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March 14 - 20 Well, it's been an interesting week and our work is finally becoming fun and exciting. After months of disassembly, sandblasting, repairing, priming and painting we are suddenly getting down to the last remaining pieces and the ol' Lantern is really starting to take shape. But first, let's visit the Watch Room.
Kevin has been installing the new tongue and groove fir floor. You can see the stairs, from the floor below, coming up on the lower left side. The room is an octagon and quite hard to get a good image of but anyway...
After more floor was laid the transparent template was put in place to show the location of the Fresnel lens base. You can see the dotted circle marking the diameter of the base and the location for the four mounting bolts. The dark cut out area within the circle is where the chain for the clock works would hang down to the floor below. I say "would hang" because the Fresnel lens is now turned with an electric motor but some day we may find the original clockworks and put it back in place. Meanwhile, over in the temporary shed.
Here is Stefan with the jig he made to hold the deck rail uprights for welding the intersection casting to the uprights. You can see some of the finished uprights to the left and right of him - 16 uprights in all.
Finally it is time to install the uprights in the Lantern deck and then insert the 48 railing pieces and tack them into place. Philip from Woody's Weld-all came out and did the finish welding on the roof railings and the deck railings.
With the roof railing completed my attention turned to the Ventilator Ball. First I installed the copper screen to keep birds, bats and bugs out of the Lantern. The strips that hold the screen in place will be painted black.
After the screen was installed Stefan and I rigged up the heavy Vent Ball with a three point chain attachment, hooked on the chain fall and started the ball on it's journey to the roof of the Lantern.
Once safely past the Lantern windows "Whew" and up over the roof railing we maneuvered it up the sloped roof, up over the chimney casting and finally lowered it down into place.
Here I am installing the "Spike", the bronze tapered rod that crowns the Lantern. Kestrel Hawks like to grip the top of this spike while looking for dinner. Soon they will have their perch back! Final adjustments were made to the Lantern door and it finally closes properly for the first time in 30 years! The last of the window stops were installed. About all that is left to do is install the curtain rod holders, exterior vent covers and then, a lot of painting. Next week should pretty much wrap up the Lantern restoration portion of our project. "Lift-off", when the crane returns to lift the Lantern back on top of the Lighthouse, will probably happen around the end of this month. Hopefully before April Fool's Day. Dear God! Don't let it be April Fool's Day! |
