8.08.2021 Ever onwards! Shutter ribs.

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Sunday 8th 60-69F, sunny but quite cloudy. It rained overnight. Frequent showers possible for the next three days.

Today I plan to trim back the shutter ribs to match each other. Only then can I cut and fit shutter top boards. The drawer slides are fixed to these but glass fibre work on the zenith board is needed first.

Then I need to trim the bases of all the shutter ribs to achieve concentricity with the slit ribs. This is important to obtain a good seal when the shutter ribs rest against the slit ribs in the closed position. I keep checking the height of the shutter ribs against the slit ribs. It is obvious when the gap is not equal over their entire length.

Cut and fit [more] 2x4, slit rib, cross-braces to fix the spacing of the slit ribs as parallel and tight to the slit cut-out. Some slight trimming of the cut out is needed where the jigsaw wandered. The originals  cross-braces have been moved and removed several times. So I have lost track of the exact spacing.  These need to be fitted low enough [on the slit ribs] to clear the shutter ribs. It is much easier working on these with the shutters open.

Abrade the areas to which glass fibre reinforcement is to be added. Easier when there is lots of light and access through the open shutters. Wear mask, visor and disposable overalls. GRP dust is itchy!

After a morning clambering all over the dome it is in better shape. I cut back the top shutter rib to match the other. So the slotted angle supporting the outboard shutter ribs is now parallel with the zenith board. I propped up the centres of the shutters to match how they will be with the drawer slides fitted. I have checked everything is level. 

The bottoms of the shutter ribs have been trimmed to sit evenly on the ground board. Which itself has been levelled. The slit ribs are parallel and braced. Ready for the new glass fibre. A pause for lunch coincided with a shower. I have yet to abrade the surfaces to form a key. The laminating brushes should be here tomorrow. I may be working under a tarpaulin!

Well, that was interesting. I went back out after a rest and it started raining. [again] Soon I was sheltering in the back of the open dome. While stair rods lashed down. A stream half an inch deep and half the width of the dome formed and kept flowing. This went on for ten minutes as I wondered if I should make a dash for it. 

It finally eased off and I could make my escape back indoors. Just in time for another cloudburst. Now the sun has come out. The strange light makes the old plywood dome look like copper and verdigris. But much less waterproof!

 

 

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