Dome Covering

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:56 pm

Ok... I'm currently building the frame, and not excited about spending even more money to cover the thing (Don't get me wrong, this is gonna kick ass..). From reading past threads, it seems my best bets for covering the dome inexpensively are tarps, old billboard canvases, or sheets from goodwill.

Is there something I'm missing? What have you used? How did it work? What would you suggest?

Logistics: 11'6" radius, 5/8 3v dome.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:35 pm

Parachutes are popular and come in the right shape but they're less than ideal in other ways. Small, layered tarps seem to work well.

I've heard tales of old hotel sheets being obtained for free.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:04 am

I've seen TERRIFIC results with billboard vinyl...Ask my friend Martiansky, who whipped up a 2V-9RAD and custom vinyl cover (with Ultimate Fighter graphics!) in no time. Helluva job. I'm thinking of trying it myself- I've been old-school silver tarps up 'til now. (For interesting results also look into Aluminex.) Whatever I DO go with, I'll have to include a few yards of green shadecloth that I salvaged from the Man's funhouse maze!

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:31 am

The worst thing about billboard vinyls is their size, you need room to spread them out for cutting and at least two people to wrangle them. The best thing about vinyls is also their size, lots of material for projects and the scraps make excellent bags, trailer toppers, floor covers, whatever.

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:47 am

So where do I get these imfamous billboard vinyls? Do I just call up one of those "advertise here" numbers and ask about them?

I still don't know which direction I'll take. I have been kind of hoping that some others of my crew would get excited and want to spontainiously help by doing the cover. That hasn't happened yet, but I plan on throwing a pre-burn party, so that might inspire.

I think it might be nice if people could paint the outside while it is there and up. A few people in my camp last year used acrylics to paint some cloth umbrellas and they came out gorgious.

Post by **AntiM** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:19 pm

Yep, or read the name of the company at the bottom of the billboard and find their number under "outdoor advertising." You may even get them for free. Don't expect a selection, you may just get what you're handed.

Even if you don't end up using it for a dome cover you could slice and dice some nice custom tarps. All you need are scissors and a grommet kit.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 6:42 am

If you get a crew together, you can fit a vinyl cover in NO TIME...I think Martiansky was telling me that she and her mother cut and sewed hers in a weekend, complete with zips, snaps, flaps and vents. And the billboard was for some kind of ultimate fighter thing, so the walls had big patches of skin with tattoos on 'em. Instant art installation!

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:06 pm

Cool. I'll definately make a few calls once I'm ready to do the work.

I was thinking that I could just cut them up into hexagon patches (assemble a hexagon and use it for a pattern), and slap in some gromets at the vertexes. Now I just gotta figure out where I'd have the space to do it at...

One thing I am planning on doing is to make a few external coverings to run off of the seconed row of vertexes to the ground. Basically build half an A frame. I figure the camp can use it as storage space for various big boxes...

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:10 pm

robotland wrote:I've seen TERRIFIC results with billboard vinyl...Ask my friend Martiansky, who whipped up a 2V-9RAD and custom vinyl cover (with Ultimate Fighter graphics!) in no time. Helluva job. I'm thinking of trying it myself- I've been old-school silver tarps up 'til now. (For interesting results also look into Aluminex.) Whatever I DO go with, I'll have to include a few yards of green shadecloth that I salvaged from the Man's funhouse maze!

Do you know if there are any pictures of sky's dome w/ covering?

kevinwells · Post by **kevinwells** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:34 pm

I used a vinyl billboard as a covering form my PVC hoop "Quonsett hut" this year. It is good stuff but it is HEAVY. a "standard" sized billboard is 14x48 feet and weighs about 75 pounds. Nice thing about it though is that it does not flap around in the wind like lighter materials. It's rugged but despite the it's nylon fiber reinforcement, it can rip , and tends to do so on the seams. I tried various ways of joining pieces without great success. In the end, I folded over the end and then stuck grommets along the edge for tiedowns.

re: "I've seen TERRIFIC results with billboard vinyl......Ask my friend Martiansky,"
Hey Martiansky, how did you bond the stuff together ? I would be interested in a strong permanent bond. If I can work out a strong bond between sheets, I wanted to use the material in a tensile roof design...

