Submitted by Steve Winicker.
LAST WEEKENDS SHOP ACTIVITY
On Friday the steam dome cap was removed and a blanking plate for the dry pipe installed. This was followed by reinstalling the steam dome cap loosely. The rest of the day was spent marking scrap iron around the property, cleaning up washout plugs and needle gunning # 1 tender parts.
Saturday, staybolt tell tails were worked on, Jeremy and Sarah drilled staybolt tell tails and blew them clean Around ½ are completely open and the rest are open but not drilled all the way. Sarah and Gordon loosened up the air reservoirs we are replacing once the new ones are painted, we will change them out.
Sunday it is cold, windy and everyone but me stayed home. I am planning on joining them early and work on my shower which is currently out of service.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
As it stands working on staybolt tell tale opening is the most likely job. Recent volunteers discovered quite a bit of dirt while drilling and cleaning out the tell-tale holes. I am sure the firebox is now cleaner for the next volunteers I still have the drawbars to check for cracks and measure for wear so I will probably do that on Friday. Otherwise there are quite a few general shop projects and clean up around the property work that is needed.
SAFETY SENSE
It may be difficult getting used to eye protection, but have you ever thought about tried getting used to a glass eye as a result of and eye injury which could have been prevented if proper eye protection had been used?
There are two kinds of foreign particles that can get in your eyes on job sites. The first type is wind-carried material like….
• sawdust
• dirt
• rust
Although a bother, these aren’t as serious as the other type: namely high-speed chips that go flying when a hard material contacts another hard material. Some examples include….
• A jackhammer breaking rock or concrete
• Drilling, scaling, or reaming steel
• Demolishing walls or ceilings i.e. box car demo
• Striking a chisel or punch with a hammer
• Cutting with a portable circular saw
Don’t forget working with molten materials such as….
• Soldering
• Brazing
• Welding
Eye Protection Can Be….
• Safety glasses
• Safety goggles
• Face shields
• Prescription glasses with safety lenses and clip on side shields
• Safety sunglasses glasses with polarized or non-polarized lenses
Each has a different use depending on whatever conditions exist for your job site. It is very important to make sure that your eye wear fits correctly. Remember that proper ventilation and sprays can help reduce lens fogging. Also remember that safety glasses ‘parked’ on top of your head does not protect your eyes and is a violation of the Societies safety procedures.