Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn
I filled mine with sand and yes it made a difference, although I feel that it was the sheer weight of it that did the trick, also keeps the thermal characteristics of any pier more stable..slower to move off Polar in large temperature differentials.. When it was cold in the obs the pier was still warm. It can only be good, to stabilize vibration and thermal activity, yeah fill here with sand, but not off the beach salt will rust in time...  |
Beach sand would useable and "safe" if you give the sand a couple of good soaks in tap water in a big bucket , tipping out over a heshan screen and allowing it to drain well between each wash. 3 or 4 washes would probably remove nearly all the salt.
Sea salt is extremely soluble in water and any salt left in sand will rapidly leach out with each wash.
Beach sand is free , other sands are not.
Looks like opinion is equally divided .... so ..... I guess I'll make one pier from concrete next to the north side of my garage (have a sliding door there and will eventually put a deck there and enclose it with a slide off roof observing shack attached to side of the garage) , and one from a steel tube that wll be bolted to concrete footings about 10 m west of the other pier.
Wish I was still with Onesteel , I could have had the fabrication work all done inhouse as a "foreign order" for some tinnies.
Now just to source my a 6" OD steel tube (galvanised probably) , and a few blank flanges , some scrap reo (for reinforcing the concrete peir) , and someone to do my welding (never learnt how and not a big enough job to warant learning or hiring a welder) and a little lathework (he may as well make my mirror cell slide clips too).