IBC Tank observatory!

[SimmoW]

Hi everyone, just thought I'd share this fun little project with you.

While a mate and I are building 2 larger RoR sheds, I thought I'd also build a quickie, large enough to house my little wider field setup with the Skywatcher Star Adventurer GTI mount.

We're a farm here with a few spare IBC tanks laying around, so the brain started chugging...an already sturdy framework, ready to mount insulation and old farm corrugated iron onto! I even have some already scrounged cooler room insulated walls to cut into a roof.

So while we were getting the massive pier foundations of the main 2 obsys poured, I dug out another 50cm3 hole (a bit bigger than that) and hand-bashed 2 6 ft star pickets into said hole for extra reinforcement. Yes that kept me fit that day! Buddy then worked his magic to produce the world's strongest formwork for the base. It's next to a perfectly placed power outlet I had installed and WiFi 30m from house runs great.

Might eventually motorise the roof. Eventually ...

[AlexN]

I'd love to see more on this... Good cheap solution that should be easy enough to source...

Im planning on building a mini-observatory for my rig (literally big enough for the rig to fit in - nothing else) I'll run a powerlead to it when I'm going to use it, manually flip the lid up, unpark the scope and start imaging... My main concern is children in the back yard not being able to touch/lean on/pull at anything on the rig - so it's more about creating a safe spot for me to leave the gear set up for multiple night imaging runs more than anything else...

This could work (or something like it)

[SimmoW]

I'm sure it'll work, just no 14 inch RCs.

In our case, it's more to protect from errant dogs, sheep and goats!

The IBC is inherently strong, but I'll be pegging it down to the ground in case of VERY strong wind.

Yeah, having to set up every night sux, time and energy that I do not have.

[AlexN]

My rig is tiny - the whole thing can be carried in one hand (65mm apo, light weight equatorial fork mount... maybe 18kgs total weight... so its not so much the size, I'd just love to be able to get it aligned really really well, then leave it for a couple of weeks at a time, just flip open a lid and start imaging!

[SimmoW]

Slow progress, due to constant farm jobs taking priority. Story of my life....

Precision angle grinding complete. Starting to consider if I keep the upper roof beams that will hold the insulation and tin twice as long, to cater for a future motorized RoR, at this tiny scale it's pretty easy to manage.

[strongmanmike]

Looking good Simon, cool solution, intrigued to see the finished product :thumbsup:...farm jobs, I can imagine :eyepop: Eagleview is not even a farm and there is still a lot to do...I need a tractor :confuse3: ...and a Polaris...and...

Mike

[SimmoW]

Yeah Mike, extra land becomes exponentially more demanding. But it's great eh. Big and dark skies, space, literally! It's a good excuse to keep fit.

Yeah, a tractor with a front end loader is a game changer.

Hmm, now pondering....I wonder, if I placed the IBC frame on a turntable, could I motorise it and turn it into an ultra cheap dome??
Maybe for next time

[strongmanmike]

We have Highland Copperheads (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=519989408508165) up there, so walking around weed spraying in extensive grass tussocks, their favourite habitat, is nerve racking :eyepop: ..I wear high rubber wellies :D They are rather timid luckily...still, wouldn't want to tread next to, or on, one!

Mike

[Leo.G]

Copperheads and Tiger snakes used to be my main concern running around a dark yard looking at the stars, blindly stepping about searching for things in the night sky.
Thankfully where I am now I don't get snakes though a neighbour did see one once but it was gone before the police got here (and she didn't call me with a spade). In saying that I mostly used to pick tigers up with a hoe and move them up the back when I was at the base of a mountain and they came through my yard to get to the creek across the road.
I don't like killing anything.

[AlexN]

Still loving seeing the updates here.

As a snake person (I have 10 snakes as pets), seeing a snake in the dark is not a concern for me, but a highlight of an evening... not seeing the snake in the dark is far more of a problem! Hahaha

[SimmoW]

Gawd, hadn't really thought about snakes at night. Though I do tread carefully at any time, as we have seen browns. Thankfully our main obsys are set up in the goat field (thinking of naming the overall array the GOAT, just need the words that make up the acronym!). And the ultimate irony is that, the obsys are so well built that they'll be here long after us, and in the end, most likely be used as ...goat sheds

Spiders are a pain too, just evicted one from my allsky cam and wiped some surface spray on it (not the spider ..)

I always say, nature tries to win. The trees always win. Think about it...:rofl:

[strongmanmike]

I think the name GOAT is perfect! For the reason you state and the cheeky reference to the "Greatest Of All Time" love it! :thumbsup:

:welcome: to The GOAT Observatory

Mike

[SimmoW]

Haha glad you like it Mike. It's also apt as we only lease the land from our goat overlords.

I'm also constructing an inner goat proof fence. I use that term loosely, as few fences, without automatic gatling gun turrets are truly goat proof.

[TrevorW]

Word of advice, "make it bigger" :)

[SimmoW]

Noted! Our goats are already stress testing the foundations of TWO larger obsys we are constructing, big enough for a decent sized Newtonian and maybe another wide field setup.

