The Night Mail

[Dave Hunt]

A nice day here in rural Hipposhire so I’m just off for a walk - only about half a mile this morning as I‘m feeling a bit sore after doing over a mile yesterday but I’ll do another short one this afternoon. I’ve also got a Zoom meeting with some friends later and I’ll be baking a cake for a friend’s upcoming birthday. So, best get on with it after I’ve finished this muggacoffee.

 

TTFN

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

49 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I believe that in these cases the secret is laying the timber frame on a solid stone or concrete foundation so the timbers are kept clear of the ground (earth).

 

Some will be aware of the LMS's use of old covered goods wagon or parcels van bodies to provide additional warehousing at goods stations. Just yesterday whilst looking for something else in the Midland Railway Study Centre's online catalogue I came across a drawing for the concrete foundation structure for such bodies.

 

Equally, examination of any medieval or Tudor timber-framed building will show that they are built on a foundation wall of stone or sometimes brick - effectively a damp course. There are a surprising number of such buildings surviving in smaller towns, often disguised behind an 18th or 19th century stone or brick frontage.

 

Do not take Midland signalboxes as your model for building a timber-framed structure - they weren't designed to last. In fact I have the impression that along with much else on the Midland they were designed for renewal after about a quarter-century. The only reason so many do survive is that the renewal fund ran dry in LMS days.

[SM42]

In the interests of balance after the vacuum cleaner attachments faux pas the other day, I have just opened the fridge to put them away again.

 

Perhaps they are like semi conductors; work better cold. 

 

Andy

Slowly losing it it appears.

[Tony_S]

7 minutes ago, SM42 said:

In the interests of balance after the vacuum cleaner attachments faux pas the other day, I have just opened the fridge to put them away again.

 

Perhaps they are like semi conductors; work better cold. 

 

Andy

Slowly losing it it appears.

Do you have a kitchen with integrated appliance that look like cupboards?
Years ago we were looking for a new washing machine. We were told the machine was available as a version for integrating behind some door or decor panel. Aditi actually said that if she were paying that much, she wanted to see it. 

[jamie92208]

4 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

Good heavens Jamie that sounds like very hard work and I'm just reading it. I hope you had some assistance. You definitely deserved your 'treat' at the end.

 

Thanks, yes it was quite heavy work. Fortunately a friend was doi g much of it but my shoulders and knees are complaining today. 

 

3 hours ago, TheQ said:

Strangely walking to the MRC AGM a couple of nights ago, I saw someone's front porch was being held up by pied de poteaux, this is as built comparatively recently. However I don't think it is much good, the cup holding the foot of the beam above , had signs of water and soggyness into the wood..

Like this but with an adjustable threaded support rod. Nice water trap..

The ones I've used are like the ones in the lower photo.  I think that damp is the main problem.  They were set on concrete but the patio had been tiled with the tiles surrounding the bases so water has obviously run into the bottom inch. On the worst one the steel spigot had expanded and split the timber as it rusted.  I'll take a couple of photos. 

 

Jamie

[SM42]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

Do you have a kitchen with integrated appliance that look like cupboards?
Years ago we were looking for a new washing machine. We were told the machine was available as a version for integrating behind some door or decor panel. Aditi actually said that if she were paying that much, she wanted to see it. 

 

No. Its separate.

 

I do object to paying extra for a built-in  appliances especially as you don't even get the outer casing. 

 

Andy

[Dave Hunt]

Personally I think that if it is desired to hide appliances there must be something wrong with the appliances. When we were rebuilding our kitchen the salesperson made great efforts to persuade us to include new, built in appliances. I told her that as we already had extremely good, reputable brand appliances we would stick with them. She then tried the 'ah but it will look classier if they are built in' approach, to which I replied that we wanted a new kitchen, not a 12 inches to the foot scale doll's house. At that stage she gave in (and obviously accepted that her commission would be lower).

 

Dave

[Oldddudders]

I regard disguised white-goods in a kitchen to be analogous to putting the lid down on the loo. Pointless. 

[Dave Hunt]

A friend of ours is fanatical about closing the loo lid before flushing as she claims that otherwise there are zillions of widdle and/or poo particles ejected into the atmosphere.

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

24 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

A friend of ours is fanatical about closing the loo lid before flushing as she claims that otherwise there are zillions of widdle and/or poo particles ejected into the atmosphere.

 

She (or perhaps any males in her life) achieves 100% accuracy, then?

Edited April 18 by Compound2632
100% accuracy, not 100$ accuracy.

[Hroth]

42 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

A friend of ours is fanatical about closing the loo lid before flushing as she claims that otherwise there are zillions of widdle and/or poo particles ejected into the atmosphere.

