Dalkey

Building an Observatory – Part 7 – First Light! Phase 1 complete!

Well we finally got first light! ok it was sunlight reflected off the clouds but it counts!

The first job today was to drill down into the concrete base to anchor in the 12mm bolts in place. The local building suppliers had Rawl R-KEM which is a two part epoxy that comes in a 300ml tube, it mixes in the nozzle so its easy to apply. With the bolts in place the pier was put in place and leveled: Read more

By albertw,

Building an Observatory – Part 5

The shed part is pretty much complete now. Last weekend I made the door, got the rest of the weathersheeting in place, finished the roof, and got the wood preservative on. I also added a 2×3 to strengthen the beam with the castors so that the ends no longer touch the track; I’ve to do the same to the other side sometime, but as it stands I can move the roof easily with one hand.  Read more

By albertw,

Building and Observatory – Part 4

In between rain showers I’ve managed to almost get the building work completed on the observatory. Building the support for the roof and rails was easy enough though the beams were very slightly warped; this doesn’t matter too much as it can be corrected by placing the rails in the correct line.

The roof was trickier than I thought. I hadn’t tried to build a roof before and it’s quite easy to get things out of alignment and not straight. It’s not perfect but more than good enough for my requirements. Read more

By albertw,

Letter: Council Vandalism of Dalkey Quarry

Dear Councilors & TD’s, It was with incredulity that I read reports in the Irish Times of the destruction of parts of Dalkey Quarry. The first recorded climbs by the Irish Mountaineering Council were undertaken in the 1940’s. Today the quarry is used almost daily by climbers and the routes range from the very beginner level up to some of the hardest climbs in the country. It is the only quarry that I know of Read more

By albertw,