ASIGN II is back on track.

[bloodhound31]

Finally, after new job, new baby and a whole heap of other transitions that have got in between me and building ASIGN II, I am back into it. Bought some pretty big steel today and will start erecting it this week.

Baz.

[ChrisM]

Good luck with it all Baz and keep us posted with some pics please. What type are you going for?

Chris

[Ric]

Great stuff Baz

Looking forward to seeing it evolve.

Cheers

[bloodhound31]

Ta Chris, same as before mate, dome - all steel construction. Getting away from the geodesic design of the original ASIGN though. I gave my design concept and dimensions to an engineer and he drew up some structural plans for me. He's done an absolutely fantastic job. I am stoked and off and racing now! :D



Ta Ric. You are welcome to drop in of course mate. :thumbsup: Just can't come into the house yet with bub still battling with his immune system. :(

Baz.

[steve000]

Hey mate, looking foward to future updates. Im having a problem with the rotation mechanism and the doors on mine. When you have the doors figured out do you mind posting a few extra pictures.

steve

[bloodhound31]

Sure thing mate. Keep your eye on the site and I'll post as I go.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Once the observatory is complete, ASIGN II will have a big opening night, followed by many astronomy nights including laser tours of the stars and look-through the telescopes. On cloudy nights I will hold Q&A astro-discussion and education in the dome, socialise, astronomy doco's and coffee. (yes there will be a coffee point in there.)

[CDKPhil]

Sounds like a great project Baz. Coffee sounds good, I will have a cappuccino with two sugars thanks. :lol:

Good luck with the build.

Cheers
Phil

[steve000]

as always will do :P

I noticed in your old one you used chain to drive it. do you plan on doing the same? or is all that up in the air at the moment

[bloodhound31]

Yeah no chain this time. Probably a pneumatic wheel and motor this time. The rolling is a lot more precise.

[bloodhound31]

Skiiny milk and decaf or fully leaded mate? :P

[bloodhound31]

Slowly getting little bits done at a time now. I only get about an hour of daylight after work at the moment, so it's frantic activity the moment I get out of the car.

Progress so far. (http://asignobservatoryii.webs.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[Paul Haese]

Now that is looking the goods from last time. Good to see you have an engineer helping you out. Looking forward to seeing is finished.

[Ric]

That's looking great Baz.

Lot's of progress since I last visited.

Top stuff

[CDKPhil]

Wow, that is going to be a great observatory when you are finished.
They are going to be jealous up at Mount Stromlo.:lol:

How are you going to rotate the dome? will you use a chain and sprocket drive or a big ring gear?

cheers

[bloodhound31]

Hopefully I can fill the void left behind by the fires at Stomlo mate. Post # 10 on the rolling mate. :thumbsup:

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

WOOHOO! The Bearers are up! It took a few hours today and into the night, but the hardest part (heaviest) is done!

Progress report here. (http://asignobservatoryii.webs.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[Ric]

Top stuff Baz.

Love that shot of the milky way through the framework.

Cheers

[bloodhound31]

This weekend was a marathon of time available for building. By doing some extra cash work after hours and with help from some awesome people and generous givers, I managed to get together enough funding to buy the wall-framing.

Click here for construction update. (http://asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

Below: Studs in place - with some minor plumbing (vertical alignment) to be done on each before they are screwed to the flexi-track top and bottom.

[Ric]

Cool, it's starting to take shape now.

[bloodhound31]

Sure is Ric!


I just had a reporter and photographer from the Canberra Times come and do an interview with me on the new observatory. The story and photos will run in this coming Monday's paper.

Cheers and blessings,

Baz.

[Ric]

Good value Baz

I'll make sure I get Mondays paper.

Cheers

[stephenb]

Barry, like many DIY obs, yours is an inspiration to many including myself and I will unashamedly say that I look at every possible DIY obs (roll off and dome) and try to use ideas and features in my future build.

Keep the pictures coming.

Cheers,
Stephen

[bloodhound31]

Bless ya mate!

Like you, I took inspiration from many other observatories, both this time and the last time around. That's what it's all about mate, sharing your ideas and methods with everyone so they can mix and match to come up with their own too!

It's wonderfully circular.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Article in the Canberra Times this morning. Page three.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/sharing-the-wonders-of-the-universe-with-all-20120805-23o7v.html

[Ric]

It was a good write-up Baz.

I liked the pictures. :lol:

[bloodhound31]

Ta mate. It was a shame the name of the observatory never got mentioned nor was a link to the website printed... :(

[bloodhound31]

1. Floor support ring on and floor joists assembled!

2. The Southern Cross watches over the construction of ASIGN Observatory II.

[bartman]

Looks like you are goinfg to have plenty of room there Baz!!!!!
Great pics!
Cheers
Bartman

[bloodhound31]

Youbetchya Bart! :thumbsup:

[bartman]

BTW......,on that first pic ......I like how your tripod casts a shadow on the rock at the bottom ( slightly to the left of center).
ASIGN of things to come??????
Or divine intervention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Intervention)?
Peace out :2thumbs:
Bartman

[bloodhound31]

LIL Bart! There's certainly been a lot of that on this journey mate! :thumbsup:

Picked like a nose! :rofl:

Baz.

[Paul Haese]

The use of curved track and stud makes it easier to skin the outside. I use this all the time for work and whilst expensive it does perform really well. To help with stability screw fix it both sides top and bottom. Then fix sheets at 400 centers both internally and externally. This will help to support the main structure. Looking forward to more updates. :)

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Paul.

Here's this afternoon's progress. External walls on! Latest update http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm

[scagman]

Hi Baz,

Its looking really good, excellant if fact.

Cheers

[strongmanmike]

That looks great Baz! :thumbsup:

I like that you will have a downstairs area so when visitors come they can don their space suits before venturing up stairs for the journey.

Mike

[bloodhound31]

Cheers John. Mike, if they misbehave I can eject them into the cold vacuum of space outside the dome....

[bloodhound31]

Here's a video of the dome rolling. (http://youtu.be/O8GvTF8NABw)

[bloodhound31]

One small task at a time. Today my goal today was to build a door frame and door to fit it, out of steel.

Done.

[Ric]

Looking good Baz

It's really starting to take shape now.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Ric.

1. Today was marking out the flooring for the top floor ready for cutting into a whopping big circle!

2. Swept and tidied, a bit of an idea of the space that will be available in the office downstairs.

Full story here. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[lacad01]

Lookin mighty good Baz! Look forward to seeing progress on the innards & dome :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Adam. I've run out of funds for now, so it will be some time before I progress much further. I'll keep you posted of course though. :thumbsup:

Baz.

[steve000]

How did you do it?

[bloodhound31]

With great skill and ability... plus some sheer arse... ;)

A stack of 40kg rollers all set into the lower ring, with four guide rollers (bearings) at the cardinal points.

[bloodhound31]

Got a heap more bows on the revolving dome and cross-bars on the slot.

[bloodhound31]

Finally got the last of the heavy bows on the roof. I've been at it for roughly two hours every afternoon after work until I run out of light. I've even come home at lunch times to get 30 minutes of labour in at times. Time is so precious.

The next step is to roll-form some lighter intermediate bows. Flat sheet to cover the dome will bend nicely one way, but not two ways, so trying to bend it over the large area between these heavy bows is likely to warp and distort them too much. Putting in some intermediate bows will mean thinner strips of sheet, reducing the need to bend them two ways.

Full-story here (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[steve000]

Nice, got pics? and prices?

[bloodhound31]

Cheap as chips at Bunnings.

