Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Last January I got a call from the Astronomy Club of Akron, of which I'm a member but don't often have time to participate, in regards to a 1968, 10'6" Ash Dome that was donated to the club by a wonderful lady who's husband unfortunately had passed away a few years ago. The club didn't have a need for the dome and asked if I could remove it.
Freddy Huffman, a long standing, very active club member and I went to have a look. the Ash had been neglected for quite some time. Wasp nests and old axle grease filled the tracks and rails which prevented the motors from doing their thing and the dome had been painted with that aluminum RV paint which was no longer holding up. This would be a project.
We went out and dis assembled the dome in April. I wasn't able to take pics because it was pouring down rain.
Next the Ash was sand blasted, sanded, degreased and scrubbed down to get it back, as close to possible to it's original glory.
Since I picked up the Meade 178ED, my old Sirius Dome was just too small so we figured the Ash should replace it.
Here's the HOC as it used to be.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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My son, Jason and I removed the Sirius and replaced some decking.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Rusty came out for our star party, BEOTS, a few days early to lend a hand. Building round stuff out of square lumber is always interesting.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Making some progress.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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The next evening we had the dome installed and the shutter motor in. The following morning Rusty put the rotation motor in while Jay and I put the siding on.
Miller time
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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We got the equipment in thursday and BEOTS started Friday.
CNsters at BEOTS
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Twilight and Half Meter's 30 incher.
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csa/montana
Den Mother
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 40295
Loc: montana
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Scott, what a magnificent Dome! It's so good to see something of this calibur rescued, & restored; couldn't think of a better place or family to give it a new beginning! 
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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Joel
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/08/04
Posts: 2586
Loc: Merrimack, NH
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Cool pictures Scott! Thanks!
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Joel
10" LX200GPS UHTC-SMT
Vixen 80EDsf
Canon unmodded 350D
QHY8
Turkey Hill Observatory
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JAT Observatory
Got Cookies?
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 6799
Loc: Eastern PA
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Nicely done Scott.
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-Marcus
The problem with free speech is even the stupid have a voice.
http://www.jatobservatory.org
Currently a SV102A, WO 66mm & 10" LX200GPS OTA on a Paramount ME
(these OTAs subject to change without notice)
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Thanks guys. I really like the old classic stuff. I'll never part with the 1970ish 12.5 f/8.
It was a lot of work but this thing was made to last. It just needed some TLC and now I think it's ready to work for another 40 years.
It really did clean up nicely
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Another view
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Of course it wouldn't be complete without displaying the sign that Mike Lewis had made for us.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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I had thought about putting up an 11'6" Sirius that I had but the lower shutter design hinges out so it would hit the "Tardis" observatory when it rotated.
The Ash is designed so the lower shutter detatches for viewing near zenith.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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And reattatches for viewing lower, all by the pull of a lever that controls a heavy duty latch.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Rotation motor
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Original throw switches for rotation and shutter operation
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RobVG
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/09/06
Posts: 740
Loc: Seattle Washington
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Very cool Scott. Restoration projects can be so rewarding.
Did you use anything to protect the finish after the sandblasting?
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C11 SGT(XLT)CG-5
Observatory (page 5)
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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The fellow who had the dome had glued 1" thick black foam rubber to the inside. This was a mess. All dry rotted and nasty. The glue just wouldn't come off so the last big project here is to paint the inside with some of the roll on Rhino Coat truck bed liner stuff. Should work to cover the glue and retard the sound bouncing all over in there. Those of you with domes know, the sound plays with you a bit the way it bounces.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Quote:
Did you use anything to protect the finish after the sandblasting?
Hi Rob. It's aluminum except the ring is Galvanized. We thought about spraying it with a good primer (and special primer for the Galvanized) and then white or silver paint but it looks pretty classic so we figured we'd see how it holds up as is.
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Mark Jenkins
sage
Reged: 06/25/08
Posts: 437
Loc: Wisconsin
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What a fantastic job and project!
I love domes.
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Astro-Physics 130mm f6.3 StarFire EDF 'Gran Turismo'
TEC MC200/15.5
Astro-Physics AP Mach1 GTO
EarthWin PFS-B
Canon EOS 50D Hap Modified
DFK21AU04.AS
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Rusty
Postmaster
Reged: 08/06/03
Posts: 17731
Loc: Brooker, FL
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What was amazing was that, despite all the parts (a tribute to Ash's design), they all fit (pretty well - although Scott had "fun" on final alignment of the last gores.) A small "glitch" in the shutter motor's electrical stops was easy to correct, again, thanks to the Ash's straightforward engineering.
A nice, timeless design, and I'm happy to see it back in service, especially at The Horstman Cluster!
