Friday 3 February 2012

Ow exhaustin! - part 27

Before we proceed wiv dis week's blogpost I fort I tell you now .. I love mud .. there job done!
So as you will remember from last time, we have the anchor in place, the chain in place. Dad bin doing a lot of work to ensure the engine is ready for firin up an the generators are good as we edge closer and closer to our journey to our new moorin. Course, one fing wot be vital for the engine to run properly dus be the exhaust.

Guess what? This don't work like a car exhaust as you probaly worked out ;). We had build a new exhaust because we had taken the old one out when we were building the galley area (which was the upper engine room). Dad had ordered a lot of large round steel pipe that he would weld togeva to go from the bottom of the boat right to the top! Here's the pipe goin frew da galley (well ... what will be the galley). This will all be insulated and boxed in when we startin the fittin out.

Here's one of dad's most trusty tools - his mig welder! What's a Mig welder? Well is a weldin machine wot welds Mig of course pftttt ;). No but seriously tho but ...... there be free (as in da number) main types of weldin . Mig, tig and Stick.
Tig welding dus be for light steel an fings like stainless alloys, aluminum, titanium an copper. We dussnt do much of dat yet but we will when we doin the handrails.
Mig welding is for big steel and uses a reel of weld . prefect for fabricatin fings.

Stick is great for small welds, outside weldin, hard to reach places and for when you dus need to be portable
Dad has run the weld around the pipe at the bottom as you can see in this photo. That so he can put supports in to stop it moving about an of course join the pipes togeva coz it ain't one long pipe you know.
Dad had already cut the holes before we put the pipe in place an they were all correctly lined up (mum was involved but not doin any measurin ;). Look at that seam weld!

I was called in to quality check. Err .. yes yes that all looks fine dad, please continue! Blimey I was quite slim back then!
Here is the pipe at the next level (wheelhouse). That is the back wall of the new wheelhouse there with the pipe goin frew to the roof. The back wall isn't welded in place yet as you can see. That will come later, along wiv a door.
Here's the pipe comin frew to the roof.
Here's the little two smoke stacks on top wiv their lids wot lift and drop when the engine goin so we don't get smoked out!
A view of our glamorous mooring! Annuva step closer to being ready to move to the new mooring! Yay! 
Oh, ere's me avin a bit of fun in da river too.


See you next time .. for more on Operation New Mooring. Bye