 

Dave

 

Unless you have a really good seal between lid and seat (and seat and rim), it all gets ejected through the gaps instead!

 

 

[Compound2632]

14 minutes ago, Hroth said:

Unless you have a really good seal between lid and seat (and seat and rim), it all gets ejected through the gaps instead!

 

Perhaps what's needed is the vacuum loo, ensuring a good seal between derriere and porcelain.

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

A friend of ours is fanatical about closing the loo lid before flushing as she claims that otherwise there are zillions of widdle and/or poo particles ejected into the atmosphere.

 

Dave

 

19 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Unless you have a really good seal between lid and seat (and seat and rim), it all gets ejected through the gaps instead!

 

 

Depends upon who you read: https://www.bathroomcity.co.uk/blog/close-toilet-lid-before-flushing or https://microbiologysociety.org/news/society-news/does-putting-the-lid-down-when-flushing-the-toilet-really-make-a-difference.html.

 

Within a household, it really doesn't make a difference - chances are that you will already have been infected with the same microbes as your partner/other family member(s). Given that every person's immune system is different. all parties within a household can be infected and be fully symptomatic, asymptomatic or someplace in between - all together.

 

Whilst hygiene (and - in the appropriate situations - asepsis) is always important, often vital and sometimes critical, ultimately it comes down to how good your immune system is....

 

 

Edited April 18 by iL Dottore

[Winslow Boy]

5 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think that most problems with timber rotting out is down to three factors.

 

The first is using unsuitable timbers for the task in hand.

 

The second is poor design of what is being made. Or poor design of a supporting device, as shewn by The Q's examples above.

 

Finally we have fresh water.

 

Strangely, you never see a healthy tree, that is soggy and rotten!

 

Yet put a timber post into the ground, and watch it rot.

 

The tree sucks up full of water and yet it survives, the only rot you'll find is where the water supply up to a branch has failed:  The effected limb then dries out and rots!

 

A timber post has already been dried out, either over a few years or in a kiln.  when it goes into the ground, it starts to suck up water once more, expands, which destroys its structural integrity.  It then has no option but to rot as the water it has absorbed has no where to go without branches , leaves and a root system.

 

A wooden boat that is put into seawater can have a long life, but put that same boat into freshwater and there it will start to decay very quickly.  Just look at timber groynes on beaches to see how well they last.  Their rounding off and eventual collapse is down to the erosive action of the sea and the particles of sand the seawater carries.

 

Visit the Welsh Museum of Rural Life at St Fagans (other similar sites are available,) and see centuries old timber framed buildings, still structurally sound.

 

I believe that in these cases the secret is laying the timber frame on a solid stone or concrete foundation so the timbers are kept clear of the ground (earth).

 

The arch I have built rests on a brick wall, the 4 x 4 uprights are not in contact with the ground.  The top of the uprights have caps fitted, so that the end grain is not exposed.

 

If you have no option, but to have open end grain facing the sky, then cut it with a 45 degree taper to allow any water to run off.

 

Ideally it also ought to be sealed as well to extend it's life.

 

To counter these effects we can also use preservatives:  some more effective than others.

 

But that is a wholly different subject.

 

 

 

 

So my dear Hippo what type of preservatives do you prefer? I like damson and blackcurrant but at a push I'll settle for strawberry. 

 

I never really saw you as a preservative fancier, more a saville marmalade Hippo, but you live and learn.

[PhilJ W]

The only wooden posts in my garden are either side of the gate. They are attached to brick walls either side with the bottoms about quarter of an inch above the ground. The tops are covered with zinc flashing (off cuts scrounged when a neighbour had a new roof). 

[PhilJ W]

13 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

 

Depends upon who you read: https://www.bathroomcity.co.uk/blog/close-toilet-lid-before-flushing or https://microbiologysociety.org/news/society-news/does-putting-the-lid-down-when-flushing-the-toilet-really-make-a-difference.html.

 

Within a household, it really doesn't make a difference - chances are that you will already have been infected with the same microbes as your partner/other family member(s). Given that every person's immune system is different. all parties within a household can be infected and be fully symptomatic, asymptomatic or someplace in between - all together.

 

Whilst hygiene (and - in the appropriate situations - asepsis) is always important, often vital and sometimes critical, ultimately it comes down to how good your immune system is....

I keep toothbrushes etc. in a cabinet well away from the toilet so particles are not a problem. Best idea is to have the loo in its own room with just a small washbasin for washing hands.

