Observatory installation progress

[RobertM]

It's going to look like a meringue base with cream topping - shall I bring some strawberries around

[Carole]

Looks like it just slots together so may be easy

I think the sides are fairly straight forward, but the dome comes in four sections and is slightly more complicated. 

meringue base with cream topping

They do these in a number of colours, but I felt the brown would blend in with the brown fencing (ish) rathern than dark green, light green, dark or light grey, and they also do a neutron blue and Ion green glow in the dark models too.

Well sorry to prolong the crap weather we have been having, but you can't blame me for the past 4 or 5  months.

Carole

[Mac]

Well sorry to prolong the crap weather we have been having, but you can't blame me for the past 4 or 5  months.

So thats why its been bad. Just couldn't put my finger on it. 

Oh well as Annie Lennox said.

" Here comes the rain again.
Falling on my head like a memory".

Looking on the forums, it seems as if you just loosely bolt them together first and then tighten them up;

Mac

[Carole]

you just loosely bolt them together first and then tighten them up

Pretty much, but there are various plates and bits of gaskets and sealants that have to go on the roof.  Having read some of the problems some people have had putting it together on the SkyPOD Forum, it doesn't look like the bolt holes always line up, so I'm not going to hold my breath in case I am one of the unlucky ones. 

I've also ordered in addition a Visor which hangs inside the dome so you can convert it temporarily to a slotted dome, this also has to be put together and hung. 

Carole

[Carole]

Today's progress.

Well we got the primary dome and the secondary dome assembled (each comes in two sections).  Unfortunately the sealant has not dried on them even though we did them first thing, so can't do any more work on the domes until tomorrow.  (More hardware to be screwed on so it runs smoothly).



Pull out shelves installed in the Bays.  I sometimes need two laptops as the XP won't guide and the Vista won't work with the webcam.





The door


Looking through the door to the inside (N.B. walls not positioned yet so pier not central.  



No real problems so far except the sealant not drying.  The last screw to the walls was difficult to get in and took a lot of force but this is apparently quite normal and screwing in the shelves was a bugger of a job.

Carole  

[MarkS]

Looking good!

Will you be bringing it to DSC?

[Mike]

Does it come with the shelves or did you add those?

[Carole]

Will you be bringing it to DSC?

Er, bit big, needs a big van and several hours to put it up.  However I think you might have forgotten to put one of these on your post.  

SkyPod actually advertise that you can take it to a Star party.  

Does it come with the shelves or did you add those?

they're an optional extra.

Carole

[Carole]

Don't suppose any-one has got a staple gun I can wack over and borrow this evening (Wednesday).  We'll need it for fixing one of the seals on the Dome tomorrow.

Thanks

Carole

[Fay]

Carole will rainwater run underneath into the pod?

[Carole]

Carole will rainwater run underneath into the pod?

Do you mean from the ground, or rain getting in the dome or sides.

It's sitting on decking which is 7" higher than the ground below, so unless there is a flood that should be OK.  The dome has seals and sealant, and we're going to seal all the joins of the walls and bolt holes, so hopefully it should be rain proof.

Carole

[Fay]

i was thinking of it running underneath from the top of the decking

[PhilB]

Isn't it screwed and sealed to the decking?

[Carole]

i was thinking of it running underneath from the top of the decking

Hmmm never thought of that, as there are little grooves in the decking. 

Isn't it screwed and sealed to the decking?

It will be screwed to the decking, must add some sealant as well, thanks for bringing that to my attention Fay.

Carole

[Rocket Pooch]

Well could be worse, have you ever walked on decking on a frosty night?