All

I am interested in possibly making a cheap refractor for visual observing only.  I am just starting this possible adventure and the first question that comes up is cost.  Does anyone have good alternative sources for lenses?  I know I can go to any of the optics houses and find some but I really want to hold cost down and do something creative.  I am looking for something a little larger, maybe 4 or 5 inch.  Long focal lengths are ok as well.

Thanks in advance

Ed

The auction and classified sections of cloudynights.com and astromart.com frequently have telescope components for sale.

From time to time you can find them at SurplusShed.com for under $50, usually without a mounting cell. They are generally very short focal length, however.

Here is an achromatic objective that's 102mm diameter and F5.9, in a threaded plastic cell, for $79.