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 4:22 pm

Yeah, I'm gonna stick grommets into it I think. And after hauling around pounds and pound of steel, 75 lbs for 14x48 doesn't seem too bad

kevin, did you get yours for free? Did they just let you come pick some up when you called?

kevinwells · Post by **kevinwells** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 7:04 pm

Well Regional...

The weight issue was one of having to fling the dang tarp over my head to get onto the frame. Really was difficult to manage in the wind. If you had several of them, could get even heavier.

As to where I got it...Got lucky in that I have a friend, his name is Koke, that owns a company that hauls commercial waste for a living. He goes to construction sites and factories and drops off empy dumpsters and picks up full ones and make their contents disappear...
Being that he is a long time burner himself, he is always on the lookout for stuff that can be used out on the playa. Last year he picked up a load of the billboards from one of the outdoor advertising companies here in the bay area. He rescued a few from the dumpster and I was the lucky recipient of one of them.
You might try contacting the outdoor advertising companies and see if they will let you have some of their old ones.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:23 am

The most effective way to use vinyls is to cut pieces to exactly the size you want ... for a dome cover you might have to have sections which overlap. Seems easier to handle than one huge covering. I'm thinking big pie wedges with grommets to lace the whole thing together, or one small piece in each of the sections, leaving air gaps; that would provide dappled shade and airflow, but no rain protection.

You can heat bind them with a cheap iron (cover the section to be bonded with brown paper, don't touch the vinyl directly with heat!), but we've only done that for edge pockets to run rope through. Held up pretty well last year, but that's the only time we've used the section with bonding. I've machine sewn smaller pieces, nothing large which has had to withstand wind. We're slowly replacing the end walls of our carports with vinyls.

The companies cannot reprint the vinyls so they often toss them out. Our local company has both sold them to us (three for $25) and just given them to us for art projects (we're doing summer art with kids worked well). Farmers use them to cover hay, so we have to time it just right.

Warning: you may have to scrub pigeon shit off the top edge.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:08 am

kevinwells wrote:As to where I got it...Got lucky in that I have a friend, his name is Koke, that owns a company that hauls commercial waste for a living. He goes to construction sites and factories and drops off empy dumpsters and picks up full ones and make their contents disappear...
Being that he is a long time burner himself, he is always on the lookout for stuff that can be used out on the playa. Last year he picked up a load of the billboards from one of the outdoor advertising companies here in the bay area. He rescued a few from the dumpster and I was the lucky recipient of one of them.

Note to self, become cosy with kevinwells and his pal...

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:10 am

regionalchaos wrote:So where do I get these imfamous billboard vinyls? Do I just call up one of those "advertise here" numbers and ask about them?

Warning. In the paper this weekend they were telling us that there's a company selling purses, ect., made from this material. If a large market developes--you won't be getting freebees.

Don't advise worrying yet...

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:37 pm

kevinwells wrote: As to where I got it...Got lucky in that I have a friend, his name is Koke, that owns a company that hauls commercial waste for a living. He goes to construction sites and factories and drops off empy dumpsters and picks up full ones and make their contents disappear...
Being that he is a long time burner himself, he is always on the lookout for stuff that can be used out on the playa. Last year he picked up a load of the billboards from one of the outdoor advertising companies here in the bay area. He rescued a few from the dumpster and I was the lucky recipient of one of them.

I too have had the pleasure of meeting Koke. He sold me the EMT to build my dome, gave me the rebar to stake it, and let me come back over to use his press to squish the pipes. Cool guy and damn cheap conduit for all us SF bay area dome builders.

falk · Post by **falk** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 5:29 pm

Any advice on cleaning canvas? Two of my dome panels were accidentally left out in the rain, and they have very bad cases of fungus and mildew.

I guess the simplest question would be: where can I find a washing machine big enough to wash a 25'x20' piece of canvas?

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 5:38 pm

falk wrote:Any advice on cleaning canvas? Two of my dome panels were accidentally left out in the rain, and they have very bad cases of fungus and mildew.

