Pier Built from Bricks?

[Earl]

Unless we are building an AAA emplacement of course. DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA !!! PEW PEW BOOM BOOM....... er yeah cough cough.....

[kirkster501]

I'm just going to use cheap and cheerful engineering bricks as suggested by Zakalwe, two per layer and quite a strong mortar mix.  Built up from a block of concrete dug 18" into the ground.  The obs will sit on slabs surrounded by gravel.  When the pier is demolished I will kick gravel in there to leave what could be sold as a patio

[RogerTheDodger]

Here's my latest pier, with a couple of pheasants. The brick part was salvaged from my old one with a new base - concrete paving slab on gravel/sand underlay.

[damnut]

All that needs is a remote twelve bore for the Pheassies. That's a great location you have.

[frugal]

Reading the threads that advocate these ridiculous quantities of reinforced concrete one quickly realises that the people doing it have absolutely mo idea on how to dampen vibration. Not understanding that reinforced concrete isn't the solution they are after. They continue to suggest an even greater quantity is required for the vibrations that their massed concrete failed to dampen.

All rather amusing if you ask me.

If a large mass of concrete is not going to dampen vibration, what would you suggest? All of the anti-vibration techniques I know rely on some sort of elasticity which seems to run contrary to the stability desired for a scope mount.

[Earl]

If a large mass of concrete is not going to dampen vibration, what would you suggest? All of the anti-vibration techniques I know rely on some sort of elasticity which seems to run contrary to the stability desired for a scope mount.

Dont jump up and down next to the scope

[Gina]

I have a pier plus base made of reinforced concrete and I've never suffered from vibration.  Overkill maybe but my EQ8 is solid as a rock.  Works for me - as they say

[Zakalwe]

Dont jump up and down next to the scope

Haha! And don't go round hitting the pier with a hammer to see if it rings!

Where does all of this "vibration" come from that people talk about? Are they imaging next to a train shunting yard??

[jnb]

Dont jump up and down next to the scope

In one sense that's true. Assuming you have the luxury of an observatory the scope and mount should be isolated from the floor of the observatory. Essentially the observatory floor is a collar around but not in contact with the scope. Though I am curious to see what Swamp Thing's suggestion is.

[Earl]

In one sense that's true. Assuming you have the luxury of an observatory the scope and mount should be isolated from the floor of the observatory. Essentially the observatory floor is a collar around but not in contact with the scope. Though I am curious to see what Swamp Thing's suggestion is.

I have a n obsy with a AP pier sat on the foam mat interlocking jobs so me knees dont hurt when kneeling on the floor, I was going to cut hole in it so they sit on the slabs but cant be bothered as im getting 20 mins wih the current setup anyhow.

Im sure my setup goes against all the rules, but it works. Well thats when im not fighting other issues, but that mount is not one of those atm.

[jnb]

I have a n obsy with a AP pier sat on the foam mat interlocking jobs so me knees dont hurt when kneeling on the floor, I was going to cut hole in it so they sit on the slabs but cant be bothered as im getting 20 mins wih the current setup anyhow.

Im sure my setup goes against all the rules, but it works. Well thats when im not fighting other issues, but that mount is not one of those atm.

I sometimes think under British skies you could put your telescope on a mattress and the mount would not be the limiting factor.

[Earl]

I sometimes think under British skies you could put your telescope on a mattress and the mount would not be the limiting factor.

You could have a very fair point there our skies do swim at times, a real good night is very rare to say the least.

Make me wonder why I bother at times... but ill not go there and go depressive LOL

[Gina]

Guess I'm a perpetual optimist