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Ray T

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Posts posted by Ray T

  1. Chimney chain

    in History & Heritage

    Posted

    8 hours ago, koukouvagia said:

    Now that Hampton is in its 1912 black and white colours, I want to get rid of all the bling and replace the brass chimney chain with some twisted chain.  Can anyone suggest a source for this?  All I can find online are brass or chrome dog chains.

    I've been searching horse tack sites and eBay for a long time now with no luck. I believe that early chimney chains pre WWII came from horse equipment as of course brasses.

    I was beaten to it suggesting blacking a chain, but: http://www.blackfast.com/metal-blacking

    http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Blacken-Steel-with-Motor-Oil/

    http://metalblacking.solutions/default.aspx

  8. Extant full length butty's and horse boats

    in History & Heritage

    Posted

    Just now, Tam & Di said:

    Which is how we knew them in the 60s too. There was a little "thumb pin" in the ground under the balance beam that the eye of the thumb line went on to stop the butty being drawn out as the motor left an empty GU lock. I remember hearing that many of these pins were removed in the 70s as someone at Watford thought people might trip over them, but I'd guess you'd have to have extremely large feet to do that.

    Wasn't the thumb pin also used as part of a 2:1 purchase along with a pulley on the mast to help a horse start a boat out of a lock?

  9. Extant full length butty's and horse boats

    in History & Heritage

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    35 minutes ago, Paul H said:

    I think this is one of the expressions that has changed or become misused over the years. A thumbline used to be a holding back string for butties in GU locks but now appears to be used for a gateline.  A swans neck used to be decorative rope work but now is used to refer to a the rams head on a motor.  

    And back on topic, Gertrude was broken up at Newbury about 12 years ago.

    Paul

     

     

    Time to dig this out again. By Edward Padget Tomlinson. Interestingly there is no "swans neck" on the butty.

    Terminology.png

  11. Extant full length butty's and horse boats

    in History & Heritage

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    7 hours ago, fittie said:

    That's odd, trying to think about what I used to call boats and I find that I an not at all consistent. Here goes - big Woolwich and large Northwich - now why should that be. As far as I can remember that is how I have always called these boats...

    Interestingly Mike H refers to them both as "large." The other type as "small."

    When speaking with Mike I find I have to use terms he knows, as if i use names from "today" he doesn't recognise them. 

    E.g. Moira Cut for the Ashby, Hillmorton bottom not Grantham's Bridge, the stop lock at Hawkesbury junction is always Sutton's and so on.

  14. How is the bowthruster's power reduced by the boats speed?

    in Boat Equipment

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    On 1/1/2018 at 09:50, Jen-in-Wellies said:

    Could it be a Bernoulli effect thing that causes this? The speed of the water rushing past the ends of the bow thruster tube as the boat moves decreases the pressure in the tube. The bow thruster has to use so much effort to overcome the pressure drop that the force of water coming out the end drops and eventually ceases? Dunno. My brain isn't working too well this New Years Day morning for some reason :unsure:.

    Jen

    In a similar way to how an Elvestrom bailer works in a sailing Dinghy?

    With the bailer in the down position as depicted here a low pressure area is developed at the back of the bailer causing water to be sucked out of the inside of the dinghy hull.

    thP55Q3JHY.jpg

    "Elvstrøm was also noted as a developer of sails and sailing equipment. One of his most successful innovations was a new type of self-bailer. The design is still in production under the Andersen brand and has been widely copied. The new features were a wedge shaped venturi that closes automatically if the boat grounds or hits an obstruction, and a flap that acts as a non return valve to minimise water coming in if the boat is stationary or moving too slowly for the device to work. Previous automatic bailers would be damaged or destroyed if they met an obstruction, and would let considerable amounts of water in if the boat was moving too slowly."

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Elvstrøm

  16. Plummer block

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    As Plummer blocks are designed to take some of the forward thrust of the prop they do wear even when well greased. We've had ours replaced recently by RLWP.

    The old block is approx 5 years old, off the top of my head I cannot tell you what hours it has done, I'd have to consult my records which are on the boat at the moment.

    New block in housing, old block with stick through it.

    Mrs T was out when I had them on the kitchen work surface!

    ETA I have been advised to use Lithium grease not waterproof grease as used in the prop shaft.

    DSCF4195.JPG

    • Haha 1

  19. Hints & Tips Dept.

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted

    Just now, Nightwatch said:

    When I was 13/14/15 year old Dad was a Steward in a British Legion Club. They had a successful Snooker team and I used to play snooker and billiards with them. The team captain noticed I was rather good at this and told me I could make money in the future as it was just getting started in the TV etc. Anyway, first thug he did was to get me to line up a shot from the other side of the table from him, he crouched down and look straight back at me. I asked what he was doing and he replied, looking to see if your eyes are straight. I have often wondered if he was extracting the urine, now I know he wasn't. It's only fifty years ago.

    What sort of a British Legion Club was it? ;)

  20. British Waterways hire boats on Union Canal in Scotland?

    in History & Heritage

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    Joseph,

    When I was a nipper we had relations who lived in Radnor Park on Clyde Bank. This would be mid 60's. Near to where this aunt and uncle lived was a section of canal which was very much in water. If I recollect correctly this section of canal was being used by a Singer sewing machine factory to supply cooling water.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer_Corporation#Singer_in_Scotland

    I seem to remember a low road bridge across the cut in this area too. Too low for a boat to go beneath.

    At some time some unwanted goldfish were dumped in the canal. Because the water was warmer than that of "normal" canal water the fish had multiplied and grown to good sizes, more like Koi Carp. 

    As a year or so later, my uncles employer moved him to Kirkwall we never went back.

    Would this be the canal you are interested in?

    ETA just looked at Google Earth and found a "Singer Road" in that area. I assume the Singer factory "went years" ago? See Wiki page.

    Just found the road they lived in, South View, overlooking the railway. I seem to remember looking to the East to John Brown's ship yard where you could see the QEII being built.

    ETA2 Keneth McKeller appeared on the White Heather Club too. Having a Scottish mother the W H C was obligatory.

  22. Chimney chain

    in History & Heritage

    Posted

    12 hours ago, pete harrison said:

    edit - does the dog lead come with a genuine brass chain as in the advert it states 'metal' and in the photograph it looks like plated - and the price seems a little too low for brass chain :captain:

    Pete, the chain is some sort of solid brass amalgam, not plated. I had to cut it to get the length right and it needed small bolt croppers to cut the chain. 

    Also it hasn't tarnished as quickly as pure brass would.

    It will do me though. A man chasing a dog up the tow path wouldn't notice! :D

  23. Hints & Tips Dept.

    in Boat Building & Maintenance

    Posted · Edited by Ray T

    14 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

    When Chris Bennett suggested the scrap metal value for it did he have inside knowledge?

    No, no collusion at all. I wanted to make an "embellishing" piece, similar to those I have seen on some "hysterical" boats. It is still being used for a tiller, but not in the conventional way.

    Just to make the rams head look "pretty."

    DSCF4214.JPG

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