February 14:The construction marches on. Today I unclamped the upper cage assembly, installed the upper truss blocks, and re-applied the clamps. This was the extent of the 'construction', as the cage is the last component yet to build. The rest of the day was spent routing edges and corners, sanding, and brushing on the first coat of undiluted polyurethane. The brand I chose for this project is Helmsman spar urethane, which should provide a beautiful and protective finish.
Upon returning home from the February meeting of the Saguaro Astronomy Club, I applied the second coat of polyurethane. I intend to apply a total of four coats: three brushed on and the final top coat sprayed on to achieve a smooth finish.

Closeup of upper truss block.

All routed and sanded....

...and ready to finish.

The first coat of polyurethane.

One coat on the mirror cell,

and one coat on the handles.

February 15: Today's activities were confined to sanding and applying urethane. All components had previously received two coats; and after some fine sanding with 220 grit paper, I brushed on the third coat. While that dried, I turned my attention to the upper cage assembly for some fine sanding and the application of brushed-on coat number two.
When the handles dried I used contact cement to attach felt pads beside each bolt. This was done to protect the sides of the rocker box. Next, I masked the mirror cell and upper truss fastener plates in preparation for the final, sprayed-on coat of urethane.

Two coats of urethane, one to go.

Transport handles are completed.

The final coat of urethane on the altitude bearings,

the ground board assembly,

and the mirror and rocker boxes.

Mirror cell prepped for its final coat.

Jump to Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | 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 15 February, 2003