The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

17 minutes ago, petethemole said:

Not ex-services myself, apart from two years in school CCF, but we had an excellent response from the RAF when Father-in-law passed away.  He had been a Merlin fitter in 111 Squadron in WW2 and was commissioned and stayed on until about 1960.  Through the RAF Benevolent Fund we contacted 111 Squadron, who sent a young Tornado pilot to represent them at the funeral.  Subsequently SWMBO was able to arrange for his ashes to be scattered from the BBMF Lancaster over rural Warwickshire, after a display flight somewhere. We were sent the location so most of the family were there to witness the drop. 

 

 

Giving a Like to this doesn't really do it justice. 

[Happy Hippo]

For anyone who wondered why I preferred using 18 mm ply for the shed roof rather than OSB (Oriented Strand Board).

 

 

[Winslow Boy]

17 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

For anyone who wondered why I preferred using 18 mm ply for the shed roof rather than OSB (Oriented Strand Board).

 

 

So if it's decided to bomb your shed please remind us that we'll need something  bigger than a 2 by 4 to do the job. I'm certain the combined knowledge of the forum will be able to recommend a suitable piece of ordinance.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Winslow Boy

[Happy Hippo]

15 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 a suitable piece of ordinance.

That'll have to be the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

[BokStein]

Back from the great metropolis that is Downtown LA with a few provisions now in store!

 

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

Although national service was long gone by the time I joined the RAF I worked with some older guys who had been in when it was still going. The consensus of opinion was that for the vast majority it was a truly pointless exercise and far from benefiting the RAF it simply distracted a lot of senior NCOs in particular from doing something more worth while as well as doing little or nothing for the conscripts except taking away part of their lives that would otherwise have been better spent. There were, of course, exceptions such as some who started as national service conscripts but then signed on for extensions so that they could qualify for aircrew training, one of whom was my Squadron Commander on my first Phantom Squadron who went on to become an Air Chief Marshal in charge of Strike Command and a knight of the realm. Not bad for someone who left school at fifteen.

 

Whilst from the professional RAF point of view, it may have seemed pointless, but I would suggest that it, as did the CCF I was involved with at school, did instil discipline into the participants. Visiting Switzerland as I do from time to time and where military service is still compulsory, it is not uncommon to see those involved heading off to their barracks by train in full uniform (complete with firearm). As such, the discipline amongst the native Swiss is exemplary.

 

53 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Giving a Like to this doesn't really do it justice. 

 

(No, I won't start a petition but) there may be a case for nicking Farcebuk's button!

[Compound2632]

My son's school has a CCF. Numbers went up when it first became joint with the girls' school's CCF but then declined again. My son attributed this to "lack of success". I repeated that to one of the CCF leaders, whose comment was that the boys "hadn't tried hard enough".

[Adam88]

That reminds me of a public lecture I attended on pyrotechnics where the speaker related the tale of being able to shoot a tallow candle through a church door.  Not having an oak door at his disposal he fired his candle through five sheets of plywood, I don't recall how thick they were but I would say that they were at least three-eighths each, i.e. equivalent to about two inches in total.  The weapon he used was some sort of muzzle loader with a charge of home-made gunpowder.  Of course in this the key thing is to impart sufficent kinetic energy to the projectile and not its strength.  It's a shame I don't remember more of the details, particularly the name of the speaker - I think he was a chemist from one of the midland universities but it was a long time ago.

 

A better known pyrotechnician is of course Rev Ron Lancaster and for those many NM-ers who are 'interested in interesting things' there is a very good film of him in action here (10 mins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf1mCiAodl0 .  NB a) he's still got all his fingers and b) his PPE is limited to a comfy old lab coat.  There is an unexpurgated version (c85mins) - here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M03esB_HBzM

 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, Adam88 said:

That reminds me of a public lecture I attended on pyrotechnics where the speaker related the tale of being able to shoot a tallow candle through a church door.  Not having an oak door at his disposal he fired his candle through five sheets of plywood, I don't recall how thick they were but I would say that they were at least three-eighths each, i.e. equivalent to about two inches in total.  The weapon he used was some sort of muzzle loader with a charge of home-made gunpowder.  Of course in this the key thing is to impart sufficent kinetic energy to the projectile and not its strength.  It's a shame I don't remember more of the details, particularly the name of the speaker - I think he was a chemist from one of the midland universities but it was a long time ago.

 

A better known pyrotechnician is of course Rev Ron Lancaster and for those many NM-ers who are 'interested in interesting things' there is a very good film of him in action here (10 mins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf1mCiAodl0 .  NB a) he's still got all his fingers and b) his PPE is limited to a comfy old lab coat.  There is an unexpurgated version (c85mins) - here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M03esB_HBzM

 

When I was at the RMCS at Shrivenham, we built a couple of fuel air bombs. You can feel quite a blast of heat from 400m from quite a small charge with the right combination of chemicals.

[Oldddudders]

4 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

So if it's decided to bomb your shed please remind us that we'll need something  bigger than a 2 by 4 to do the job. I'm certain the combined knowledge of the forum will be able to recommend a suitable piece of ordinance.

A small thermo-nuclear device should be sufficient....

[Winslow Boy]

24 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

A small thermo-nuclear device should be sufficient....

Or a couple of bunker busters. Mr Hunter might be able to assist.

[Happy Hippo]

31 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

A small thermo-nuclear device should be sufficient....

Dave might object as any fallout is likely to drift his way on the prevailing wind.

 

The charred remains of pannier tanks fluttering down and permanently polluting his property might prompt him to urge caution.

[Chris116]

A Tall-Boy should do the job.

[Happy Hippo]

8 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Or a couple of bunker busters. Mr Hunter might be able to assist.