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N11GPS Fastar
TOA-130S
MK66 Std
Vintage C5
Megrez II 80mm ED Triplet APO
SolarMax 40
NJP Temma II
Sirius EQ-G
ST8XE/CFW-8(LRGBHa)/AO-7/DF-2/STV Dlx/ST237a/350D (Unmodded)/Mallincam Color Hyper Plus/DSI III Color/DSI II Pro
Two not-spoiled Golden Retrievers - Maggie and Casey
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke
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Wmacky
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/24/07
Posts: 583
Loc: Middleburg Fl US
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Fantastic! What the height of the wood structure, and could you talk about the wood rings?
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William
C-11 SCT
EON 80ED
CGE
Canon 40D
Phillips SPC900
SS Autoguider
Scopebuggy
Edited by Wmacky (07/13/08 12:57 AM)
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Tom Clark
sage
Reged: 11/14/07
Posts: 248
Loc: Chiefland, Florida
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Wood rings are just plywood, band sawn and laminated. This slide show shows the procedure. web page
Edited by Tom Clark (07/13/08 08:46 AM)
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Starman27
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/29/06
Posts: 579
Loc: Illinois, Iowa
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Scott,
The 178 looks really happy in its new home! Great job on the observatory.
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Enjoy the dark,
Herman
Meade
14 LX200 GPS SMT
12 LX200 GPS
7 LX200 Maksutov
ETX 125
TAK FS128 NSV
Sky 90II
Lunt LS60ThaDS BF1200
Canon 5D Mark II
Illinois
Iowa
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Dave Mitsky
Postmaster
Reged: 04/08/02
Posts: 10516
Loc: PA, USA, Planet Earth
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Here's a photo of the 40-year-old ASH (Astronomical Society of Harrisburg) Ash Dome.
Dave Mitsky
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Quote:
Fantastic! What the height of the wood structure, and could you talk about the wood rings?
The wall height is 5'. Add the height of the rotation rings and the bottom of the shutter is about 6'. With the pier height of 44" I get down to about 15 degrees off the horizon, which is about all I have here at best anyhow. We went with 2x6 at 12" centers. The 12" centers help greatly in keeping the siding at a nice radius. 16" centers would tend to give you flat spots.
I would recommend Tom's approach to cutting the semi circles.
The way I did it was to remove the pier and draw an arch on the plywood. I put a nail in the center of the pier and simply drew a circle by hooking the tape on the nail and held the pencil on the tape measure at 10'6". I made a pattern then cut out several arches (enough to do 3 laminations for the top and a single on the bottom) using a circular saw. Tom's approach will be safer and more accurate for most people but I've used a circular saw nearly every day for 25 years and there's not much I can't do with it. Short of crown moulding. 
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Quote:
Scott,
The 178 looks really happy in its new home! Great job on the observatory.
Hi Herman. The 178 has worked like a charm for me. I have the ST7 in it and I'm piggy backing a 102ED on top. Since the ST7 is self guiding, I have my old SLR stuffed in the 102 to play with film. You guys are always welcome to stop by for a visit on your way through.
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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Quote:
Here's a photo of the 40-year-old ASH (Astronomical Society of Harrisburg) Ash Dome.
Dave Mitsky
Cool Dave! Long lost brothers. Is that a 15 footer? Looks bigger than this one.
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Chris Schroeder
Postmaster
Reged: 12/11/04
Posts: 6565
Loc: N.E. WI Sky Glow
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It looks at home with your cluster Scott, Well done 
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Chris
Mallincam Color Hyper Plus
10" DSH with SC DSC, CPC 800 XLT
M110 Doublet ED, AT 102Achro, ZS80FD 10th Anniv, ZS66SD, PST
CG5-AGT, EZ-Touch, Voyager
POD XL3 http://POD.SchroederCity.com
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bluestar
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/06/05
Posts: 1123
Loc: Maryland Eastern Shore
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Beautiful restoration job Scott. There's nothing like a dome that screams classic astronomy!
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D&G refractors 5" f/12 & f/15; 6" f/15; 8" f/12...
Royce Dall-Kirkham Cass 10" f/20
Epoch Instruments Parsec/12, Astro-Physics 1200 DA, AP800 HDA mounts...
Previous telescopes A-Z...Astro-Physics to Zeiss
Old school @ BlueStar Observatory...this is how we do it.
D&G Optical Telescope Users Group ...D&G/long focus Yahoo refractor Group...back up and running
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half meter
Postmaster
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 12829
Loc: Great Lakes
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It really looks great in person -- very authentic and timeless. Great job, Scott!
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Gary
Collins I3 (Thin Film) Image Intensifying Eyepiece
Coronado Maxscope Double Stacked 90mm <0.5A w/BF30
6" f/8 TMB/A&M Carbon Fiber APO; f/5 with 4" Borg ED Field Flattener/Reducer
8" Starmaster Versa V8/Zambuto Mirror/ServoCat Jr dob
30" Obsession/OMI Mirror/ServoCat/Argo Navis dob
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Rusty
Postmaster
Reged: 08/06/03
Posts: 17731
Loc: Brooker, FL
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With that big classic refractor in there, it's like a Time Machine.
