David Schweizer

RE:- Disposing of oil soaked rags, I have been using linsed oil in its various forms (Raw, Boiled, & Pale Boiled) for decades, and have never experienced the spontaneous combustion that various people predict. I am convinced that it is an urban myth promoted by the internet and people who have never used linseed oil on a regular basis.

I hope your new your pole is Ash, which will bend and not split or shatter under pressure. If it is pine or some other softwood, it could split and cause serious injury if it breaks under pressure. Throw it away and get an ash one. As already mentioned, there is no need to paint it, unless you want it to look pretty, it will suvive without any decoration.

Thanks for that Carl, I had seen that postcard many years ago, but could not find in on the internet. It shows the "square" back end far more clearly. Ladywood came to the K & A Trust second hand, already fitted out as a trip boat, but I do not know where it worked before being based at Bradford on Avon Wharf. Interestingly it had a marinized 4 cylinder Mercedes-Benz engine.

Some Hancock and Lane boats also had square sterns.I used to captain the 72ft H & L trip boat "Ladywood" which worked out of Bradford on Avon Wharf, and that had a square back end, which was a pain when turning in tight winding holes. I cannot find a photo of the stern but this rather poor copy of a postcard does show it to some extent.

We can safely rule out Braunston Canal Services as the shell builder, the bow bears no resemblence to the boats they built for Willow Wren hire. or the later Braunston Hire boats.

If I remember correctly, Rugby Boatbuilders were located at the same base as the the Willow Wren Hire boat fleet, which had been aquired and was being operated jointly by Balliol Fowden and Wyvern Shipping. In the late 1970's/early 1980's they started to replace some of the old fleet with new boats built by Braunston Canal Services which was also owned by Balliol Fowden. There is an outside chance that the OP may be looking at one of those boats, although a 6mm base plate seems to suggest otherwise. Braunston Canal Services boats had some distinguishing features, and whilst they are not initially obvious, a couple of photos of both the bow and rear counter would help with identification (or otherwise).

Yes he did, I first met him in the 1960's but only got to know him well during his last twenty years. He lived in the village from a very early age until his sad demise nearly ten years ago, he was one of the many people who made Braunston so interesting for me.

On reflection, I think you may be correct. I have a vague recollection of someone telling me it was Jim and Doris Collins old boat, and I do believe they operated Kent before taking on Stanton. However, I also have a recollection of them working Hood for a while, or is that my imagination??

The various photos of Hood on this thread have inspired me to look out a photo taken on the Aylesbury Arm in 1998. I believe the boat on the opposite bank is Hood with our boat is in front of it.

Wherabouts in the Bath Area? I was a regular captain on the K&A Trust trip boat "Ladywood" based in BoA in the 1990's.

Would I be correct in guessing that the well known engineer was Jonathon Hewitt at UCC. He has been there for decades, and was always my go to person for any engine work. if not please name.

Not all pre 1995 Narrowboat were built cheaply. Helvetia was built by Braunston Canal Services in 1980, and had a 10mm base plate 6mm hull sides and 5mm cabin sides and roof. Most of their boats were built to the same specification, although a few appear to have had 4mm cabin roofs.

When I was an apprentice, I earnt a bit of "Petrol Money" on Saturdays working at a car showroom. One of my jobs was restoring shabby paintwork on older traded in cars, and we used Brasso, which is basicly the same as T cut, but cheaper, we bought it in 1 litre tins. It worked just as well, if not better.

I am not aware of any woodcutting blades suitable for a standard size Hacksaw. However, it is possible to get 14/15 tpi wood cutting blades for both Coping Saws and Junior Hacksaws. I have several of each type in my workshop sawblade tin.

Both the boats appear to be in BW livery so, presumably, before they were aquired by Blue Line.

1,760 yards in a mile, or 5,280 feet. And no I didn't have to google it !! I am quite happy to be called a Luddite.

I may have missed it, but I cannot see where the OP might have suggested that there is also a remote header tank, or if there is, where it is located. Helvetia had two tanks, one being a standard Bowman expansion tank on top of the engine, and another at the far end of the boat where the last coolant fed radiatoor was located. If I had fitted a blanking cap to the remote header tank, the heating simply would not work because of restricted circulation, and if I had fitted a blankng cap to the Bowman, I suspect that the heating system tank would have served as the engine pressure relief and probably spewed water out all over the front cabin floor. Or am I missing something?

Yers, that is what I meant by "...different spring lengths." One of the header tanks on Helvetia's central heating system used a short neck cap, and a long neck cap could not be fitted without a great deal of force.

Things may have changed recently, but radiator caps always came with different pressure relief ratings and different spring lengths. Although the basic cause of the leak seems to be a faulty overflow outlet jonit, I am still persuaded to ask if the OP is trying to fit the correct cap.

I only report posts if I feel that they contravene forum rules and warrant it, but in the last to instances I recived no confirmation of recieipt or comment on one, and on the other, only a comment more than a week later. One might wish to suggest that the system is either failing, or the mods consider my intervention to be irrelevant.

We kept both a diary and log book when we had Helvetia, Nothing fancy or electronic, just traditional pen and paper. We still have them despite havig sold the boat nine years ago. It serves of a usefull reminder of the various places we visited.

Is that actually correct? When I was at College we studied both Blast Furnaces and Electric Arc Furnaces as a means to manufacture Steel. I have no recollection of being told that Electric Arc Furnaces were only able to use re-cycled steel, but the process using ore was more complicated and time consuming when using raw Iron Ore. Producing steel by using only Electric Arc may make it a sound commercial option, but not an impossible one, as is now being suggested.

Are you suggesting that the OP is a scam, or something else?