ASIGN Observatory II is back on track!

[Barry]

I've been trying to work out how to get the doors on top of the dome to slide sideways, without leaving protrusions outside the dome when it is closed. My uncle came up with a solve consisting of four bearing-slide-rails from industrial sized photocopier paper trays. I now have them and they look and feel like they will do the job nicely. I'll put pictures on the website when I have them figured out.

Today I got my welder friend Jacob to come over and weld all the ribs on the dome, so I can take off the cumbersome steel plates holding them on. Now I can start getting some sheeting on the roof and seal it all up.

I've bought some cement and hopefully this week I can mix enough concrete to fill the central pier extension. With that in place, the telescope can be mounted as soon as the roof is on and operations can begin! All the prettying up on the inside will follow, but at least I can start to use it.

My next-door-neighbor is a carpenter and has volunteered to help me build the stairs inside. Actually, he is the expert, so I think it is me who will be helping him!

[Barry]

I don't know how many times I have leaned on the unattached pier up on the top floor and nearly toppled over, so today I filled it with concrete and mounted the mounting plates.

Solid now and good to lean on!

1. Reo about to go in, pouring in concrete, then embedding the mounting plates deep into the wet concrete via three long threaded rods.


2. Filled with concrete and mounting base plates seated.

[Barry]

The steel for the roofing arrived today. Thanks to a couple of good jobs with the chainsaw and a wonderful donation. Along with the roof sheeting, I also got the doors custom covered.

Thanks to the help of my next door neighbour and his friend, we got all the flooring in on the first floor today. Getting the first sheet in took a little work, but once we got a flow happening, the rest went in so quickly. Now I have something to stand on while I put the roof on.

As soon as we were done, it poured with rain, but I've had two test-pieces up there for months and they are not yet swelling or deteriorating from all the weather. Hopefully, I'll have the roofing on within the week and won't have to worry about that any more.

1. Colorbond sheeting cut to size and ready to clad the dome.


2. Dome doors covered with colorbond sheeting.


3. Flooring installed.

[Barry]

Humble beginnings. This was my original cardboard concept I built all those months ago to get it right in my head during the planning stages.


A bit of mucking about today, finishing off the flooring, putting joiners underneath etc. Finally started on the roofing and got the first piece worked out. The four around the centre slot are the most complex, but once those are worked out, the rest are easy.

[Barry]

Today's work. Attaching the hardest sheets first. Each sheet has to be clamped, traced along the bows, removed, cut to shape, re-clamped then screwed on. Getting sheets to bend on two axis has proven difficult.

My back is stuffed!

[Barry]

Let it not be said that I have not spent blood on this observatory! Nearly dropped the door from the top of the dome today, caught it mid-slide but managed to run my forearm down the edge of the sheet-metal. Saved the door, lost some blood.

1. Interesting seeing the muscle under that many layers of skin.



2. Stitching it up, a couple more to go. Good as new and back to work!

[roma_my]

Sorry to hear about that. The cut seems quite bad. Take care. Take thing slow now.

[Gary]

Take care of yourself Barry. Give sufficient time for the cut to heal. Totally support your noble goals of setting up ASIGN.

[Barry]

Thanks guys. I'm just happy I saved the door from hitting the ground from that height. Cost me $350. Skin heals for free.

Hopefully I can get the doors working this afternoon!

Baz.

[Barry]

Blood on the observation deck. - 1 Dec 2012

It's been an interesting week of fiddling about. I've been putting up some of the roof sheeting and finding it challenging. Not only because of the difficulty in handling such thin and cumbersome material, but at height making it all the more dangerous and time-consuming.

Full story and photos here >> http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/obser ... uction.htm

Here's a link to an animation of the doors opening and closing. http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/ASIGN ... pening.gif