509 replies to this topic

[turk123]

Me think I posted to the wrong thread.  My Bad.   Deleted here.

[tim53]

After we had a major fire at our house in 2001, and while we were waiting for the insurance company to get started on cleaning up the mess, we...  ...started cleaning up the mess!  A couple rooms had piles of wet plaster and drywall that we wanted to get out of there so the floors could dry (1887 vintage doug fir planking).  We worked on one room for about 4 hours one day, and we were all sick for about a week after.  Wore masks after.  At least we lived so we could learn!

 

-Tim.

[Geo31]

_{I would still set it on fire and destroy every single organism.}

 

Nuke the site from orbit....   Only way to be sure.  

[wargrafix]

Drop a tungsten rod from orbit. Great way to get rid of the critters

[Jeff B]

And?  

[turk123]

Several months back I sent out the setting circles to one of our members here Andy Khula.  It was very nice of him to put in some work on the things.  From some of the pictures they look fantastic!  Thanks Andy for the help in this project.

 

Here is a picture he sent of the work in progress:

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Edited by turk123, 07 August 2015 - 11:18 AM.

[CHASLX200]

Yikes! Maybe i should send him mine. They look like a mirror.

 

Chas

[deefree49]

Out of the blue today, I picked up one of my old Astronomy magazines (Sept. 1993) and saw the Cave dual focal length telescope in an ad. I got intrigued and put in a search on the web and ended up here on the very forum I visit several times a day.

 

I wish this was something I'd known about before today! I live in Columbus, am retired and have available time. Many years ago, in 1983, I actually had a role in salvaging a refractor from a college observatory in Fairfield, Iowa. It was amazing how stories from that telescope kept showing up in the oddest places. It was almost as if it was following me around and it wended its way from one situation to another. Now I'm afraid it is endangered all over again.

 

Anyways, long story short...what is happening with the Cave scope from Wilmington? Is the project still alive?

[turk123]

It is quite alive.   I am not much of a restorer during the summer months, but when winter arrives I will begin the work on the scope.  My plans are to get the mount completely rebuilt, powder coated, and put together.  I will then start on the optics and the tube.  It is a complete scope so I do not have to run down parts.  I will bring everyone along on the adventure.

 

Tom Cave installing the telescope.

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Edited by turk123, 01 September 2015 - 08:40 PM.

[mikey cee]

Out of the blue today, I picked up one of my old Astronomy magazines (Sept. 1993) and saw the Cave dual focal length telescope in an ad. I got intrigued and put in a search on the web and ended up here on the very forum I visit several times a day.

 

I wish this was something I'd known about before today! I live in Columbus, am retired and have available time. Many years ago, in 1983, I actually had a role in salvaging a refractor from a college observatory in Fairfield, Iowa. It was amazing how stories from that telescope kept showing up in the oddest places. It was almost as if it was following me around and it wended its way from one situation to another. Now I'm afraid it is endangered all over again.

 

Anyways, long story short...what is happening with the Cave scope from Wilmington? Is the project still alive?

Is this by chance a 10" refractor??    Mike

[deefree49]

Hi Mike,

 

You know I'm not 100% sure about it but it was either 9" or 10". I think it is in Texas now? Anyways, the very latest thing about it was someone was selling an old book/pamphlet from Warner & Swasey here in the Cloudy Nights Marketplace - maybe a week ago(?) The scope on the cover looked VERY much like the same one or at least the same model. The scope pier I found was definitely Warner & Swasey. I think the telescope was made by Lohmann Bros.

 

In 1983, the scope was almost fully operational and we did look through it at Venus in the daytime and a couple of other things. It had a guide scope refractor and an old weight driven clock system in the pier. The observatory dome was still viable even though it had not been in regular use for years.

 

At the time, Dennis DiCiccio at Sky and Telescope had written an article or smaller blurb about trying to find and refurbish old refractors. I wrote to him about trading a modern Celestron for the refractor for the college. Unfortunately my involvement ended before anything actually transpired and I think the scope actually ended up in private hands for awhile. I think it is in a museum now but the latest pictures of it weren't very encouraging. I think if you do a little searching on the web under Fairfield Iowa or Parsons College and old refractor you may come upon some articles about it. Also I think it was owned after it moved from the college not by Dennis but by Dr. Ron Madison. I don't know if Dennis had it briefly or at all.

 

I was going to write Dennis again to ask him about it but chickened out.

 

I still have an old polaroid of the scope when it was in Fairfield.

 

I love things like this...it is interesting and fascinating and saving old telescopes seems to be a very worthwhile thing to do.

Edited by deefree49, 02 September 2015 - 07:38 PM.

[Thaeland]

Hello,

 

What's the current status of this project?

 

Jon

[Terra Nova]

I believe it’s been mothballed or the time being. Tom has gone in a different direction.

[CHASLX200]

I think the OP got sick from the project.

[Geo31]

I think the OP got sick from the project.

Second time you've said this.  You think wrong.

[mark77]

Actually he did get sick from breathing the dust from the bird droppings, see post #409

[Mr Magoo]

Second time you've said this.  You think wrong.

This is correct. Turk did get very sick from the bird droppings after he got it home.

[CHASLX200]

Second time you've said this.  You think wrong.

You sure are wrong .  Best to read up again.

Edited by CHASLX200, 19 January 2019 - 11:57 AM.

[Terra Nova]

Second time you've said this.  You think wrong.

Yes, Tom got very sick from cleaning the extensive amount of bird poop where they had nested inside of the tube. I think he used a pressure washer and contracted something like histoplasmosis.

[CHASLX200]

Yes, Tom got very sick from cleaning the extensive amount of bird poop where they had nested inside of the tube. I think he used a pressure washer and contracted something like histoplasmosis.

My friend used to trap birds and got very sick in 1973 and passed away.

[Geo31]

This is correct. Turk did get very sick from the bird droppings after he got it home.

No question.

 

But it is NOT the reason the project has not moved forward.

 

Got sick?  Yes, and got over it.  Not finished because Tom got sick?  Patently false.

[Geo31]

I believe it’s been mothballed or the time being. Tom has gone in a different direction.

THIS is correct.  

 

[edit]. Tom posted in another thread what he’s up to these days.  Restoring guitars IIRC.

Edited by Geo31, 19 January 2019 - 03:34 PM.

[CHASLX200]

Not sure where i posted it twice he got sick in this thread. Not true at all. And never said the project was stopped for good.

Edited by CHASLX200, 19 January 2019 - 03:47 PM.

[Geo31]

Not sure where i posted it twice he got sick in this thread. Not true at all. And never said the project was stopped for good.

Fair enough.  It certainly seemed implied that it was the reason it wasn’t active (since someone was asking about status).

[SamTheMan]

Several years ago when I was doing research for the Cave-astrola.com website, I ran across an article about a telescope that was funded by a donation to Wilmington College just south of Columbus Ohio.  The telescope project was to replace a 8-9" refractor that I believe may have gone missing. In 1964, Willmington college took delivery of a Cave Optical Company 16" cassegrain telescope, 22' Observa-dome dome, mount and accessories.   Tom Cave transported the telescope by trailer to Ohio and installed it.

Chuck, maybe you don't remember the where you can find these words etched in stone.  Try the tombstone that John Brashear and his wife share in adjacent graves.

goto https://en.wikipedia...i/John_Brashear