Details of Wye Mountain Observatory construction

Flashing

The flashing material chosen is 24 gauge sheet metal called paint grip. This is not galvanized and takes a painting very well. Having ordered four 48"x48" sheets for the corners and four 48"x12" pieces for the sides I picked up the materials and headed home to begin. Saturday and Sunday September 20th and 21st were spent bending/shapeing and cutting the material. The following Friday I picked up a gallon of Sherwin Williams industrial enamel in white gloss and borrowed an air compressor and spray gun. Friday night the 26th the first layer of paint was sprayed on. Saturday morning the second coat was put on the sheet metal. The finish is very much like an appliance paint job. It turned out very nice.


Telescope Pad

I had already made preparations for whatever leftover cement there might be. The morning before the truck arrived consisted of digging out this six foot diameter area about 50 feet southwest of the main observatory. I got this idea from my friend Tut Cambell who some time ago claims to have poured a pad for me at his place in north Arkansas.
concrete pad formed, small version    concrete pad being poured, small version    concrete pad set, small version   
  Pad formed, poured and finished
 
 

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© , 2011

Created:2/17/2011, by Don Lewis, Last update 2/17/2011