[steve000]

Nice, I had a feeling you may have gone that route and im glad you did!
I have a similar setup and was walking around bunnings and spotted them, nice and cheap

[bloodhound31]

The beauty of these is, I was thinking ahead when I bought them. Last time I had huge troubles rolling that old geodesic dome as it got heavier.

This time, I planned with a method in mind thinking that if I miscalculate and the dome gets heavier for any reason, I can just add more wheels or upgrade to heavier-duty wheels. It's a good system and is running very smoothly.

[steve000]

Nice. yea my concern was the nylon starting to compress under the weight. The ones you used are around 2" diameter correct?

For the axle is that just threaded rod or did you put a thread on a rod leaving the middle blank.

Sorry for all the questions but it looks you probably have solved a dilemma of mine.

I look forward to making it down one day and taking a good look

Steve

[bloodhound31]

Yep, roughly 2 inches correct. The axle is just a bolt that replaces the mild steel axle that came with the wheel as it was too short. I used high-tensile bolts. Over-engineering as always.

[steve000]

Very nice, thanks for all the info

[DJT]

Great build you have there. Out of curiosity, did you get the guider rollers from bunnings as well? Am in rolloff roof dilema making sure it wont fall off the joists and suspect I could resolve it with those rollers?

Thanks

[bloodhound31]

No mate, I got these from the top of those big soundproof movable wall partitions that divide conference rooms and classrooms etc.

[bloodhound31]

One of the hurdles I've had to overcome is that the old pier is not high enough to mount the telescope on, as the new floor level is now much higher.

To solve this, I have built another wooden box like the one underneath, to be filled with reinforcing mesh along with some conduit to run electrical cabling. It will then be filled with concrete.

Full story here (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

1. Constructing the form-work for the new pier.

2. Form-work in position on top of old pier.

3. New pier extension topside.

4. While I was at it, I skinned the door with thick steel sheet.

[Logieberra]

You've been a busy bee Baz. Coming along nicely!

[bloodhound31]

Sure have Logan. I am stuffed!

The race was on today as the rolled steel arrived to build the dome's sliding doors and complete the intermediate dome ribs. I say, "race" because tomorrow afternoon I have a professional welder coming over to weld stuff together.

This afternoon I measured, cut and joined all the framing together for the sliding doors. I have used 20mm steel plate to join it all together with screws, that way the welder can just weld all the joints together, then I can remove the ugly plates and screws.

Below: Picture 1 - One side complete. Picture 2 - The two halves will split sideways to open the dome slot.

[Ric]

Looking good Baz.

I hope all this rain doesn't muck up your plans with the welder.

[bloodhound31]

That's what carports are for Matey! :D

[Logieberra]

Man on a mission. Keep up the good work Baz :)

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Logan.

My welder friend gave his valuable time and skills tonight to weld up the door-frames as planned. They are extremely rigid and strong now. Great job mate.

[bloodhound31]

Putting up all the intermediate dome ribs was so much quicker than the heavy ones. I got a couple done yesterday at lunchtime, a couple more in the afternoon, a couple more today at lunch time and the rest done this evening. I even had time to paint the door with primer.

Below: All bows up, ready to be welded in place and then the temporary joining brackets can be removed and the roofing can go on.

Full story here >>> http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm

[Ric]

Like the first image Baz, very artistic. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

Better than that pile of crap out on the Barton highway interchange huh? I don't see anyone handing me a million bucks for it though.... ;)

[Ric]

Fair dinkum :eyepop:

That looks like what I end up with when I'm practising my welding. :lol:

No one offers me money either. :D

[bloodhound31]

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!

[bloodhound31]

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.

[Logieberra]

Baz, you're nearly sidereal tracking again! Not long now!

[bloodhound31]

Not long at all Logan!

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.

[Ric]

Nearly there. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

1. 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.

2. 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.

[bloodhound31]

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!

[steve000]

Where is the like button!

love it

[ChrisM]

Baz, I have just caught up with your obs progress, and it's really taking shape now. Looks the real thing!

Your floor opening seems very small - are you planning to use a ladder, or build stairs, or what? From memory, the floor opening in mine was 92 degrees of arc, but of course you need less if using a ladder.

Chris

[bloodhound31]

Hi Chris. It's just to get in and out during construction of the dome. Once that's done, I will be building stairs and the hole will be cut bigger to conform with the curve of the stair. Until they are done, I'm not willing to start cutting material unnecessarily.

[bloodhound31]

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!

[ourkind]

Ouch! Hope you're ok and you haven't severed any main tendons or nerves ...

[troypiggo]

Nice stitches Rambo!

[Ric]

Nice needlepoint Baz.

Have you thought of joining a sewing circle? :D

Seriously though, hope it heal ok. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

All good thanks blokes. I saved a $350 dollar door from hitting the ground and being destroyed so I'm happy with that! :)

Skin heals for free.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

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/observatoryconstruction.htm

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

[bloodhound31]

1. Roof sheeting going on. Slowly filling in all the sky gaps!

2. About 1/4 of the roofing done.

[ourkind]

Looking very good Barry :thumbsup: when do you think you'll have it fininshed and fully operational. Are you planning an Ob Warming Party?

[bloodhound31]

No idea yet mate. It will all depend on finding more cash to weather-seal it. I still have flashings to fabricate, then there's the internal staircase, insulation, interior wall-panels, furniture, carpet, observation deck lighting, electrical wiring and more.

[bloodhound31]

1. Nearly half-way with the roof sheeting.

2. View through the slot from the far wall at telescope height to give an idea of where the horizon is in relation to a horizontal scope.

3. View through the slot from directly above the pier, where the telescope will be mounted. No need for the slot opening to be any lower as all you will see it trees and oncoming cars from up the road.

[bloodhound31]

Ten sheets to go!!! WOOT! Getting all excited!!

[lacad01]

Looking great Baz :thumbsup: Out of interest, how will you be weatherproofing the slot?

[bloodhound31]

Flashing all around the hole, 100mm raised edges under the doors and an overlapping weather strip where the two doors meet in the middle.

[lacad01]

Yeah that's what I was interested int, cheers. Although you've got a ways to go, it must feel good to get as far as this :)

[Ric]

That's a great looking photo Baz.

A bit like the inside of Carl Sagan's spaceship in Cosmos.

[bloodhound31]

1. Four sheets to go!!

2. Doors closed. Weather skirt still to be fabricated and assembled between top of wall and bottom of dome.

3. Nearly fully enclosed.

4. Doors open showing floor space.

[Logieberra]

Woooo, that dome is military grade! Doubles up as a bomb shelter. Well done Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Logan! I'm sure you will feel quite safe from our nuclear overlords when you come to use the dome. :D

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Dome fully covered woot!!!!!!!

[ourkind]

:clap: Awesome Baz :thumbsup:

[Tandum]

Do you have that dome running on wheels instead of a rail?
Does it turn?

Got any engineering pics?

[bloodhound31]

Yes, on wheels. :D Not sure why anyone would build a dome like this if it didn't turn..... :question:

Engineering pics on this (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm) page mate.

[Tandum]

That should have read, does it turn ok. I was wondering how you did the wheels. When I had wheels on mine it seemed to always want to slide sideways which meant it was always pushing on guide wheels causing friction. It wasn't really easy to turn. Changing to a bent rail and u groove wheels led to one finger turning and then motor drive.

[bloodhound31]

Oh OK. :thumbsup:

It's pretty heavy now and takes some effort to get it moving from stationary, but once rolling it turns well. I have four bearings as guide-rollers, but the distance between them allows too much flex so I am adding four more in between. I'll take some photos later and put them up.

