Curtain Rods

We went to Etherow yesterday and whilst Velda sailed her Yellow launch Zephyr, I sailed my Micro magic yacht.

Click here

There was a good crowd there and we had a good chat, lunch at the cafe and took Pepe round the lake for a good walk.

A pair of Chinese Swan geese had laid 8 massive eggs on the top level of the club garden, whether they will hatch out is debatable as they didn't sit on them while we were there so might have gone too cold. We aren't short of wildfowl at Etherow Country Park are we though.

This is the male

This is a Chinese Swan Goose if you've seen them round the park and didn't know what they were.

When I got home I did a bit of work on the Narra Boat, I have made the roof rails out of brass and with the brass balls Bob has made for me at the ends will look quite striking, so I had the original 3mm wooden rod from the kit surplus so with some brass innards from electric cable blocks have made the curtain rails,  finally got to the title subject hey!.

Just got to make another 7 pairs now, and then Velda is going to make the curtains, as I told her no heavy material to throw about so will be easy !! (she will find out the truth eventually)

Crew Rebuilds Jeep In under 4 Minutes

How about this then ! taken in a town in Canada I believe.

Used to drive one of these when I was in the army in Germany in 1956, marvellous vehicles

They were replaced by the Austin Champ,a bit heavier but a Rolls Royce engine to push them along

More superstructure work

Over the past couple of days I've been putting together the superstructure, the four inserts were done using this method to get the right angles right on one side and then adding the other side whilst on the deck to ensure a good fit.

Getting angles right

Ends on

Then it was off to Debdale Park with Pepe for some fresh air and exercise, for him not me !.

Side view

Front end view

While it looks almost finished there is still a lot more to do on the interior !

After varnishing the interior I intend to add ornaments and pictures on the walls, but there again ideas overtaking the actions again.

Found this floor plan on a website for real narrow boats and thought it would be a good starting point

So did a rough plan on the floor of my boat, not every clear but it will become clearer as the interior build progresses

Watch this space.

On a lighter note did you hear of the bloke who went into a pet shop and asked for a parrot "it has to be a big red and green one, exactly like the one in Treasure Island " said the customer explaining that he was going to the  Arts Fancy Dress Ball as Long John Silver.

The proprietor said he could get such a parrot if he called back on Wednesday.

"Oh not Wednesday,That's the day I'm having my leg off"

He was so dumb he thought that Polyunsaturated was a parrot in a raincoat!

That's all folks

Soldering Station

If you are in the market for a Soldering Station, Maplins have an offer on at the moment !

50 watt soldering Station

50W Solder Station

Was £32.99

Save £18.00

only £14.99

On promotion until 19/04/2011

Order Code: N78AR

In Stock at Stockport Store !

Good offer hey, bought one of these a couple of years back and found them to be very good.

They have different tips as well as extra's

More veneer

Yesterday did a bit more veneering on the ends and inner struts for the superstructure 

Then whilst this was drying, took Pepe over to Debdale  park

Is he abandoning me !

Bigger than Daffs, just!

Then it was back to the Narra Boat !

Added the strips to the sides and if you are thinking that they don't look equal top and bottom,  they will when the roof goes on and adds that other 3mm above the windows.

Side strips added

Going to try and fit the roof on, so that its removable and you will be able to see the interior fixtures and fittings , we shall see if its doable, just getting the catches fitted so it will look right hey.

Off now to veneer the inside of roof panel, then decide whether to discard the wooden floor panel or to go to a plasticard one to build the furniture onto easier!.

Watched "Narrow Boat" on Quest in the afternoon and there was Alan Herd the presenter having a go at making the rear fender for his boat , will have to have a go at that, even though my mate Bob has bought me a
 "Bag of bumpers" from Ellesmere show.


Club Night to-night, is booked as an Air boat talk , but may be the film show cancelled last time through ill health.

The walls inside

Yesterday I veneered the inside of the cabin walls with mahogany veneer and everything went well, see below

Outside looking in, veneer glued in place.

From the inside looking out, if you get my drift.

 Much better to do this flat and then put together than trying to fiddle inside the cabin when its made up, I think?

Did a stupid trick yesterday , charging batteries ( "AA" ) to go to the lake to-day I put in four rechargeable and four old non rechargeable, and of course next time I looked the non rechargeable were leaking and the charger was well cooked in their positions, lucky I never leave chargers on when we go out or we could have had a fire!!

So its off to buy another charger to-day on the way to the lake, as I don't trust this one now, got a good offer on at Maplins at the moment, £10 off the price of a charger making it £19.99  Plus 8 "AA" and 4 "AAA" batteries can't be bad.

