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Cave Mirror Registry

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1222 replies to this topic

#26 gelkin

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 09:52 PM

Wow what a day, a caveman award and a winning car, congrats. I am the current owner of the mirror you list being owned by Greg Stone. Included is a photo for additional info. Not visible in the photo the year is 1977.
:bow: :bow:Great idea and thanks for committing the time to do it. Very interesting information on these excellent scopes. :bow: :bow: Present owner of this 8" light weight deluxe- Gerald Elkin

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#27 PiSigma

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 09:58 PM

Thanks Gregg. That fills in a little bit more of the gap between the early mirrors with no year in the serial number and the ones that did. That's very cool that the registry helped indicate that it is really 1961 and not 1967, I love it! Is the focal length marked on it?

I wonder what the MC prefix means? That's a new one. Hard to say about Alika Herring figuring the mirror. We need more direct information from the people who were there at the time. I have also read that Mr. Herring left in 1961 and returned in 1970.

#28 PiSigma

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 10:04 PM

Thanks L. Regira. That is now the latest serial number I have recorded.

#29 PiSigma

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 10:08 PM

Thanks for the update Gerald. And now I know it has the block lettering too.

#30 PiSigma

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 10:14 PM

Another update: I found an obituary of Tom Cave Jr. from the British Astronomical Association that quotes a former Cave employee, Dick Norton, as writing that Cave made 53,000 mirrors (not 83,000) and 15,000 complete telescopes.

BAA Cave Obit

#31 greju

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 10:20 PM

Jon, Glad you did not use the actual one from BAA which is copyright protected! :lol: And yes, the focal length is inscribed 48" + L - F/8 .

#32 PiSigma

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 10:39 PM

I think it would have been OK anyway as they were quoting Mr. Norton from an article he had written about the history of Cave for the August 1994 Sky & Telescope. But I guess that would have been copyrighted also. I wish I had a copy of that article. Man, I need to pony up for a set of those S&T DVDs.

#33 greju

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Posted 27 February 2011 - 10:44 PM

That's funny, I have been looking for that same article! The early history of Cave!

#34 Datapanic

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 01:01 AM

That's a VERY GOOD article and makes it worth buying the S&T DVD set worth it in itself! I haven't read or found any history like that in the article anywhere else.

#35 PiSigma

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 09:46 AM

That's a VERY GOOD article and makes it worth buying the S&T DVD set worth it in itself! I haven't read or found any history like that in the article anywhere else.


Oh, now I'm going to HAVE to buy the DVD set.....

#36 apfever

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 10:23 AM

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#37 greju

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 10:36 AM

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#38 greju

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 12:09 PM

Please let me correct myself yet again. :foreheadslap: My eyes just ain't what they used to be! After even closer inspection with every magnifier in the house my mirrors serial number is indeed M 2004 and not MC as I stated in the above thread. It is a VERY cursive M and kind off has a tail on it so in just looking without any help I saw MC. I apologize and have corrected it in the post above. Maybe because of the age or the fact that this info is inscribed very lightly on the back of the mirror it is VERY hard to get a good picture. I hope this will count!

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#39 CAVEMASTER

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 01:06 PM

A most informative post. Yea I was just about to quit NASCAR
Jeff really deserved to win. I will get my 12.5" 1969 Deluxe
semi-trans. to you ASAP.
v/r
Danny

#40 PiSigma

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 01:36 PM

No worries Gregg, that's good. I see what you mean about the M. On these early mirrors the inscriber seems to want to do the engraving with a certain flair.

#41 apfever

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 02:02 PM

mmm... I am pretty sure that material IS copyright protected. Do you download music from questionable sites too? :lol:


I don't download music.
I do have the S&T collection, complete, back to around 62 or so. I could ask S&T after explaining the use. What do you think they would say? I believe the copyright intent is so that other publishers won't use the articles. However, even the intent for educational or nostalgic use does require inquiry to be legit. Teachers do have to ask permission to copy some material for class handouts, and are rarely denied.
My only mistake here is skimming the red tape by not asking S&T, AND making a public offer instead of private.

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#42 chollman

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 02:53 PM

I ground an 8" F/8 mirror from an edmund kit in 1971. It was refigured in 1973 by Cave Optical. The serial is #R738569. This mirror has been documented at better than .99 strehl and a minimum 1/25 wave error. I see at the beginning of this thread that an R means it was refigured by Cave himself. I sort of thought that since my mother talked to Cave on the phone about my mirror (I was at school at the time). I was beginning to think it was an Alika refigure since the mirror is so perfect. Any thoughts on this? Charlie Hollman

#43 PiSigma

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 04:50 PM

Charlie,

When I stated an R meant refigured by Cave I meant Cave Optical Co. not Tom Cave himself. He may well have done it himself but I have no way to know that.

Does your mirror have a date inscribed also and is the inscription cursive or block lettering? I'll add it to the registry.

#44 chollman

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Posted 28 February 2011 - 06:56 PM

Jon, Sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. The inscription is cursive and not very good writing. Probably not easy to inscribe the edge of a pyrex mirror. I will have to check the date next time the mirror is out. It is late 1973, not sure which month. Thanks for your reply. Charlie Hollman

#45 Rich (RLTYS)

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Posted 02 March 2011 - 06:51 AM

Here is a picture of my Cave Mirror, all other info has been PM.

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#46 Rich (RLTYS)

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Posted 02 March 2011 - 06:53 AM

Here is a second picture.

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#47 PiSigma

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Posted 02 March 2011 - 10:00 AM

Thanks Rich.

I've noticed on a number of these block letter engraved mirrors that the V in Cave is taller (or lower) than the other letters. Not sure why but it seems like it was done on purpose.

#48 apfever

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Posted 02 March 2011 - 02:45 PM

Thanks Rich.

I've noticed on a number of these block letter engraved mirrors that the V in Cave is taller (or lower) than the other letters. Not sure why but it seems like it was done on purpose.


It seems the block letters that are uniform in height also have point top A's, that is A's made with two straight lines. The block lettering with the tall V's seem to all have rolled top A's made with a single arched stroke. So far.

#49 Rich (RLTYS)

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Posted 02 March 2011 - 05:31 PM

Thanks Rich.

I've noticed on a number of these block letter engraved mirrors that the V in Cave is taller (or lower) than the other letters. Not sure why but it seems like it was done on purpose.


It seems the block letters that are uniform in height also have point top A's, that is A's made with two straight lines. The block lettering with the tall V's seem to all have rolled top A's made with a single arched stroke. So far.


Does it mean anything? :question:

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#50 apfever

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Posted 02 March 2011 - 05:56 PM

I have no idea.
There was interest expressed earlier in identifying writing to help determine who may have made the mirror. This registry could provide some interesing information. I would suggest an archives of the pictures in some format (by date?) that would allow comparisons after, hopefully, hundreds of inscription pictures.


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