I never intended to be pushing this manually permanently and as such, I have a nice big old lathe motor to do the job.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

1. Telescope installed - fire extinguisher fitted as priority!

2. Preliminary calibrating on the moon.

3. "First light" (Crop) through the ASIGN Observatory II telescope! A very quick shot with only the DSLR on the scope, but enough to check the optics.

4. "First light".

[ChrisM]

Well done Baz - that's a major milestone you've just reached. I bet that you're standing back now admiring your handy work!

What's left to do?

Chris

[bloodhound31]

Feels good mate. :thumbsup:

Still to go:

Upstairs - flooring checkerplate, lighting, stairwell and bannister with gate, motorising of dome, more weatherproofing, painting inside dome matt black.

Downstairs - carpet, insulation, internal wall cladding, ceiling, lighting and power, furniture, stairs, decorating.

[Logieberra]

Welcome back, Barry :)

[steve000]

Are they draw sliders??

[bloodhound31]

Yep, out of an industrial photocopier. Heavy duty.

[allan gould]

great looking obs. Hope you have many clear nights in it.

[steve000]

Very nice, you sure resourceful. Here I was drawing up sliders and the thought never came to me I could just use premade ones.;
I love the progress and look forward to making it down one day to see it and the maker in person.

[bloodhound31]

You'd be very welcome Steve. Bottlo just around the corner too! :cheers:

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Enjoy the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhfGd4o8dI&feature=youtu.be) of this fully armed and operational battle-station!

[ourkind]

That was cool thanks for the tour Baz! Congratulations mate you ought to and must be proud of yourself :clap:

Clear skies!

[bloodhound31]

Thanks mate.

I don't actually think I feel, "proud" of myself mate. It's more of a feeling of accomplishing something I set out to do. It's a satisfaction thing, rather than a proud thing.

I owe too much to everyone who has helped me along the way, donated, encouraged, given ideas and advice, etc, to give myself too much credit.

[ourkind]

Spoken like a true Champion :thumbsup: Then well done in achieving what you set out to do :)

[bloodhound31]

All the cameras and cables installed now. Mount aligned to the planet's axis and ready for imaging. Now to wait for that pesky moon to go away and have a clear night!!

1. The mighty photon hunter!

2. Looking out to the heavens.

3. Peering into deep space.

4. Watchful warrior.

[Ric]

Great little video Baz and a great looking Obs, it's a testament to your skills and dedication. :thumbsup:

I must be a great feeling to have everything setup and running again.

It's looking like a clear sky tonight so best of luck.

PS. If I win lotto, I have to hire you as a consultant when I start my Obs. After building two I'll bet there's a lot of "Do's & Don'ts" for someone who is building their first Obs. :)

[bloodhound31]

OOH yeah. You know it! Thanks Ric!

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

YAY!! Finally imaging again! Clear night, no moon, no clouds and DARK DARK DARK SKY!!! :D Going for Messier 42 - The great Orion Nebula tonight!

I've been out of the deep space imaging game for a couple of years now, so this will be interesting trying to re-learn everything and apply the last two years of regular photography processing skills.

[Screwdriverone]

Excellent!

Looking forward to the pics Baz!

Of course, you will have to catch up to me now.....;) ....just kidding :D

ASIGN II is a work of ART! It looks absolutely magnificent. I have just been "catching up" on the videos on YouTube and on this thread.

Well done!

Cheers

[ourkind]

Congratulations Baz! Don't forget to give yourself an UPPERCUT :lol: It was your tutorial that got me started with stacking and nightscaping so for that I am indebted to you. Planning a trip to Canberra soon, which beer do you drink?

[vaztr]

How did it go for you last night Baz?

I'm just up the road and found the conditions early on (10ish) pretty ordinary for visual at high power, tho M42/43 looked spectacular at low power?

VAZ

[bloodhound31]

Got pretty smokey around midnight. Bushfires up around Yass I think.

Typical - night off, no clouds, no moon, no wind, nice and cold...... bloody bushfire smoke. :(

[bloodhound31]

Here's one more from last night. Now to stack and process the actual DSO frames!

[bloodhound31]

ASIGN Observatory II from around 11 metres off the ground.

[bloodhound31]

1. The flashing arrived today!! Fabricated perfectly to my measurements and diagrams.


2, Installing the weather-proof skirt around the dome.

[bloodhound31]

1. Flashing (weather skirt) installed. Peeling the protective plastic off all the sheets now.

2. First coat of light-absorbing matt-black paint on the inside.

[DJT]

What a fantastic Obsy. Well Done and enjoy

[Ric]

Did you pinch a cherry picker from work Baz :question: :lol: :lol:

Great angle for a picture though. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

We might have driven by on the way back to the depot..... :D

[troypiggo]

Lookin great! Done the internal stairs yet? Interested to see those in place.

[bloodhound31]

Not yet mate. The waterproofing is almost done, stairs next. My neighbour is a builders carpenter so we bartered me chopping down his poplars for his assistance building the stairs.

I'll post up progress as we go matey!

Baz.

[Kunama]

How was your day in the mountains Barry?
Looking for a new site for an observatory?

[bloodhound31]

I saw your note there under my windscreen wiper!! Brought a smile to my face! I must have just missed you. When did you put it there?

We spent the night up there and greeted the dawn on Australia day from the summit. I'll start a thread in terrestrial photography later once I've processed all the pics.

Baz.

[Kunama]

Nice place to spend the night! My son and I ride our bikes to Rawson's Pass every week, we were there yesterday. This morning my wife and I started the day with a walk up to top of Mt Stillwell followed by Australia Day Breakfast at the Eyre Cafe. I have previously spent many nights on Kosci, including New Year's Eve 2006 & 2011.

Look forward to your pics. ( I only had a little pocket camera with me so the pics are average at best.)

I will be taking my scope up to the summit in the near future.

[bloodhound31]

Come and join us next year on the 25th/26th Jan then!

[Kunama]

I may be XC ski racing in Finland this time next year but if not, I will see you up on the Main Range.

[Ric]

Hi Baz

How did the weatherproofing go after that rain the other day, it would have been a good test.

[bloodhound31]

Terrible. I have only installed it, and not all of it yet. I still haven't got a chance to seal it with silicone in the joints either! I have been at it all day today, trying to get it done and now it is raining again so I have to stop.

I've been ok for straight-down rain until now, but wasn't quite ready for sideways rain like we had the other day!

[ChrisM]

Hi Baz,

Just caught up with your latest lot of progress - your obs is looking really good. The aerial shot is great, and the internal view shows how much space you have up top; it reminded me of a ball room! Your aperture looks about as narrow as mine, but your scopes are closer to the centre too, I suspect. I can't remember whether your pier is offset, but guessing not.

Good luck with your weather seal; if I were to ever build another obs, that is one area that I would definitely change.

Chris

[OzEclipse]

You're lucky it was only sideways. It was horizontal out my north windows and blowing upwards out my south windows at Belconnen.

Have been following the thread & your progress with interest. Fantastic work Baz. Hope you didn't get too much water in.

Joe

[bloodhound31]

Got the silicone into all the joints and sealed it all up over the last couple of days. Today we had another big thunderstorm which was a great test.

I went inside during the downpour to look for leaks. I found one dripping through on the skirt, which I marked and will plug later when it dries. Also half a dozen other tiny drops which I also marked for sealing later. That should just about do it! The inside of the dome was 99.8% dry after the thunderstorm, so it's looking MUCH better!

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

This week our friend and family electrician spent some good hours in the observatory with me, planning the lighting, powerpoints and distribution board. The cabling has now all been run, ready to connect all the hardware.

