Dome build: Shutter rain strip.

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Sunday: It is getting light and the dome is still green. And still defying the camera to see it as it is with the naked eye. The camera captures only the reflection of the sky. Leading to a pale, washed-out rendering unless I drop the gamma.

I am quite pleased at how well the facets are showing. A "broken" surface was always preferable to a smooth curve. It sounds very odd,  but I actually dislike the green version of a popular, commercial GRP dome. It is just too "grass green" and glossy for my own tastes.

Whereas my choice of low sheen, dark sage green just works perfectly for me. It safely makes the dome become almost invisible against the background trees. Unless you were actively searching for it with binoculars from the road, of course.

Today I need to prepare for the forecast rain and high winds coming in a couple of days. I need to add a rain strip to one of the shutters. Unfortunately their levels ended up being reversed between top and bottom sets. The lower half provides adequate clearance one way. While the upper favours the opposite way.

I shall have to lift the top of one shutter very slightly. Just to ensure the rain shield clears the other side as the shutters come together.

According to advisers on the forums, nothing more than a 2" overlap is required to keep rain out of a dome. If the edges of the shutters and the rain strip should collide it would be a disaster. Not only for the potential damage. But because it would be so difficult to reach the problem area in a hurry.

I could have glued the rain strip on but decided to make it independent. Just in case it needed modification in the light of experience. If the dome should sag over time it would be a serious struggle to reach the rain strip without a hoist. A few screws can usually be undone. Breaking a glue joint and making good again would be major work at that height.

The image above shows the unpainted, 4mm birch plywood, rain strip in place.  I lifted the top, right side, drawer slide slightly, re-fixed it and that was it. The shutters came together parallel to each other and without a collision. Tipping the draw slides controls the way the shutters come together. I'll paint the rain strip as soon as possible.

 

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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