Peeling paint on plywood dome.

[Rusted]

Thanks for the idea but I'd have to find a Danish stockist of a similar product.
With no guarantee of long term sealing of such a flexible structure it might be just another waste of more money.
I am seriously beginning to think that I should have started with a Pulsar dome instead of building a white green elephant.
Unfortunately I was swayed by owning a 7" f/12 which I later, optically folded anyway.

[Davey-T]

5 hours ago, Rusted said:

I have just discovered that Pulsar offers "sage green." 
It pops up on their FB space. I thought it was just a trick of the light at first.
Do you think The MD would notice if a did a quick swap with my "fish tank?"

 

EDIT:

The lighter "SAGE GREEN" IS THE STANDARD GREEN FOR PULSAR DOMES other than the NORMAL WHITE.

Apparently, the darker "Forest Green" was discontinued some years ago. I didn't know that.

 

There's always this option 😂

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/143049337260?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=143049337260&targetid=4585513247727125&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=352035895&mkgroupid=1310618085202654&rlsatarget=pla-4585513247727125&abcId=1140256&merchantid=87779&msclkid=f98d2dd627951cd4793873359196761a

[Rusted]

38 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

There's always this option 😂

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/143049337260?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-153316-527457-8&mkcid=2&itemid=143049337260&targetid=4585513247727125&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=352035895&mkgroupid=1310618085202654&rlsatarget=pla-4585513247727125&abcId=1140256&merchantid=87779&msclkid=f98d2dd627951cd4793873359196761a

Camo? What about a tin of Union Jack?  Suits you sir!

[Bukko]

1 hour ago, Rusted said:

Camo? What about a tin of Union Jack?  Suits you sir!

A tin of Tartan paint would look nice also..😂😂😂

[Rusted]

24 minutes ago, Bukko said:

A tin of Tartan paint would look nice also..😂😂😂

I wrote tartan in my response to Dave and then decided to change it something else.
My having enjoyed only a few, brief years in bonny Scotland, as a bairn and that was in the last century. 
I wonder if Oor Wullie is still alive? His bucket must have <cough> rusted away by now!  👴🏻

[Davey-T]

1 hour ago, Bukko said:

A tin of Tartan paint would look nice also..😂😂😂

Many years ago when original Minis were still in production a friend painted his in tartan, took him weeks and miles of masking tape 😁

Dave

[saac]

50 minutes ago, Rusted said:

I wrote tartan in my response to Dave and then decided to change it something else.
My having enjoyed only a few, brief years in bonny Scotland, as a bairn and that was in the last century. 
I wonder if Oor Wullie is still alive? His bucket must have <cough> rusted away by now!  👴🏻

He is alive and well still living in Auchenshoogle and kicking about with Fat Boab and Wee Eck  and Soapy Souter   Oh and how could we forget wee jeemy  his mouse. 

Jim 

https://www.sundaypost.com/news/scottish-news/in-full-the-39-oor-wullie-statues-from-dundee-and-tayside-and-what-they-went-for-at-auction/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-49726803

Edited June 12, 2020 by saac

[Rusted]

I wonder if T-S or Baader do an adapter ring to go between a 3m Ø octagonal building and a 2.7m Ø round tartan dome?

It is all very well making a plywood "adapter ring" but I'd still need a giant bell washer to throw the rain outwards.  Or would I?

The full height [walled] domes are simply placed onto a flat concrete foundation and silicone sealed.

Does anybody here have any direct experience of fitting the short wall Pulsar to a flat roof?

 

[Bukko]

On 13/06/2020 at 06:33, Rusted said:

I wonder if T-S or Baader do an adapter ring to go between a 3m Ø octagonal building and a 2.7m Ø round tartan dome?

It is all very well making a plywood "adapter ring" but I'd still need a giant bell washer to throw the rain outwards.  Or would I?

The full height [walled] domes are simply placed onto a flat concrete foundation and silicone sealed.

Does anybody here have any direct experience of fitting the short wall Pulsar to a flat roof?

 

Deciding on what domes to get, I also considered the half height dome from Pulsar.

I had drawn up plans to build a wooden structure a couple of metres high out of wood and then use the half height dome on top. (I also considered mounting the full height dome on a lower structure...)

