Purchasing Information
There are two main options for obtaining your mirror materials. The first is to buy a kit from either Willmann-Bell or Newport Glass as discussed below in option 1. The second option is to buy your materials individually. You'll need to buy a mirror blank and mirror tool ahead of the workshop. Then from there, you can make your own cement tool during the workshop for under $10.00. I will have available #60 grit, #120 grit, #320 grit silicon carbide abrasives available at cost from Salem Distributing, andabrasive below 500 grit at no cost. I will also have pitch and cerium oxide for polishing available at a very friendly price.
At the bottom of this page, I've put links and contact information for the four suppliers that I mention. Seeing that prices and stock numbers can change without notice, it's best for you to contact them directly for the latest information.
Purchasing Mirror Kits (Option 1)
Below I have listed some of the kit options. The prices for Newport Glass have been verified on December 2008. Willmann-Bell's website appears to be under a little reconstruction and doesn't have the 2008 prices listed. I have provided links to each of the suppliers in the table and you may contact them to get the latest information.
| Kit | Supplier | ID | Price |
| 6 inch Educational kit (pyrex) | Newport Glass | KITED600C | $168.00 |
| 6 inch kit | Willmann-Bell | ??? | |
| 8 inch Educational kit (pyrex) | Newport Glass | KITED800C | $240.50 |
| 8 inch kit | Willmann-Bell | ??? | |
| 10 inch kit (pyrex) | Newport Glass | KITED1000C | $405.50 |
| 10 inch kit | Willmann-Bell | ??? |
The Newport Glass kits include:
• Glass tool
• Silicon carbide -- #220 grit (0.25lb for 6" kit, 0.50lb for 8" kit)
• White aluminum oxide -- 0.25 lbs each of: #30 grit, #25 grit, #20 grit, #15 grit, #9 grit
• Cerium oxide -- 0.25lb
• Burgandy pitch -- 1 lb
The Newport Glass educational kits appear to be the same except the mirror and tool have pregenerated f/8 curves. The price includes aluminum coating but you have to send your finished mirror back to Newport, and the "C" suffix kits which I have listed have a 1/10 wave aluminized diagonal. Since the blanks have curves, the abrasives start at #220 Silicon carbide rather than 80.
The Willmann-Bell kits include:
• the necessary abrasives, pitch, and cerium oxide.
I see no comments about a diagonal. The two blanks are interesting because after you are through you can make a cement tool and make a second mirror from the tool.
Purchasing Individual Mirror Items (Option 2)
Below is information about the individual items that you'll need to obtain if you choose to go this route instead of one of the kits listed above. Those individual items include: mirror blanks,mirror tools, ceramic tiles for the tools, pitch, and abrasives. Even though the items in the listsstill apply, the pricing information may be outdated. It's best for you to contact the suppliers directly. Their contact information is listed at the bottom of this page.
| Mirror Blanks | ||
| Size | Supplier | Comment |
| 6 inch | United Lens | |
| 6 inch | Willman-Bell | |
| 6 inch | Newport Glass | SPX600 |
| 8 inch | United Lens | UL-23 |
| 8 inch | Willman-Bell | |
| 8 inch | Newport Glass (non generated) | SPX800 |
| 10 inch | United Lens | UL-26 |
| 10 inch | Willman-Bell | |
| 10 inch | Newport Glass (non generated) | SPX1000 |
| 12.5 inch | United Lens | UL-28 |
| 12.5 inch | Willman-Bell | |
| 12.5 inch | Newport Glass (non generated) | SPX1200 |
| * United Lens requires a $75 minimum order | ||
| Mirror Tools | ||
| Size | Supplier | Comment |
| 8 inch | Willmann-Bell | buy another blank |
| 8 inch | Newport Glass | T800 |
| 10 inch | Willmann-Bell | buy another blank |
| Ceramic Tiles for Cement Tools | ||
| Size | Supplier | Comment |
| Cerq-hex-tol | Willmann-Bell | 1 sq. ft. |
| Pitch | |||
| Type | Supplier | Comments | Qty. |
| #73 Gugolz | Salem Distributing | 073-06-1 | 1 kg |
| #64 Gugolz | Salem Distributing | 064-06-1 | 1 kg |
| Burgandy pitch | Willmann-Bell | 1 lb | |
| 5 lb | |||
| Burgandy pitch tempered | Willmann-Bell | 1 lb | |
| 5lb | |||
| Abrasives (Willmann-Bell) | ||||
| Silicon Carbide | 4 oz | 8 oz | 1 lb | 5 lb |
| 40g | $9.00 | $20.00 | ||
| 60g | $9.00 | $20.00 | ||
| 80g | $9.00 | $20.00 | ||
| 120g | $7.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 | $20.00 |
| 220g | $7.50 | $8.50 | $10.50 | $20.00 |
| 320g | $8.00 | $9.00 | $11.00 | $25.00 |
| 500g | $8.50 | $9.50 | $12.00 | $27.00 |
| Aluminum Oxide | 4 oz | 8 oz | 1 lb | 5 lb |
| 120g | $7.00 | $8.00 | $10.00 | $20.00 |
| 220g | $7.50 | $8.50 | $10.50 | $20.00 |
| 320g | $8.00 | $9.00 | $11.00 | $25.00 |
| 500g | $8.50 | $9.50 | $12.00 | $27.00 |
| Abrasives (Salem Distributing) | |
| Silicon Carbide | |
| 60g | $9.75 |
| 80g | $9.75 |
| 120g | $10.45 |
| 220g | $10.88 |
| 320g | $17.00 |
| 500g | $29.00 |
| 600g | $37.00 |
| Aluminum Oxide | |
| 25 micron | $17.00 |
| 12u | $17.00 |
| 5u | $17.00 |
| 3u | $34.00 |
Suppliers
|
Willmann-Bell, Inc P.O Box 35025 Richmond, Va. 23235 Ph 800-825-7827 FAX 804-272-5920 Info 804-320-7016 www.willbell.com |
Newport Glass P.O. Box 127 10564 Fern Avenue Stanton, Ca. 90680 Ph 714-484-7500 or 8100 FAX 714-484-7600 or 8101 E-mail ngw@netcom.com www.newportglass.com |
|
United Lens Company, Inc. 259 Worcester Street Southbridge, Ma 01550-1325 Ph 508-765-5421 FAX 508-765-0500 www.unitedlens.com |
Salem Distributing Company Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1-800-456-8468 FAX 1-800-944-8468 (yes the 8468 is the same) www.salemdist.com |
