Nappy Dugout
Aug/15/07 | bumps in the
road
The Boogie Pyramid has some issues with the sag....
Edubious and I
visited the pyramid work site with our families this weekend and
had some serious deflation upon viewing the flaccidity of our
temple. We weren't there for the first official erection and so
expected to see a thing of glory -- instead, there is a monument to
sag looking somewhat forlorn in a farm field outside of Ferndale.
It was a bit embarrassing to expose our ladies to the thing that
has been pulling us out of family time so much over the past few
months and have it be a saggy pile of nappy vinyl!
Edub emailed this feedback to our fellow Boogie campers:
"It is a bit awkward for me to comment on the work that NEEDS to be done on the pyramid since I am down in Seattle and can't be there on the regular to contribute my energy. But, I feel very compelled to send out a rallying cry to everyone to shift focus and energy toward getting the pyramid into shape for the Playa.
My guess is that there is going to be a considerable amount of engineering and adjustment on the Playa, but I want to offer us some design suggestions for adjustments that should be made NOW. Those who work on it regularly may already have some of these in mind so pardon the redundancy.
(1) The panels need to be pulled up flush with the tarp truss. We may want to wrap some rebar into the ends of the panels to help hold some of the weight (I noticed that one grommet had already pulled out). I also strongly suggest using something more beefy (and aesthetic) than the blue cord that is currently being employed - perhaps some small gauge steel cable?
(2) The panels seams need to be stitched together WAY tighter. Again, I suggest something other than the blue cord. As they are now, we will have mad dust blowing into the pyramid.
(3) I seriously think we need to cut the panels down. If we take about 8-10 feet off the bottom of each panel and stake them down to the ground, we will have WAY less sag. I think that that the height of the mast makes this necessary. Can we add some larger grommets (1-2") along the bottom of each panel to accommodate rebar stakes?
Each panel should have at least three or four cables running down the inside for support.
(4) Can we support/hang the corner seams (between the panels)from the guy wires that are supporting the mast? This would help the pyramid hold its shape.
(5) The tension wires and turn buckles that are on each corner of the pyramid need to be shorter and staked down closer to the base of the pyramid.
This is my $20 worth. Whatever we end up doing we have to do it NOW. The clock is ticking and we have to tighten up our scene if we're going to represent on the Esplanade. "
At our most recent camp logistics meeting, Erik, who is the ultimate mastermind behind the project, assuaged our fears by reminding us that the pyramid we witnessed is not the pyramid that will go up on the playa -- the panels aren't raised all the way, the sides aren't staked out far enough, the panels can be woven together more tightly, etc. He projected his usual vibe of "everything's gonna work out just fine." I have a tendency to believe his prophecies...
Nonetheless, the group has scheduled three more work parties over the next five days to make adjustments and try to tighten things up. On Sunday, we're gonna lower this baby, fold her up and dismantle the mast. A few days later, she'll be loaded up in to a rental truck and the caravan to Black Rock City will begin...
Photos by Edub. More can be viewed on our Flickr Page.
Edub emailed this feedback to our fellow Boogie campers:
"It is a bit awkward for me to comment on the work that NEEDS to be done on the pyramid since I am down in Seattle and can't be there on the regular to contribute my energy. But, I feel very compelled to send out a rallying cry to everyone to shift focus and energy toward getting the pyramid into shape for the Playa.
My guess is that there is going to be a considerable amount of engineering and adjustment on the Playa, but I want to offer us some design suggestions for adjustments that should be made NOW. Those who work on it regularly may already have some of these in mind so pardon the redundancy.
(1) The panels need to be pulled up flush with the tarp truss. We may want to wrap some rebar into the ends of the panels to help hold some of the weight (I noticed that one grommet had already pulled out). I also strongly suggest using something more beefy (and aesthetic) than the blue cord that is currently being employed - perhaps some small gauge steel cable?
(2) The panels seams need to be stitched together WAY tighter. Again, I suggest something other than the blue cord. As they are now, we will have mad dust blowing into the pyramid.
(3) I seriously think we need to cut the panels down. If we take about 8-10 feet off the bottom of each panel and stake them down to the ground, we will have WAY less sag. I think that that the height of the mast makes this necessary. Can we add some larger grommets (1-2") along the bottom of each panel to accommodate rebar stakes?
Each panel should have at least three or four cables running down the inside for support.
(4) Can we support/hang the corner seams (between the panels)from the guy wires that are supporting the mast? This would help the pyramid hold its shape.
(5) The tension wires and turn buckles that are on each corner of the pyramid need to be shorter and staked down closer to the base of the pyramid.
This is my $20 worth. Whatever we end up doing we have to do it NOW. The clock is ticking and we have to tighten up our scene if we're going to represent on the Esplanade. "
At our most recent camp logistics meeting, Erik, who is the ultimate mastermind behind the project, assuaged our fears by reminding us that the pyramid we witnessed is not the pyramid that will go up on the playa -- the panels aren't raised all the way, the sides aren't staked out far enough, the panels can be woven together more tightly, etc. He projected his usual vibe of "everything's gonna work out just fine." I have a tendency to believe his prophecies...
Nonetheless, the group has scheduled three more work parties over the next five days to make adjustments and try to tighten things up. On Sunday, we're gonna lower this baby, fold her up and dismantle the mast. A few days later, she'll be loaded up in to a rental truck and the caravan to Black Rock City will begin...
Photos by Edub. More can be viewed on our Flickr Page.
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