Shepherds Hut

Shepherds Hut

Thanks to everyone for looking at and sharing my blog posts to date. After a busy year of work (not to mention some unprecedented global upheaval) someone has spotted my activities and engaged me in a new kind of project... 

I am constructing a shepherds Hut.

 It seems that the temptation to hide from the options of soft or hard boiled Brexit as waves of eggy Trumps roll in across the Atlantic, has made the alternative of sitting in a pre industrial shelter in the middle of a field  an attractive enough proposition to provide me with my latest endeavour in work!

The design is carefully and precisely worked out on the back of a napkin. Always the professional I mopped up the spilled beer and pork scratching crumbs from the table to ensure the highest level of precision.

 

Local metal sculptor Julian Childs has provided me with a very high quality steel chassis on traditional cast iron wheels.

Beautiful attention to detail includes scrolled beams and seperate fixings for floor bearers to avoid drilling into the chassis itself.  

 I dismantled  the chassis upon delivery to paint it and thoroughly grease all the friction surfaces

Painting the underside of the floor for longevity before turning over the sheets.

Cavity insulation under the floor will ensure toasty toes when sat in peaceful refuge from the bizarre developments in the world outside!

Unfortunately too cold for the leotard, my beautiful assistant casually models these solid oak double glazed windows. Thanks to lovely Gaynor in Much Wenlock for offering these on Gumtree... I think they will look good in their new home.

 In creating the solid but light superstructure I stick to screws rather than nails, and reacquaint myself with my old ally... Thixotropic PU woodglue. Cant escape those boatbuilding habits I'm afraid... Then again I'm aiming for quality and longevity rather than the bog standard "shed on wheels!"

More insulation and the hut begins to take shape.

  

The first milestone is achieved with covering the entire structure in a breathable waterproof membrane, and the fixing of the traditional "wriggly tin" roof.

Look out for the next post in the new year... progress to include the huts' fancy lining, woodburner, and twiddly bits!

Please like and share as lets face it... even my wittering has got to be better than reading the news!X

 

NB "Kelsarusue"

Kelsarusue

So begins another post about boat painting...

 Please feel free to browse the extensive archive on my blog which outline my method and working practises.. 

Kelsarusue is the pride and joy of an experienced boating couple from the black country, and my most recent endeavour. Superficially in reasonable condition, bitter experience meant that what I uncovered during preparation was no surprise!

Removal of all the windows and cabin fixtures revealed this lot:

 

"Rust Rust Glorious Rust, Sand it or Scrape it Remove it you Must!"

A week of solid graft usually sees the back of this demanding but necessary part of the job.
 Between sanding, grinding, scraping, shouting and clawing at the surface with fingernails the stuff comes off..

 Trust and honesty are essential between client and customer in any job, but particularly in the cottage industry of narrowboat painting. The Mrs found a consumer website the other day which appeared to diagnose me as a "Cowboy Painter" on the basis that I required a deposit before starting work, wore trainers, and did not have headed note paper!
To say that I was rather pleased is an understatement, as I've always loved westerns... All I need is a holster for my paintbrush!

Whilst applying the first of six coats of paint (for those that followed the link I made sure to hide the tins of cheap paint I'd poured into the empty expensive tins the night before)...  I just had to get rid of those bloody spurs 'cos they just kept making this damned distracting jangling noise.

Getting the coachlines straight is pretty crucial otherwise my scam will be blown and the Sherrif will run me out of town..
 


  

 Coat number three and the dock is providing adequate protection from the tumble weeds careering down the dirt road outside.

Three coats of gloss later and the undercoated coachlines unmask perfectly, I'll have to keep my head down... don't want to get a bad reputation with any of the other outlaws in this territory!

 Gasping to hit the saloon I resist, and steal myself with a steady hand to mask out the coachlines again top and bottom before chucking on two coats of cheap gloss with an old brush that used to belong to a fella I shot once.

The Sign Writing talents of the notorious outlaw Trevor Counsell lend a stunning finishing touch to this act of total deception, notice i have taken care not to show his face as he's been on the run for over sixty years and is wanted DEAD OR ALIVE!
 

Pride in the Boat restored its time to mosey on out of town. 

Thanks to Kelvin and Sue for being fantastic customers.

To all those thinking of embarking on a boat revamp beware, the cook at the saloon swears by the old addage "cheap goods no good, good goods no cheap".  In the unregulated wild west of the narrowboat world you pay your money and take your choice. Whether you get John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart to do your job for you you can only be really certain of one thing...
They are a bloody Cowboy!

 

Boat Blacking

Boat Blacking

Time to engage in the thankless labour of love that is "Blacking the Bottom" on our own boat Barden!

Earlier in the year we had the boat hauled out at Stafford Boat Clubs super slipway for a week. The actual state of the bottom is always a mystery and the subject of much conjecture until the hidden part of the hull finally emerges from the murky depths!

Thankfully we had nothing to worry about in terms of corrosion which can happen... even on boats that are only 4 years old!