As well, this week I got a lovely $50 donation from a Canberra local, which I was able to spend at Fletcher Insulation in Hume on a few bags to insulate from heat and sound. It is instantly cool in there now and OOOHHHHH SOOOO QUIET!!

Full construction page here. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[bloodhound31]

Picked up the wood today for building the staircase from the bottom to the top floor of the observatory. Beautifully seasoned and STRAIGHT cypress.

Can't wait to start working it!

[Kunama]

Nice choice of timber Barry!

[Ric]

I agree with Matt

Nice looking timber Baz

[Logieberra]

Can I visit Downton next week?

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Matt and Ric. I agree, I was fortunate!



By all means my friend! :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

Sorry it's been a while since my last update. Lots of building materials have arrived so it looks like I'm going to be a very busy boy for a few weeks now! Here's what's happening:

Inside fitout begins.

It's been a big week for the observatory this week. I was able to purchase the thin plywood interior wall panelling and even cut some to size and fitted two sheets.

I tested a corner of the cypress slabs I picked up last week by belt-sanding them with some 40 grit to get the saw-marks out of it, then rubbed some raw linseed oil into the test-patch to see the colour. The yellow-gold natural colour takes on a rich red-gold.

I applied by letter to my local government for a large log that one of their services had a stockpile of. To my delight, they approved and happily donated a log.

I found a magnificent pine log, well seasoned with the bark just falling off it. It is my intention to cut it four ways down the length, to cut a post out of the middle of it. The post will be kept aside while the rounded slices will sandwich around the centre pier downstairs, making the pier look like a big tree-trunk. This will then be sanded and rubbed with raw linseed oil, as will the stairs and handrails.

Link to construction page here. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[bloodhound31]

1. Big sanding job! Got one slab of cypress de-barked and sanded down at lunch time. Look at the comparison with the sanded and unsanded slabs!

Debarked and sanded on top and both sides. Ready to make stairs!

[bloodhound31]

1. Sanding down the cypress slabs

2. All six sanded ready to build stairs.

3. Eucalypt deadwood handrail.

4. Handrail on tread

5. Wall panels in. Trims, skirts and architraves to go.

[Ric]

Love that first picture, GO Baz. :thumbsup:

I also love what your doing with the stairs, can't wait to see the finished product.

Cheers

[bloodhound31]

Not ready for official opening night yet, but taking visitors already mate! Hint hint.... :thumbsup:

Baz.

[Ric]

I'll definitely have to drop around and be inspired.

Cheers

[bloodhound31]

1. Cut the hole through the inside and outside walls to fit the tubing for the air conditioner. Cut some steel mesh to size and fitted inside to keep the insects out. Sealed with silicone.

2. Built a small roof over the air-con outlet to stop rain from entering the tube.

3. Air-con fitted into the wall.

[bloodhound31]

Quick update.

I poured a concrete path to lead into the observatory off the main path.

I've been collecting bits of wood on the job at opportune trees we remove or prune. It's taking some time, but I've got some nice bits for handrails and banister. I still need three posts 2.6 metres x 100-150 mm in diameter for the stairs.

Getting there.

Baz.

[Ric]

I like the little path Baz.

Now you need a shrubbery, one on each side to produce a two level effect.

Sorry Baz, that was a Monty Python moment I couldn't resist. :rofl:

Cheers :)

[bloodhound31]

A SCHWUBBEWEE!! At this time of year!? :lol:

I've got to dig a garden bed all around the obs, put in some ag-pipe for drainage next to the slab and plant some schwubs.... way ahead of ya buddy!

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

I've run out of money (looks like for quite a while now) so all I can do is the jobs that cost nothing. Today I sanded down another log for the stair supports then started digging the garden bed. The quality of the dirt is rubbish so I'll have to get rid of it and replace it with some good soil. I also have to dig two trenches in it, one for the drainage pipe near the wall to lay in, plus another on the outside of the bed to run a row of rocks in for the edge.

1. Sanded down log for stair support

2. removed the lawn and weeds to expose the bare clay.

3. Digging in the trench near the slab's edge for the drainage pipe.

4. Starting to lay in the rock edge.

[bloodhound31]

Got busy today and dug the trenches all the way around for the drainage pipe and a row of border rocks.

Started on cutting the underlay to size for the obs and laid it in on the top floor, ready for carpet tomorrow.

1. Garden bed

2. My home-made compass for drawing big circles...

3. Underlay cut to size

4. Relax'n with an ale at the end of the day on the quiet underlay.

[DavidU]

It looks awesome Baz, well done.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks David.

[Logieberra]

Nice Baz. Keep it up. Logan.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Logan. I must be up for a Logie visit soon huh?

[Logieberra]

You bet. Come see the new astro shed. Getthing help from a mate to finish the roof today. Long story...

P.S. Grant now has the original shed which worked out well :)

[Kunama]

Looking good Barry! You just need a bar fridge, maybe hanging from the dome base ring so it rotates with the dome so even in the dark a cool one is within arms reach.
I'm coming up to Canberra today for a few days, would love to see your work! (Translate that to "steal your ideas for a future obs")

[bloodhound31]

How about I pop up there next Friday after school? PM me the best time and if that sounds like a plan.



Got the bar fridge downstairs actually! True!

Of course you are welcome to visit Matt! I'll PM you.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Got some carpet cut and put down on the floor. Now to get it layed properly and then steam-cleaned.

[Kunama]

Very plush !!!!


(sorry I did not get back to you last week Baz, a few "in-laws" emergencies to sort out)

[bloodhound31]

No worries Matt. I pray all is well with you and the in-laws.

Baz.

[asimov]

Looking good Baz!

[ChrisM]

Baz, interesting photo, but your carpet looks like it's got moon craters.
Chris

[bloodhound31]

Thanks John and Chris!

A good steam-clean should fix that!

Baz.

[Kunama]

Thanks Baz for the guided tour of the observatory, what an excellent setup. It was great to meet you and your family.
Look forward to the grand opening party!!!

[bloodhound31]

It was my extreme pleasure to meet you mate! You are most welcome back anytime. Use the dome, have a beer, coffee, that's what it's there for!

Oh! And thanks for the German coldies! I just had one. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Finally!! Work has started on the stairs!

The builder's carpenter turned up today and together, we plotted out the stairs. There's a lot to watch out for with building standards, made even more challenging by the curve. Stair calculations are fairly simple though, once you get the hang of them. I just happen to be doing a tertiary course right now and just last week, we had an assessment on stair calculations. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!! ;)

With it all marked out, this week I'm going to crack on with cutting the support posts, fitting them and cutting the hole in the top floor larger to stop people from hitting their heads as they ascend the stair.

[Paul Haese]

The best method for developing the bulkhead at the first floor ceiling junction is to wait for the stairs to be in place. Then from the step directly below the bulkhead proposed site it should be 2.2 meters. That will make the immediate step above around 2 meters. That is usually enough clearance except for all but the tallest persons.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Paul.

[bloodhound31]

Today I got an early mark from tech school, so I came home to work on the observatory.

I had another log to inspect and grade to see if it was good enough to support the stair stringers. This one had several layers of rot, but it was a beautiful piece of wood. I used a rotary chisel to rake back all the layers until I was happy with what was left. It turned out pretty darned good actually. So far I haven't yet oiled them, so their true colour is yet to come out, but I have left the borer insect marks on the wood as I just love the look.

1. Stairs marked out.

2. Log to strip back.

3. Scribbly little suckers. These patterns are gonna stay!

4. Three posts in position.

[Ric]

I like the look of the poles Baz

They should look pretty spectacular when their finished.

[bloodhound31]

Laying in the drainage pipe.

