formerlyknownasprince
01-18-2004, 12:32 AM
This is the first of the approx 15 rib repairs going in whilst we have Grantala on the slips - this one is sistering a break in the original Spotted Gum rib - there are two broken ribs adjacent to each other.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p44c95bd903e1536bc94e95d9f734910b/f9e99ff9.jpg
This is the steamer in operation.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p3cd723669c08fe630d68aef125515225/f9e99ff7.jpg
Diane, my wife is now also known as the Steam-meister - having babysat this whilst we play around inside the hull. She extracts the timber with multigrips and passes it through the porthole. The steam is provided by the very old propane fired steam cleaner that is just visible in the dark area of the photo. It is a bit sensitive to set up - takes around 5 minutes - then insert into the steam box and wait. The steam box is a four metre length of sewer-grade PVC pipe, lagged with about 20 rolls of Armstrong Armaflex insulation tape that I've had laying around under the house looking for a purpose for about 20 years. The pipe is only warm to the touch but as soft as a piece of licorice and flattened to an oval shape. We have coat hanger wire racks in the pipe and a drain hole at the bottom.
We steamed the pieces for an hour, banged them in with a hammer and pulled them down with about five SS self tappers that we will come out when we nail all the new ribs.
This shot shows the the plank and floor removal
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p8a4e826fc76b323b6d1cd774c4fe8fee/f9e99ff4.jpg
We have since removed a third plank on the starboard side and one on the port side. Barry has machined up the new Kauri planks to the same 31mm thickness and we start re-planking tomorrow, along with fitting the full-length replacement ribs. My cousin Paul drpped another Spotted Gum yesterday and is milling it today to provide the five new floors that we are fitting. Two to replace existing floors, with three more replacing the timber caps that were over the shaft logs.
So far, so good.
Ian
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p44c95bd903e1536bc94e95d9f734910b/f9e99ff9.jpg
This is the steamer in operation.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p3cd723669c08fe630d68aef125515225/f9e99ff7.jpg
Diane, my wife is now also known as the Steam-meister - having babysat this whilst we play around inside the hull. She extracts the timber with multigrips and passes it through the porthole. The steam is provided by the very old propane fired steam cleaner that is just visible in the dark area of the photo. It is a bit sensitive to set up - takes around 5 minutes - then insert into the steam box and wait. The steam box is a four metre length of sewer-grade PVC pipe, lagged with about 20 rolls of Armstrong Armaflex insulation tape that I've had laying around under the house looking for a purpose for about 20 years. The pipe is only warm to the touch but as soft as a piece of licorice and flattened to an oval shape. We have coat hanger wire racks in the pipe and a drain hole at the bottom.
We steamed the pieces for an hour, banged them in with a hammer and pulled them down with about five SS self tappers that we will come out when we nail all the new ribs.
This shot shows the the plank and floor removal
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid99/p8a4e826fc76b323b6d1cd774c4fe8fee/f9e99ff4.jpg
We have since removed a third plank on the starboard side and one on the port side. Barry has machined up the new Kauri planks to the same 31mm thickness and we start re-planking tomorrow, along with fitting the full-length replacement ribs. My cousin Paul drpped another Spotted Gum yesterday and is milling it today to provide the five new floors that we are fitting. Two to replace existing floors, with three more replacing the timber caps that were over the shaft logs.
So far, so good.
Ian