74 replies to this topic

[BillB9430]

Henry,

Since Mallan's "Amateur Astronomy Handbook" from 1960 featured the Jaegers 5" F/5 build, a lot of info is available on that. Nothing specific that I know of on the 6" F/5, but the 5" stuff can be scaled up. 

 

Surplus Shed STILL has reprints of the Jaegers Cat. No. 3094 booklet "How to build an astronomical refractor telescope. It is Surplus Shed item M4114 and costs $0.95. It contains some photos reprinted with permission from Mallan's book and layout diagrams for the Jaegers 4 1/8" f/15, 6" f/10, and 6" f/15 and a couple smaller refractors. Those diagrams may be of limited use now, however, since the glare stops are dimensioned for a 1.25" focuser and eyepieces.

 

I just checked and the 6" f/5 Jaegers objective was not available in the Jaegers 1970-4 catalog, but was in the 1973-3 catalog. I don't have any 1971 or 1972 Jaegers catalogs. So that objective wasn't even available at the time when Mallan's book was published in 1960. -Bill

[CltFlyboy]

Thanks for checking Bill, I appreciate the effort. I'll have to snag SS's booklet while I can. And great thought (and a duh-huh moment for me) re: scaling the 5" f/5 up. I already know what I'm going to do to finish this (I have a 2" focuser, would really love to get a 3" Crayford style but that's another story - I have). I really need to get off my duff and finish this build - all I have to do is cut the tube and mount the focuser and I'm in business.

[Terra Nova]

This was my 3” Jaegers long focus refractor. I built it around a Jaegers 83mm x 1218mm air spaced objective and an empty 3” Unitron tube. The effective aperture wound up being 76mm. The focuser was modified to a standard 1.25” format. I called it my Jaegertron. Here’s my thread about it:

 

https://www.cloudyni...8mm-jaegertron/

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Edited by Terra Nova, 11 February 2022 - 03:14 PM.

[Kasmos]

Thanks for checking Bill, I appreciate the effort. I'll have to snag SS's booklet while I can. And great thought (and a duh-huh moment for me) re: scaling the 5" f/5 up. I already know what I'm going to do to finish this (I have a 2" focuser, would really love to get a 3" Crayford style but that's another story - I have). I really need to get off my duff and finish this build - all I have to do is cut the tube and mount the focuser and I'm in business.

I scanned the drawings for each of the scopes in the booklet. It's on my other computer so I'll transfer them soon.

[CltFlyboy]

I scanned the drawings for each of the scopes in the booklet. It's on my other computer so I'll transfer them soon.

Coolness, I'd really appreciate that. SS's site is hung when I try to add a payment, ad a digital copy works fine for me.

[YourNotSirius]

Coolness, I'd really appreciate that. SS's site is hung when I try to add a payment, ad a digital copy works fine for me.

Hung Schmung! We almost panicked! For whatever reason Firefox was saying that there was a problem with the site. Fortunately, Opera came through and saved the day. WHEW!

 

From what I have read, the owner is in the final phases of shutting down this business. What a shame that people today don't have the desire or drive to create their own telescopes and such. The old man still has plenty of Edmund and Jeagers catalogs which we review every once in a while. I may not be as driven as he was but, I can still help him when he needs it.

 

Truthfully, you folks who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s really had the best of everything. Yes, there were some social troubles but, for astronomy and the exploration of the Universe, you had it all. I know that we have gained huge amounts of knowledge since then and it's all because of you wonder and dreams. I wish I could experience the same excitement and awe that drove all of you to your passion to conquer the Universe. It must have been something special because the generations that have followed don't seem to have the glint that shows up in the eyes of the old man or others his age when they look backward to those days. Yeah! You really did have something special which will never be seen or experienced ever again. I envy you all.

 

Sorry! I digressed a little bit. Oops!

 

Q

[Terra Nova]

Hung Schmung! We almost panicked! For whatever reason Firefox was saying that there was a problem with the site. Fortunately, Opera came through and saved the day. WHEW!

 

From what I have read, the owner is in the final phases of shutting down this business. What a shame that people today don't have the desire or drive to create their own telescopes and such. The old man still has plenty of Edmund and Jeagers catalogs which we review every once in a while. I may not be as driven as he was but, I can still help him when he needs it.

 

Truthfully, you folks who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s really had the best of everything. Yes, there were some social troubles but, for astronomy and the exploration of the Universe, you had it all. I know that we have gained huge amounts of knowledge since then and it's all because of you wonder and dreams. I wish I could experience the same excitement and awe that drove all of you to your passion to conquer the Universe. It must have been something special because the generations that have followed don't seem to have the glint that shows up in the eyes of the old man or others his age when they look backward to those days. Yeah! You really did have something special which will never be seen or experienced ever again. I envy you all.

 

Sorry! I digressed a little bit. Oops!

 

Q

Thank you. That was nice. In many ways it was a much kinder, gentler time. I miss it.

