IN THE GREATER MONTRÉAL area of la belle province, just outside the hustle and bustle of the big city, is a workshop filled with large, high-end telescopes and optical mirrors.
In one area sits a 1.02-metre (40-inch) telescope waiting to be shipped to Australia, while two 0.76-metre (30-inch) telescopes will be headed to the United States. Glass, mirrors, and a large kiln can be spotted nearby, while glimpses of a 3D printer, ovens, computers, tables, tools, and machines can be seen in another room.
“I’m always thrilled to come here in the morning,” said Normand Fullum, owner of Optiques Fullum in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec, in an interview with SkyNews. “There are so many different things that I can do to change my routine, like in the optics and structure, or building stuff and cutting material.”
Fullum is best known for his large creations — the result of his telescope-building capabilities and mirror-making skills. Like his father, he is a handyman, having worked as a colourist at a local car paint company for 15 years. He built most of the machines in his workshop, some of which were inspired by his time in the automotive industry.
But his love for astronomy predates his time in automotive. When he was seven years old, his neighbour had a telescope and would occasionally invite his family over to look at the stars and the Moon. The more he observed, the more his interest in astronomy grew.
“I said to myself, ‘One day I will have a telescope,” said Fullum.
Fast-forward several years and Fullum got married, had two kids, and relocated to Hudson, Québec. He wanted to buy a telescope — something with a 0.30-metre (12-inch) diameter — but it was too expensive. So he built one, and then convinced his youngest son that he needed one too.
“I built a small 6- or 7-inch one for him, and then I got involved in the local astronomy club,” said Fullum. “Some people heard about me making mirrors for telescopes [and asked if] I wanted to make mirrors for their telescopes.”
But after two years of making small mirrors, he wanted to build something different. “In those years when I bought the house there, the old owner was a woodworker,” said Fullum, who added that “I started my company [by building] wooden telescopes.”
Fullum launched his business on a part-time basis, initially taking special orders for wooden telescopes with hand-made optics. He attended star parties and amateur telescope-making competitions in the United States, along with other events. His business became a full-time gig.
By then, he was making non-wooden mirrors that ranged from 0.15 to 0.51 metres (6 to 20 inches) in size. But he struggled with a familiar issue: the larger the mirror, the heavier and more difficult it is to transport, manipulate, and install.
He also received the glass from suppliers in the United States and Europe, and so he had to endure long delivery wait times. When he eventually received the shipment, Fullum said it was often rejected material — poorly created glass that had “all kinds of problems.”
His frustration remained, but an idea was brewing.
“I had a friend at Université Laval that was in the optics department there, and I asked him if he wanted to take on a challenge and create a new type of mirror,” said Fullum. The challenge was to create a mirror that was lightweight, inexpensive, and fast cooling.
Fullum said they worked on the project for about two years with the university, and created the “ultra-light Techno-Fusion mirror,” which he said was developed in partnership with Université Laval and Optiques Fullum. The fusing process is meant to create lighter and more rigid mirrors.
“What [mirror makers] originally did for very thick mirrors is melt Pyrex (a type of glass). [They] put it in a mold, then a kiln, and then they would let it cool down. So it’s very thick,” said Fullum. “I use the same material but it’s done in sheets. I can order the thickness that I want, and I can have them waterjet-cut the diameter that I want.”
Fullum’s process involves cutting the glass into small vertical “posts” that are placed between two sheets of glass. The posts and the sheets are then fused together, creating the internal structure of the mirror. This, he said, results in less material overall and therefore a much lighter mirror.
His other goal was to use cheap, off-the-shelf material, which he achieved by ordering sheets and strips of glass from the United States and having the supplier charge him for each square metre being used. He then recuts what he needs in his workshop.
The open central structure of the mirror makes it easier for Fullum to manage the ventilation process and gauge the temperature of the glass as the mirror cools. He uses lateral ventilators that blow between the sheets, allowing the mirror to reach its thermal balance within approximately 20 minutes.
Fullum currently builds larger mirrors and telescopes in Vaudreuil-Dorion than when he first began his career. He works with his son, David, in his workshop, which is tucked behind a row of commercial buildings just off a long, thin road in the Montérégie region of southwestern Québec. The workshop is separated into several rooms and includes a large balcony that Fullum uses to store telescopes waiting to be shipped out.
He recently travelled to New Jersey to deliver and install a modified “Fullum-Folded Newtonian” telescope with a 1.27-metre (50-inch) primary mirror. When Fullum is not travelling or building mirrors and telescopes, he is busy taking new orders, offering tours to students, and providing astronomy presentations.
