When I'm not building Iron Man, I build my space observatory.

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Wow I saw this in the activity stream and thought the title was a joke or something lol! This is just incredible and such dedication as well. I don't know how it can get any more awesome, but I can't wait to be proven wrong.


I'll try mate! ;)


Spent today building the upstairs banister out of steel. The thing is rock-steady. Soon I will bolt in some thick board behind it, which gives me three functions.... it blocks some light from below, (even though later there will be drop-hatches over the hole anyway).... it stops my young toddler from crawling through gaps when he's chillin' up there with me..... and finally, it gives me something to put some charts and space photos/posters on. There will be a gate on the end (left of photo) to stop folks from accidentally falling down the stairs.

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Downstairs, I cut one more dead tree down to provide the final post on the far left. I also cut the wall-panelling for the stairs. The wall above the stairs is filled, now to put in the panelling for the wall underneath them.

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SOOOOOO CLOSE!!

I can almost taste completion! The banister is looking great now filled in, painted, gate on one end and a big thick natural timber handrail to dress it all off.

Upstairs the only big job left is to lay the carpet properly then instal the lighting. That will conclude the upstairs construction and fitout.

Full construction page here.

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Superb work on that Obsi Sandy. That Skywatcher looks pretty cool sat inside it. I believe you are a member of SGL too. Nice being new here to have someone I know albeit via another forum.

I'm not in your league when it comes to AP but I am still learning. Heres a couple of mine.

The Rosette
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M42
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You must have the same twisted personality as me....i.e. you just want to sample all that life offers :) can be an expensive way of seeing life though ;)
 
Superb work on that Obsi Sandy. That Skywatcher looks pretty cool sat inside it. I believe you are a member of SGL too. Nice being new here to have someone I know albeit via another forum.

I'm not in your league when it comes to AP but I am still learning. Heres a couple of mine.

You must have the same twisted personality as me....i.e. you just want to sample all that life offers :) can be an expensive way of seeing life though ;)

Nice work mate. Life can be full or empty, the choice is mine. I choose to fill it.

Quick update:

1. I sold some of my unused astrophotography accessories this week, so I was able to afford some plasterboard to start covering the ceiling. It will be good to seal all that fibreglass insulation in and fit the lights.
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2. I have found some foam-rubber on a roll that seals nicely the gap between the dome-support ring, and the dome ring itself. I've glued it to the bottom ring only, so the top ring slides nicely along it without binding or too much resistance around the circumference of the dome. You can see it just above the unlaid carpet in the picutre below. The other issue is to seal the light-leak from where the dome panels meet the weather skirt, as well as cover the sharp edge of the sheet-metal.
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3. I cut some of the foam rubber into short strips and glued them all in. It dresses off nicely and makes it safer and light-proof.
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4. Just to give it a bit more of a finished look, I've adhered the caution-tape to it. Looks good and clearly distinguishes the edge of the dome.
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5. I think I'll leave it at that for caution-tape or else it will take over. The carpet looks worse and worse as the dome and fittings improve, but the great news is that someone has offered me much nicer carpet!
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6. The stairwell is coming lose to completion too. A few sharp edges to clean up and a gap to fill and dress, then some trim around the end of each tread and it's done.
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You must have the funkiest staircase ever to be used in an Obsy. Fantastic job ;)

Aww. bless ya mate!

Quick update:

Got a spare few dollars this week so I could afford the last two sheets of plasterboard for the ceiling downstairs.

This afternoon, it was a race for the light as the sun set after work. I lay all eight pieces down, built a new compass and drew the radius out to fit inside the round building.

As I ran out of light, I managed to score the paper then used a plasterboard hand-saw to cut one sheet to size.

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you literally are building a space observatory... NICE!!! :D looks pretty sweet dude!

Ta mate!

I made a start today as I had a few hours of beautiful sunlight to work with this morning.

Rather than purchase or hire those expensive adjustable struts to hold up the plaster, I made up these two supports out of some scrap wood. They are just a fraction too long, which give me the ability to wedge them in under the plasterboard as I hold it up to the ceiling. Easy peasy.

I got half the ceiling up so I should be finished the rest by the end of this weekend.
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The ceiling is all up. Now it's a matter of joining tape, joint filler and some trim around the exposed edge in the stairwell.

