36ft Springer build

[truckcab79]

Well I’m going to start a build blog if only to plot the work for my own records. 
 

Don’t expect it to be quick.  Most weeks I’ll just have one day a week to work on it.  

Here she is. 

 

 

 

Aside from getting it to the marina last weekend and a little bit of cleaning, today was the first day of any real work. 
 

…and that work was more cleaning. 
 

Wanted to start on the bilge because it was inches deep in filthy water along with a collections of old paint tins, fuel containers, kids toys, water bottles and lots of oily filth.  
 

To say that marina had made no attempt to tart it up for sale would be a massive understatement.  😂
 

Didn’t take much in the way of pictures ‘before’ but it was pretty awful.  A full day of wet-vac’ing had the oily muck and detritus removed. 
 

The ‘after’ looks comparatively a million dollars. Nice and sound. Oil had done a great job of keeping it pretty pristine.  
 

I’d intended longer term to paint it but it’s mostly covered with what I assume to be blacking.  Mostly still stuck hard and doing its job.  Where you can chip it off it comes away almost looking like slate.  Is this just blacking?

 

I think I’ll now just keep on top of it for the winter, let it dry thoroughly in Spring, and then degrease, Vactan and re-black.    
 

Quick shot of a clean section of ‘engine room’

 

 

Tomorrow a new bilge pump, bit of new battery wiring and check out the solar that’s been left on there to see if it works. 

[Tracy D'arth]

If you get bored, I can find you another half dozen mucky engine holes to work your magic on. It looks streets better than last week!

Crispy blacking is possible old style bitumen, good stuff if its well stuck on.

[alan_fincher]

New blacking often just keeps being added on top of what is already there - assuming that pressure washing hasn't brought it off.  Hence after a significant numbers of blackings it can really be very thick.

 

One thing to bear in mind is that each new layer of blacking added on top of a skin tank can reduce its effectiveness at cooling.  Unlikely to be an issue if the skin tank was sensibly sized in the first place, but if a skin tank is already marginal then further reducing its effectiveness can cause problems - a rare thing, but not unheard of.

[truckcab79]

53 minutes ago, alan_fincher said:

New blacking often just keeps being added on top of what is already there - assuming that pressure washing hasn't brought it off.  Hence after a significant numbers of blackings it can really be very thick.

 

One thing to bear in mind is that each new layer of blacking added on top of a skin tank can reduce its effectiveness at cooling.  Unlikely to be an issue if the skin tank was sensibly sized in the first place, but if a skin tank is already marginal then further reducing its effectiveness can cause problems - a rare thing, but not unheard of.

Cheers. Doesn’t appear too thick.  Maybe a couple of mm.  I can chip it off in small sheets  (and I’m only doing so if it’s not firmly stuck down), and most of it seems around about that.  
 

 

 

Should have added interior Before pics given that this is where most of the work will be.  
 

Edited October 14, 2023 by truckcab79

[magnetman]

I thought it was a smaller one. 

 

A 36ft is a something to get your teeth into. I previously thought it was 30ft or a bit shorter. 

 

Classic English canal boat. I know a lot of people don't rate these but it is actually a nice boat. 

 

Getting the back deck properly rainproof seems a prior itty. 

 

[truckcab79]

Just now, magnetman said:

I thought it was a smaller one. 

 

A 36ft is a something to get your teeth into. I previously thought it was 30ft or a bit shorter. 

 

Classic English canal boat. I know a lot of people don't rate these but it is actually a nice boat. 

 

Getting the back deck properly rainproof seems a prior itty. 

 

 
Cheers. Nice size for us.  Cruiser stern uses a lot of space but really nice to have. A manageable refit and only two of us and the dogs most of the time.  Kids are grown up. 👍

 

Rainproofing as of today is a tarpaulin.  Need to get tonneaus ordered up.  Be a load of money but the only practical solution really. 

 

 

[magnetman]

Grown up kids sounds quite cool.

 

My girls are 11 and 13 but to be fair they are a lot more grown up than I have ever been ! 

 

Is the lock picture Black Jacks lock 2 up from Harefield Marina? 

 

 

 

[truckcab79]

 

 

Took that stove out today also.  Bloody heavy.  Needs a new rope seal obviously, a replacement fire-brick and a new grill. Other than that just a good rub down and stove black or paint.   

Just now, magnetman said:

Grown up kids sounds quite cool.

 

My girls are 11 and 13 but to be fair they are a lot more grown up than I have ever been ! 

 

Is the lock picture Black Jacks lock 2 up from Harefield Marina? 

 

 

 

 

That was on the trip down from Croxley.   Can’t honestly remember where we were at that point.   

[magnetman]

Just now, truckcab79 said:

 

 

Took that stove out today also.  Bloody heavy.  Needs a new rope seal obviously, a replacement fire-brick and a new grill. Other than that just a good rub down and stove black or paint.   

 

That's interesting if the grill (presumably the grate) is nackered. 

 

It is sometimes possible to find cast iron gully/drain covers which do this job rather than buying a new one specifically for the fire. 

 

 

[truckcab79]

Just now, magnetman said:

 

That's interesting if the grill (presumably the grate) is nackered. 

 

It is sometimes possible to find cast iron gully/drain covers which do this job rather than buying a new one specifically for the fire. 

 

 

 

Might well be the right solution.  There was actually one in it but looked like two halves of two different grills overlapped. One actually looked like it had melted!   

