Wofi, I looked at some of the online resources on the Austrian Precision Mount. If your friend has any more details about the construction of a friction drive, I would be very interested in them. THe sorts of specific questions I have are:

I see references to the need for hardened steel in designs referenced online--did you mean hardened? or is the need for non-hardened stainless steel because of unique friction qualities of the Softer metal yet it retains durability? Or would regular steel or iron work except for rusting? Is a smooth contact area desired free of imperfections and perfect diameter or is a knurled or scored contact area desired? What would be a typical thickness of a wheel to ensure sufficient contact area? Any bearing recommendations? I am thinking of a GEM style mount with a 20KG payload or so stepper and TSC driven.

Sincerely grateful to all
John

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