Narrow Boat side panels

Back in October I started cutting out the windows of the superstructure, which went well ! Then I lined the inside of the windows with plasticard and the next plan was to polyweld a piece of plasticard to the front and cut through, But it was a bad plan and as you can see the result was terrible with thickness of frames all over the place

Scrapped plan "A"

I was at a loss what to do at this point so did the usual thing and went to something else whilst I thought about the problem and then it came to me, no there was no flash of light or anything!!

So it was on to plan "B" which was cut off all the front mess and start from the inserts.

The next plan was to polyweld strips of  5mm to the inserts (as double inserts) 

5mm inserts added

Then I added 3mm strips to the outside of the 5mm strips!

until I'd got the thickness I wanted

Thickness required

So width of frame uniform all round and just need to rub down to required thickness now

And there you are the finished frames,right width and thickness, why didn't I think of Plan "B" first, I suppose we would all like to have hindsight, what a different world it would be then. 

Hope this idea is of some help out there.

On to the inside walls now, which I intend to veneer with some mahogany which my mate Bob gave me, should look the Bee's knee's, I've got most of the inside inside my head now if you know what I mean so should be pressing on a bit quicker now. Watch this space!.

One mother-in-law to another !  I've never made a fool of my son-in- law. I always allow him the opportunity to develop his natural capacities.

Wonderful woman my mother-in-law, 75 years old and never uses glasses. Drinks straight from the bottle

 

Ashton Park

Yesterday we had a visit to Ashton Park garden centre at the Snipe retail park, this if you can believe it is to get their type of chewy sticks for Pepe, seems he likes them from there best. this is for the dog that if he saw a rotten chicken bone in the street would pull your arm out of its socket! to get to it.

Whilst there saw this chicken run,

Surely things aren't that bad that we have to start raising chickens in the back garden again, last time I remember that was my dad had some in the back yard just after the war!, ( I was very young at the time!)

We also came across this nice little parrot there, walking about round the shop.

Charlie

No No its not a competition is see who has the biggest beak !

Did you hear about the chap who bought his mother an expensive parrot, and when he spoke to her a couple of days later he said "Hows the bird" and she said "Beautiful "

 " When I cooked it the meat fell right off the bone"

Gang plank

Researching on narrow boats I came across this blog

Click here

This chap had seen a nice gang plank on a refurbished boat and decided to make one himself.

I liked it as well so set about making one in Plasticard 

 Then the letters for our initials with Slater's Letters and Numeral's

Then finished off with some wood effect paint and highlighted sides,treads and initials with some gloss

Much easier than the real thing in 1.12 scale !.

Mooring weight

Back in November 2010 (was it that far back?) I had an idea for a mooring weight for Velda that she had seen previously, so it was on with the thinking cap and I had a fall of soot !

Click here

The outcome is this, a bit more decorative than a lump of lead.

As bought

A coat of Green

A touch of Yellow

Black highlights

Add some roses

canal art added

Top as well

Think " her indoors" will like it ??

Will come in for the Narra Boat if not!

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Fred always called a spade a spade until he fell over one.

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Two psychiatrists were in a restaurant. One said , "See that man over there, well, he claims to understand women" 

"Really,"  said his friend, "and he's a professional colleague?" 

"No, He's a patient"

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If your wife wants to learn to drive , don't stand in her way.

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The brewery Manager called round , hat in hand, to solemnly announce that her husband Fred, had suffered a tragic and fatal accident at work. he had fallen into a vat of beer and drowned.

"Oh dear , Did he suffer much?" asked the bereaved wife. 

"I don't think so," said the manager."He got out twice to go to the loo"

That's all folks !

Canal art

When going to the printers the other day, I spotted a florist shop and outside were some flower arrangements and in the arrangements were some little watering cans !,so it was into the shop and I talked the nice young lady into selling me two at £1.50 each.

 Then it was home to canalise them,(is that a proper word?) in other words it was to make them into watering cans for on my  narrow Boat, so green for the main colour and Red and yellow stripes they became this

Then a further bit of decoration with some transfers from the boat kit people I got this

Not bad for £3-00 , quite pleased with these and cheaper than Dolls house stuff

How can stuff like these watering cans be made for £1.50 each, they are metal and welded neatly , must be slave labour somewhere!. 

Gardening, Walking and Videoing

Yesterday went to the lake and whilst Velda put in some gardening and brightened up the garden with some more flowers, I chatted with the members sailing and generally got in the way.

 I then took Pepe for a short walk up the central path and took this video of the wildfowl , I know they are a pest to the sailors but they are what bring the general public to the park and I think we on the landing stage are just a bonus to watch.

        Music is "Arrived" by Bob Bradley.

Took a couple of stills on the landing stage too

Spring at Etherow ??

Hoping for a ride

   Boat is Colin Harrisons nice fishing boat

Pepe's offside rear still looks like something from KFC doesn't it.