Yes grate.   I’m not cooking on it.  😂

[MtB]

8 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Classic English canal boat. I know a lot of people don't rate these but it is actually a nice boat. 

 

 

I think so too. That first chine is nice as you can get in close to the bank when you do the K&A! 

 

I've always liked Springers. In fact I think its time Posh Tim admitted them to Braunston Historic Boat Show as early examples must be at least 50 years old by now. 

 

 

[magnetman]

16 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

 

Might well be the right solution.  There was actually one in it but looked like two halves of two different grills overlapped. One actually looked like it had melted!   

Yes grate.   I’m not cooking on it.  😂

 

When I and a man very good at welding put my fire together we used the debris strainer from a waterjet intake as the grill. He just happened to have it in the scrap bin and it fitted perfectly. 

 

Fire is of 8 inch box section steel 5mm thick and it is tall. 

 

I doubt there are many fires with Castoldi waterjet intake strainer grills in them. 

 

Always good to look for alternative alternatives. 

 

 

 

[truckcab79]

7 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

When I and a man very good at welding put my fire together we used the debris strainer from a waterjet intake as the grill. He just happened to have it in the scrap bin and it fitted perfectly. 

 

Fire is of 8 inch box section steel 5mm thick and it is tall. 

 

I doubt there are many fires with Castoldi waterjet intake strainer grills in them. 

 

Always good to look for alternative alternatives. 

 

 

 

Funnily enough did think if I can’t find a cast one the right size I could just weld one out of solid bar.  Not sure if it would cope with the heat levels as well as cast.  I might end up with another melted one.  

[Tracy D'arth]

13 hours ago, truckcab79 said:

Funnily enough did think if I can’t find a cast one the right size I could just weld one out of solid bar.  Not sure if it would cope with the heat levels as well as cast.  I might end up with another melted one.  

The melting point of carbon steel is actually higher than grey cast iron.   The main reason that folk burn out their fire bottoms is that they let the ash build up until the bars are covered depriving them of cooling air.

I suspect that good cast fire bars are some sort of heat resisting cast iron alloy with molybdenum.

Osmium fire bottoms would be brilliant!

[BEngo]

If you know a stainless welder 316 stainless makes a good grate.  The miniature loco chaps use it all the time.

Ordinary mild steel works OK if you dont let the fire roar away with the ash pan full.

 

Morso grates are made of a high chrome cast iron, but even they can be burnt ( usually the circulat self riddling bit) if the stove is driven too hard with the ash pan loaded.

  To see if the black stuff in the engine bay is blacking, rub it with a rag soaked in white spirit.  Blacking will dissolve  onto the rag.  Dont paint over blacking except with more blacking.  Ordinary paint won't stick to blacking.

 

N

[Laurie Booth]

15 hours ago, MtB said:

 

I think so too. That first chine is nice as you can get in close to the bank when you do the K&A! 

 

I've always liked Springers. In fact I think its time Posh Tim admitted them to Braunston Historic Boat Show as early examples must be at least 50 years old by now. 

 

Proper boat below

 

[truckcab79]

A boring update but an update nonetheless and no pics.  

 

A rare weekend when I had two days at the boat.  Today managed to get the bilge pump installed. Old solar reconnected, got the knackered timber tonneau / scratch supports off to use as patterns and got it all measured up so I can start planning the interior layout.  
 

Also spent half an hour in the workshop starting to strip the old stove down. Rope seal out from the door, flue collar off.  One brick is broken and the rest are badly cracked so I’ll replace them all. Strip that holds the glass in has one of the welds / brazes cracked so I’ll have to sort that. 
 

Never had a wood-fired stove before but is the glass always ‘loose’ in the fittings.  I’d assumed some sort of seal but it appears to just be held by the strip ‘channel’ and one tab at the top and rattles around.  

[magnetman]

There is a thin heatproof tape which should be used. 

 

Stove glass sealing tape. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222831283229

[truckcab79]

Lovely.  Many thanks.  

[truckcab79]

Anyone recommend a traditional stove black paste?  Was intending using that instead of painting as I’ve seen so many good results  on YouTube and the like.  Can’t seem to find the one they use and when I shop online there are so many that are described as both paste / polish / cleaner that it’s not clear what you’re getting. 
 

I need something that will re-black an old cast iron stove once it’s been wire brushed back to lose the old grime and surface rust. 

[Stroudwater1]

We used to use Zebrite but can’t get that now. Hotspot is decent, like Zebrite it polishes to a nice shine. Put on with an old toothbrush or a rag. 

[truckcab79]

Cheers.   Hotspot was the one I thought looked and sounded most ‘traditional’ so thanks for the confirmation.   I’ll order some up. 
 

On a continued stove theme what’s the method for deciding what size rope seal you need for door to body.  Close the door, measure the  gap and go for next size above that? Or do you need gap plus X mm?

[magnetman]

Interesting that a google search for Zebo comes up with Hotspot. 

 

I've not done it for ages but did use Zebo this was over 20 yars ago and seems it is no longer being sold. 

 

 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Hob Bright is good. Sold for electric hob elements so it does not burn off.

Plasticine sausage in the door gap and add a couple of mm, use soft rope, fit dry with sticky tape to check fit before gluing.

[magnetman]

As it is very similar to the Boatman stove I think a message to Northern Fabrications about it might be worthwhile. If it is the same product in a slightly different format they probably have the fire bricks and would know what size fire rope to use. 

 

 

 

http://boatmanstove.co.uk/

They do say parts available but seems to be cash and carry. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by magnetman
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