Screws, spirals and projectiles

Sitting down to start writing this I realize that this weekend was all about spirals.

First I discovered that my first edition 7" vinyl copy of The Buzzcocks Spiral Scratch EP is missing. It was one of the first records I ever owned and is rare and valuable now. I can't remember lending it to anyone but I also don't think it has been stolen. I even checked inside all my albums in case it was there.

Sunday I decided to change the oil in Althea to one more suitable to see if that made any difference to her performance. The nut which releases the old oil seems to be made from putty and it took no effort at all to round it off with a correct sized socket. I tried with mole grips but they just chewed a bit more off it and gave me a strained shoulder which I only now enjoying the full benefits off. I can hardly move my right arm or neck now and am using the swivel in my chair to its fullest.

I gave up on the oil change for the day and turned my attentions from oil to water. Having been to the post office on Saturday to collect my package which they wouldn't deliver due to its being 6 pence underpaid, and charging me an extra £1 for the pleasure of it...I screwed the new hose connectors in position, attached the hose and turned on the tap. Very slowly the tank began to fill. Shortly afterwards the tank began to empty again via the leaking connector at the bottom and the leaking bung on the other side.

I emptied the tank, wrapped thread tape around the screw threads and started again. You'd think I would have known better but the fact is I did but had forgotten which is why what happened next, happened next. The water tank on the roof of our building is approximately 3000 gallons and is about 150 feet higher up than the tap. This is great for pressure as you can imagine and we in our building enjoy showers with more oomph than a power shower, simply from the tap. It also means that when you connect a plastic tank via a hose to the end of it a certain amount of pressure builds up if there's nowhere for it to go.

I realized the water flow had slowed and saw that the tank was bulging a little so immediately unscrewed one of the top bungs to equalize the pressure. On the last turn it fired out like a bullet and ricocheted around the van.

Not very cleverly I did a similar thing in reverse when pumping water out. I need to fit a valve.

The window seals are being done on Wednesday. I have the fur for the lining now. I fitted some underlay to the floor of the cab and the inside of the engine housing which I will cover in foil. This has seriously lowered the noise level in the cab. She's shaping up nicely now but still lots to do.