank you. An early one.

If you could ever post a picture that would be great. You are right about some of these early engravings, they can be very faint and hard to photograph. It took a while for me to find the engraving on my 1958 Model C. And even then I wasn't sure at first if it was #M63 or #1163. It seems photographing these in direct sunlight helps with the contrast.

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: JohnRW]
#5423986 - 09/16/12 03:53 PM

You're welcome John. I really enjoy this kind of thing. Like Lew pointed out earlier, it's like Cave archeology. We've been able to deduce certain things from the list.

The secondary mirror serial numbers are one interesting aspect of all this. Only three so far and they are spread out over several years. And the one from 1970 is numerically higher than one from 1974. Like you, I didn't notice mine for quite a while. I'm sure a few have been painted over too.

One other odd thing is that big gap I've pointed out in the past from the last of the four digit serial numbers to the first of the six digit numbers. A gap of nearly four years. We have serial numbers from every year from 1952 until 1979 except 1957, 1962, 1963 and 1964. I'm a bit surprised we haven't been able to fill that gap in a little better and figure out when the switch from four to six digits occured.

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: RLTYS]
#5423996 - 09/16/12 03:59 PM

Quote:

Wow, the list is getting bigger and bigger.

It really is Rich. The first edition I posted over 1 1/2 years ago was only 53 mirrors. Now we have 132! They don't come along as often as when I started this but we've had a little flurry of new Caves recently.

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John Higbee
member

Reged: 07/17/12

Loc: Virginia

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5437166 - 09/23/12 11:13 PM

Jon - just got the mirror data (with the help of my son...that mirror cell is heavy)...
Cave Optical Co
M793839
F/6 75 1/8 F.L.
Mar 27 1979

By the registry, looks like this mirror has already been entered by Bob Midiri. Picture will follow tomorrow once my son sends it off his phone.

John

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Ralph124c41
newbie

Reged: 09/24/12

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5441652 - 09/26/12 01:17 PM

I have a Cave 8” Model “B” Standard Astrola with Clock Drive
Purchased Nov. 23, 1956

On the back of the mirror, almost impossible to see (mirror was re-aluminized):

- M – 727
CAVe OPTICAL Co
56 ½ fL f/7
Nov . 1956

Note there is a dash before the M
Mix of capital and small letters as shown above

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: John Higbee]
#5442344 - 09/26/12 08:21 PM

Thanks John. I went back through some correspondence and I should not have recorded it under Bob's name. I'll change it to yours in the next update.

I have some additional information on that scope and will PM you when I get a chance.

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: Ralph124c41]
#5442360 - 09/26/12 08:29 PM

Thank you Ralph and welcome to the Cloudy Nights Classic Telescope forum! Always great to get another early mirror.

We would love to see photos of the whole scope. If you ever have the mirror out I would really appreciate a photograph of the engraving. As you mentioned, these early engravings can be faint which makes some of them difficult to photograph.

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John Higbee
member

Reged: 07/17/12

Loc: Virginia

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5442458 - 09/26/12 09:23 PM Attachment (21 downloads)

John - here's the picture I promised. Looking forward to the additional information in your upcoming PM! I'm finishing up the reassembly of the drive, and will begin collimating the scope once that's done! all the best, John

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joerbiker
member

Reged: 01/08/11

Loc: Illinois

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5449385 - 09/30/12 11:13 PM Attachment (18 downloads)

Hi Jon,
Here's my addition:
10" F-5 M-793933 6-7-1979
50 1/4 F.L. Cave Optical Co.
Written in block Print.

This scope was purchased off Craigslist, not sure of the model, or the original owner(s).

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PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: joerbiker]
#5451551 - 10/02/12 09:36 AM

Thanks for the updates John and Joe.

Joe, since it is f/5 it would be considered a Richest Field Telescope model. Mounts appear to have been optional on these. We would love to see a picture of the whole scope.

Post Extras:

actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: PiSigma]
#5574924 - 12/16/12 10:50 PM Attachment (9 downloads)

Hi Jon.
I just bought this 8"f7 mirror. The seller purchased it from Cave along with a fiberglass tube, a cell, spider and diagonal mirror. It was not a finished telescope.
Robert

Post Extras:

Datapanic
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/17/09

Loc: Tucson, Arizona

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: actionhac]
#5575047 - 12/17/12 12:49 AM

Significant find, Robert! That's the only '62 mirror in the registry now and the highest of the sequential serial numbers.

Post Extras:

PiSigma
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/14/09

Loc: North Carolina

Re: Cave Mirror Registry new

[Re: actionhac]
#5575457 - 12/17/12 09:51 AM

That is significant Robert. Thank you.

It expands the early range of four digit serial numbers and closes that gap by nearly a year. Interesting that it doesn't have an M in front of the mirror number.

I would now estimate that there were 16,251 serialized mirrors (2,141 + 14,110).

Post Extras:

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