I bought some thick board today for the trap-doors that will seal the heat in downstairs by blocking off the stairwell.

I picked up all the gear today thanks to a wonderful donation by a fellow in Victoria. I'll be getting to work tonight and over the next week to get the ceiling finished and ready for a coat of paint.

The last part of the ceiling was the trickiest, as there were many angle involved, lots of things to get around and rebate for, plus the sheet can't fit in the gap in one piece. I ended up making a template out of 3mm craftwood scraps. I then traced the template onto the plasterboard sheet and cut it out. I had to cut it into four pieces to get it in there though. It's all done though and ready for finishing.

1. Tracing the template
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2. Plasterboard cut to shape
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3. Fitted
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Oils ain't oils

All I wanted to do today was apply paintbrush to timber. Unfortunately for my impatience, preparation prolonged my agony for an excruciating hour and a half before I could even wet the brush.

There was the bottom floor to clear of construction tools and materials, then peel up the temporary carpet and underlay. I gave the handrails and treads a final sanding then a meticulous vacuum of all surfaces.

The mix of mineral turpentine and boiled linseed oil was a 50/50 ratio, penetrating the wood deeper and hopefully causing the oil to set harder.

A few minutes after oiling the top couple of treads and stringers, the mix began to release aromas from the Cypress and Eucalypt. Unlike painting with paint, (which is a pain in the butt) oiling wood is a real pleasure. The speed at which the transformation occurs is gratifying and the colour change is stunning - it's richness paralleled only by the smell, which is akin to walking into an antique furniture shop.

Full story here.

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This has turned out great!! I'm a big fan of astronomy, and am completely amazed at the wonders of the universe. You'll have to try to get some pictures of Comet Ison as it passes later this year. :)

-Matt
 
This has turned out great!! I'm a big fan of astronomy, and am completely amazed at the wonders of the universe. You'll have to try to get some pictures of Comet Ison as it passes later this year. :)

-Matt

Thanks Matt. Comet Ison is a northern hemisphere target. I've been trying to save up to go to Wyoming from Australia, but it's a couple of thousand dollars and doesn't look like it's going to happen.
 
Today I got into plastering the joints of the plasterboard, a job I've never attempted. To tell the truth, it was childishly simple, helped by the fact that all the boards are level and flush.

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I haven't done any work through the telescope lately, so with the moon down tonight and a cold and clear sky, I aimed it at NGC300 and let it run all night.

(That photo later when I get a chance to process it.)

While I was waiting, I had a bit of fun with the DSLR on a tripod in and around the observatory.

Yep, still lovin' it!

Baz.

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I've been out of the astrophotography game for so long now while building this observatory that I've become quite rusty with the equipment and it's software. I've done a little bit here or there, but not enough to really develop my astrophotography skills.

So, I thought I would post photos along the way, to show improvements as I learn, become more experienced, take the advice of people that are better at it than me and also as I upgrade the equipment.

I've been building my skills in the daytime photography with weddings, portraits, wildlife, macro and lots of other general photography so hopefully there's a lot I have learned that I can apply to astro work - especially when it comes to understanding the processing software.

Currently I am running an Orion Starshoot one-shot colour CCD camera on the end of a Skywatcher Black Diamond ED120mm refracting telescope. After using it last night already I can see a few things I have let myself down with. Focus was fine, but I forgot to clean the sensor and I can see dust-bunnies all over the resulting photos. I know I can take flats and such, but this at least reminds me to take care of the little things first.

Anyway, for the last two nights I have been shooting five and ten minute sub-exposures (subs) on two galaxies in Sculptor for a total of a few hours on each, stacked in Deep Sky Stacker and final processing in Photoshop.

Here are the results,

NGC300
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NGC55
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Finishing up.

If someone at church this weekend asks me, "How was your week? I would have to begin by saying, "WELL... WHERE DO I START - HOW MUCH TIME HAVE YOU GOT!?

I got some BIG NEWS last week that I can't yet let on about, but needless to say I have a very short time to get everything finished.

I've had a couple of friends over every day and every night working until late at night painting, plastering fixing wall-joiners and preparing for the carpet layers.

To add to our tight deadline, I have mysteriously injured my shoulder and am unable to lift anything heavy. It's been totally weird in that if I keep moving it feels ok, but if I stop and sit still I'm in agony.

anyway, one of my mates from work has been an absolute champion painting for me, even popping by at lunch time for half an hour on a work day to get things done.