I guess the simplest question would be: where can I find a washing machine big enough to wash a 25'x20' piece of canvas?

This should do the trick...
http://www.pamlico-nc.com/canvas.htm

Good luck

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:58 am

So I'm looking into getting away from tarps for my dome. Whats the best way people have found to join vinyl peices? Sewing? Glue? Heat bonding? I'mm looking for water tight as well.

Badger

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 9:53 am

Review AntiM's comments regarding heat bonding. My friend Martiansky's dome was all sewn, and really good-looking. Does it have to be watertight for use beyond the playa? If not, I wouldn't sweat it TOO much..Enough rain to get a structural failure would be almost disastrous on the playa anyway. My emergency rain plan consists of bringing a secondary shelter with rubber-gasketed metal panels...made by Honda.

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Sun Jan 15, 2006 3:01 pm

robotland wrote:Review AntiM's comments regarding heat bonding. My friend Martiansky's dome was all sewn, and really good-looking. Does it have to be watertight for use beyond the playa? If not, I wouldn't sweat it TOO much..Enough rain to get a structural failure would be almost disastrous on the playa anyway. My emergency rain plan consists of bringing a secondary shelter with rubber-gasketed metal panels...made by Honda.

I would like it to be water tight. I'm not actualy worried about the rain causing a breach, but the wind. I recall the *cough* fun I had last year putting up large tarps in those winds so I have an idea of the force on them. Last thing I want is to get out there and have the wind seperate a seam.

I like the iron idea alot if that will hold. What size attachment area are talking about? 1" wide? maybe 2"?

Backup plan: Art Car... bwhahaha...

Badger

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 11:16 am

How about that funky coarse burlap that they use for landscaping to keep hills from eroding?

Atar · Post by **Atar** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:29 pm

I like the bedsheets idea, just make sure they wash them first

Wouldn't want to pick up sheets with the pubes and pukestains still on 'em

serendipity · Post by **serendipity** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:06 pm

bedsheets do make a lovely easy breezy shade covering. however be warned. once that wind whips up, your shadey paradise might be ripped to shreds. camp give'r had a huge shade structure that we covered in sewn together used sheets from thrift stores. really cheap and easy. we even double layered them and triple layered them at the seams. we grommetted them and reinforced each grommet with canvas or corduroy (the pants we were wearing literally worked well). but alas, tears started early in the week and needed much repairing on site. the next year was not so lucky and our shade cover was obliterated in the winds of 05.

but now i am thinking of sheets on the inside of a different stronger outter covering, to increase shade and trap heat between the layers....

best of luck out there.

Atar · Post by **Atar** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:56 pm

Where did they rip? At the Grommets?

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 7:00 am

Last year I changed my approach to covering the Snowman structure- The first couple of years I sealed up the bottom level to repel dust and wind, which took a lot of doing and was relatively successful. But last year I decided to cover the biggest areas with single rectangular tarps stretched down from the five sides of the topmost pentagon...This left long triangular areas open between shaded, sheltered areas. Obviously the wind and dust got in...But it got out, too. No wind problems at all. The key was having a "bulkhead" that partitioned off about a third of the bottom level and that had an oval hatch that could be tightly sealed. I kept my cooler and bedding in that compartment, which stayed dust-"free" and cool in the day while trapping a little heat for nighttime. It also gave me a private area for when I desired it, while presenting a more welcoming facade to my Hushville neighbors.

GregR · Post by **GregR** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 10:34 pm

[quote="falk"]Any advice on cleaning canvas? Two of my dome panels were accidentally left out in the rain, and they have very bad cases of fungus and mildew.

I guess the simplest question would be: where can I find a washing machine big enough to wash a 25'x20' piece of canvas?[/quote]

I'm a mural painter and I take My dropcloths to the laundrymat and toss 'em in the big jumbo machines. 20X25 should fit in the washers but if they won't fit in the dryers you'll have to hang them somewhere to dry.

Dome Covering

Dome Covering

Billboard vinyl as a covering - my experiences in 2005

bedsheets

Claening Canvas