As it's cold out in the garden and garage I sort of put my hobby on hold for the winter, but now the new season begins and I can get back out to the boot fairs I can also get outside and carry on restoring the lamps I do have... I'm rather looking forward to it this year no longer being a complete novice!
Totally. I've just moved to a house with a brand new 8' x 10' shed in the garden too, so I was almost pleased when my Tilley FL6 developed a leaky tank. It's all stripped down and waiting for me to commence bungling.
Last year, I had a new summerhouse with empty beams just like that... Andrew, that's a handy bench shown there and I could do with something the same for mine - is it one you built or was it bought in. If the latter, where from please...
Aye - trouble is, you can't put as many as you would like in there because of the low roof and the need to be able to walk around the central area. I can get only two rows of lamps in mine i.e. along either side and a few at the back over where the bench will be - about 30 in total...
Yes - headroom is a challenge. I put the bench along one side beneath the row of windows (8 x 10), and shelves along the other 'blind' side leaving the centre sort of clear, that stops my head coming in contact with the roof. I lined mine too, large size bubble wrap (doubles as a vapour barrier) and hardboard. Time consuming but well worth it. All year round comfort with just a Valor 34 when needed - or the R1. PS: The floors in many are just half inch OSB, awful stuff to walk on, so overlaid mine with three quarter inch ply - much better. Old pre-pack coal sacks used as a vapour barrier and damp course twixt the two.
Mine was supplied with an MDF floor less then 13mm thick - maybe even 10mm. As you say, awful to walk on and I also couldn't see it surviving for long a mere 35mm above the paving stone base - such was the size of the bearers supplied. I replaced them with 80 x 45mm tanalised bearers, liberally coated with creosote all round and a 19mm exterior ply floor on top of them - then I put the 10mm MDF on top of that (but only to save taking it to the tip where it really belonged ). Proper job, now...
One I left behind down South: My escape shed. Scratch built. Ship-lap on 4" x 2"s. 11ft to the ridge, 4" insulation, solid fuel stove, not any lamps or stoves to be seen but they are there tucked away. We moved and left to the in-laws it's a tip now. Stoves all rusty, junk everywhere. Can't be helped - got to look forward. Good memories though.
Apologies for the delay in answering, I was on holiday. That handy-looking bench is an IKEA 'Norden' kitchen sideboard. We had it in the old house, but when the layout of the new kitchen rendered it redundant I snapped it up for the shed. It's sturdy enough but you could probably get a much better 'purpose built' for the £150 it cost.
Thanks Jeff, it is a shame, though the little black one nearest the chair is now in a narrow boat I once owned - 1936 vessel. Young chap bought the boat, and that range went with it. T'other may yet get salvaged. Just a problem where to store it! We fetched it back from France where it languished in an outhouse belonging to M-in-Law. Fully working too. Built in the 1930's.
Thanks, Andrew. I'm a bit laid up at the moment but when I get back on my feet I may well have a look around the local Swedish furniture warehouse. Cheers...
Hello Derek, that's good news about the small stove and traveling around on a narrow boat is something that I would like to try. Jeff.
Didn't someone (Gneiss?) post a pic of an FL6 on a narrowboat last year? In the Cambridge sort of area? It's on here somewhere, IIRC...
I've seen posts with FL6's on narrow boats on several occassions. Could have been here, but could also have been over at CCS. Probably on both sites... That lamp seems to have been a pretty common sight on these boats.
For a 'lampie' - yes, but during horse drawn days a wick lamp was the most widespread in use, usually a ships masthead light which were really only used in tunnels, hence the general name of Tunnel lights. From that the electric light took over with the motor boats built during the thirties. On the cut it's not the brilliance of the light that is needed as at 4mph there's no need for something very bright, just enough to light bridge-holes and bushes was enough. With any amount of Moonlight it was often better with no light at all, and the old boatmen used to curse the dazzling lights from the electrics. Bushells yard at New Mill circa 1910: This was a steam powered tug used on the Regent's Canal and the lower Grand Junction. PS, You are right Christer, there was an FL6, might have been 'electrocuted' though.