[deSitter]

Hung Schmung! We almost panicked! For whatever reason Firefox was saying that there was a problem with the site. Fortunately, Opera came through and saved the day. WHEW!

 

From what I have read, the owner is in the final phases of shutting down this business. What a shame that people today don't have the desire or drive to create their own telescopes and such. The old man still has plenty of Edmund and Jeagers catalogs which we review every once in a while. I may not be as driven as he was but, I can still help him when he needs it.

 

Truthfully, you folks who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s really had the best of everything. Yes, there were some social troubles but, for astronomy and the exploration of the Universe, you had it all. I know that we have gained huge amounts of knowledge since then and it's all because of you wonder and dreams. I wish I could experience the same excitement and awe that drove all of you to your passion to conquer the Universe. It must have been something special because the generations that have followed don't seem to have the glint that shows up in the eyes of the old man or others his age when they look backward to those days. Yeah! You really did have something special which will never be seen or experienced ever again. I envy you all.

 

Sorry! I digressed a little bit. Oops!

 

Q

Well said, and yes, we knew we were fortunate, then and now. It was wonderful. It still is.

 

-drl

[PawPaw]

An update this am on the 5" RFT.......Again I cannot thank Bill enough for taking the time to send all the documents I needed.  This community is amazing and so helpful.  

 

I took some more measurements and my OTA is actually cut at 16 5/8".  An inch shorter than I thought.  With my 1.25 eyepieces both straight thru and with a diagonal I can reach focus from about 30 yards to infinity.  So with Bills advice and help I have decided not to find a longer tube but instead make an adapter for the 2.7" focuser so the 1.5" Erfle can be extended a couple of inches.  This way I can revert back to the 1.25 eyepieces and use the 2" eyepiece format as  well.

 

Here are a few pics showing the focal length and the 1.25 adapter that came with the scope.  Also the main reason why I am excited about using this Jaegers objective.  DPAC shows an excellent objective.

 

Don

 

 

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[PawPaw]

A pic showing our small wildlife through a double pane window (I cleaned them yesterday.....yes I do windows) at approx 30 yards with the Jaegers 5" RFT and a 28mm RKE.

Really a wonderful wildlife lens.

 

The OTA has two baffles placed just like the instructions Bill provided.

 

Don

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by PawPaw, 12 February 2022 - 10:48 AM.

[Terra Nova]

My ATM 6” F4.5 Newtonian RFT doesn’t have Jaegers glass (the primary was ground from an Edmund kit and the secondary is Cave), but the primary cell, secondary spider, and focuser are all Jaegers!

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[PawPaw]

These A. Jaegers eyepieces came with an old Edmund 4" objective I purchased over 10 years ago.  They came in a heavy duty metal container.  The interesting part for  me was they were in the Netherlands............Jaegers made it across the pond.

 

 

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[Terra Nova]

These A. Jaegers eyepieces came with an old Edmund 4" objective I purchased over 10 years ago.  They came in a heavy duty metal container.  The interesting part for  me was they were in the Netherlands............Jaegers made it across the pond.

Across the pond, AND back again! That’s pretty cool!

[danmdak]

Jaegers!!! My favorite Company!  How I loved their catalogs.  I remember in the summer of 1980, had just finished grinding my first telescope, a 6" f/8 kit from, of course, Jaegers.  Had a rather cheesy homemade mount for it and in the fall noticed silver prices were up. Hmmm.....I had remnants of my coin collection under the bed....I remember taking in the common date silver and finding it was worth around $80!!! For me a truly WHOPPING sum in those days.  Also noticed with the $80 I could buy that beautiful 1" shaft Jaegers mount (but no pier due to the expense plus added shipping expense).  So I sold the coins and ordered the mount.  I was in heaven. Permanently mounted it in concrete and used it 5 years with the 6" f/8 then 2 years with an 8" f/6.  Then took it out of the concrete and have used it, non stop, in a 6" f/5 Refl, then 6" f/4 Refl and now built a Jaegers 5" RFT refractor I dreamed about as a youth.  You are right Terra, is sure was a simpler time then.  When I wanted info I rode my bike to the library or took the bus downtown to the main library and poured over the necessary books.  If I had to I would make  copies  of what was needed (they came out poor quality on matte paper that you could scratch the ink off of...remember that?).  Here is the mount in use with the Jaegers RFT.