Unlike normal boat jobs I was being managed by the Mrs on this one... and meeting her exacting standards is tough I can tell you!

Not content with the generally accepted approach of pressure washing the hull and chucking some bitumen on then going to the pub, my itinerary comprised the following:

1. Pressure wash the hull

2. Scrape the hull by hand to remove remaining algae

3. Wire brush the whole lot with 2 grades of wire brush attached to big angle grinders (a day of this results in feeling what I imagine it must be like to have been trampled by a herd of cows!)

4. Cut off part worn anodes, re-weld on at intervals in middle of boat

5. Fork out for and weld on NEW anodes bow and stern

6.Prepare and paint counter bands and gunwhales.

7. Three coats of Intertuf whacked on with a 4" brush!

 

 

As is customary when blacking, a bit of a helping hand from family or mates was called upon.... in our case Brother in law Neil popped down to both muck in, and mediate!

 

 With good humour and high morale the job was SLAIN! A real labour of love it is though... Its a tough job to do properly, not to mention being lucky with the weather! 

The sense of satisfaction is immense once the boat is back in, not to mention the way the boat slips swiftly through the water on the return trip with a nice slick clean bottom!!!

Fantastic!!

NB "Hurley"

Hurley

Painting time is upon me again and in a major way! Hurley is a 52 foot GT boat that has not received serious attention for some time. 

 Rough isn't the word.. everything that shouldn't leak does, rust abounds, and I cant help but be aware of some strange goings on as I listen to the news whilst prising windows out!

The dreaded European Referendum is the talk of Stafford Boat Club... as in the rest of the Country. Cosily situated in the heart of the midlands it is very apparent that as a committed "Remainer" I am in the minority in my political views!

Trying desperately to concentrate on the job in hand I scrape, grind and sand away. 

Perspective is crucial when attempting a job of this scale, and I'm reminded of my recent trip to London.

There's no better way to get a feel for a place than from the saddle of a bicycle, so recently I took up the invitation of blustering Boris Johnson (remember him!) to tour the grandeur of the Capital on one of his famous velocipedes.

It was a sturdy machine; both reliable, practical, and reasonable value to rent for the day..... In fact the complete opposite of Bozza himself as the events of the next few days were to demonstrate.

Hacking through the smog of the metrollopis is thirsty work i can tell you! The palace of Westminster has cheap booze, but no apparent means of entry for a humble self employed narrowboat restorer from the midlands to grab a pint, and discuss my concerns with the powers that be!

I could just about see a few of them from this bench where i indulged in a can of gin and tonic and smoked mackerel out of the packet (three cans for a fiver from the Tesco on Kensington high street.... cheaper than the one on Aigburth road in Liverpool!)

All perspectived up in terms of the inequality of the price of gin between the countries richest and poorest neighbourhoods.. I return to the west midlands, cast my vote to remain in the albeit imperfect, but most progressive humaitarian and idealistic alliance between developed nations in the world, and start work.

 I approach the job with the qualities that seem to be being advocated by the political class; diligence, persistence, fairness and comradeship.

The trusty captain of the black pearl arrives to graft hard for his money. We rub the boat down in eight days whilst differing in our political views...

The campaigning from our parlimentary representatives unfortunately sinks to much lower depths and i wonder who should be paying attention to whom!

Cracking the paint open often induces hallucinations and delerium... but the day after the vote to leave the EU was announced the apparitions before me seem to be much worse than usual... Is it all just a bad dream?

 Strange things start to happen... The boat clubs welder in residence decides to emigrate and beat the rush (I kid you not!). 

The boat begins to take shape and visitors to the dock (always welcome) come to have a nose. 

One comments that my name dosen't sound very English now they come to think of it, but where might i go home to?

The Jungmayr name came to England with my grandfather after the second world war. 

The Irony of the situation is that you cant really do anything more perculiarly British than to paint a Narrowboat with a Brush. In a radius of less than 100 miles from the boat dock this is the only place in the world where this unique process happens.

"Hurley" is only being painted in this way because of my inherited immigrant work ethic and price structure.

luckily the work speaks for itself and I'm allowed to get away with it even if I am half German!

As the Shakespearean tragedy of our post Brexit calamity begins to intensify, another realisation drops on me like The Govesters' future in politics dropping from the top of the Shard.......

The Lady customers vibrant colour scheme of two tone purple with a striking lime green coach line is beginning to make the boat resemble the UKIP battle bus!

Even though I Begged with her in my solvent induced delerium to rename the boat "Nigel Th'Barge" in order to preserve my sanity, she refused. "Hurley" it is....(no hurling jokes please)

 

 The boat has been transformed for the better (unlike the country). The colour scheme is bold and individual, yet feminine... and you will always be able to find the boat when you come home from the pub!

If this blog has interested/amused/entertained you then please feel free to share.

The prices have not changed depending on who voted how.... so any of my customers who are booked in (now till the end of 2018) need not panic... although i may not be able to keep my opinions to myself i'm afraid!

cheers Kris x