The case of the missing water!

Another bike ride taking in the local canal where the case of the missing water has perplexed me and loyal blog reader Mrs. B! It was still much the same as my previous picture but in this picture there is a clue in the bottom right hand corner about what is going on. 

Given the opportunity to ask someone who looked as though they knew what was going on I discovered that a lock further up the canal has been leaking into the adjacent field. To carry out repairs the local canal group needed to reduce the water levels in the lock so used 'Stopping Boards'. This in effect reduced the level down stream of that lock hence the reduced levels. However, just like one of my projects, reducing the level upstream revealed issues around the bridge that I take my photos from. Using the opportunity of reduced levels the group are now in the throws of carrying out repairs.

Looks just like a Rocks By Rail Museum project!

With that mystery now explained and work ongoing it should not be too long before water levels return to their natural state.

Back ay WMD HQ, the watery mess on the Tiger 1 tank has now dried (another case of missing water?) and, in my view anyway, is looking good!

The 'mud' has atken on a variety of hues from the paint and weathering powders.

That 'filter'coat of dilute brown paint has toned things down. 

I just need to add those hatches, a radio aerial and some more weathering and rust and it should be good to go!

Getting dirty!

No smut here, just the Tiger 1 tank getting some more dirt added! In this case the dirt was the acrylic mud applied to the edges of the tank where mud would be thrown up by the tracks.

Whilst the 'mud' was still wet I tinted it with some paint and weathering powders.

It looks horrible at the moment but it will dry to a better finish - I hope!

I then gave the whole tank a wash of dilute brown paint to act as a filter to dull down the bright paint.

Will all this work? I will find out tomorrow when its dried and got dirty!

The gas man cometh!

 Ok Woody, so what does a Flanders and Swann song have to do with your day at the Rocks by Rail Museum? Well the link is tentative but the gas man did cometh to the Museum today! He actually brought fresh supplies of oxygen and acetylene in preparation for the re-tubing of steam loco 1391 

Once on the trolley the bottles were safely transported to the restoration shed near to where.....

Alex continues his great work in painting Ketton No1 and clearing the remaining caked on cement from its days at the Ketton Cement Works.

And it certainly is not the easiest paint jobs under the bonnet with all that engine in the way but he is doing a fantastic job!

Further down the shed Trevor and John were in deep conversation about the ideal consistency of the paint to be applied to part of Mr. D. What part, I have no idea!

But th epaint looks good as Trevor expertly applies it. Apparently, he denies any such abilities at home!

Having got out of the shed I found Richard, Riley the dog and Gary busy dismantling 1391 ready for that oxy-acetylene gear to cut out the tubes.

Gary must have drawn the short straw as he was inside the smoke box - not a nice place to be!

I think a shower is on the books when he gets home!

It was then off grass cutting for me and saw Martin making progress with the repaint of the drag line excavator.

Meanwhile Pam is celebrating finishing painting the back and one side of the Sundew cab which is looking really good.

Having finished one side meant that several of us had to move the so called lightweight staging around to the other side. It would be light if it were not for the thick rain sodden plywood base on top!

You would think Alex had better things to do like paint the underside of Ketton No1's bonnet or maybe await the gas man cometh!

Brook to stream but not canal!

As I contemplated whether I should take up boating instead of cycling given the amount of rain in recent days it surprisingly stopped! So out on the bike and as I was passing and questions have been asked in the comments to this blog, I took in the delights of the canal. A few days ago I noted that it had all but dried up and was almost like a small brook during a drought. Today it had advanced to slight stream status but certainly given the amount of rain I was expecting something more watery and river like at least! 

Strangely, turning 180 degrees the water behind the lock was almost brimming the canal sides with water cascading out of the closed lock gates at a faster speed then Mrs. Woody can order an internet shop! I'll be in trouble for that!

That would make an interesting shower!

I still have no idea why one side of the lock is full whilst the other side looks drought like.

Back in the Man Cave the Tiger build is almost at a point of being finished. The tools and cables are fitted and the whole model has been airbrushed with a coat of matt varnish. It certainly looks like a Tiger now which is more than can be said for the ones in that fantastic film Kelly's Hero's. Despite being made in the late 1960's less than 15 years after the end of World War 2, there were no working Tiger tanks left by then apart from a handful of static ones and the running one that is now at the Bovington Tank Museum in the UK. The film makers had Russian T34 tanks converted to look like Tiger tanks! More fascinating facts on the background to this film are on Wikipedia - click here.

 

Time consuming!

As with most projects it is the small things that take the most time as I tell Mrs. Woody! She never believes me but the tools and tow ropes for the Tiger 1 build are a case in point. Not much to them but they have taken as much time to paint and prepare as the painting of the hull and turret did!

Having got them in primer they all received a bit more of a detail paint in relevant colours.  

It was then a case of weathering them down with a dry brushing of Dark Iron paint on the bare steel parts. You can see the diiference between the weathered tow rope on the left and the un-weathered on the right.

With all the parts done they do look more subdued - just like me!

Then it was a case of adding some weathering powder in the form of this gun metal powder which brought back just enough sheen to make it look realistic.

Once added to the tank they will get some more weathering along with the tank - all very time consuming!