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N11GPS Fastar
TOA-130S
MK66 Std
Vintage C5
Megrez II 80mm ED Triplet APO
SolarMax 40
NJP Temma II
Sirius EQ-G
ST8XE/CFW-8(LRGBHa)/AO-7/DF-2/STV Dlx/ST237a/350D (Unmodded)/Mallincam Color Hyper Plus/DSI III Color/DSI II Pro
Two not-spoiled Golden Retrievers - Maggie and Casey
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke
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soreneck
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 04/01/06
Posts: 927
Loc: Toronto, Canada
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I have profound respect for such restoration projects -- great work!
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Adam
TMB 130SS / WO 110 FLT / WO 66 Triplets
QHY9 / Modified Canon 450D
SkyWatcher EQ-6 Pro
Backyard (urban) roll-off observatory
One small but fearless dog (observing companion)
my astrophotos on flickr
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 8074
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I love all the modern equipment but the dome and some scopes I have are like preserving a little piece of astronomy history. there's a feeling you get being in the dome, knowing that Mr. Becker was possibly doing variable star or novae research or cometology from the observatory when I was 4 years old. Pretty neat.
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Jeff B
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/30/06
Posts: 679
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Wonderful project and excellent results!
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csa/montana
Den Mother
Reged: 05/14/05
Posts: 40295
Loc: montana
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Quote:
I love all the modern equipment but the dome and some scopes I have are like preserving a little piece of astronomy history. there's a feeling you get being in the dome, knowing that Mr. Becker was possibly doing variable star or novae research or cometology from the observatory when I was 4 years old. Pretty neat.
Scott, you are so right! Being able to preserve history, & literally have it "in your hands" is such a inspiring feeling, not to mention what you are doing for Astronomy history
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Carol
AstroTech 16" Dob (Thanks ASTRONOMICS!)
Vixen 80MF/AstroTech Voyager
Masuyama's 7.5, 15, 25W, 35mm,
Pentaxes; 5XW, 7XL, 10XW.
14mm Meade 4000 UWA
TV Panoptics; 22, 35
DreamCatcher Dobservatory, #2
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Dr Morbius
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/06/07
Posts: 1721
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You said it, Carol. Btw, does anyone know a company that builds a 16 or 17 foot dome that's well built and doesn't cost a fortune? I know there are a few companies that build domes, but I may have missed a few. I may have to build my own to save money, but for me that's a daunting project.  
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Meade ETX-125
NightFire 6" f/8 Refractor with Moonlite focuser
Meade 14" LX200 S/C
D&G 10" f/15 Refractor with Parallax Mount
Little Giant 11x70mm Binos
I'm afraid of dying, but I've learned to live with it. ......Steve Perry
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rwiederrich
Goldfinger
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 8334
Loc: Bremerton Washington
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Quote:
You said it, Carol. Btw, does anyone know a company that builds a 16 or 17 foot dome that's well built and doesn't cost a fortune? I know there are a few companies that build domes, but I may have missed a few. I may have to build my own to save money, but for me that's a daunting project.
Daunting to say the least....and expensive too.
Rolling the numbers off my head..for me to build a 17-20ft Dome...and the supporting structure will cost nearly 3 times at it would to build a 18x18 roll off roof OB.
Because my dome would have to be made from stainless or aluminum...... 
Besides....after 30 years of enjoying open sky observing with my 6"f/15....to live under a dome would some how distract. I can enjoy open sky observing and then...roll the roof on...shutting things up tight.
That's my view anyway......  The idea has individual mileage. 
Rob
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www.goldmtobservingcenter.com
A great place for amateur astronomers, and ATM's to come and enjoy their hobby.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/HomemadeRefractorTelescopes/ My homemade refractor group.
www.vimeo.com/6014031
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Dr Morbius
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/06/07
Posts: 1721
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"Because my dome would have to be made from stainless or aluminum...... "
Is fiberglass over wood not a good option? 
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Meade ETX-125
NightFire 6" f/8 Refractor with Moonlite focuser
Meade 14" LX200 S/C
D&G 10" f/15 Refractor with Parallax Mount
Little Giant 11x70mm Binos
I'm afraid of dying, but I've learned to live with it. ......Steve Perry
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rwiederrich
Goldfinger
Reged: 11/17/05
Posts: 8334
Loc: Bremerton Washington
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Quote:
"Because my dome would have to be made from stainless or aluminum...... "
Is fiberglass over wood not a good option?
Oh...I'm sure that it is...just not for me. I have been keeping my eyes open for a used silo dome...that I can make into a dome..
My scopes are too big for a dome that you can buy economically.
A roll-off is better for me.
Rob
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AlienFirstClass
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/13/09
Posts: 742
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Has anyone used an used silo dome for an observatory?
What are they made of and how big are they?
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Mirzam
super member
Reged: 04/01/08
Posts: 118
Loc: Lovettsville, VA
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Barry G. at D & G Optics has an 11-inch f/15 refractor in his converted silo dome if that gives you an idea of the size. I think he said that the dome was 20 feet in diameter. An awesome and classic scope it is too!
Jim
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