DIY Brass Telescope
- 1). Tighten your pipe cutter around your 1-inch wide brass pipe, about 6 inches from the end. Rotate the cutter around the pipe until the blades slice all the way through the metal.
- 2). Squeeze a little silicone caulk around the inside surface of one end of your 6-inch pipe. Slide a 25 millimeter focal lens into the pipe with the domed side facing in toward the pipe. The lens should fit snugly and the caulk should hold it in place when dry. You can get lenses at optical centers or science supply stores. Let the caulk dry overnight.
- 3). Put on eye goggles and place your brass pipe cap upright on your work surface. Drill a hole through the top of the cap with an electric hand drill and a 1/2-inch boring bit. Take your time and let the drill work at its own pace; cutting metal will take a while.
- 4). Glue your pipe cap over the lens-end of your 6-inch brass tube. This is the cap for your telescope's eyepiece. Let the caulk dry overnight.
- 5). Drill a hole down through the center of a rubber stopper with a 1-inch boring bit. Slide the last 3 inches of your eyepiece tube into the stopper.
- 6). Tighten your pipe cutter around the 2-inch wide brass tubing about 3 feet from the end. Rotate the cutter around the pipe until the blades cut all the way through the pipe.
- 7). Push the rubber stopper on your eyepiece into one end of the 2-inch brass pipe. The stopper should fit snugly and needs no caulk.
- 8). Insert a 500 millimeter focal lens about half an inch into the other end of your 2-inch wide brass pipe. The domed side should face you. Glue the lens into the pipe with caulk as you did the lens in the eyepiece.
- 9). Drill a 1-inch hole down through your 2-inch brass pipe cap. Glue the cap onto the large end of your telescope with silicone caulk. Allow the telescope to dry for 24 hours.
