Detailed entries for one subject from the INDEX TO HOW TO DO IT INFORMATION.
Click on a see also (sa) or tracing (xx) to view detailed entries about a related subject.
The entries are in alphabetical order by magazine name and then in chronological sequence.
To obtain a copy of any magazine article contact your local public library or the publisher.

Reflections on a refractor telescope. Tips on what was good and bad about your "first" telescope if it was a refractor.
ASTRONOMY Mar 1981 (v.9#3) pg. 47

Rethinking your 60mm refractor. Tips on getting the most from small, inexpensive refractors.
ASTRONOMY Jun 1982 (v.10#6) pg. 48

The big eyes of small scopes. How to get more out of your 2.4" refractor. Includes a chart of objects to look for.
ASTRONOMY Oct 1982 (v.10#10) pg. 51

Build a simple 2" f/25 folded-refractor telescope.
ASTRONOMY Mar 1985 (v.13#3) pg. 76

Building a "copyscope". Construct a wide-angle rich-field refractor telescope (RFT) from PVC plastic pipe and a surplus lens from a copy machine. Est. cost: $30.
ASTRONOMY May 1986 (v.14#5) pg. 74
Added Info ASTRONOMY Sep 1986 (v.14#9) pg. 36
Added Info ASTRONOMY Jan 1987 (v.15#1) pg. 37
Added Info ASTRONOMY Feb 1987 (v.15#2) pg. 34
Added Info ASTRONOMY May 1987 (v.15#5) pg. 36

Building "fun" telescopes for less than $10. Old camera lenses and PVC pipe are combined to make cheap, but good quality, scopes.
ASTRONOMY May 1987 (v.15#5) pg. 46

The refractor advantage: quality over size. Includes tips on optimizing your reflector telescope to approach the quality of a refractor.
ASTRONOMY Oct 1987 (v.15#10) pg. 66

User test of four medium-aperture (4") refractors.
ASTRONOMY Jun 1990 (v.18#6) pg. 52
Added Info ASTRONOMY Aug 1990 (v.18#8) pg. 6
Added Info ASTRONOMY Oct 1990 (v.18#10) pg. 6
Added Info ASTRONOMY Nov 1990 (v.18#11) pg. 8

Using your telescope. Your first date with a 2.4" refractor. Use these tips to set up your first scope and start observing planets and deep-sky objects.
ASTRONOMY Jan 1993 (v.21#1) pg. 80

Reflections on refractors. Start kids off on a lifelong adventure in astronomy with a simple telescope.
ASTRONOMY Oct 2000 (v.28#10) pg. 76

A 50-power refractor-type telescope uses a cardboard mailing tube and wooden lens holders. Attaches to any camrea tripod. Est. cost: $15.
MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED #464 Jan 1967 (v.63) pg. 100

Build a Variscope, a variable power, multi-purpose telescope. Magnification from 20X to 70X. Can be used as telephoto lens for photography. Convenient mount doubles as carrier. Est. cost: $31.
MECHANIX ILLUSTRATED #474 Nov 1967 (v.63) pg. 110

How to take a short focus lens from a movie camera and mate it with a telephoto lens from a 35mm camera to make a high power telescope.
POPULAR MECHANICS Nov 1974 (v.142#5) pg. 138

Description of a Coude' mounted 6" refractor.
SKY & TELESCOPE Dec 1984 (v.68#6) pg. 566

A new approach to correcting a refractor lens for chromatic aberration (color).
SKY & TELESCOPE Oct 1985 (v.70#4) pg. 375

Building a vintage-style brass telescope. A description and photos of a 3.25" refractor. Detailed instructions not included.
SKY & TELESCOPE Dec 1986 (v.72#6) pg. 647

Folding a 3" refractor. Description of how a long-focus f/16 refractor was converted to a folded refractor. Detailed instructions not included.
SKY & TELESCOPE Dec 1986 (v.72#6) pg. 650

Astronomy with a $5 telescope, a creation of Project STAR. How to build a simple 43mm refractor from cardboard tubes, foam rubber, aluminum foil, tape, rubber band, and two plano-convex lenses.
SKY & TELESCOPE Apr 1990 (v.79#4) pg. 384

Simple classroom telescopes. Construction basics for a (1) paper-towel-tube telescope, (2) 20x terrestial telescope, (3) hand-held refractor, and (4) a 3" refractor made from PVC pipe.
SKY & TELESCOPE Mar 1991 (v.81#3) pg. 311

Tips on the construction and use of a long-focus nonachromatic refractor telescope design from the 17th century.
SKY & TELESCOPE Apr 1992 (v.83#4) pg. 444

Restoration of two Clark refractors. Includes tips on how to do a proper restoration of an old telescope with emphasis on cleaning and polishing the brass.
SKY & TELESCOPE Feb 1995 (v.89#2) pg. 88

Fun with a folded refractor. A 3.4" refractor squeezes a 72.9" focal length into a 30" long plywood box. The eyepiece remains in a fixed location. The basic design and construction concepts are described and illustrated. Includes information on making a general-purpose lens grinding and polishing machine.
SKY & TELESCOPE Jul 1995 (v.90#1) pg. 81

A 3" Gerrish polar telescope designed and built by an amateur is described. A form of refractor that is designed to fit through the wall of a house and to keep the observer warm during winter viewing. A movable optical flat directs the starlight into the non-moving objective lens.
SKY & TELESCOPE Feb 1997 (v.93#2) pg. 80

A small folded refractor whose eyepiece stays horizontal due to its location at the pivot point of the tube.
SKY & TELESCOPE Feb 1997 (v.93#2) pg. 82

A car-window mounting for a small refractor telescope. Includes information on how both the scope and mount were fabricated.
SKY & TELESCOPE Aug 1997 (v.94#2) pg. 104

The folded refractor: Quality optics on a budget. This home-built telescope squeezes all the performance advantages of the classic achromat into a wooden box half the length of a typical refractor.
SKY & TELESCOPE Mar 2001 (v.101#3) pg. 120

A refractor in the round. Folding a refractor's light path makes for a compact, easy-to-mount, drum-shaped telescope.
SKY & TELESCOPE Oct 2002 (v.104#4) pg. 108

A compact 6" refractor. Wooden tube and mounting made from ordinary 1" pine are used to house a folded 6" refractor. The tube measures only 50" long.
TELESCOPE MAKING #2 Winter 1978 pg. 1

Details of a 6" folded refractor equipped with a binocular eyepiece holder.
TELESCOPE MAKING #11 Spring 1981 pg. 24

Build a 1" f/40 non-achromatic astronomical telescope magnifying 20x. Est. cost: $10.
TELESCOPE MAKING #12 Summer 1981 pg. 19

Build a replica of Galileo's telescope.
TELESCOPE MAKING #32 Spring 1988 pg. 28

Constructing a low-cost 6" f/21 Littrow refractor.
TELESCOPE MAKING #36 Spring 1989 pg. 12
Added Info TELESCOPE MAKING #37 Summer 1989 pg. 3

Refurbishing the 12" f/15 Alvan Clark refractor of the John H. Witte Observatory (Burlington, Iowa). A description of the process with tips on dismantling, restoring the tube, lens cleaning, etc.
TELESCOPE MAKING #37 Summer 1989 pg. 4
Added Info TELESCOPE MAKING #38 Fall 1989 pg. 38

Building a 4" plywood refractor. This 96mm f/15 Littrow design features a square tube and alt-azimuth pier mounting.
TELESCOPE MAKING #40 Spring 1990 pg. 12

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