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Railway Railings
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Does nobody remember the railway railings episode or am I dreaming it happened er? 48 years ago!!
Come on somebody must remember it!
Nov. 8, 2009
(Edited Nov. 19, 2009)
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Hello Chris,
I can remember us all being assembled outside the Gym, by the
railway line, on the occasion that someone threw a large lump of
concrete / stone onto the rail track near the school .. but Railings,
can`t remember that... maybe it was after I had left ..
I went in March 1963 ... with generous help and wise words from our
"Bill Hayman". I gained no paper qualifications from my time at School ,
I had to wait a few (10) years for all that stuff to kick in. My
last two C & Guilds certificates were gained in the field of Radio
Communications when I passed my R.A.E. in 2003.
Regards..
Nov. 9, 2009
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Hi Francis
very strange, you don't remember the railings & I don't
remember the concrete block. I left in December 1962, a bit before
you, with no doubt, some pearls of wisdom from Bill Hayman, which I no
longer remember.
At least I didn't lose any more fags to him
From school I went to Fry's & sat the apprentices exam
& passed but they wouldn't let me start my apprenticeship until I
was 16; they even suggested I return to school!!
I went to Bath Tech College instead
Does anyone remember spark's shed looking like a pin cushion with all those railings sticking out of it?
Nov. 9, 2009
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I remembere the (or 'a') concrete block episode and
I left in July 1961. We were all gathered together outside and Old Nick
(Nicholas) stood up on a chair to give the whole school a right
bollocking. I don't remember any further outcome.
Nov. 10, 2009
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Hello Chris C,
I think I can possibly explain not remembering such a marvellous
incident .. I was away from School for a while with a broken arm at the
age of 14. this could account for it. I have read Steve Coffins
recollection of the incident, and he was away for lunch on the day in
question. Both he and myself lived close to the school, and the
opportunity to get away from it was not missed.
Regards.
Nov. 12, 2009
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Hi Francis
I'm glad somebody else (Steve Coffin) remembers the railings
incident - thought I was imagining it ( old grey matter going belly up)
Just been reading some of the HTML's about the old Goal - that
brought back some memories. Have a distant memory that involved
the forge, garden line kit & one of the lanky twins who lost his
iron in the forge ( somebody pushed it right into the coals where it
proceeded to evaporate into the ether forever- can't think who might
have pulled such a rotten trick!)
regards
Chris C
Nov. 12, 2009
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Yes Chris I remember the incident. If it was the
same occasion, some yoof(s) had used railings as improvised spears at
the back of school. No one owned up to the felony so we were all
coralled into the playground, lectured and told that no one could move
until the culprits were found. I can't remember what happened
then, or even whether we actually have shared in a similar experience -
but it's spooky if this is some kind of mass halucination.
Mike
Nov. 14, 2009
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Hi All,
I remember the incident where the railings were used as spears
(javelin practice) and thrown into some wooden form work that was
lying around. It was not long after the school moved to B.
Hayes. I was called in and question by Bill Hayman as a
likely suspect. I was never any good with the javelin. The
wooden form work was possibly some sort of stage in the making
in two parts. It was on that vacant land just
to the left of the rooms where we hung our coats, as you look at
the railway lines. If I remember correctly.
Cheers,
Ken
Nov. 15, 2009
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Hi Chris ,I can remember the forge and metalwork shop
downstairs at the old goal and also making the two spikes with the
coller on the top for winding a garden line on, my old man used it for
years planting out lines of peas and beans, I can also remember someone
in our class putting a piece of steel in the forge and turning on
the fan to create a nice firework display, think it may have been Chris
Handscombe.
Ray Jones domain was up the stairs and along the
corridoor then turn right into the workshop, just before the door to the
workshop was a window with a wood turning lathe in front of it and I
decided one day to press the green button,not thinking the thing was
wired up and ready to go, the chuck began to spin and I panicked and
pressed the red stop button which caused the chuck to begin to unwind
itself from the drive shaft, it popped off and jumped onto the
windowboard and as is was spinning towards me it came off the board and
dropped onto the floor, shot across and crashed into the skirting on the
opposite side of the corridoor, I managed to pick it up and screw it
back on the driveshaft just as Ray opened the door and asked what all
the noise was before ushering us all into the workshop.
As usual with Ray the subject was dropped and no more was said.
Nov. 15, 2009
(Edited Nov. 15, 2009)
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Hello Anth.
You must be referring to the garden line pins as Harry Mower called
them. Mine were made in around 1963 and my old man is still using them.
I'm glad something I learned at the Tech is of use to this day !!!
Rich
Nov. 15, 2009
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Yes thats the ones Rich, piece of metal rod
sharpened to a point one end and a loop on the other end all forged and
bent on the anvil then a couple of pieces of flat plate with three holes
drilled in it, one to take the aformentioned metal rod and the other
two to take pieces of rod about three inches long around which the
garden line was wound, the flat bits had the ends turned up to stop the
string coming off, can,t remember making anything else in metalwork or
perhaps I went on to do woodwork rather than metalwork.
Nov. 15, 2009
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Didn't you do the gate latch? We did that for the O level. It's the only one I passed !!!
Rich
Nov. 15, 2009
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No can,t remember making anything else in metalwork at all, I did make a bookcase and a coffee table in woodwork though.
Bill Hayman offered to buy it off of me, but I had to turn him down
as Ray Jones had by then had to started charging pupils for materials
and my mum had given me the fiver to pay for it, she still has it now in
the centre of the room so its not doing too badly, may end up being an
antique one day!! ha ha --not.
Nov. 15, 2009
(Edited Nov. 15, 2009)
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Hello aspiring metal bashers,
I can recall the following in metal work .. might jog a grey cell or two .. here goes.