We gave the inside of the dome a second coat of flat black paint, re-oiled the stairs and woodwork upstairs again and painted the plasterboard ceiling downstairs. At least I got to use my left arm a bit with the paint-brush and cut in the edges ahead of my friend with the roller.

My family electrician friend is away on holidays for a month, presenting me with the difficulty of finding another who can understand the wiring already routed and then finish the job - for the right price too!

The carpet layers arrived this morning, bringing with them WAAAAAY better carpet and underlay than the old stuff I had found second-hand.

These two guys were like magicians. They worked tirelessly throughout the day to lay, cut-in and join the carpets both upstairs on the observation deck and downstairs in the lounge area. Their skills were amazing to watch in action.

I couldn't believe how beautiful it turned out upstairs. The room is completely transformed. I was still reeling with pleasure when I saw the finished result downstairs! Wow.

With a final vacuum and a couple of Italian chairs tactically positioned, it looks good enough to live in.

Tomorrow I have a hardware tradie coming in to help me fix the two dome doors that roll sideways. The sliders I have used are not coping and have popped all their roller bearings all over the lawn below. Over the next few days I'll bring in the rest of the furniture and reinstall the telescopes and computer. The wiring leading from the house is not yet heavy duty enough to run heaters, kettle, toaster, fridge and everything else, so I will just get the lighting and power-points installed then upgrade the feed line later. I have to dig up the original 600mm deep trench and put in a thicker conduit plus add a data cable.

FULL STORY HERE

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Now that the carpets are done, the electricians have visited and are about to start work in the next few days. In the meantime I have a little grace time to put in some trimmings.

1. I found some high density foam that is easy to carve with a blade and is sand-able. Not sure how it's going to look but I'm hoping once I paint it white to match the ceiling, it should look ok and certainly better than the ugly square hole around the top of the post.
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2 & 3. Mitred dressed-all-round timber (DAR) for edging.
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4. I had a few problems surrounding the threshold. The bolts protrude through the carpet are a trip hazard and also a fray point for the carpet. The carpet is smooth-edged to the threshold, but it is also higher, meaning that it will eventually work its way out. The threshold is also flat so water can migrate across it from under the door. I've solved all these issues with a fitted wooden plate that covers the edge, the bolts making them level with the surface and providing an edge to stop the water coming in.
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Through trials and tribulations, false starts and disappointments, many things seemed to conspire to come against getting the electricity done, especially on my non-exsistant budget.

I had to remind myself of the amount of times things have come against the different stages of this project and the subsequent amount of times when God's timing has been absolutely perfect to kick it off again. Nothing has happened before I was ready for it.

Finally, a qualified and experienced electrician donated a full Saturday to connect all the cabling that had already been run by another sparky. He translated all the cables, connected all the fittings and even donated a couple of his own to get the job finished. All this for a couple of cups of good coffee, a BBQ lunch cooked by my lovely wife and some home made hot-buttered banana cake baked by mum.

He switched the mains back on and PRESTO!!!! It all worked perfectly first go!

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Not only that, but as the electricity was finalised last night, in perfect timing again, I got a phone call today from a friend asking if I needed a very large flat screen television.

He arrived this afternoon with the shiny black beauty which I plugged into a DVD player and away it went.

Apparently this thing was destined for the skip bin! It works perfectly and looks fantastic!

Now to just get the sucker mounted to the wall!

For a bit of balance in the room, I got the idea to make some wooden furniture in the form of a coffee table in front of the TV and also one in between the chairs for a lamp and remotes etc.

We cut down a very large dead eucalypt last week and one of the guys was good enough to cut me a couple of slabs off the base of the trunk as I have an injury at the moment that prevents me from overdoing it for a while. It was so big it lay in the tray of my ute for a few days before one of the boys dropped around to unload it for me. The top slab must weigh over 200 kilograms.

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At lunch-time today I planed, sanded and de-barked them.

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After some pensive moments and a short-black coffee that are often required after a sawdust shower, I hit them with a coat of boiled linseed oil.

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My next door neighbour helped me roll them off the driveway, across the lawn and into the observatory.

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Full story and photos HERE.
 
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