My biggest concern with a wooden structure was the fact wood moves and grows/shrinks with atmospheric conditions and especially for the half height (and the Scopedome for that matter) was the potential for twisting on the base where the dome was secured to a moving structure.

Anyway, the Pulsar website does include some basic drawings and shows there is a flange face on the bottom of the short wall. This would get you half way to making it water tight, with a run of adhesive flashing tape on top might be enough.

HTH.

Gordon.

https://www.pulsarastro.com/ekmps/shops/b585dc/resources/Other/27shortheightdr.pdf

[Rusted]

Thanks Gordon.

The Pulsar would seem to have a 75mm/ 3" flange on the outside to rest on the roof.
I shall have to make a plywood ring to sit on top of my existing 2"x10" dome base ring on top of the octagon.
Height adjustment in a push-pull arrangement should even out any minor inconsistencies in level.

Still waiting for a price for a 40T, 40' container lorry to try and deliver two large pallets down our very narrow drive.
Then it would be a matter of waiting two months while I collect summer rain inside the plywood dome.
Production has been set back by the virus and I wanted the sage green.

The local tarpaulin supplier and project builder cannot supply sage green.
I'd bought a straight, Bosch Pro heat gun in anticipation but the PVC dome cover looks like a non-starter.

[Rusted]

Still mulling over how to progress. My painted plywood dome is still leaking and getting worse.
The paint is peeling badly now and the [very] expensive marine sealant is cracking all over the seams.

The European Pulsar importer wants €1500 for delivery via a haulage contractor.
With an extra €200 for Pulsar's sage green, the cost of the 2.7m has risen 50% to €6000 delivered! [£5,500.]
I feel as if I am being put on the rack because they have the monopoly on supply.
Two months waiting time too for green! Deep into autumn over here and a lot of rain can fall in two months!

An older 2.7m GRP dome is up for sale only 30 miles away for £700 equivalent.
Only a trailer collection away during a pandemic with only me at the drop off point to unload it.
Similar up-and-over shutter to a Pulsar but it uses rolled steel rails for the shutter and dome rotation.
One piece construction means a single, heavy lift.  Rather than my dragging individual Pulsar segments bodily up a ladder.
This older dome needs some "tarting up" and painting sage green from filthy white.
Which can easily be done on stands while safely down on the ground.
Hired telescopic loader/lifter or bribing a local farmer to lift it up onto the second floor during baling?

The option still exists to cover the existing dome in GRP. Or self-welded, heavy duty, PVC tarpaulin.
I favour the latter but my wife thinks it will be loose and ugly. I'd try very hard to be sure it wasn't.
Though you can't easily remove the creases from the tarpaulin from being folded for storage and delivery.
Perhaps the creases would respond to some gentle heat while under tension?

I have repeatedly measured my existing dome and placed straight edges across the base ring, etc.
A 2.7m hemisphere is only 1.35m high from the base ring. My existing dome is 2m high to the bottom of the zenith board!

With my 6 & 7" refractors in there, on my huge GEM, I am still in serious doubt about a 2.7m's usefulness.
My 10" f/8 Newt would never fit if the sun really does go into hibernation and I need a new hobby on the dark side!

My present dome is perfect, in size, colour and form except for the leaks.
So, I'm still thinking [and talking] aloud and making zero progress as we suffer a rather poor summer.
Warmth is highly desirable for GRP [yuk!] Which I'd still much rather avoid!

Or, heavy PVC manipulation and welding of shaped gores on top of a 20' [cantilevered] ladder.
I can staple each gore in place and then cover the staples with the next overlapping gore. It is all straight lines.

I could do the PVC cover to provide a few years of waterproofing for only about £200 equivalent.
Welding the PVC with a heat gun really doesn't look that difficult for someone, like me,  with decades of DIY experience.

[Peter Drew]

Quote.  "My present dome is perfect, in size, colour and form except for the leaks".  So 3 out of 4 aspects covered.   I would urge you to retain your masterpiece and do whatever it takes to weatherproof it.  To use a third party replacement would be defeat, a word not in your lexicon I suspect!  Third party domes have also been known to leak.     🙂

[Davey-T]

How about wrapping it like they do cars ?

Dave