58 13th September 2008 Compagnes Drift Mill More Launder and Nature

 

Hello all,

 

With no milling, only one visitor and fine weather, I have quite a bit of progress to show for the day! However, the end of the launder is still a little way off! I started with the launder looking like this:

 

 

And ended the day quite a lot further up-stream:

 

 

The tie-bars take quite a bit of assembling, but they're all now pre-cut and ready. They do have the effect of stiffening the assembly up much more than one might realise! There’s still the wrapping-over and bolting-on of the right hand side sheet to do at the same time, and the rolling out of the corrugations.

 

From the water wheel end, it's starting to look impressive!

 

 

Once again, this week, I was being watched......

 

 

I had to look several times to realise it wasn't just a piece of grass, but at 20' above the ground? But that was not all!

 

 

A pair of these had taken up residence between the launder and the support strap. They're harmless, but at 3" across, still disconcerting!

 

On the subject of nature, I brought along and planted a shrub to hide the base of the launder support rails:

 

 

Cape Figwort . It bears tresses of bell-shaped red flowers which the sunbirds go mad about! Taken at home:

 

 

 

Meanwhile at the workshop, there's progress on the sluice-gate which will hold the water back and raise it in the mill-stream, so that it will be diverted into the top of the launder. It is to be operated by a crank-handle, which will rotate two sprockets, which, in turn, will be engaged in roller chain stretched on each side of the gate. Wood is ordered for the gate itself, as well as the 6m lengths for the last section of the launder which will have the drop-gate to control whether the water flows on to the wheel, or runs past to fall unused into the tail-race.

 

The last thing I did today was to search the farm scrapyard and found a piece of railway section to match the length which I had brought previously. Out of the two we'll be able to make up a piece long enough to support the upper end of this wooden section of the launder.

 

Regards

Andy

 

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