Doris the Dexta renovation

brewdexta · Saturday at 5:10 PM

After walking the dogs, I had a whole day of workshop time, yippee! First step is to cut some old metal out, I did consider just letting in a few patches, but the outside needs to be smooth enough to sign write, so it was either patch and fill, or replace. The body of the box is 3mm steel, or 1/8" in old money. So first I needed to source some.

After a bit of a search through the barn, I uncovered a sheet of 3mm from a project I never started, the drip tray/stand for a mill, and have since moved the mill on so its surplus, well rusty though.

A bit of cup brush and 60 grit ROS action later

And its exactly the right length for the box sides. So I decided to go for full replace of the side sheets.

The side sheets are seam welded on the top edge, you can see where it has come away here.

The plan is to replace the side above the bottom reinforcement.

Slitting disk and a variety of chisels seem to work.

14 slitting disks, decent makes too, and one broken BFH shaft later....

I've got a bit of grinding to do, but just about there, its a mates birthday so out for a beer besides I've run out of slitting disks and the power cap battery is on charge.

And then the other side.........

brewdexta · Sunday at 3:33 PM

This morning was doing the council's job, clearing the gulley's on the road next to the house, 8 barrow loads of cheap road surface gravel, leaves and soil later and its ready for the next deluge If I don't do this then the drains overflow and come down the banking into the barn. I've set up some means of diverting the water but prevention is better. The council do come and do them, but not frequent enough, one of the drains has no sump so as much use a chocolate teapot.

Anyway, 50 slitting disks arrived, I was dubious whether they would be any good at the price, but low and behold, they are at least as good as the Dronco/Kingspoor ones I was using yesterday. 20 quid for 50 is well cheap, these are the ones