Mirror Kits and Telescope Making Supplies
MIRROR KITS
Willmann-Bell offers a full range of books, abrasives, polishing compounds, waxes, and Pyrex to help
you quickly and easily make a first-class telescope. Unlike other firms supplying the amateur and
professional, our merchandise is not limited to fast moving items, but also includes the hard-to-find. It
is no longer necessary to search far and wide to find optical quality supplies. With Willmann-Bell as
your supplier, your mail box is as far as you have to go to find complete, fast service.
CHECK AND COMPARE WHAT YOU GET BEFORE YOU BUY ANY KIT. FEATURE FOR FEATURE YOU CAN�T BEAT A W-B Experience Proven Kit T.M.
TWO FINE ANNEALED PYREX BLANKS:
FAST CUTTING SILICON CARBIDE:
WHITE ALUMINUM OXIDE LAPPING POWDERS:
FAST POLISHING CERIUM OXIDE:
MICRO-FACET NETTING:
TEMPERED BURGUNDY PITCH:
PURE PACKAGING:
Willmann-Bell Mirror Making Kits
Abrasive, Polishing Compond and Pitch Kits�No Glass
Pyrex Mirror Blanks
OPTICAL GRADE ABRASIVES
The glass used to make telescope lenses and mirrors is usually molded with flat or roughly curved surfaces. First, coarse abrasives are used to form the basic surface flat or curved. Next, finer and finer grades are brought into play to smooth out the pits left from each preceding size. Finally, the surface
is fine enough to take an optical polish.
You can rely on Willmann-Bell�s abrasives because they are accurately graded to ensure that no larger,scratch producing sizes or foreign materials are present. Further, special processing steps are used to produce abrasive grains of like shape and edge for longer and more economical grinding action.
There are many different ways to designate abra-sive sizes. W-B uses two�Grit and Micron sizing.A one micron size abrasive particle measures one millionth of a meter. The following table shows the range of both grit and micron sizes and their relationship to one another stated in inches.
ABRASIVE SIZE RELATIONSHIPS
Grit Size Inches Micron Size
During the past half-century thousands have made telescopes with not much more than their hands,
two Pyrex or glass blanks, abrasives, pitch, polishing compounds and a book describing the simple
steps. Young and old, the very rich, and the not so rich have all successfully turned their hands and minds to the task.
With the Pyrex supplied in our kit you have a total of 4
surfaces to choose from. The best others offer is 2, whether they have two raised rim Pyrex
blanks or a single Pyrex blank and a glass or ceramic tool. Further, since both blanks are the
same thickness and are made of the same material, flexure, temperature and differing wear
rates are all minimized or nonexistent. Finally, there is never any risk of hot pitch breaking the
tool as can happen with glass.
The average 6 inch mirror is hollowed out about a tenth of an
inch at the center. When you consider the amount of material that has to be removed, fast-cutting,
long-lasting silicon carbide makes sense. For more details on this excellent abrasive
consult the abrasive section.
Final grinding or lapping is the key to faster and
easier polishing. White aluminum oxide gives you the finest possible surface because of its
unique purity and discus shaped particles that plane the glass away rather than chipping and
gouging like other abrasives. To our knowledge no other kit maker offers you this unique product.
For years red rouge was used to polish and figure mirrors.
While capable of producing excellent surfaces it is slow and very messy. Cerium Oxide is faster
and much cleaner.
Netting has been used by professionals for years but seldom by amateurs.
It makes the lap much more responsive and promotes a smoother surface since the pitch
can flow over a smaller area without restriction.
This special mixture has the ideal flow rate to ensure an accurate
surface with no turned edge. Never needs straining.
Many suppliers pack their abrasives in shaker-top containers. While this appears
to be a real advantage to first-time users, the experienced know that it is of dubious value.
First, you will be using a large range of abrasive sizes; just as you learn to control one size you
will be moving on to an even smaller and harder to control size. Second, the closures do not
completely seal, which often leads to contamination in shipment and use. Professional workers
either make a water-abrasive slurry and apply it with a brush, or they spoon the abrasive and
cover the container with a small sheet of glass. Either way the exact quantity is placed precisely
where it is desired. Therefore we seal our abrasives in a heavy-duty plastic bag to ensure its
purity, and we recommend that you do what professionals do�transfer it to a small bowl and
apply by spoon or make a slurry and apply it by brush.
Size (") Price
4.25 $84.95
6.00 $94.95
8.00 $144.95
10.00 $314.95*fob
12.50 $494.95*fob
*10-inch kit 40 lbs; 12.5-inch kit 80 lbs.
Size (") Price
4.25 $35.95
6.00 $45.95
8.00 $55.95
10.00 $65.95
12.50 $75.95
All postage paid in the United States
Size (") Thickness (") Price
1.00 0.75 $13.95
1.75 1.00
$14.95
2.50 1.00 $17.95
3.00 1.00 $21.95
3.25 1.00 $22.95
4.00 1.00 $23.95
4.25 1.00 $25.95
5.00 1.00 $26.95
6.00 1.00 $27.95
8.00 1.38 $49.95
10.00 1.75 $136.95
12.50 2.13 $223.95*
*Note: Price includes domestic shipping except for 12.5-inch blanks which are fob and weigh 33 Lbs.
40
0.0258 684
60 0.0160 406
80 0.0105 266
120 0.0056 142
220 0.0026 66
320 0.0013 32
500 0.0007 16
0.0005 12
0.0002 5
0.0001 3
*** Note...these pages are solely for reference, any prices indicated may no longer be accurate,
all prices are subject to change, please contact William Bell for more information and pricing ***