[bloodhound31]

Drainage in, shrubbery planted and garden mulched.

[multiweb]

C'mon!... I though it was agreed to have it gold and cherry red. :P;) Looking really good. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

How about I plant some gold and cherry-red pansies in there come springtime for ya? ;)

[Logieberra]

Looking good Baz.

P.S. you really are blessed with the best of neighbours! A dome wouldn't fly with our small body corporate!

[LewisM]

Incredible that it is in your front yard. Neighbours here too would have a hissy fit!

Then again, about the only way to try to escape light pollution for me here would be to put the obs up in a fire-tower in the front yard. That'd tickle the neighbours fancies.

[bloodhound31]

Neighbors are all pretty cool with it. Some have even come over and helped!

[bloodhound31]

Progress on the stairs. Four stringers cut to the correct angle and calculated for the rise, tread and number of steps. Posts rebated to firmly seat and bolt in each stringer.

Making a massive mess of the space, but it will look a million bucks when I'm done!

[LewisM]

Love the Australian native stair supports etc.

Barry, please make sure you have adequate security - unfortunately, this is a perfect target for miscreants and generally they know things inside will be valuable. I'd even go video cameras.

[bloodhound31]

And insurance....

[bloodhound31]

Today was probably the most productive day I've had on the observatory in a long time. Not only did I get hours of precious time, but I also trialled a couple of new tools.

One was a flap disk to fit the angle grinder. It's a round disk covered in overlaying sections of very coarse abrasive. I used it to strip the bark off the wood I am using for the balusters.

The other is a rotary chisel. This is also a round blade for the angle grinder, but it has only three teeth in it. It takes of massive amounts of wood in a single pass and is also very dangerous.

Finally, instead of trying to manoeuvre the belt-sander all over the wood, I turned it upside down on the saw-horse and clamped it down. Now I can move the smaller and lighter pieces of wood over the belt sander with ease. The trick now is to watch the knuckles as I de-skinned two until I got a good technique.

I got the top of the stairs (top floor) cut to match the vertical line of the stringers, plus dressed the hole with some big pine. The stringers are all bolted in and I made a start on the hand-rails and balusters.

[multiweb]

Looks hot. A rustique observatory. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Marc.

Finished the handrails and balusters and started making templates with cardboard for the treads. Each piece of wood will be traced onto cardboard, then placed in position and marked where to cut to shape. I'll then put the cardboard template back on the wood and trace it on for cutting. This is the very best way to do it because the wood is worth a fortune and I can't afford to make a cutting mistake.

1. Balusters finished.

2. Tracing the wood shape onto the cardboard ready to make a template.

[Ric]

Looks great Baz.

A bit of the haunted castle feel about it.

[multiweb]

Measure twice cut once :) It's going to pop when it's stained. Are you going to use tung oil or just polyurethane. I guess the latter? It will be high traffic.

[bloodhound31]

"Measure twice cut once".... I'm adding yours to the bucket-full of times I've heard that during this build! :lol:

I'm using a mix of turps with boiled linseed oil. The turps not only helps the oil penetrate the wood, but also sets the oil to a harder finish. Plain oil stays greasy for a long time, rubs off on fingers and clothes.

[bloodhound31]

Haunted by the Holy Spirit mate.... ;)

[bloodhound31]

WOOT WOOT!! YIPPYKAYAY!!

Finally I've made a start on the treads. The first one was the hardest, just working out how best to mark the template and deciding if I was going to go flush with the outer wall or take the tread right into the wall.

It worked out a lot more secure to go into the wall, fastening supporting timber inside the steel studs. Now I've got two treads in, custom cut to fit exactly. As I showed my wife and bragged about my superior craftsmanship, I jumped hard on both treads - SOLID AS A ROCK!

I'm well pleased. The second tread was a lot faster than the first, so now that I have a technique worked out, I should be able to get around three in every hour I get in there.

[bloodhound31]

1. Ready for oil!

Well.... nearly...

I have one tread at the top of the stairs left to cut and install. It's a bit tricky because it is surrounded on two sides by thick steel and some bolts, lips, edges etc - lots to custom-cut around to make it fit.

The insulation is back in the walls with every nook and cranny stuffed to keep the temperatures out/in and also a bit of soundproofing.

The bulk of the work is done but there are a couple of gaps that I want to fill and tidy up. Now the wall-panelling can be cut for the stairs and fitted on the walls.

2. Big hole!

As soon as the stairs are dressed, there's the issue of the long drop from the top floor. A bannister needs to be constructed with a gate at the top of the stairs.

Stay tuned for the updates as I get to the task.

[ChrisM]

Baz - the staircase is looking really good and you must be pretty happy with it. The only comment I would offer on the treads is that the leading edge of the first step down looks a bit wavy in your last photo. Could just be the lighting, but you wouldn't want someone to misplace their step especially when descending.

I haven't found a gate necessary on mine, and it's tighter than yours for space. I made sure that there is sufficient dim light to see the top of the stairs, plus I put a distinctive top knob on the end post of upper level balustrade, (see post #12 http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=36222&page=4 ) so it is always something that your hand goes to when about to descend. When visitors are present, I increase the lighting level.

Let me know if you'd like any details of how I made the balustrade for the upper level. It was quite straightforward and gave a very pleasing and safe outcome.

Chris

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Chris. Yes I've been looking at that one in particular. I'm going to rasp the worst of it off and that will take care of it. Most of them are slightly wavy which is part of the design charm, but that one is a little too pronounced so it must be evened out with the rest.

I'm ok for designs and details mate. I have my own ideas that I want to put into place, but thank you for the very kind offer.

Wanna hear a funny? My neighbour who is a builder's carpenter, complained that the stairs don't creak! LOL!! He said wooden staircases are supposed to creak as part of the charm. I've been jumping on them and they are as solid as rock!

Cheers!

Baz.

[multiweb]

Tell him no creaking is tolerated in the ironman lair, land of the mighty WD40.

[bloodhound31]

Spent today building the upstairs banister out of steel. The thing is rock-steady. Soon I will bolt in some thick board behind it, which gives me three functions.... it blocks some light from below, (even though later there will be drop-hatches over the hole anyway).... it stops my young toddler from crawling through gaps when he's chillin' up there with me..... and finally, it gives me something to put some charts and space photos/posters on. There will be a gate on the end (left of photo) to stop folks from accidentally falling down the stairs.


Downstairs, I cut one more dead tree down to provide the final post on the far left. I also cut the wall-panelling for the stairs. The wall above the stairs is filled, now to put in the panelling for the wall underneath them.

[Ric]

Lovely job with the stairs Baz, they are quite a work of art. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Ric! The natural timber has been an absolute pleasure to work with.

[bloodhound31]

SOOOOOO CLOSE!!

I can almost taste completion! The banister is looking great now filled in, painted, gate on one end and a big thick natural timber handrail to dress it all off.

Upstairs the only big job left is to lay the carpet properly then instal the lighting. That will conclude the upstairs construction and fitout.

Full construction page here. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[Ric]

Lovely Baz.

Very professional looking.

[multiweb]

I like the red light on the desk and the security tape. Very stargate looking. :) :thumbsup:

[ChrisM]

Looking really great there Baz. The black panels below the balustrade add a nice touch. Now you have to start using it.
Chris

[DavidU]

:thumbsup:Baz !

[bloodhound31]

Cheers Ric! Must be time for another Ric visit! ;)



Maybe I should put 7 Chevrons around the dome.... :P



Already had a couple of blokes in there tonight mate. I talked until their ears bled.



