Boller and Chivens: A History "Where Precision is a Way of Life"Boller and Chivens: A History "Where Precision is a Way of Life" - Boller and Chivens were makers of Telescopes and Precision Instruments

24 Inch (.61 meter) Telescope for Air Force and University of Hawaii

admin — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 23:18:07 +0000

One of the first telescopes at Mauna Kea, Hawaii. It has been decommissioned. For more information visit the University of Hawaii website

Photographs below are from the archives of Dr. Dale Cruikshank, formerly at the Institute for Astronomy UH Hawaii, and now at NASA Ames.

24-Inch (.61 meter) Telescope Specifications

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:35:37 +0000

Solar Patrol Telescope

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:19:53 +0000

Ted Hamm of Boller and Chivens pictured in above photograph

Model of a 24-Inch Telescope

admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 16:28:15 +0000

1/10 scale model of a Boller and Chivens 24-inch telescope
made by Boller and Chivens welder Ray Lamarr

Boller and Chivens Assembly at L & F Industries

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:41:36 +0000

Declination Axle alignment at L & F Industries’ new assembly building

The 61-inch (1.55 meter) for the U. S. Naval Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona was the first large aperture complete telescope designed, manufactured and installed by Boller & Chivens as a joint venture with L&F Industries.
After that time, all telescopes with apertures up to 52-inch (91.32 meters) were assembled in a new Boller & Chivens assembly building at the South Pasadena plant.

Installation of upper tube with its Serrurier trusses and secondary mirror support ring

Final assembly showing lower tube Serrurier trusses and wiring of the telescope
In the background, the 40-Inch telescope for Siding Spring, Australia

Harry Boller at the console showing the operation of the 61 Inch telescope using the remote control paddle.

The 100″ Carnegie Institution of Washington will be located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile

The telescope is being assembled by Boller and Chivens personnel in a telescope assembly pit at the L and F Industries assembly building.

In the foreground is Larry Steimle standing by the 100″ main double mirror secondary support system.

The main support ring ties the top Serrurier trusses together on the telescope tube assembly.

Mounted inside between two bearings on the centerline of the main support ring, is an inner support ring that can rotate 180 degrees.

Plunger type pins on opposing sides assures that the inner ring when rotated will stop exactly at 180 degrees.

The inner ring has an assembly containing two separate opposing secondary mirrors. This allows setting up two different observing f/stop observing ratios. Either one of the two different secondary mirrors can quickly be optically positioned for different observing conditions.

Observing Building

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:29:25 +0000

The Observing Building telescope assembly area has a rolling roof that can be fully opened to observe the night sky.

Located in the far background is a 16-inch telescope for the University of Montana telescope. It is mounted to a special base made at the South Pasadena latitude angle and ready for acceptance testing. Observing real celestial stars with the telescope will check tracking accuracy of its right ascension drive system.

In front of the 16-inch telescope is a 30-inch telescope polar axle housing for the University of Texas with its RA and Dec drives installed. Included are the tube saddle, declination axle, and declination drive complete with all wiring installed.

This telescope is also ready for final assembly when the testing base is available. The telescope tube with optics will then be installed for the final testing.

To the right of the two telescopes is one of their bases with the correct latitude angle
On top of the two cabinets at the rear wall are two finished 16-inch telescope tubes.
Moving forward on the right are finished weldments for the Kitt Peak Solar Observatory twin Heliostats.

Electronics Assembly

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:26:26 +0000

Telescope Electronic cabinets being wired in the center.
Two Telescope control consoles are standing on the right of the cabinets.

Main Telescope Assembly

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:24:39 +0000

A 5-ton rolling overhead crane services this assembly area.

Two 8-foot deep assembly pits are centered in line. Telescopes larger than 30-inch will be assembled in this area. Over each pit are ceiling openings that can be opened for optically testing telescopes against the nighttime sky.

Progressing down the right wall: a 24-Inch polar axle housing being assembled on a assembly stand.
Moving back & left, a 40-Inch polar axle housing on a skid.
To the right, a 40-Inch RA counterweight torque tube with counterweights attached.

John James is drilling holes in a 24 inch polar axle housing. Dick Nason is observing.

Near the far wall are parts for the Kitt Peak Heliostats. On the floor, skids with parts for instrument rotators.

Ron Plate with Dick Nason assembling a mirror cell on a 40 Inch telescope in the #2 assembly pit.

To hold an array of optical collimators, there were 121 identical machined holes in the casting at different angles all pointing to a single focal point.

Main Machine Shop

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:50:56 +0000

Bank of Engine Lathes

Horizontal Mill, Wayne Kendal shown machining a 24-inch telescope tube

50-Inch Gap-bed Lathe machining large mirror cell

Machinist turning 42-Inch telescope polar axle

Bank of Vertical Mills
from Left to Right: Leo Keller, Rudy Hergert, Wayne Kendal, Ted Karpinsky

Instrument Machine Shop

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:38:03 +0000

Vertical Mill – Machining small telescope parts

Surface Grinding – Abram Steyn surface grinding small telescope part

Precision Tool Room Lathe – Machinist turning intricate telescope part

Precision Inspection – Abram Steyn checking telescope part