[SimmoW]

Update - in between MORE FENCING and repairs for the darned goats, I managed to Slip in a little more build work. Finished the timber framing to support the insulation and tin for the Microshed (TM Simmo Industries), and worked with the GMN Guys to set up our first meteor monitor/recorder. Will do a separate post on that.

If I call the observatory area anything, it'll be GOAT MANOR. Where anything risky and damaging can happen. Expect the unexpected, and nothing done conventionally. Well, not often anyway!

Mr Zip the stinky, horny goat approves

[SimmoW]

Yep, between all my other projects, the Vic Suburban Rail Loop will be COMPLETED before I finish this!

Anyway, a quick spurt of activity has resulted in the cage being leveled and secured via star pickets (small cut offs from old ones).

Tin cut, Vapor barrier insulation stuck with double sided tape (amazing stuff!)

Insulation stuck in, tin screwed on and pestering lamb removed :lol:

We have a few old cool room panels laying around (thank goodness for a massive yard for storage of free spare goods your amazing partner scrounged). I'll cut one to size for a roof, then it's pretty much done for now. Felt the temp difference inside as I was working yesterday, significantly cooler already, without a roof.

Might line the inside with some sort of thin material, a I fear the wool fibres from the insulation might cause havoc

[strongmanmike]

Carm'aarn, you carn do eart! (Arnie)

As simple and minimalist (and cleeeearly bank breakingly expensive) build as it is, it's looking very cool Simon :thumbsup:

Go the GOAT :D

Mike

[SimmoW]

Thanks for the encouragement Mike.

GOAT1 is now operational, yay! Tell ya what, the amazing feeling of just turning a mount etc on and then slewing to targets, without having to set up everything and polar alignment....it can't be beat! Well it can, but this is a family safe forum eh 😂

Insulation works great, and the heavy cool room wall I'm using as a roof panel is perfect. An even through all the tin and insulation, I'm still getting good remote control ability from 40m away.

One day I'll put wheels on the roof. Yeah right, one day.

Polar alignment is so good and solid, I'm doing 1 min unguided subs at this small fov with the tiny qhy715c cam

[astronobob]

That is a very fine and very cool caper there Simon,, A job well done,,, Makes a lot of sense to have a protected permanent rig :thumbsup:

[Leo.G]

That looks good Simon!
I like the name too and remember the early image and the mention of wrestling the goat to get it out (or was it sheep, my memory is crap?)

[SimmoW]

Yes it makes a huge difference! Plus a relatively easy build to gain more building experience.

[SimmoW]

Thanks Leo and others. Haha it was a sheep/lamb, but our larger obsies we are constructing have goats climbing all over the framework! Hence my other project of building an inner goat proof fence with electric fence, Claymores and auto mini guns 😂

[Leo.G]

I was offered a small goat the other day free (begged to take it or both), little black things which gored the property owners arm. I've not seen the horns like these things had, they looked quite menacing and dangerous, having had a big, old goat when I was younger but I do know they'd eat my long grass and destroy everything they can't eat and declined the offer.

[SimmoW]

Very wise Leo!! My partner breeds them, they breed like, well, goats, and when young can be hilarious and cute, but once older, are cunning and yes not compatible with astronomy equipment.

I once had a trailer need to be repaired twice, from goats eating the electrical wiring!

I often threaten to mulch their pasture, while they're still in it 😂.

But no, I still love em, if only for their ability to teach me new fencing techniques.

Luckily this mini obs is in our residential block, no goats nearby, just a couple of those pesky labs and large Maremma dogs. Snakes the biggest risk.

Oh just uploaded a video showing the setup!

https://youtu.be/nJyGfsyC1Fk?si=EXA_WKgjrLjtN5DE

[Leo.G]

My yard is not good for astronomy, sloping ground, huge trees in neighbouring yards, LED street lights that light my back yard up like a Friday night football game and mountains to the east and west but, NO SNAKES.
I lived at the bottom of a mountain locally previously and had a creek (concrete piped by council) across the road and the Tiger snakes used to come down from the mountains and through my yard to get to the water. Mostly not a threat but I had to keep my grass short, one bite cost me a fortune to save my cat and I was very cautious in the yard at night because I spent a lot of time out under the stars. I've nearly trodden on big Tiger snakes a few times and am grateful I didn't (I owe my life to my then neighbours teenage daughter I'd been chatting to about her school project over the fence and she saw the 6' Tiger snake I was about to jump down onto, I'll never forget and told her husband if I ever win big I'll be paying their mortgage out plus some).


When younger I had no problem catching snakes by hand, usually to relocate them. I was quicker than them every time (Tiger snakes, red bellies, copper heads never a brown snake though) but after being diagnosed with a heart condition at 40 I decided while I may still be faster than them one bite I wasn't coming back and I stopped.
I grew up in a swamp area and there were always snakes. I always had a good torch and wore gumboots around the yard at nights and survived several boot strikes where I'd miss-stepped in the dark or just didn't see them there. Heavy foot steps and they usually get out of your way unless they have a nest.

