tailgate done!

The tailgate has been fabricated! Thanks Ernie at stagesmith.com! Just 4 shop-hours. He teaches students how to weld underwater at the Diver's Institute so this was a relatively easy job for him. Here are some pictures.

Just the tailgate:


The tailgate with collimation bolts in place:


The tailgate with crossbeams from the float balanced on collimation bolts (the crossbeams will eventually have holes drilled so they can be bolted on):


The tailgate with cardboard "mirror" balanced in place:


The cardboard "mirror" with paper "triangles" and crossbeams in place (the triangles will eventually be cut out of a 1/8" thick piece of sheet metal, with holes drilled so they can be bolted to crossbeams):


This is the tack welding jig that I built. Ernie made fun of me for it, but I think he must have used it anyway. Either way, the dimensions are correct to 1/16"!


Next, on to the rest of the flotation system...