All a bunker buster would do would bore through the roof, floor and concrete pad and create a large hole underneath.

 

This would then fill with water and create  a new muddy hollow much closer to the house.

 

This is a far better solution that Ian's involving mushrooms.

[Tony_S]

How about decoy sheds. My friend in Norfolk had 13 sheds  and a stable when we last visited. Over the years he had acquired small plots of land adjacent to  his house.  They all had a shed. One seemed to have electricity too. He followed the cable to the house it was connected too and got it removed. 

[Happy Hippo]

7 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

How about decoy sheds. My friend in Norfolk had 13 sheds  and a stable when we last visited. Over the years he had acquired small plots of land adjacent to  his house.  They all had a shed. One seemed to have electricity too. He followed the cable to the house it was connected too and got it removed. 

Doesn't The Q have a shed load of sheds?

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Doesn't The Q have a shed load of sheds?

Perhaps it is a Norfolk thing. My friend has all those sheds and outbuildings but no model railway in any of them. 

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon,

 

Just got back from a grueling 3 hour karting session, good progress but brakes still need adjusting. 
 

Anyways, the George the Fifth (henceforth I shall simply refer to it as The George) was taken to the clock repairers this morning. Surprisingly it’s not the first time they’d repaired a clockwork train. After a discussion of cost it was handed off to them, and it will get back to me within 3 months. We decided to let them do a complete rebuild, so new spring, replacement of worn gears, new brake, new bearings, new bushings etc. They then offered me (at a later date) a tour of the workshop and a probable apprenticeship. So that should be interesting, as I really have nothing to do on Saturday afternoons and cleaning clock mechs would be most enjoyable. It will also enable me to see how the rebuild is progressing, the 3 month time is so large as they have masses of work, which surprised both me and dad greatly. The store was crammed full of clocks, some with multiple chimes in them. There were also brass telescopes, model hot air balloons, and baskets of old gears, one brass gear for a dollar.

 

Douglas

Edited September 27, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[figworthy]

9 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

So if it's decided to bomb your shed please remind us that we'll need something  bigger than a 2 by 4 to do the job. I'm certain the combined knowledge of the forum will be able to recommend a suitable piece of ordinance.

 

Bombard it with cake.  HH will try to jump on the roof to catch the cake, and the stress will collapse the shed.

 

Adrian

[figworthy]

8 hours ago, Adam88 said:

That reminds me of a public lecture I attended on pyrotechnics where the speaker related the tale of being able to shoot a tallow candle through a church door.  Not having an oak door at his disposal he fired his candle through five sheets of plywood, I don't recall how thick they were but I would say that they were at least three-eighths each, i.e. equivalent to about two inches in total.  The weapon he used was some sort of muzzle loader with a charge of home-made gunpowder.  Of course in this the key thing is to impart sufficent kinetic energy to the projectile and not its strength.  It's a shame I don't remember more of the details, particularly the name of the speaker - I think he was a chemist from one of the midland universities but it was a long time ago.

 

 

I think I went to one of those.  Did he demonstrate the explosive effect of various gas/air combinations by using coloured milk bottles, and what happens when you set fire to a beer tray full of cotton wool soaked in liquid oxygen ? (don't try that at home).

 

Adrian

[Winslow Boy]

33 minutes ago, figworthy said:

 

Bombard it with cake.  HH will try to jump on the roof to catch the cake, and the stress will collapse the shed.

 

Adrian

This might work. If we started a cake fund how long do you think it would take for us to have sufficient funds to put it into operation? I believe there is a local bakers who would be able to supply the 'ammunition' at a discount so long as we tell them it would stop them being raided by a marauding hippo.

[polybear]

I'd like to know where this mystical place is where bits of two by four lay around just waiting for a hurricane to blow them thru' people's windows?  I feel a great need for urban beachcombing coming on, and unloved nice bits of timber seem to be a fine place to start....

[jamie92208]

I've got a solution.  Lace all the cakes with mushy peas or baked beans then as he enters the shed use the 2 by 4 as an enema but fit it with a fuse. The accumulated methane will do the job for us from inside.

 

Jamie

Edited September 27, 2020 by jamie92208

[TheQ]

33 minutes ago, polybear said:

I'd like to know where this mystical place is where bits of two by four lay around just waiting for a hurricane to blow them thru' people's windows?  I feel a great need for urban beachcombing coming on, and unloved nice bits of timber seem to be a fine place to start....

Not a window but the results of a hurricane in the USA

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

I'd like to know where this mystical place is where bits of two by four lay around just waiting for a hurricane to blow them thru' people's windows?  I feel a great need for urban beachcombing coming on, and unloved nice bits of timber seem to be a fine place to start....

Not a window but the results of a hurricane in the USA

 

 

 do I have a shed load of sheds?  Only a few. 

 

Model railway shed, 53ft by up to 16ft

With a 10*12 tacked on the back, for dirty work me spray gun,  her stained glass cutting and grinding. 

Pub shed, 17*10

Wood store shed, 16*8 as in "good wood" for constructional projects. 

Two joined  sheds for boat work, each 17*10, to be divided and moved in future to protect the marquee more. 

The marquee though that's temporary put up when needed. 

Gardening shed, 16*10 

Storage shed 8*6

Small gardening shed 3*4

Two double wheely bin cupboards for Storage not wheely bins. 

Double garage,  half being converted to a workshop. 

 

We're not intending to get more,  though some will be moved, and reorganised. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by TheQ

[jamie92208]

Just two sheds. One is 3 x 4 in imperial, for the pool pump.  The other is 130 by 32 if I've got my metric to imperial converson right.  Free with the house.

 

Jamie