Back atchya! :thumbsup:

[Ric]

[QUOTE=bloodhound31;996676]
Cheers Ric! Must be time for another Ric visit! ;) QUOTE]

Most definitely, If only I can find a spare hour or two. :D

Cheers

[strongmanmike]

Superb result Baz...amazing!

Love to come for a look sometime :thumbsup:

Mike

[bloodhound31]

[QUOTE=Ric;996829]

Standing by mate. Kettle's on.


Welcome of course Mike. PM me when you're ready.

BAz.

[bloodhound31]

I'm getting pretty excited now that it is so close to finishing and to be quite honest... a little relieved. I've been building this one for around three years and the last one took me over a year to build too.

It's been a stormy ride.

Spare cash for materials has been a struggle and put quite a strain on my family. I've had to work in other folks gardens, construct driveways, sheds, do repairs and all kinds of other handyman jobs to find the money just for a packet of screws. I've even taken on jobs as builders labourer with bathroom renovations and even second-storey home extensions. All this has helped me gain good experience and knowledge about building first-hand. (Having spent four years as a purchasing/inventory manager for a building company also helped me come to understand a lot about raw materials, Australian Standards, span-tables, metallurgy and more.)

In amongst that I've had a son, starting with a very rough first two months in Newborn Intensive Care Unit as he was two months premature. He's healthy and fine now, but getting here has been gutwrenchingly scary at times.

Lately the chainsaw skills and my professional photography have provided some money, but not much in the big scheme of things. Some donations came through which have helped a lot, but mostly it has been my own money, plus massive amounts of my free time, which I would now like to use to relax a bit...

I'm feeling old in the knees. Over a hundred army static-line parachute jumps, pack marching, mountain climbing and caving will do that to you. I haven't been kind to my knees and now I'm starting to feel it. They make lovely noises like crunch cellophane now when I stand up. Climbing all over this two-story construction, balancing with tools and material has not been pleasant.

I'm mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted.

Once this is complete, then I have to build a pergola/deck of the front of my house which will be a breeze compared to an observatory and hopefully take me a fraction of the time.

Once the deck is done, that's it for big building projects for me. Hopefully then I can just concentrate on creative stuff in the workshop. My Iron Man suit needs to be finished and when that's done, I'm thinking of building a life-sized MK II Colonial Viper in the back yard, to be transported to locations, photographed and eventually sold, making room for the next creative project.

Will I ever learn? :)

Baz.

[Kunama]

Having seen this observatory up close and personal, I cannot help but be jealous :( . especially now that I have sold my house in darksky Jindabyne and bought another in light-polluted Garran. (Not my choice, she who must be obeyed fell in love with a house that has 2 massive street lights right outside :mad2::mad2: )

(if you need help with the deck and pergola let me know, although a little smaller than my last building project, I might be of some use.)

Looking forward to seeing the obs again, especially the stairs!

[LewisM]

Barry, hands down, this is THE best amateur observatory I have ever seen, and I think it sets a VERY high benchmark for others to aspire to! An INCREDIBLE job, by a VERY talented individual.

You need Iron Man to guard the entrance :)

[bloodhound31]

Pop me a visit any time Matt! You are always welcome!

Might be a while before I get a start on that deck, but if I need help I'm not too proud to ask mate.



Crikey! I'm swooning and blushing here. I must give credit to many others along the way though. Starting from the guy who took my plans and specs and designed the structural support for me, many others have contributed advice, assistance and even some cash to help me along the way. What a community effort, not just from Canberra, nor even just Australia, but from all over the world. Just look at this list (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/) on the bottom of my front page!

Thank you one and all!

Very soon after completion, the opening night will be organised then announced. It's going to be big!

[bloodhound31]

1. I sold some of my unused astrophotography accessories this week, so I was able to afford some plasterboard to start covering the ceiling. It will be good to seal all that fibreglass insulation in and fit the lights.

2. I have found some foam-rubber on a roll that seals nicely the gap between the dome-support ring, and the dome ring itself. I've glued it to the bottom ring only, so the top ring slides nicely along it without binding or too much resistance around the circumference of the dome. You can see it just above the unlaid carpet in the picutre below. The other issue is to seal the light-leak from where the dome panels meet the weather skirt, as well as cover the sharp edge of the sheet-metal.

3. I cut some of the foam rubber into short strips and glued them all in. It dresses off nicely and makes it safer and light-proof.

4. Just to give it a bit more of a finished look, I've adhered the caution-tape to it. Looks good and clearly distinguishes the edge of the dome.

5. I think I'll leave it at that for caution-tape or else it will take over. The carpet looks worse and worse as the dome and fittings improve, but the great news is that someone has offered me much nicer carpet!

6. The stairwell is coming lose to completion too. A few sharp edges to clean up and a gap to fill and dress, then some trim around the end of each tread and it's done.

[04Stefan07]

Dude this observatory looks UNREAL! The way you did the stairs looks fantastic. 10/10 for everything mate!

[Paul Haese]

Well done Barry. You now have a structurally sound observatory which will be great for your public outreach ideas. Well done and I look forward to seeing your adventures with this facility.

[bloodhound31]

Thanks guys. Again, please don't give me all the credit - I had a lot of help along the way from many people from many facets of life. (IIS members included).

Starting with the most important and awesome fellow, the structural engineer, none of this would have been possible without him. If I had done the structural design myself, it would have been more than adequate, but it would have had FAR TOO MUCH METAL in it and I would have spent a fortune. The structural engineer showed me how to get the most strength and rigidity without spending that fortune and wasting all the steel I was going to buy.

Sharing every little detail of the build has always been my way of thanking all those people as I have gleaned information and ideas from the world - so too I get to give it all back, (My triumphs, my failures, my frustrations) for the next generation of observatory builders.

THANK YOU EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU.

Still not quite finished yet, but getting close.

Baz.

[multiweb]

Now you have to give us a walk about and post the video on youtube. :thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

Ease up there big fella! :P It's a' comin'!

[bloodhound31]

Got a spare few dollars this week so I could afford the last two sheets of plasterboard for the ceiling downstairs.

This afternoon, it was a race for the light as the sun set after work. I lay all eight pieces down, built a new compass and drew the radius out to fit inside the round building.

As I ran out of light, I managed to score the paper then used a plasterboard hand-saw to cut one sheet to size.

[bloodhound31]

I made a start today as I had a few hours of beautiful sunlight to work with this morning.

Rather than purchase or hire those expensive adjustable struts to hold up the plaster, I made up these two supports out of some scrap wood. They are just a fraction too long, which give me the ability to wedge them in under the plasterboard as I hold it up to the ceiling. Easy peasy.

I got half the ceiling up so I should be finished the rest by the end of this weekend.

[strongmanmike]

Hey Baz...do you ever sleep :eyepop:

We'll have to start calling you Barry Rudd :P

Mike

[bloodhound31]

Onya Mike. Yes, I get around 5 hours a night so I'm good.

The ceiling is all up. Now it's a matter of joining tape, joint filler and some trim around the exposed edge in the stairwell.

I bought some thick board today for the trap-doors that will seal the heat in downstairs by blocking off the stairwell.

I picked up all the gear today thanks to a wonderful donation by a fellow in Victoria. I'll be getting to work tonight and over the next week to get the ceiling finished and ready for a coat of paint.

The last part of the ceiling was the trickiest, as there were many angle involved, lots of things to get around and rebate for, plus the sheet can't fit in the gap in one piece. I ended up making a template out of 3mm craftwood scraps. I then traced the template onto the plasterboard sheet and cut it out. I had to cut it into four pieces to get it in there though. It's all done though and ready for finishing.

