I'd managed to break the back off one of my set of four metal garden chairs, so, not having a welding kit of my own, I've been obliged to visit the local man 'wot fixes stuff'.
His yard is a treasure chest of old machines, weird bits of rusting metal, and plain old rubbish; think Fred Dibnah's back garden!
Amongst other delights was this magnificent rusting Grandpa Potts style chaudière (furnace/boiler?).
It was standing there out in the open, looking as if it still performs some purpose, but goodness knows what! I just had to take its photo.
I tried to imagine it sand-blasted, polished, and installed up at our old tobacco drying barn. It would have made the most wonderful heating system; and would certainly have been a fantastic 'conversation piece'.
I asked him if he actually used it; unfortunately he did. Pity!
I could spend an hour or so in a place like that.
ReplyDeleteThe outside of his 'workshop' is good, but the inside is amazing.
DeleteHow on earth did you manage to break the back off one of your chairs? And what is it about men and junk?
ReplyDelete1. By leaning too far back. 2. To men it's NOT junk; it's engineering history (etc).
DeleteOne man's trash is another man's treasure. Spent an afternoon last week walking round such a place. So sad to see all those dead tractors and combined harvesters.
ReplyDeleteThink! If you bring home too much rusty stuff in the next six weeks Lady Magnon might be cross when she gets home. Very cross!
ReplyDeleteIf she was here, I wouldn't be able to do it.
DeleteLady M can't leave you for five minutes before you're breaking up the patio furniture and planning to install an industrial incinerator in her parlour!
ReplyDeleteI'm just hoping she doesn't read this!
DeleteThat's some piece of kit. My husband would get boiler-envy if he saw that.
ReplyDeleteGill
So did I.
DeleteIt's a wood-burner, isn't it? I have a mate who makes them from old propane bottles. The first cut into the 'empty' cylinder is always fraught with nervous tension. All those sparks...
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to have lots of bits-n-pieces on the sides, so I imagine that it once heated water. The fire-box door is very basic.
DeleteI looked at it and thought it would make an excellent hot smoker. Just get the man that does to grind out a door in the top half and weld some hinges on and you are away.
ReplyDeleteI need a Cold Smoker.... I really must work on it.
DeleteAround here things like this disappear in the night ......
ReplyDeleteAre you trying to suggest something? I don't think I'm strong enough!
DeleteLooks to me like something one would use as an incinerator ... can you imagine if it mated with the older washing machine on my site that you visioned as a robot?!
ReplyDelete