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Stiff lock gates and paddles


Geoff_777

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9 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

Probably it was a gallon in those days :D

 

It came in pints ,quarts, & gallons +5 &10gallon drums & 25& 40 g allon   barrel IIRC it was 1/6£ sd in 67/8 per pimt fo Q 20/50 super shade of green when unused Paul Wallace B&M was on a proposed Duckams run from E port to Aldridge when his loaded boat "Yeoford"rolled over the tank design left the CofG to high tanks were redesigned but the traffic never got properly going Duckhams were the first company to introduce ring pull disposable cans in the UK at that time most oils came in refillable bottles stored in crates similar to milk

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I think metric sizes for a lot of goods were introduced around the early 1970s. The way I vaguely remember it, both Wilson and Heath were in favour of it.

By the time I briefly worked on garage forecourts in the autumn of 1976, I'm sure oil was all in metric size cans; most of what we sold was the small size, 500ml was it?

I remember BP brought out VF7 oil at that time and we were told to push sales of it, but your average South London motorist was rather suspicious of it and it didn't sell well. Something about it being a bit thinner than other oils, so only suitable for certain engines?

 

Maybe because a lot of my boating is on the busier canals such as the GU and Oxford, paddles I come across seem to more often suffer from too much grease rather than too little. As Alan Fincher said, there's a lot of variation in how stiff gates and paddles are, and it certainly helps to have someone strong on a crew to deal with the awkward ones. Earlier this year when I was recovering from an operation I had to dodge the heavier work for a while, and came to appreciate this more.

 

 

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4 hours ago, Peter X said:

I think metric sizes for a lot of goods were introduced around the early 1970s. The way I vaguely remember it, both Wilson and Heath were in favour of it.

By the time I briefly worked on garage forecourts in the autumn of 1976, I'm sure oil was all in metric size cans; most of what we sold was the small size, 500ml was it?

I remember BP brought out VF7 oil at that time and we were told to push sales of it, but your average South London motorist was rather suspicious of it and it didn't sell well. Something about it being a bit thinner than other oils, so only suitable for certain engines?

 

Maybe because a lot of my boating is on the busier canals such as the GU and Oxford, paddles I come across seem to more often suffer from too much grease rather than too little. As Alan Fincher said, there's a lot of variation in how stiff gates and paddles are, and it certainly helps to have someone strong on a crew to deal with the awkward ones. Earlier this year when I was recovering from an operation I had to dodge the heavier work for a while, and came to appreciate this more.

 

 

I thought BP's top of the line offering around that time  was Viscostatic. & their std  stuff Energol IIRC the metric came in some 6months after the money changed around the pint beer glasses had the etched line around them some 1/2inch from the top to conform with the 500ML in the local pub the regulars still had them filled to the top & paid a few pence extra

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On 10/11/2018 at 21:38, Slim said:

So have I. And a half used can of Duckhams 20/50. It used to cost £1.99 for 5 litres (or maybe 1 gallon)

I remember those days :) it was a gallon. I should have saved the empties to sell on Ebay today as vintage.

I don't know how they have the cheek to call this "Classic", its the wrong livery.

https://www.duckhams.com/product/20w-50-engine-oil/

 

Edited by LadyG
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On 09/11/2018 at 22:10, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Castrol GTX would be fine.

 

And the evocative smell would be wonderful!

The smell of Castrol R when a Norton or Triumph goes past,is ,I think the most evocative smell. How many of you remember it.?

I still have a tin of it in the garage. 

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30 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I remember those days :) it was a gallon. I should have saved the empties to sell on Ebay today as vintage.

I don't know how they have the cheek to call this "Classic", its the wrong livery.

https://www.duckhams.com/product/20w-50-engine-oil/

 

Just changed my oil,and used Halford's Classic 20/50. It's a lovely green colour [the same as Duckhams 20/50] and I am wondering if it is the same stuff.

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On ‎11‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 17:19, X Alan W said:

I thought BP's top of the line offering around that time  was Viscostatic. & their std  stuff Energol IIRC the metric came in some 6months after the money changed around the pint beer glasses had the etched line around them some 1/2inch from the top to conform with the 500ML in the local pub the regulars still had them filled to the top & paid a few pence extra

At some point in time (can't remember when) it was VF7 that was THE oil to use (not counting Castrol R). It was slightly thinner and gave much improved fuel economy, or so they claimed :angry:. Compared with the oil that goes in my present car, 0/20, it was treacle .Mind you, it didn't cost £100 + for 5.5 litres    

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On 10/11/2018 at 05:19, magpie patrick said:

From memory there is only one paddle at each end now, so no need to cross the gate. I did, to take a photograph, but came back over the bridge as I hadn't enjoyed crossing a gate with no footboard or hand rail. The bridge is not intended for canal use, but climbing the fence to get at it was the lesser of two evils 

The offside paddle has I believe been converted to a sluice that runs water through the lock at a steady and fixed rate, to keep the long pound to Somerton deep topped up. I have a photo somewhere, will try to find it. (2013, here it is).DSCF2816.JPG.e14281ecc40cb13e0669c7c2c0dcefed.JPG

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On 13/11/2018 at 20:08, Mad Harold said:

The smell of Castrol R when a Norton or Triumph goes past,is ,I think the most evocative smell. How many of you remember it.?

I still have a tin of it in the garage. 

My most vivid memory of Nortons was the clattering I heard as Mr Plod came alongside me to pull me over. “I saw what happened there, but the E-Type saw me and you didn’t, so I’m nicking you!”

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On 13/11/2018 at 21:08, Mad Harold said:

The smell of Castrol R when a Norton or Triumph goes past,is ,I think the most evocative smell. How many of you remember it.?

I still have a tin of it in the garage. 

Castrol & other "R "oils are pure or are ester enhanced castor bean oil not mineral or synthetic ;sheer strength & lube properties are second to none but it is highly hydroscopic the amount of water it can absorb is mind blowing so it's not good for long term use it needs draining within a couple of days of being left standing it also rots Magnesium as owners of Manx Norton 's& other race bikes have found to their cost it was the best lube for users of methanol fuel as it stuck in the places required better/longer & as said smelled good although being close to exhaust fumes in a enclosed area (speedway pits) with meth /R combi made your eyes water

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On 13/11/2018 at 20:08, Mad Harold said:

The smell of Castrol R when a Norton or Triumph goes past,is ,I think the most evocative smell. How many of you remember it.?

I still have a tin of it in the garage. 

Hmm, wasn't it the 2 strokes that smelled so wonderfully? Why would a well fettled Norton or Triumph 4 stroke be burning its oil?

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42 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Hmm, wasn't it the 2 strokes that smelled so wonderfully? Why would a well fettled Norton or Triumph 4 stroke be burning its oil?

If they weren’t burning oil in the chambers they were burning it off the outside from one of the numerous leaks. 

 

After years of meticulously machining surfaces flat and using paper gaskets that still leaked the British motorcycle industry were amazed at how the Japanese bikes were all so oil-tight. When they dismantled them they discovered the simple expedient of multiple O rings...

 

 

Edited by WotEver
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1 minute ago, WotEver said:

If they weren’t burning oil in the chambers they were burning it off the outside from one of the numerous leaks. 

This may have applied to many/most road bikes, I'll grant ye,  but the racing engines were more accurately machined, more meticulously assembled and regularly rebuilt.  

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31 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

This may have applied to many/most road bikes, I'll grant ye,  but the racing engines were more accurately machined, more meticulously assembled and regularly rebuilt.  

Most of the old british bikes and cars were well known for marking their territory

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