1. Tracing the template

2. Plasterboard cut to shape

3. Fitted

[bloodhound31]

Oils ain't oils

All I wanted to do today was apply paintbrush to timber. Unfortunately for my impatience, preparation prolonged my agony for an excruciating hour and a half before I could even wet the brush.

There was the bottom floor to clear of construction tools and materials, then peel up the temporary carpet and underlay. I gave the handrails and treads a final sanding then a meticulous vacuum of all surfaces.

The mix of mineral turpentine and boiled linseed oil was a 50/50 ratio, penetrating the wood deeper and hopefully causing the oil to set harder.

A few minutes after oiling the top couple of treads and stringers, the mix began to release aromas from the Cypress and Eucalypt. Unlike painting with paint, (which is a pain in the butt) oiling wood is a real pleasure. The speed at which the transformation occurs is gratifying and the colour change is stunning - it's richness paralleled only by the smell, which is akin to walking into an antique furniture shop.

Full story here. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[strongmanmike]

Well I recon it's now official! You posses the Worlds most beautiful observatory stair case!

:clap:

Mike

[g__day]

It all looks incredibly good! I love the way you did the rings the dome rotate on (as shown on page 3). Can you tell us more about them. How or where did you get the rings fabricated?

I'd like to do the same for a custom 2.45metre track - what budget would you advise? The rest of my astro lab is built - but the track the dome runs on I would love to improve and I really like your solution.

Many thanks,

Matthew

[g__day]

Thanks Barry!

A suggestion or two if you have an electrician friend coming over.

1. Consider running 2 cat 6 cables in 40mm PVC piping from your house to the astro lab (1 active and 1 spare). If you ever wish to control all your gear remotely - simply have a PC in the astro lab and one (or more in the house and run VNC or RadAdmin). On long, cold astro-imaging sessions in Winter that can be a boon. Set up one or more imaging runs then stay warm and enjoy your family and just periodically check your gear is doing the right thing by glancing at a monitor indoors!

2. Consider an online UPS to protect all the gear in your astro-lab from surges or brownouts! Surge protectors are nice, but I don't expect much will give a better quality current and voltage delivery to your gear than an Online (always inverted) UPS. Of you are powering 12V gears (e.g. mount - use a Lab power supply).

3. Have both set-up lighting and imaging ready lighting - either dimmers or white and separate red lights

4. Put one or two powered USB2 or USB3 hubs on the side of your pier - and cable it back to your PC with active USB extension leads. A high speed HUB or two on the pier itself saves a lot of long messy cables. Active extension leads are cheap nowadays and give much more reliable signals between devices and your PC.

5. Put a see-in-the-dark, IP controlled, rotating camera in your dome so you can observe what your scope is doing. They cost from $90 - $180 (low or high definition colour models) and really work well.

6. Store a pot of chemical dehumidifier near the pier; Optics don't like long exposure to moist air!

7. Keep a hair dryer in your lab and use (carefully) it to remove moisture from anything that gets dewy.

8. Put a plastic sheet over your gear when you finish for the night - both as a dust cover just in case something goes wrong with a drip in the wrong place.

Have spare parts handy - rotten when an imaging run is lost due to one cable or connector dying!

Wish I had learned those plan ahead tricks quite a while ago!

[bloodhound31]

I have the warm-room downstairs for that. As far as family is concerned, I spend the time I need with them, this man-cave is a place of peace, serenity and Baz-space that I need away from everybody else to just relax and chill out.



Got it in-hand. The electrician has already run all the cabling and when the fittings and distribution board go in, all the relevant protection is going in with it.



As above, already implemented.



Not sure what you mean here... do you mean hubs that send wireless signal, rather than having cables between the scope, cameras and PC? What's an active extension lead?



Maybe when I can spare the cash.... not really necessary unless I'm going to remote desktop from in the house, which as above, is not my intent. I'd rather be with the telescope in the dome rather than an armchair astronomer.



So far the dome has provided interesting and favourable conditions for imaging. Dew just doesn't seem to form in there. So far it doesn't look like that is needed.



Again, so far not needed. The last dome was also the same.



This is a good idea. I have been thinking about getting a custom fitted insulated bag that zips or velcro's over the gear not only for the possibility of leaks, but for the extreme heat in summer during the day in the dome.

Some great suggestions and ideas there thanks Matt. I see you got my PM and found the ring-fabrication information useful. Good stuff.

Baz.

[g__day]

Sure did Baz - I ponder why you went with steel rather than lighter aluminum - I guess its the welding? If you were just bolting stuff together Aluminum would be okay - whilst welding Aluminum I believe takes special skills and gear!

An active extension USB cable looks like a normal USB extension cable but it has a bulb on the female head end. The bulb has circuitry that confirms timing of signals and makes it easier to daisy chain multiple lengths of USB cables together and still have a chance they will work! Active leads give better signals over distance than normal extension leads. A 5 metre USB2 cable costs around $8 - active ones cost around $17 for same length (used to be $50!).

For me I run an 5 metre active USB2 cable ($17) from PC to the Pier and its signal goes into a powered (5 volt 4 amp) 13 port USB2 hub ($53). I also send mains power to the pier where I have a individually selectable power board Velcro taped to the pier - to control camera's power supplies and those for my OTA's focusers.

So my pier has Velcro taped to it 1 power board, 1 * 13 port powered hub and two camera AC/DC power adapters.

I do this to separately aggregate USB and power lines at the pier - then send them back to the PC and the Astrolab's UPS power supply. In this way I am not running multiple 5 metre cable lengths back to my PC.

Cable count for me goes:

1. Power to the Pier's switchboard (via 1000VA Online UPS)
2. Power to the mount's SS2K-PC hand controller via a LAB 15V 10 amp regulated powersupply
3. Power from Switchboard to two AC/DC 12 volt adapters to power 2 modified Canon Cameras and 2 focusers
4. USB cables to 2 DSLR and 1 OAG guide camera
5. Bulb cable to DSUB box to USB cable to control older DSLR
6. Mount controller (modified LAN control cable from SS2K-PC to PC serial port via an earthed, serial surge protector - like cash registers on Gas stations use)
7. Signal cable for guiding from PC - USB -> GPUSB -> breakout box St4 -> SS2K pin format -> 6 pin cable to SS2K-PC hand controller's guide port
8. TempPerHUM USB cable back to PC
9. USB cables to two focusers on my OTAs

The point is you can quickly have a cable jungle! It's cleaner to Velcro tape 1 or 2 Power boards and one or two 13 port Hubs to your pier, then run short cable loops from your gear to the hubs and only have single active extension cables (plus spares on hand) from your 1-2 hubs back to your PCs. The caveat is most devices don't send high data streams to the gear simultaneously - else I could need multiple cables to multiple ports to preserve bandwidth. My Meade DSI will be using the most bandwidth of the USB2 port - the Canon cameras only send data at the end of an image acquisition - so every few minutes they send 10mb over a few seconds to my PC.

At one stage I had 2 serial + 12 USB2 ports engaged on my astro lab PC!

My astro lab keeps my gear remarkably dry - no matter how moist the night is outside (and mine is only one foot from a swimming pool) on the East side! The hair dryer is for just in case nights - a sudden shower gets you before you can close the lab.

The chemical dehumidifier cost around $15 - so far its lasted 6 months and I've gone thru about half the supplied bag of chemicals. It's drained about 5 cups of moisture from the lab. I notice on one of the OTAs I bought it has a dehumidifier satchel taped to the inside of the WO lens cap - which is a very clever idea!
Cheers,

Matthew

[bloodhound31]

Steel is also WAAAAAAY cheaper than aluminium!!!!

For the other stuff, I'll work it all out in time mate. Thanks for the insights.

