How can I bolt 2 pieces of metal together when I have no access to the underside?

swag72 said:
I can't weld Geof, this is going to be made at a metal fabricators.
Click to expand...

is the section you want to bolt to a tube...square hollow section?
 
No, I have a machined adaptor that weights 8 kg that ia solid metal. This needs to be bolted to the top of the pier. It's for my telescope mount.
 
swag72 said:
No, I have a machined adaptor that weights 8 kg that ia solid metal. This needs to be bolted to the top of the pier. It's for my telescope mount.
Click to expand...

i was trying to ascertain the thickness of the metal you want to attach to
if its thick enough you may be able to drill and tap it and fix studs
if the 8 Kg load only presents a downward load then the fixings wont be unduly stressed just providing shear resistance
if your fixing needs to resist any sideways loads causing overturning of any degree, the fixings will need to resist upward tension and be properly anchored into the jetty steel...and not with shallow fixing studs

have a look at these boltings for blind situations

blind bold company

it can be overcome!!
 
Last edited:
swag72 said:
Cheers Geof. Not sure of the thickness of the metal it will be fixed to yet - Depends on what the metal guys have I guess.
Click to expand...

i am surmissing if it is a pier or jetty it will be metal plate decking over channel or hollow sections.
which could be 8mm for the plate and 3-4 for the structural section
let me know if you get more details ..
meanwhiles i will rack my brains for more brilliant ideas..
i used to be a structural engineer and worked on industrial buildings and offshore structures
there is a way...and we will find it:love:
 
Hi Sara just get the top plate of the pier tapped and bolt the mount to it :) At this rate pier will have rusted away ;) ..... If I were you I would be more concerned what the pier is fastened into. If it's concrete? I hope you have a damper between the pier and where you will be standing or walking :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks Geof and Steve. The pier will be bolted directly into concrete. I had thought about a damper, but because I can set a timer delay on the camera, I can move away before it starts taking pictures. The area is not used apart from as an observatory area (will be an observatory by the end of the year) then lazily, I can check on progress via the OC from the comfort of my living room!!
 
swag72 said:
Thanks Geof and Steve. The pier will be bolted directly into concrete. I had thought about a damper, but because I can set a timer delay on the camera, I can move away before it starts taking pictures. The area is not used apart from as an observatory area (will be an observatory by the end of the year) then lazily, I can check on progress via the OC from the comfort of my living room!!
Click to expand...

put the damping media under the telescope base
anti vibration doughnuts should do it..
and walk on tiptoe

hope you get this going...really if the fabricator could weld a doubler plate already bored and tapped...as suggested this would take all the problem about fixing afterwards away:love:
 
swag72 said:
Thanks Geof and Steve. The pier will be bolted directly into concrete. I had thought about a damper, but because I can set a timer delay on the camera, I can move away before it starts taking pictures. The area is not used apart from as an observatory area (will be an observatory by the end of the year) then lazily, I can check on progress via the OC from the comfort of my living room!!
Click to expand...

put the damping media under the telescope base
anti vibration doughnuts should do it..
and walk on tiptoe

hope you get this going...really if the fabricator could weld a doubler plate already bored and tapped...as suggested this would take all the problem about fixing afterwards away:love:
 
Geof, you don't fancy drawing me a picture of it do you? I need a good clear picture to take to the metal guys as my spanish is a little basic for this stuff - I need to show them a picture!
 
mrtoad said:
put the damping media under the telescope base
anti vibration doughnuts should do it..
and walk on tiptoe

hope you get this going...really if the fabricator could weld a doubler plate already bored and tapped...as suggested this would take all the problem about fixing afterwards away:love:
Click to expand...

If you mean under the mount then that would be a bad idea as the slightest touch of the scope would have it vibrating like a bell. Not good.

Sara, what mount do you have?
 

deck by mrcrow_uk, on Flickr

what i have shown is a pretty basic idea of mounting via a doubler plate welded to the deck
you need to show me the fixings on the bottom of the tripod or whatever to set out the stud positions

i may have got the detail wrong but that is the overall idea...weld a plate with the desired fixing positions ready drilled and tapped to take the studs...studs fitted when all the banging and deck fitting is in place
grease the threads if there is salt water around

let me know if i can beef this up with some more info
cheers
geof
 
Astrophotography, rarely actually look through the thing. I find visual very uninspiring compared to what you can grab on a camera.
 
swag72 said:
Astrophotography, rarely actually look through the thing. I find visual very uninspiring compared to what you can grab on a camera.
Click to expand...

interesting...the far galaxies and gas clouds i see via nasa and the hubble really intrigue me
since they may not actually be as we see them
one of the drawbacks i suppose of the great distances

egyptian pharaonic records refer to a star which had gone nova in the middle ages...by using retro calculations after it was figured out what that star was helped to establish a more accurate chronology for ancient egypt which synchronised better with the historical records of the levant

david rohl's thesis
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top