Pier pressure

Have been recovering in bed from a broken back. Not really. Here are the before, during and finished  pics of my behemoth of a pier. Having moved it from observatory to shed for prep work and priming. I dont intend moving it again until it is installed permenantly.

The weather has not been very kind today.
So I just wanted to get a quick pic with the first of the two final coats of gloss black. Dark clouds has hindered progress. I also took the opportunity to mount the top plate. My LXD 75 mount will be attatched to this piece.

The pier

What phrase is it the kids are using these days OMG. I think that sums it up.
Today I looked rather suspicious in the car park at work doing what looked like a dodgy deal from the back of 2 open car boots. Let me put your minds at rest. I havent turned to the dark side but I was collecting the custom made pier made by a work colleague Nathan.

Taking us both to lift it in to my car I rushed it home. I had to wait though till I got home this evening to get it out from the dining room floor and into position. I just had to know if it fits.

Oh My God it's huge. It's heavy and a hernier later lifting it on, yes it fits perfectly onto 3 feet of cured concrete. From the state of the weather forecast It may not be till next week until I can get the scope attatched and do a polar alignment. But for this minute I am one happy man. It will get several coats of primer and a nice Glossy black finish before it takes up permanent resisdence at the new Hills Observatory. (I am sure you can picture the huge smile on my face as I typed this tonight)


My sincere thanks Nathan for a fantastic job. Our best wishes, thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family at this time.

Looking Good

Good morning all, things have moved at pace this week. The base ring has been completed . Just a couple of coats of protection before bolting into place.


As you can see the dome ring is nearly there. A small upgrade to the jig had made the cutting process smoother. This job really takes time as each piece is glued and screwed and clamped. I lost several clamps during the move so having to make do. Millimeter perfect on it's shape and looks fantastic on to of the base ring giving me a 30mm clearance for rotation. I was going to use the 6 castor's from the previous roll off roof but they look just to darn big and out of place. I know they will never be on show externally just not happy with them.

THE DOOR. A few days ago Tony our chairman from our society Breckland Astronomical Society delivered and installed the steel door. He had to make a small alteration to the frame as it was just off square. Fits like a glove and now has 2 coats of red oxide primer. The inside has been painted black and the front hopefully today will have the first of its gloss white coats to match the siding.

Yesterday I received a text from Nathan to inform me the pier is now ready for collection. Cant wait to see it and get it up for a test run. Pics to follow soon I promise.

Dome ring

Tues 2nd What a lovely few days of sunshine we have had apart from the freak downpoor this morning. Time well spent in finishing off the interior. The pier base is totally isolated from the observatory and my steel pier is currently under construction from Nathan a welding tutor where I work. I cant wait to see it.

Probably the only tool I do not own is a router and a fellow Breckland Astronomical Society member Barry has lent me his. I have used 12mm external grade ply and carefully cut out the ring that will fit to the top of the walls I built a little jig and used a steel plate with a 4.5" gap to give a consistent sizing of the pieces cut. The castors will be mounted ontop of each upright so distrubuting the load quite effectively. I have cut 10 pieces that will be glued and screwed to give be a firm base ring on 24mm. Haven't taken a pic of a pile of arc sections but all they need is a sanding before construction. Unfortunately I am working now till next monday so a new set of pics to follow soon. Please feel free to comment or ask me any questions. Cheers.

Insulation and flooring

It has been a good week since anything has been done. A few well deserved days off work has allowed me to crack on. I have used 50mm Polystyrene insulation in the wall cavaties and under the floor as well as some security measueres to give added protection. This gave me the opportunity to install the cables to the light fittings, switches and get the heater cables and enough mains sockets for future add ons!!



Loft boards were used for the flooring and a layer of hardboard for the inner walls. All will be painted black in due course. A fellow society member Tony Fox Carter is currently making me the steel door similar to the style that graced my previous observatory. Probably overkill but security is my business and it never pays to cut corners on what is the most vulnerable part of the structure.

Cladding

To my surprise the cladding arrived this morning and not Saturday as arranged (not complaining). So another chance to get on, 5 sides have been done. Very simple to do just attatch the end strips and slide the 300mm pieces in, therefore aligning perfctly with the top that will soon support the fixed ring. I have also battoned at each 300mm intersection to provide additional strenth and support.I am nearly ready for  a fellow society member Tony to measure up for the steel door. He is the same chap who made the door for the last observatory. The doorway in will be on the left side nearest the fence (north facing) this affords easy acces when scopes are parked.

Framework

The wind was a bit fierce and luckily the rain cleared to allow long enough for me and my daughter to get the framing up. It gave her 40 minutes away from essay writing so I think she didn't mind helping. So what have we got I decided that the observatory would be  hexagonal in shape. I have used 3" x 2" for the general structure and used the same for the flooring, once. Not a bad morning's work. Apologies to "Nutty" and "Jack" I had arranged to get a days golf in today but the bad weather has left me a little behind schedule. I have the cladding coming tomorrow for the exterior sides so todays job is to cut the batons and to get rid of the rubbish.

What conservatories were made for

  When the weather is foul and the work still needs to be done do I don the wet weather gear and wellies and slog it out like a true Brit, NO WAY that is what conservatories were made for I have spent the last few hours glueing and screwing the framework together in comfort and watching the first day of the British Open Golf. It has eased up a bit so I think will brave it and get on. More pics soon.

Groundbreaking for the new Hills Observatory

Welcome back to all my fellow bloggers. Apologies for the delay but I am back, and pleased to announce that groundworks are under way on my new observatory.
I have decided to have a go at a dome. Gasps I hear all around. I just dont have the space for a roll roof. It will be a six sided wooden framework below a 6 foot dome. Dome concepts are still developing at present fibreglass is the preferred option. I have taken some ideas from many of the amateur domes I have seen and will post some links to the shortly to some of the amazing projects out there.
My view has somewhat improved with an almost to the horizon view to the south.

Above is a shot of the garden where Hills Observatory is to be built. I was quite lucky in the respect that huge patio slabs have been laid previously and are level. I have removed 2 slabs for the hole for the pier. A work colleage is making me a custom made pier. I have dug a reasonable depth but hit solid clay and rock. so the pier fixing bolts will be raised a couple of inches higher on the observatory floor after the flooring is fiited. No great worries really better that than a bad back trying to excavate another 6 inches. 

Everthing is nice and level and now waiting the concrete pour. Hopefully this afternoon! fingers crossed.

Times Up

I knew the time was looming fast. We move in 3 weeks now and I have to work a nine day stretch. So I have spent this evening Stripping out cables and power supplies. So Saham observatory has seen its last photon. It has served me well. Never once leaked or failed to operate as it was designed. A testament to my over engineering me thinks. There own trumpet blown. So goodbye and thank you for the service you provided. However I shall utilise as much as I can into the new Hills Observatory opening ???????. Just missed out a 2.1m dome too 24 hours too late (gutted). So it will be a while before any new pics posted but I will be posting the new build project, In whatever form it may take. Cheers everyone and keep looking in from time to time.Clear skies to you all while I am out of action.

M13

We have been graced recently with some great clear nights. 5 in a row at last count but tonight was the 1st without the wind. So on goes the canon. I have said now a couple of times this may be the last pic for a while as I am moving, but the clear skies just keep on coming!!!

Anyway onto the good stuff. This is a slightly cropped and DDP processed image of 20 x 300 second exposures at ISO400.

It never fails to amaze me the sensitivity of the cameras just seems to get better. We can now image detail in the nearby 12th mag ngc6207. No longer just a fuzzy blob next to it.

About 124 light years in diameter M13 contains a few hundred thousand stars.