Baz.

[g__day]

My pleasure - just remember your cables will grow over time - allow a place for them to do so! Expandability is the key!

[bloodhound31]

Today I got into plastering the joints of the plasterboard, a job I've never attempted. To tell the truth, it was childishly simple, helped by the fact that all the boards are level and flush.

[Gem]

Wow Baz! I am already having people at work come to me and ask if I know about a certain observatory being built in Canberra!!

Keep it up! Must come around and have a close up look some time! :)

[Paul Haese]

Always time to learn. The main thing with flushing (or as you east coasters call it setting) is to feather off between coats and apply an even pressure with your index and middle finger to the center of the broad knife (the spatula you are using in the image). Work the plaster with another larger trowel or a hawk in a pattern similar to kneading doe.

Are you using tape on the first coat? If not you will need to do this all again as the plaster will crack. The tape has to be applied with a firm mix (like whipped cream) with the air bubbles removed but also some plaster left underneath. In other words not to sloppy and not to firm.

Ceiling fixing is how I make my money now (well actually I don't work on the tools anymore; I run the business for the blokes I employ but I have worked on the tools before). If you can butter bread with a knife, you can flush.

If you feather between each coat you don't need to sand. Also each of the first two coats should have a tiny gap between the broad knife and the coats in the center of the flushing joint. The last coat (using topping coat) will fill that. Each coat also needs to cover the last coat, hence the need for larger knives between coats.

Also for butt joints you need to go two trowels wide for the second coat and a larger trowel width for the last coat.

Good luck.

[bloodhound31]

Please do Grant!! The door is open mate!



Thanks for the great advice Paul, but I beat you to it. It's all finished about 20 minutes ago and ready for painting tomorrow. :D

[bloodhound31]

Finishing up.

If someone at church this weekend asks me, "How was your week? I would have to begin by saying, "WELL... WHERE DO I START - HOW MUCH TIME HAVE YOU GOT!?

I got some BIG NEWS last week that I can't yet let on about, but needless to say I have a very short time to get everything finished.

I've had a couple of friends over every day and every night working until late at night painting, plastering fixing wall-joiners and preparing for the carpet layers.

To add to our tight deadline, I have mysteriously injured my shoulder and am unable to lift anything heavy. It's been totally weird in that if I keep moving it feels ok, but if I stop and sit still I'm in agony.

anyway, one of my mates from work has been an absolute champion painting for me, even popping by at lunch time for half an hour on a work day to get things done.

We gave the inside of the dome a second coat of flat black paint, re-oiled the stairs and woodwork upstairs again and painted the plasterboard ceiling downstairs. At least I got to use my left arm a bit with the paint-brush and cut in the edges ahead of my friend with the roller.

My family electrician friend is away on holidays for a month, presenting me with the difficulty of finding another who can understand the wiring already routed and then finish the job - for the right price too!

The carpet layers arrived this morning, bringing with them WAAAAAY better carpet and underlay than the old stuff I had found second-hand.

These two guys were like magicians. They worked tirelessly throughout the day to lay, cut-in and join the carpets both upstairs on the observation deck and downstairs in the lounge area. Their skills were amazing to watch in action.

I couldn't believe how beautiful it turned out upstairs. The room is completely transformed. I was still reeling with pleasure when I saw the finished result downstairs! Wow.

With a final vacuum and a couple of Italian chairs tactically positioned, it looks good enough to live in.

Tomorrow I have a hardware tradie coming in to help me fix the two dome doors that roll sideways. The sliders I have used are not coping and have popped all their roller bearings all over the lawn below. Over the next few days I'll bring in the rest of the furniture and reinstall the telescopes and computer. The wiring leading from the house is not yet heavy duty enough to run heaters, kettle, toaster, fridge and everything else, so I will just get the lighting and power-points installed then upgrade the feed line later. I have to dig up the original 600mm deep trench and put in a thicker conduit plus add a data cable.

FULL STORY HERE (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[Ric]

Wow, it's looking more like a 5 star hotel now.

Congrats to you and your helpers on a great looking finish.

Hope that shoulder comes good mate, nothing worse than nagging pains in the body.

Cheers

[bloodhound31]

Cheers Ric. I'm on the voltaren now and waiting to see a doc in the morning. After a solid week of this agony, I find it hard to imagine how people with lifelong diseases and conditions put up with it.

[bloodhound31]

Now that the carpets are done, the electricians have visited and are about to start work in the next few days. In the meantime I have a little grace time to put in some trimmings.

1. I found some high density foam that is easy to carve with a blade and is sand-able. Not sure how it's going to look but I'm hoping once I paint it white to match the ceiling, it should look ok and certainly better than the ugly square hole around the top of the post.

2 & 3. Mitred dressed-all-round timber (DAR) for edging.

4. I had a few problems surrounding the threshold. The bolts protrude through the carpet are a trip hazard and also a fray point for the carpet. The carpet is smooth-edged to the threshold, but it is also higher, meaning that it will eventually work its way out. The threshold is also flat so water can migrate across it from under the door. I've solved all these issues with a fitted wooden plate that covers the edge, the bolts making them level with the surface and providing an edge to stop the water coming in.

[multiweb]

That looks terrific Baz. Better than a man cave! Very cosy look to it. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Love that staircase. Make the obs. Forget the scope :lol:

[bloodhound31]

Thanks Marc! Come for a visit mate.

Baz.

[bloodhound31]

Through trials and tribulations, false starts and disappointments, many things seemed to conspire to come against getting the electricity done, especially on my non-exsistant budget.

I had to remind myself of the amount of times things have come against the different stages of this project and the subsequent amount of times when God's timing has been absolutely perfect to kick it off again. Nothing has happened before I was ready for it.

Finally, a qualified and experienced electrician donated a full Saturday to connect all the cabling that had already been run by another sparky. He translated all the cables, connected all the fittings and even donated a couple of his own to get the job finished. All this for a couple of cups of good coffee, a BBQ lunch cooked by my lovely wife and some home made hot-buttered banana cake baked by mum.

He switched the mains back on and PRESTO!!!! It all worked perfectly first go!


Not only that, but as the electricity was finalised last night, in perfect timing again, I got a phone call today from a friend asking if I needed a very large flat screen television.

He arrived this afternoon with the shiny black beauty which I plugged into a DVD player and away it went.

Apparently this thing was destined for the skip bin! It works perfectly and looks fantastic!

Now to just get the sucker mounted to the wall!

For a bit of balance in the room, I got the idea to make some wooden furniture in the form of a coffee table in front of the TV and also one in between the chairs for a lamp and remotes etc.

We cut down a very large dead eucalypt last week and one of the guys was good enough to cut me a couple of slabs off the base of the trunk as I have an injury at the moment that prevents me from overdoing it for a while. It was so big it lay in the tray of my ute for a few days before one of the boys dropped around to unload it for me. The top slab must weigh over 200 kilograms.



At lunch-time today I planed, sanded and de-barked them.

After some pensive moments and a short-black coffee that are often required after a sawdust shower, I hit them with a coat of boiled linseed oil.

My next door neighbour helped me roll them off the driveway, across the lawn and into the observatory.

Full story and photos HERE. (http://www.asignobservatoryii.com/observatoryconstruction.htm)

[bloodhound31]

TV is mounted now.

[Logieberra]

That's not a dome, it's a B&B !!!

[rmuhlack]

:eyepop: that is super-duper fancy. Well done :)

[LewisM]

Completely and utterly taken the standard for proper amateur observatory and thrown it into interstellar space.

The benchmark is reset. THIS will take a LOT of topping!

Supremely professional work there Baz.