February 12: Another productive day: I assembled the rocker box; applied two coats of ultra flat black paint to the mirror and off-axis covers; finished the truss poles, including the upper clamp assemblies; finished installing the laminate on the altitude bearings; and installed the laminate on the ground board feet.
I had to get an early start today, knowing that I would have to quit working around 4:00 PM in order to make it to the February meeting of the East Valley Astronomy Club. The rocker box is shorter than the mirror box, so it was a little easier to epoxy and clamp in solo mode. Very thoughtfully included in the kit is a spacer (pre-cut to the exact length) to assist with squaring the lower end.

Altitude bearings with laminate installed.

Laminate curing on ground board feet.

The rocker box glued and clamped.

Freshly painted mirror cover.

Finished truss poles.

Closeup showing upper clamp assemblies.

February 13: While the valley got some much needed rain, I continued working in the garage. Today's accomplishments included: installed bottom on rocker box; installed laminate on rocker box bottom, installed handle and off-axis cover on mirror cover; laminated feet; sanded and sealed ground board; applied three light coats of ultra flat black paint to inside of mirror box; sanded and sealed altitude bearings; assembled skeleton of upper cage assembly.

Mirror box all taped up and ready for paint.

Three coats of black paint later.

Upper cage assembly glued and clamped.

Bottom installed on rocker box.

Rocker box bottom before laminate installation...

...and after.

Jump to Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 5 | Page 6 | Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12

© 2002, 2003 Peter Argenziano, all rights reserved.
Page last updated on 13 February, 2003