Ground to a Fraction of a Wavelength
Silicon carbide grits, Foucault testers, and pitch laps for the amateur optician grinding their own mirror
Willmann-Bell Silicon Carbide Grit Set — 80, 120, 220, 400, 500 Grit
A complete grit progression from coarse hogging through fine grinding — the consumable set that an ATM mirror grinder works through on every blank from first curve generation to pre-polishing finish.
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Cerium Oxide Polishing Powder — 4 oz for Glass and Optical Work
Cerium oxide is the polishing compound that takes a fine-ground mirror surface to optical smoothness — the final abrasive step before figuring on a pitch lap. Four ounces is enough for multiple 6-inch mirror projects.
Telescope Making — Book by Richard Berry
The comprehensive ATM reference that covers grinding, polishing, figuring, testing, and Dobsonian mounting — the book that amateur opticians work through alongside their first mirror project.
Ronchi Tester Kit — Grating and Housing for Mirror Testing
A Ronchi tester reveals surface zones in a mirror that need additional polishing strokes — the diagnostic tool that makes figuring systematic rather than iterative guesswork.
Burgundy Pitch — 1 lb for Optical Polishing Lap
Optical pitch at the correct hardness for the grinding environment — the lap material that a mirror polisher melts and presses against the mirror to form a pitch lap that conforms to the optical surface.
Glass Mirror Blank — 6 inch Borosilicate, 1 inch Thick
A 6-inch borosilicate blank is the standard starting point for a first ATM mirror — thick enough to resist flexure on a mirror cell and large enough to give useful aperture without the grinding time of an 8-inch.
Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes — Book by Harold Suiter
Suiter's star-test reference teaches an amateur optician to read the intra- and extra-focal diffraction pattern in real time at the eyepiece — the diagnostic skill that lets a mirror grinder confirm optical quality under the sky.
Dial Depth Gauge — 0.001 inch Resolution for Sagitta Measurement
A dial depth gauge measures the sagitta (depth of curve) on a mirror blank during hogging — the physical measurement that confirms the focal length before moving to fine grinding. Accurate to a thousandth of an inch.
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