CURRENT WORKS
Saturday 30th March 2019
Had a good day at Chatham with Derek, Tony, Brian, David, Keith and Frank. Derek arrived in a van with Tony and the copper piping he had annealed on Thursday. We all unloaded it and then they set to cleaning it, preparing the flanges and painting each pipe before lowering them into the hold. Brian had arrived first and was locating stud nuts for fittings and cleaning threads. David had called in on Ian on the way through and collected more joint gaskets for Barking. Thanks Ian. Thanks David. So far there has been no further welding work from Mike Roberts so Derek is into serious chasing.
David and Tony found that the VIC's engine won't turn over. Brian has been barring it over from time to time during the 18 months it's been out of use. From our experience with Barking it is possible the stern gland could have seized but I gather from Frank that there is slight movement roughly equating to piston ring slack in the piston grooves. Maybe it just needs a bit of encouragement.
Keith is working hard at painting the upperworks of Barking. He is painting the entire casing in a repeat of the same brown. It is so glossy that Derek said it looked like a bar of chocolate. I spent the day cleaning mudhole and manhole doors and the aperture seatings in Barking's boiler and then fitting them and filling the boiler. I put in about 2 gallons of boiler treatment. I found that the treatment had partly crystallized in the bottom of the drum so I refilled the drum with water to dissolve the remainder for future use.
The manhole door in the top of the dome had two gaskets fitted to a total thickness of about 10mm. When I came to refit it with a single gasket I found out why. The door is tight in the hole. Doubling the gasket spaces it downwards thus avoiding metal to metal contact. The strongback nut had no resilience and so I think the door is binding which means it is likely to leak. Next visit I will make a rough test by pouring a cup of water onto it. If the gasket is loose the water will run into the boiler. I will also bring an angle grinder so that we can relieve the perimeter of the opening marginally to be sure the door fits properly. THEN we can light up!
Regards, JIM.
Had a good day at Chatham with Derek, Tony, Brian, David, Keith and Frank. Derek arrived in a van with Tony and the copper piping he had annealed on Thursday. We all unloaded it and then they set to cleaning it, preparing the flanges and painting each pipe before lowering them into the hold. Brian had arrived first and was locating stud nuts for fittings and cleaning threads. David had called in on Ian on the way through and collected more joint gaskets for Barking. Thanks Ian. Thanks David. So far there has been no further welding work from Mike Roberts so Derek is into serious chasing.
David and Tony found that the VIC's engine won't turn over. Brian has been barring it over from time to time during the 18 months it's been out of use. From our experience with Barking it is possible the stern gland could have seized but I gather from Frank that there is slight movement roughly equating to piston ring slack in the piston grooves. Maybe it just needs a bit of encouragement.
Keith is working hard at painting the upperworks of Barking. He is painting the entire casing in a repeat of the same brown. It is so glossy that Derek said it looked like a bar of chocolate. I spent the day cleaning mudhole and manhole doors and the aperture seatings in Barking's boiler and then fitting them and filling the boiler. I put in about 2 gallons of boiler treatment. I found that the treatment had partly crystallized in the bottom of the drum so I refilled the drum with water to dissolve the remainder for future use.
The manhole door in the top of the dome had two gaskets fitted to a total thickness of about 10mm. When I came to refit it with a single gasket I found out why. The door is tight in the hole. Doubling the gasket spaces it downwards thus avoiding metal to metal contact. The strongback nut had no resilience and so I think the door is binding which means it is likely to leak. Next visit I will make a rough test by pouring a cup of water onto it. If the gasket is loose the water will run into the boiler. I will also bring an angle grinder so that we can relieve the perimeter of the opening marginally to be sure the door fits properly. THEN we can light up!
Regards, JIM.
November 2017
October 2015 - works to Barking
March/April 2014
December 2012
September 2012
April/May 2012
February/March 2012 - Including works to remove the dent
Loading the bunkers again! 20th July 2011
22nd-25th April 2011 |
Loading the bunkers 20th April 2011
Work Party at Chatham Saturday 16th April 2011
For more pictures of current works click here