HELP....Geodesmic Dome!

goldlilly · Post by **goldlilly** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:59 pm

HELP! I need to find a used 30" geodesic dome, or [i]proper[/i] instructons to build one for the Man 06'! I dont know where to look or what prices to expect..... I need dome help (that sounds so wrong, lol), it is crutial to our camp this year! Please, any information, or direction you could send me would be most helpful!

See you all in 179 days! ...buts whos counting anyways?

falk · Post by **falk** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 8:05 pm

There's a forum on the subject under Preparation -> Tips & Tricks:

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=8271

You should go there first.

But as a short-cut, you should visit these sites:

http://www.desertdomes.com/
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~munzner/dome/
http://www.pacificdomes.com/
http://www.colorado-research.com/~gourlay/dome/
http://geodome.sourceforge.net/

I've never seen a source for used domes, but you might try Craig's List.

freakersedge · Post by **freakersedge** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 2:52 am

Wouldn't it be cool if we could blow up halk a balloon, starch it, then blow up another inside it for a vapor barrier, starch that and collapse it all at the end with minimal environmental impact? I have somewhere the catalogue of a company that makes really cool temporary domes, perhaps its already listed? Do you know that at our capital complex in WDC there is a geodesic map of the world?

Oh the joys of a errant internet search,
freaker

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 5:52 am

If you've got a roll of plastic, a good blower and something to power it, you can make an inflatable structure with relative ease...The hard part's anchoring it well enough to keep it from heading for Wendover in the first good "breeze". The problem is finding a good plastic for the outer layer- (if it's multi-layered, that is.) If the whole thing's clear, you'll roast inside. If black, ditto and then some. And it may try to fly off on you. Maybe if NASA had a yard sale, you could get a roll of mylar....

Zhust · Post by **Zhust** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 6:51 am

goldlilly wrote:HELP! I need to find a used 30" geodesic dome

Are you sure you're not making the same mistake Nigel made in This Is Spinal Tap when he ended up with a model of Stonehenge that got kicked around stage by dwarves?

Ian Faith: "Nigel gave me a drawing that said 18 inches. Now, whether or not he knows the difference between feet and inches is not my problem. I do what I'm told."

David St. Hubbins: "But you're not as confused as him are you. I mean, it's not your job to be as confused as Nigel."

regionalchaos · Post by **regionalchaos** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 9:53 am

The links that were posted should give you good instructions and advice. Really most all of the knowledge you need is on the desert domes page. I just built a 24' dome. I bought my 3/4" steel EMT new, from an electricians supply store. It beat home depot prices by about $0.75 per 10' stick. The total cost was about $400 in steel and maybe 100+ hours in time. I haven't made my cover yet.

goldlilly · Post by **goldlilly** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:22 pm

Fellow Burners-
I need some assistance as to where and how to come about/make a 30x15 ft dome for this years burn. My friends and I are in the makings of putting our first theme camp together (exciting!) and we need a solid shelter....
We bought a parachute for last year thinking it would be the perfect shade....and it is, the only problem is poles with spreaders on the top really dont work to keep it up, and standing tall in a dust storm...it was not pretty, and we were without shade for a few days, NO GOOD!
Anywho, we have all the makings of our camp together except for the dome which has become essential to our design!
Does anyone know where we could purchase one, how much they generally cost, is PVC or metal the way to go, etc. Or, how should we go about making a dome. FILL ME IN! Any feedback or advice is appriciated!

See you all in 176 days!

timber mischief · Post by **timber mischief** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:31 pm

A 30' dome made out of 3/4" Emt is as follows.
1250 ft 3/4" emt conduit cut into:
250 poles
6 diff lengths
600lbs
Now you know the count go check out Taras site www.desertdomes.com you'll should find all the info you need there. Feel free to pm me with any questions

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 8:53 pm

If you do a search here, you'll find the following threads, among others:
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=12410
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=8271
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=8263
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=4666&
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=4445
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=1534

freakersedge · Post by **freakersedge** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:05 pm

Do not use the cheaper variety of plastic, ask anybody who has owned one of the plastic garages so popular these days, they do not stand up to the gusts of wind we get here in the desert, even with vehicles as anchors. I would suggest wood rather than steel since its much lighter. One of the biggest problems with a geodesic is the hubs which will be the most stressed. so use welded pieces with the angles already built in or with swivels on the individual arm connectors so you have some play in the whole structure. A willow bends to the wind and thus survives, could not the same be said for a dome?

Freaker

freakersedge · Post by **freakersedge** » Sat Mar 11, 2006 9:23 pm

Oh, and about the balloon idea. I have used hugh sheets of mylar with collapsible tent poles effectively. A university frat house I know, uses the same mylar every few months to create a slip-and-slide inside their house, so large enough mylar is an easy commodity to purchase around here. (This should dispell some of the revulsion pointed toward the Frat problem; haha.) My problem has always been figuring how one gets inside, or outside after everything is set, thats why I wondered about using some sort of starch to make it semi-permanent, a door could be cut and hung in the manner of a teepees entrance, the same with the smoke-hole.

freaker

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:39 am

freakersedge wrote: My problem has always been figuring how one gets inside

The entrance to an inflatable structure can be as simple as cutting a slit big enough to squeeze through...Reinforce the ends so that they don't tear, though. Adding an internal flap helps reduce pressure loss, and is held tight by the air pressure. Or, you can construct an airlock....While it takes more effort and materials, an airlock does offer you an opportunity to reduce the amount of dust in the inner structure. You could even add a bench and spot for shoes...even a footbath!
I created a nifty hatch for the low-dust compartment in my structure last year by making two hoops out of PVC electrical conduit- You need to use the kind with a built-in coupler on one end- Cut about 4" off of one of the 10' lengths of PVC, and then bend them into circles and plug the ends into the couplers. Now you have two hoops, one smaller and one bigger. GOOP and/or zipstrip the bigger hoop onto the side of your structure, and cut out the middle. Glue the cutout middle onto the smaller hoop. Make a hinge with zipstrips. Done!

gonephishing · Post by **gonephishing** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:57 pm

My buddy and I are in the process of building a 32 foot 6 frequency dome. It will require 9 different strut lengths, none of them over 3 1/2 feet. It is going to require about 1,850 feet of emt. We purchased 1,800 feet the other day, which cost us $827.00. Buying a dome is going to be a lot easier, but much more expensive, and a lot less rewarding. All of the links above are the same ones that we have used and are very informative. Good luck and we will see you on the playa. Oh yea, got my ticket yesterday.

HELP....Geodesmic Dome!

HELP -- Geodesic Dome!

Re: HELP -- Geodesic Dome!

HELP....geodesmic dome!