Checkout new Quiz and get the answers to December questions on Seaward's Quiz Page
New mouthwatering cruising recipe on Susan's Page
For the past week, whenever I have had the chance, I’ve been
sanding the wooden bits of the boat that are detachable and it’s a pretty
boring occupation I must say. It’s an opportune time however, because regular
readers will know that I am also heavily involved in renovating an old
fisherman’s cottage on the Rance Estuary near St Malo in France. Now that work
has got to the point where underfloor heating has been installed and the ground
floor is being tiled. So, there is a lot of dust from the tile cutting and my
contribution of sanding dust hardly makes any difference to the general chaos.
It means I can work inside with warm feet thanks to the new under-floor
heating, and the mess I make gets swept up occasionally along with the
builder’s dust and rubble.
New mouthwatering cruising recipe on Susan's Page
It also means that I can plug in music to alleviate the
boredom – thank goodness for BB King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf,
Lightning Hopkins, Mississippi John Hurt, The Doors, Janice Joplin, Chris Rea
and a whole host of others!
I mentioned the purchase of a Bosch detail sander which cost
me about E50, because I burned out two others in as many months working on the
floorboards of the house – to date it hasn’t let me down – maybe this is a real
example of getting what you pay for. I certainly won’t be buying Black and
Decker again.
In an earlier post I mentioned that despite her GRP hull and
topsides, much of the boat seems to have been traditionally built – fittings
are screwed-on rather than moulded-in and this has proved very helpful because
I can take gear and furniture off to replace or restore. Now in doing this, I
came across a number handwritten in pencil on the underside of one of the
companion way steps. Westerly Nomads were not built in huge numbers and the
production run was only about two years so I wonder what the number could tell
me – were the steps made specifically for this boat? If so, does the number
indicate an early or late model? Maybe someone out there can solve the mystery
– Oh the number, by the way, WN 8653. Presumably WN stands for Westerly Nomad. It’s
silly really, but I couldn’t bring myself to sand it away, so one small part of
the boat will be left practically untouched in memory of the builder who
scribbled that part number on the wood back in 1967, 1968 or 1969.
Now – here is a brief article from Brian Turner (brian.turner752@gmail.com) He has a
blog himself and is very concerned about DIYers who come into contact with old
asbestos. I undertook a boat surveying course myself before embarking on this
project and great emphasis was placed there on the dangers of asbestos in old
boats – especially as lagging for engine pipes and compartments – his short
article below therefore is especially welcome. You can find Brian’s profile on
Google blogger.
Take Precautions When Renovating Your Home in 2013
Home renovations are growing in popularity this winter season. People are replacing their windows, replacing their rooftops and replacing insulation in the walls. Any of these tasks can expose renovators to asbestos. This is a dangerous and deadly mineral that can be deadly if inhaled. Once the mineral lodges into the tissue lining of the lungs or other organs, it can develop into mesothelioma, which is a cancer that lies dormant for a period of 10 to 50 years. Here are some ways that you can avoid being exposed to asbestos.
1. Do Not Disturb Asbestos If Discovered
Asbestos should not be drilled, sawed, broken, or hammered through to prevent inhalation. If floor tiles are made of asbestos, the tiles should not be sanded or buffed. The buffing process should include low abrasion pads, and the buffer speeds should be below 300 rpm.
2. Solicit the Help of Professionals
Professionals should be hired to check the home for asbestos and remove it if necessary. Professionals have the appropriate equipment to prevent being exposed to asbestos. The service may be costly, but it is worth the effort and cost if no one is exposed to asbestos. Make the investment to prevent an untimely death due to exposure.
3. Wear Protective Gear
If you must remove the asbestos yourself, wear protective gear. Protective gear may include an aspirator, goggles, gloves, hat or hairnet and a full body suit. This will protect the renovators from asbestos exposure. Protective gear is of utmost importance during renovations and should not be an option but a requirement.
4. Remove All Clothing and Shower Before Coming in Contact With Your Family
You should remove all your clothing and shower to remove any asbestos before leaving the home site during renovations. You should avoid hugging your family or friends before changing clothes and showering also. If you are diligent about this process, you will lower the risk of asbestos exposure.
Consider These Tips Before Performing Home Renovations
Home renovations are important, but you do not have to sacrifice your health for home renovations. Always wear protective clothing and take precautions to avoid exposing family and friends to asbestos. Consider these tips and take precautions before performing home renovations.
Home renovations are growing in popularity this winter season. People are replacing their windows, replacing their rooftops and replacing insulation in the walls. Any of these tasks can expose renovators to asbestos. This is a dangerous and deadly mineral that can be deadly if inhaled. Once the mineral lodges into the tissue lining of the lungs or other organs, it can develop into mesothelioma, which is a cancer that lies dormant for a period of 10 to 50 years. Here are some ways that you can avoid being exposed to asbestos.
1. Do Not Disturb Asbestos If Discovered
Asbestos should not be drilled, sawed, broken, or hammered through to prevent inhalation. If floor tiles are made of asbestos, the tiles should not be sanded or buffed. The buffing process should include low abrasion pads, and the buffer speeds should be below 300 rpm.
2. Solicit the Help of Professionals
Professionals should be hired to check the home for asbestos and remove it if necessary. Professionals have the appropriate equipment to prevent being exposed to asbestos. The service may be costly, but it is worth the effort and cost if no one is exposed to asbestos. Make the investment to prevent an untimely death due to exposure.
3. Wear Protective Gear
If you must remove the asbestos yourself, wear protective gear. Protective gear may include an aspirator, goggles, gloves, hat or hairnet and a full body suit. This will protect the renovators from asbestos exposure. Protective gear is of utmost importance during renovations and should not be an option but a requirement.
4. Remove All Clothing and Shower Before Coming in Contact With Your Family
You should remove all your clothing and shower to remove any asbestos before leaving the home site during renovations. You should avoid hugging your family or friends before changing clothes and showering also. If you are diligent about this process, you will lower the risk of asbestos exposure.
Consider These Tips Before Performing Home Renovations
Home renovations are important, but you do not have to sacrifice your health for home renovations. Always wear protective clothing and take precautions to avoid exposing family and friends to asbestos. Consider these tips and take precautions before performing home renovations.
Thanks Brian
Seaward
Not only is sanding dull and messy, it's unhealthy and harder than it looks at first glance.
ReplyDeleteWood dust is natural, but it's also nasty. Some woods are worse than others. After a careless start, I now wear a dust filter, at least, when sanding. If it's a long job (more than a few minutes), I use a cartridge respirator, because it doesn't get soaking wet after an hour.
Worse, sanding is harder than it looks, particularly if you are going to stain or varnish the wood. That's why professionals pride themselves on how little sanding they do. I'm still in the learning stage, but I had to sand all the varnish off my thwarts because a more experienced guy took one look at them and commented on my poor sanding job. Once he pointed out the symptoms (fuzzy looking blotches instead of a nice crisp grain pattern), that was all I could see and after agonizing over it for a few days, I did it all over again. Still not perfect, but good enough the second time.
If you don't know what I mean, find someone who knows about finishing and ask him about it before you do any varnishing.
underfloor heating is a modern and high-spec feature - allowing you to enjoy the luxury of warm floors during cold winter mornings and even providing a good selling point to push up your property's resale price.
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