[TheQ]

When I built the model Railway shed,  I built a  a foundation of breeze blocks all the way round, then a damp proof course, then a ring of heavy timbers onto which i built the shed. The outer walls of the shed overhang but don't touch the top of the breeze blocks so there is no chance of rain collecting on the top of the breeze blocks or DPC.

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Perhaps what's needed is the vacuum loo, ensuring a good seal between derriere and porcelain.

 

Which, when venting into the open air, informs the neighbours that you had a very bad curry the previous evening...

 

 

[AndyID]

A lot of the boat docks on the lake are supported on float logs. According to the dock builders the logs can last for a very long time as long as they are always immersed in water. The ones that rot fairly quickly are exposed to the air when the lake level is lowered to accommodate the Spring runoff.

 

For that reason a lot of the docks are detached from the shore and parked in lake bays from November until May.

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

A friend of ours is fanatical about closing the loo lid before flushing as she claims that otherwise there are zillions of widdle and/or poo particles ejected into the atmosphere.

 

Dave

So is one of our friends and I am always accused of leaving the lid up when we visit.  I have thought about insisting that she leaves the lid up when she visits our house. 

 

Jamie

[jamie92208]

As promised a photo or two.

Here is the verandah.

As you can see it has a lovely view over the septic tank and it's outlet grid.

  It faces south east and gets the morning sun.

This is one of the completed pillars.  Th e hole will be filled with concrete.

This is the remains of the foot of that pillar which looked solid externally.

This is the end pillar that had a lot of rot in it that I will have to splice.

And these are the remains of the bottom six inches.

This is the next six inch length showing just how much the rot had extended up.

Not much good timber left, the rot goes right through.

 

And here a much happier subject a 186 southbound at Angouleme on Tuesday evening.

 

Jamie

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

So my dear Hippo what type of preservatives do you prefer? I like damson and blackcurrant but at a push I'll settle for strawberry. 

 

I never really saw you as a preservative fancier, more a saville marmalade Hippo, but you live and learn.

Pressure treated timber with a combination of ye olde style creosote and used engine oil is pretty good for long term preservation.  It's not so good for the environment, but look how long railway sleepers used to last.

 

If I were being devilishly expensive I'd coat things with 2 pack epoxy as used by the builders of high end wooden boats and furniture makers.

 

The summer house we installed sits on a 6 " thick reinforced concrete slab.  Between the bottom line of timber planking and the concrete is a  shouldered composite plastic plank.  This is siliconed along it's external and internal faces to the slab.

 

When the timber floor is fitted next month, the floor beams will sit on a double layer of roofing felt, and the void beween these will be filled with Kingspan insulation sheets.  I do not like the cold creeping up.

[polybear]

8 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I think that most problems with timber rotting out is down to three factors.

 

The first is using unsuitable timbers for the task in hand.

 

The second is poor design of what is being made. Or poor design of a supporting device, as shewn by The Q's examples above.

 

Finally we have fresh water.

 

 

 

Add in the fact that Timber Preservative has gone all cuddly?  (Creocote?  Cr@p - you can't beat good ol' Creosote any day - I believe the likes of Farmers etc. can still buy it - but in nothing smaller than 25(?) Litre drums.

 

Also, timber that is supposedly "treated" when manufactured gets such a miniscule dunking etc. that it's barely worth the effort;  when Bear created a raised flower bed in the back garden I used softwood "railway sleepers" (ever tried shiftin' one of those without help? - genuine hardwood jobs would be nigh-on impossible to shift on your own unless your name is Arnie).

I stood the ends in Creosote (I had a bit left) overnight - it really hoovered it up thru' the end grain.  Each one then got rather a lot of coats all over - so hopefully they'll last a while.

 

4 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Personally I think that if it is desired to hide appliances there must be something wrong with the appliances. When we were rebuilding our kitchen the salesperson made great efforts to persuade us to include new, built in appliances. I told her that as we already had extremely good, reputable brand appliances we would stick with them. She then tried the 'ah but it will look classier if they are built in' approach, to which I replied that we wanted a new kitchen, not a 12 inches to the foot scale doll's house. At that stage she gave in (and obviously accepted that her commission would be lower).

 

Dave

 

[Dave Hunt]

 

5 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Perhaps what's needed is the vacuum loo, ensuring a good seal between derriere and porcelain.

 

Although the loos on the cruise ship we went on were vacuum operated, I didn't try seeing what would happen if the flush mechanism was operated whilst I was still sitting on it 😫.

 

Dave

[woodenhead]

5 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

 

Although the loos on the cruise ship we went on were vacuum operated, I didn't try seeing what would happen if the flush mechanism was operated whilst I was still sitting on it 😫.

 

Dave

Might be helpful if your diet has been lacking in fibre and you need some assistance....