We left the Bathgate Works Manager mulling over how to put the flare onto the dome & safety valve covers. After considering a number of options it was decided to use a car body filler. This would allow the correct shape to be achieved through a mixture of filling & sanding. After extensive trials of various products (which involved ‘cooking’ test pieces in the kitchen oven!) Teroson UP 130 Chemical Metal gave the best results.
The photographs illustrate the evolution of the flares:
Dome cover.
Safety valve cover.
In their grey undercoat, who would know that they were not castings?
Robert sent in this picture of ‘Maude’ from 10 years ago when he embarked upon the project. It makes an interesting comparison with the ‘now’ view:
The next big milestone will be the delivery of the boiler.