[Astro1969]

Just last week I was eyeing off an IBC at work wondering if I could use it at home...

[SimmoW]

Haha, I'm even stating to think that with a welder (I'm shocking at it, but it works...), 4 cut up would make a massive new project!

[Leo.G]

SAFETY GEAR:


First: Full cotton overalls, not nylon, full arm and leg coverage, welding emits strong UV which leads to cancers and leukaemia. No nylon clothing, it goes up fast, another thing learnt from experience wearing nylon overalls in an employment position and being taught to weld as part of my job. My saviour was full cotton shorts under the nylon overalls or the family jewels would have been torched. This was many years before I studied fabrication engineering but I never forgot and had some severe burns on my hands from extinguishing the flames and melting nylon overalls.


Second: Good quality welding gloves.


Third: Work boots.


Fourth: Good woollen socks, nylon socks can leave nasty burns when slag flies down the boot (first hand scars and experience). Spats around the top of boots (gators) are good to stop slag entering boots.
A quality face shield and leave a cover on when chipping slag and grinding but I have a different shield for grinding so I don't pit my expensive mask.


DO NOT stand bare footed on wet grass while clamping steel in place with other bare foot and striking an arc. Lesson learnt early on while studying electrical and electronics engineering and I SHOULD have known better. I only did it once though, one bare foot in puddle, one bare foot on steel..
A new welding rod can be bent for convenience and you can hold the rod with a good glove to steady the welds to get a feel, good gloves you won't get burnt and it's easier than trying to strike a full length rod. I keep my small scrap rods fro doing tacks, it's easy to do. I also slap a piece of scrap on top for a striking plate, strike the rods on plate first to get heat then move immediately to the weld point. It does simplify welding with an arc welder.



A MIG is easier if you have access, gasless is good out in the paddock if it's not too breezy. Gas tends to do better welding (Argon mix) but no good with a breeze unless shielded from the wind. If you have access to a MIG and go gasless remember the polarity of the welder must be changed before switching from gas to gasless. An arc welder will do it, just try to maintain a constant ark length and hold the rod at approximately 15 degrees off upright perpendicular to the job for best results and arc rods are dragged not pushed while MIG is generally pushed but a lot of people will drag them too. Like painting, a clean surface is the trick to good welding and if welding galvanised steel grind the galvanising off before welding because the sulphur fumes are highly toxic.


[B]Weld DOES NOT burn through paint, grease and galvanising. It leaves inclusions in the weld and an added weakness. No paint, no oil or grease and definitely no galvanised coatings. If Gal is the required finish, cold gal painted on after welding is fine and always chip off the slag to see the quality of the weld, don't paint over it.


My best advice, a good welding mask, these electric things are great but not the cheapest Aldi things you can get. They too are probably OK if you have good eyes, for me I have a very expensive Uniimig mask from memory, an RWX8000 but my mask ranges from shade 5 right up to 13), not necessary for most Mig or arc welding but I need to get back into TIG which I haven't done for over 20 years since doing fabrication engineering. I used to excel on the TIG doing alloy.
Now my sight makes it terribly hard to see the weld pool so I do very little welding but have a go to $49 Aldi arc welder (reduced on special), a little inverter I use for just about everything because I can carry it on my little finger and weld 3/4" bar with ease. Thin materials are easy with it too if you understand frequent tacking where the tacks draw the heat from the line of weld as you move forward. My 200Amp Mig is not an inverter and weighs over 30KG and is heavy to lump around, gas or gasless. If I knew how to weld I'd weld up a trolley for it, lol.


https://www.weld.com.au/product/unimig-rwx-8000/?v=6502139931c4


https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.electroweld.co m.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F08%2FUni mig-Razor-Razorweld-Rwx8000-Welding-Helmet-5-X-Outer-Lenses-Umrbop.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=c4caae214528d526cdc920d392c3dc2 0df5cad73fec1067bca559e78a4a7fefc&ipo=images


I also have a near identical other brand purchased from Repco on sale, also a very good mask and if my son and I are out playing together I always know his eyes are safe.



There's lots of tips available online for welding, more is not necessarily stronger and you can tell the quality of the job by the sound of the arc, unstable arc with constant varying distances between the tip and the job makes quite the spattering sound. A good weld you can hear the buzz of a steady arc. The tack welding of entire surfaces as often seen on youtube are not good welds and if you don't like the weld or think it's not strong enough it's easy to grind out and redo.
Maintaining a steady arc length comes with practice as does welding speed for the materials you're welding. I'm ALWAYS VERY rusty when I haven't done any welding for long periods which is often but I keep scrap thick plate here I can run a dozen or so welds along the length till I get my eye and hand in. It's easy ground off if the plate is needed for something.


Another tip, warm the rods up in a tray in the oven for 15 minutes at around 140-180 before welding they strike up easier (you can wrap them in foil to keep the heat in when taken out too) and never use old, wet rods. They too can be dried in an over to recover them and remove dampness but I don't remember times or temperatures but it's easy to find online.


Good luck!