(1) First item made by all; name tag for work .. tools bending
machine, scribe, metal ruler, bender. Task .. mark out piece of
aluminium sheet 1/4" in all round. Crop corners 45 deg. bend over edges
like envelope. Drill hole for copper ring .. heat iron on gas .. apply
flux .. burn yourself to death applying solder to ring (and skin). metal
punch name and form no. on tag, submit for inspection.
(2) Straight edge .. for marking out work .. material steel bar 1"
wide 6" long. saw to taper both ends. Draw file and curve ends to
radius. File slope to one face to assist grip. Clamp in pillar drill,
apply wooden dowel wrapped in emery paper to generate circular machined
pattern on top face. punch name on & present to Mr. Cosnett for
inspection and testing for trueness.
(3) Mole grips .. two pieces of steel 1/4" thick cut from a square
of about 1 and 1/2" steel. Form curve taper, file teeth with needle
file. Drill rivet holes (2 eachpiece). File flat / true, heat
in forge cheery red, plunge into carbon (bone?), repeat until case
hardened and could not be filed. Varoius other straight pieces riveted
to "U" shaped bent metal 1/8th" plate formed the handles and cradles for
the hardened teeth. Pipe wrench plier consruction for the jaw
adjustment. Not many of us had jaws on the grips that actually lined up
!!
(4) Garden Trowel .. ( Stu has still got his !) .. 1/8" sheet
metal bent in roller machine .. to a curve about 5" across, radius
hacksawed and filed at pointy end. Two rivet holes drilled. Tang of 3/8"
metal forged to flat one end (holes for rivets drilled here).
Other end to bend and pointed section to fit the handle you made in
woodwork some weeks previous.
(5) line pins (as described by Anth above)
(6) Poker .. Square bar some 3/8" section .. can`t remember any
more about this apart from a 1" circular forged end to allow the twist
to be made at the anvil after heating in the forge.
(7) operating the electric hacksaw ( with the weights hanging on
the end) .. and the lead ingot casting .. how we never burnt ourselves
to death, health and safety .. all we had were cloth aprons ( and fast
fingers), but it was good clean fun !!. Got any more
anybody?
Nov. 15, 2009
(Edited Nov. 19, 2009)
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Hi Guys.
What vivid memories you all have, I'd forgotten most of the items
mentioned by Bill. One I do remember as a machine shop exercise was a
gnurled handled screwdriver.
1. Face off material for handle (BMS) in the lathe and bore the end to accept blade.
2. Form shape of screwdriver handle
3. Gnurle the section which was left largest O/D
4. Part off and hand finish.
6. Cut to length piece of 3/16 silver steel rod, suitable for blade.
7. Heat one end to form chisel end to blade and quench to harden.
8. Insert blade into handle and braze into place.
9. Grind to finish blade tip.
10. Clean up and hand finish.....(Proper job.)
I can remember the straight edge and adjustable wrench exercises also.
The only smithing I can remember was a poker and a long handled coal shovel.
We were supposed to cast a lead plumb bob also but most of us got
th wire loop at the wrong end and they all ended up as fishing weights. I
wonder why......
Sticky.
Nov. 16, 2009
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I remember building all those things, John. I also
remember one boy going off at a tangent and crimping the end of a metal
tube and fastening it to a home made wooden gun handle. He packed it
with powder from a banger, rammed in a ball bearing and fired it by
applying a light to a small touch hole. He shot at the wall of the old
jail and succeeded in not killing himself. It left a permanent mark on
the wall but I don't think the teachers ever discovered who did it.
Damned if I can remember the name of the boy who did it.
Nov. 16, 2009
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You should,nt have mentioned cannons David.
Nov. 16, 2009
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Oh dear ... it wasn't? Was it? My sincere apologies if I've put my foot in it.
Nov. 16, 2009
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No I wasn,t the guy you were refering to David but in
the early sixties there was quite a bit of homemade cannon making with
the lads from my year and we thought nothing of setting one off over the
river, aiming at Stothert and Pitts asbestos clad factory on the other
side, followed by a lot of fist shaking from some of the workforce and
us all running away, catherin wheels were fairly productive as a source
of gunpowder followed by a small piece of rag wadding and a bearing or a
few nuts, its a wonder that no one was ever hurt on both sides.
Nov. 16, 2009
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Anth,
I posted a short story in the Archives about this incident ..
"Watership Down" it`s called .. it was funny .. I made a smaller version
for home, used to blow holes straight through both sides of a paint tin
full of water. Brill stuff; "pains" 3d bangers were the propellant for
mine and Milbro .177 "cat slugs" ...
I graduated in the 80`s to use 6mm clay launcher blanks ..
(fulminate rim fire) .. they blow a 6mm bullet through 4" of SC3
timber with no problem .. watch out for the barrel though .. does
flare a bit at the breech ... (used to 25yrs agao anyway .. live
dangerously is my motto. How I never got killed from indoor
ricochets I`ll never know.
I will post the ATC After dinner speech though, just in case anyone
has not heard it before. I`ts about half an hours worth. I `ve got
another equally funny one from "Blaster Bates" the demolition expert as
well.
Metal work, I can`t for the life of me remember anything about
Harry Mowers` lessons in the huts at Brougham Hayes, other than the
lathes were Colcheser Bantams (I think) about 6" swing over bed and 2`
6" centres? .. but not the white model .. still have a small
precision lathe now (Unimat) and a home made (25 yrs. in the making) -
(18" x 5" table) auto feed precision miller in the workroom.
Must dash .. switch on sound equipment .. run up "Cool edit"
software .. make these sound files mono low quality MP3 and small enough
to upload without waitng for paint to dry. .. Regards..
Nov. 16, 2009
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