Something different as its quiet.

[Paul Sheridan]

May be of interest to some of you, seeing as its very quiet on here.

Just been putting things in the loft for Christmas and came across some of my prized treasure from my wreck diving escapades.   From the Kronprinz Wilhelm, one of the German Battleships that were scuttled in Scapa Flow.

When I first got it off one of the boiler room bulk heads, the gauge was complete with the glass and needles, but some how during the way back out of the hull they were lost....... shame.

  

[James Doulton]

They look to be in good nick despite being at the bottom of the ocean for nearly a century.

[Paul Sheridan]

Took a lot of work to remove the crud.....

[Steve Kerswell]

good bit of history Paul. I had to spend 6 months of my apprenticeship repairing and recalibrating gauges, you spent so long in each department of the Coppersmith shop. Awful, fiddly job. Still got the tools to "tweek" the bellow spring inside. Budenburg manometer, good make too, little turned wooden handles on the cocks. Excellent, thanks for sharing, took me back 45 years or so. 

[Paul Sheridan]

I will take a picture of the inside of the gauge for you Steve. I was astounded how it cleaned up, even the little springs on the actuators (or what ever they are called) still work!  

[Steve Kerswell]

my city and guilds final test piece, all beaten from flat sheet and soft solder joins, 3 weeks work @ 40hours a week. (I passed) I no longer have this?? it was a half size replica of a mark5 Royal Navy helmet. Funny how you remember these things, but cannot remember where the helmet went.

[Paul Sheridan]

Thats lovely!!!    Skills that are no longer taught, such a shame.  

[Steve Kerswell]

I dont think I could do it now ! Talking of diving have you been on the Scylla? There was much hype about it when they put it there, all quiet now.

[Paul Sheridan]

Now Now Mr Heaseman, you know I didn't do warn Nancy Diving!!!!    Best visibility (which was crucial) was during the winter in Scapa with a water temp of about 4°  

[Paul Sheridan]

No not done that Steve, was never into pretty diving, anyway that was laid down way after I hung my fins up, and was stripped of everything before they sunk it ;-)))))

[Steve Kerswell]

Had a Nuclear Sub smoking, that caused a bit of stuff hitting a very large fan :-)

[Paul Sheridan]

Trying to get the light in there so you can see the hair springs, how they didn't disintegrate is astounding, given that it went down in 1919.

[Steve Kerswell]

Great Paul, I wont bore you all at how we used to make them little tubes inside. Or how to calibrate them. Probably Naval bronze Paul, hard as an whores heart. Think I'm off to explain the workings to the wife, should keep her interested :-))