 

[PawPaw]

Jaegers!!! My favorite Company!  How I loved their catalogs.  I remember in the summer of 1980, had just finished grinding my first telescope, a 6" f/8 kit from, of course, Jaegers.  Had a rather cheesy homemade mount for it and in the fall noticed silver prices were up. Hmmm.....I had remnants of my coin collection under the bed....I remember taking in the common date silver and finding it was worth around $80!!! For me a truly WHOPPING sum in those days.  Also noticed with the $80 I could buy that beautiful 1" shaft Jaegers mount (but no pier due to the expense plus added shipping expense).  So I sold the coins and ordered the mount.  I was in heaven. Permanently mounted it in concrete and used it 5 years with the 6" f/8 then 2 years with an 8" f/6.  Then took it out of the concrete and have used it, non stop, in a 6" f/5 Refl, then 6" f/4 Refl and now built a Jaegers 5" RFT refractor I dreamed about as a youth.  You are right Terra, is sure was a simpler time then.  When I wanted info I rode my bike to the library or took the bus downtown to the main library and poured over the necessary books.  If I had to I would make  copies  of what was needed (they came out poor quality on matte paper that you could scratch the ink off of...remember that?).  Here is the mount in use with the Jaegers RFT.

 

5inchrefractor10.JPG

I appreciate all Jaegers especially those well taken care of.........The wood tube looks amazing.......what type of wood?  

 

Don

[danmdak]

The wood is oak. I glued a few 1/4" thick slabs together, then routed grooves, wet the wood so it would flex, squirted in white glue and let it dry.  Then into a lathe where I fit up the lens cell and focuser end.

 

And lots of sanding!

[Jeff B1]

My first version of a 6" f/4 was on a similar mount to a typical Jaegers version, here it is with an Edmunds Scientific 85-108 equatorial mount and wooden tripod.  I think both companies used the same mount maker.

 

 

My first Jaeger's project was a 3" Newt kit back in 1973.  They had great stuff.

Edited by Jeff B1, 17 February 2022 - 06:14 PM.

[bremms]

Have a 4" F15 a 6" F10 a 4.5" F4.5 a 5" f5 not mounted at the moment. Had a 3.25" F15 and still have a smaller lens or two hanging out.

[Defenderslideguitar]

Here 's mine   recently acquired  and a few things added

Jaegers   5 inch  f  5       Apogee tube      coming along   I like it   

Barry

 

my dew shield     way to short   looking for add on    ideas?

Edited by Defenderslideguitar, 21 March 2022 - 08:02 PM.

[Defenderslideguitar]

Here 's mine   recently acquired  and a few things added

 

 

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[CltFlyboy]

Progress! One of by great friends (who is on the board here but doesn't post much if any) did me a solid. He cut the tube to the right length, stripped the failing crinkle coat from the dew shield (I want to know what that stuff is made of - nothing he could do would easily get it off, it was like tar), polished the tube (he'll not like the paint color I'm going to do), mounted the focuser, and for good measure cleaned the objective. He's awesome!

 

The views are incredible, the objective performs a LOT better than I expected from a 6' F/5 achromat. Now to get a plate for the mount I'm putting this on (lighter weight for ease of travel) and I'll have the yard cannon refractor I always wanted.

 

 

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[Bomber Bob]

The views are incredible, the objective performs a LOT better than I expected from a 6' F/5 achromat. Now to get a plate for the mount I'm putting this on (lighter weight for ease of travel) and I'll have the yard cannon refractor I always wanted.

 

She looks great!!

 

I've had mine a few weeks, so she's still a work in progress.  And, only 1 night to test her views, which are all that I wanted.  Gotta hand it to Jaegers -- skilled hands.

 

 

AstroZap flexible dewshield will be here Monday.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 16 June 2022 - 08:34 PM.

[Terra Nova]

My ATM 6” RFT with Jaegers focuser, cell, and spider on my old Jaegers mount:

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[Bomber Bob]

BIF:  I like that brushed aluminum tube on your Jaegers.  I did that with my BB-built Jaegers 50mm F12:

 

 

I'm gonna strip the old layers of paint off the 6"; and, if the tube is in good shape, I'll polish it rather than re-paint it...

 

AstroZap dewshield is a snug fit on the outer cell:

 

 

Makes The Beast look even bigger & badder.

Edited by Bomber Bob, 17 June 2022 - 03:42 PM.

[RalphMeisterTigerMan]

While I personally did NOT place any orders with A. Jaeger's, the catastrophic fire they experienced back in the spring od 1986 prevented me from doing so. It's a shame that they were never able to recover from that disaster. Had the fire never happened, I definitely would have placed orders with them for several different items.

 

I remember from when I had a 1-year subscription to Sky and Telescope magazine when I was in grade 7. They always had that giant ad in the middle in every monthly issue. I was always amazed and fascinated by all those really cool military surplus items that they were selling.

 

I rememeber going thru the archives at the Vancouver chapter of the RASC and enjoying S & T issues from the 1960's. I recall that they had military surplus models of the iconic Norden bomb-site used on Various allied bombers during the Second and the Korean war. Remember, this bomb-site was classified as Top Secret at the time.

 

The various diameters of Achromatic Refractor lenses, the focusers and plethora of various types of eyepieces also made for some really cool reading. Somethings you never forget!

 

Clear skies and keep looking up!

RalphMeisterTigerMan