grendel

I am certain that Griff of Broad Ambition would say the same as Doug, in fact of all the people I met at the meet last year I cant think of a single one that, would say such a thing, they all seemed more interested in the work done, and the work proposed to be done. I have to admit that last year was the first one I had attended.

started the bars on the wings

after arriving home midday from Daventry (where I started the day with a Full English Breakfast, a full continental breakfast and a bowl of porridge (dont you just love hotel breakfast buffets) and 5 cups of coffee (no I didnt drink that much, just went to bed after midnight, then up at 5am)), a quiet day at home, but I have made a start on the bow badge for model #2. This is being made from pewter (its easy to shape and carve), I am working under an illuminated magnifier, under this the needle files grow to the size of full sized files, this will be shaped around the bow as it is constructed.

do we actually have any evidence that the posts keep tripping, other than the authorities statement as to why they have been turned off, I can see that if the new installation was controlled from inside the BA hut at the quay, then out of season, with the hut locked, if the electric did trip, then the council would not be able to reset it. we appear to be making a lot of assumptions based on one statement, that the electricity is actually tripping, (from the Authorities excuse for turning it off). we are assuming that if it is actually tripping it must be due to the installation being somehow sub standard, as someone who works in that industry, an installation that is weather proof enough to allow exterior installation, would of necessity be waterproof enough to take occasional immersion. So, if the only the BA's wording of their excuse that is the evidence of this constant tripping, how do we get from there to the fact of a sub standard installation. do we have any actual proof it keeps tripping? or that the installation is sub standard in any way? if it was a sub standard installation, there would be other evidence, people reporting getting a tingle from the posts, dogs getting a shock when cocking their legs. Rather than everyone getting upset with each other over this, lets be sure we are actually quoting facts first. The only Fact I can see here is that the electricity posts have (rightly or wrongly) been turned off at the rangers hut, as there is no access to reset them should they trip (for any reason) during the off season.

while it might seem a bit quiet, the side deck supports have been progressing, nothing is happening tonight though as i am in Daventry, at my companies Christmas evening, we are celebrating as we have had an outstanding year, we had hit all our targets back in July, so I am guessing the celebrations will be good tonight.

yes I agree - the drawer is where the blockage can occur, it should slide out a certain amount, then some clip device will need compressing to remove it

I think you may find a wet and dry vacuum cleaner will be a good investment if you are going to keep this up Robin.

Ah I remember driving my VW variant in those winters, rear engine - rear wheel drive, went to a pub meet cross country over the wye downs, got to the top, and was flagged down by an astonished tractor driver and asked how i got up the hill- no problem I replied, he then told me they had been cut off for several days as even the landrovers with 4wd couldnt get up the hill - only tractors until I got there. getting down was fun as with all the weight at the back there was no steering on the front until you dabbed the brakes to break through the snow with the front tyres. I think it was the good old slow revving 2.4 litre air cooled lump that did it, in third at tickover you could feel the cylinders firing at every lamppost

Ant excuse to get out of cooking Christmas dinner Tim - well just for that you can sit in the corner and peel the sprouts.

I even have my mother primed and waiting ready to 'listen with Mother'

on my accident the steel toecap took the brunt of the impact, it did inflict some damage and chipped the bone on my big toe, but even totectors when they saw the boot, said that without I would have severely injured the foot.

me - I went to my astronomy club meeting at the weekend wearing shorts, in my defence I was also wearing a fleece and hat. last night after changing into my shorts I went out and changed the CVVT valve on my car (its now working and has got rid of the engine warning light on my dashboard)

I had a motorbike accident, this left me sliding down the road on one shoulder (well it was my head at one point if the scratches on the helmet were anything to go by) I was on my way to work, I was wearing office wear - shirt, jacket, on top I was wearing a belstaff motorcycle jacket, with the reinforcing layers. on that shoulder I had a big hole through the belstaff, my work jacket had a smaller hole (about 1" round) and my shirt had a tiny hole, I was untouched, the belstaff was worn through two reinforcing layers and the cloth underneath, other than a broken little toe, and a badly torn ligament in my right leg I came through unscathed after sliding for nearly 100 yards between two lines of traffic. the impact had been right on the toe of my brand new totector boots, it had dented the steel toecap, the exhaust next to the toe of the boot had been re-routed to 1" inside the engine casing, and the front wheel was D shaped wrapped around the engine. I got an award from totectors as their boot saved my foot, and can only say that if I was riding a bike (even in the height of summer - full protective clothing was a must.

its probably a 'elf n safety' issue, chainsaws are notoriously dangerous, and nowadays its no excuse when some idiot cuts their leg off, or drops a tree on their head, if a safer way exists (but costs more). a hydraulic cutter takes the person to a more remote position, inside the safety cage of the excavator, so mr 'elf n safety' can see that an attempt to mitigate the danger has been made. we see this on a daily basis, our cable jointers used to use a sharp knife to cut the cable outer layers for jointing- they now have a tool box of different special tools to do the job, one for each size and type of cable, with each tool costing several hundreds of pounds, is it safer - certainly, but their tool boxes are a lot heavier now.

tonight while rummaging through some bits, I found the original bow badge I made many years back, it might be a little small though, another I found that I made from plastic card (in the background).

started snowing at 6.45 in Canterbury, just as I arrived home from picking my daughter up from work.

I bet you didnt have the hassles I did getting the prop shaft and motor aligned.

youre mad, youre naive - and we love you for just those facts, it takes a certain kind of person to take on the restoration of a woodie, we love the fact you are giving it a go, to watch the transom vanish and find it amusing, for a lot of people that would be a show stopper. I am just as mad, taking on 2 model boats at 1/12 size, the difference is I can do most of it at home.

many thanks Charlie, yes that will help with the little touches that are the things that make a model. I am glad that you are able to assist even in these small matters as that helps make the model more personal to you, having had an input., today I have given the transom a second coat of neat varnish, plus added some more side deck supports.

now its dry I am really pleased with the finish, there are a couple of small pits into the finish, so another coat will be applied once this has properly dried out

that white line smudge on the last picture is actually the reflection of the angle poise magnifier lamp I was using to light up the work area. my thanks go to Griff for divulging the secret of the 6 steps to achieve the finish that Broad Ambition boasts.

step 6 after de nibbing again with 400 grit paper, it was 100% varnish this time. the reflection of the flash is getting smaller and less diffuse, indicating the finish getting smoother, I can see things reflected in the surface now, whether this gets more coats will depend upon the finish once it has dried.

you could snap them with a digital camera/ phone as they are shown, this will give you a digital record of them.

step 5 a light rub down with 400 grit sandpaper, cleaned off with turps on a rag, then 5cc mixed up 20% turps, 80% varnish, and applied.

not forgetting the tube heaters that may have been left on (depending on whether they have thermostats or are just on timers)