Granny's facelift in the paint dock at Streethay

Granny Buttons is in the paint dock at Streethay Wharf for yet another week, and is finally due out next weekend.   I never tire of seeing the raw - almost 'steampunk' - look of bare steel, sanded down and awaiting its first layer of primer. 

This time - instead of a full repaint of the superstructure, which I really can't afford - they are just sanding down and repainting the top cant rails and a band at the bottom, just above the gunwale, the primary locus of rust-spots, together with repainting the counter (the bit you stand on at the back). 

It looks filthy at the moment, but it always does in the middle of a repaint, what with the dust everywhere.

This will hopefully stop the rust spreading and protect my investment.  And in conjunction with the refreshed bottom it will make Granny Buttons look respectable again.   I'll never forget the little boy who looked at my newly repainted boat 7 years ago and whispered 'She's beautiful!'   He made me feel so good, I'd probably leave Granny to him in my will if I'd known who he was.

I doubt that this semi-repaint can return Granny to her gorgeous  youth, but at least she's having a facelift.

I like the effect that painter Richard has given at the back, of a bright Post Office Red ram's head and mooring dollies.  Bright, gay primary colours seem to work well on narrowboats. 

I'm always shocked at the dust in a wet dock, though. 

I think of all the paint that comes off from the sanding and settles on the water, and the invisible sweat of steel that must come off with it, and I wonder:  what's its effect on the environment?

Doesn't seem to affect the fish too much, though.  The larger fish - carp especially - happily congregate nearby and expend much of their energy in thrashing about, presumably spawning, whilst on the nearby slipway the water seems to shimmer with the small fry coming in to feed.  This is despite - or perhaps because of - all the crap that comes off a narrowboat when it's spraywashed and blacked.

A hundred years ago the canal must have been much worse.  Indeed, in some industrial areas canals would become dead - and even inflammable - from all the pollution.

Comments

[jon]

hand rail looks great, richard and terry did good job as normal.makes rest of boat look old and tried

[Andrew Denny]

Thanks,

(via my mobile)

[Clive Field]

I had to do a bit of googling and wiki work on 'steampunk' Andrew! I found a wonderful pic of a steam punk computer. All brass and copper buttons.

I want one!

Best regards Clive at Saul

[Andrew Denny]

Nice try, fatboy, but no dice :-)

[Andrew Denny]

Ray keeps calling it a ram's head. I guess he does that in the way people keep calling a single post on my blog 'a blog'.

[Sarah]

Course you could have a Turk's head on your swan's neck...

[Andrew Denny]

I called it "ram's head" because Boatmeister Ray did, but everyone else at Streethay agreed with you and told me to ignore him... Consensus is it's a swan's neck

[Sarah]

'swhat I thought...

[Martin Ward]

Easy surely:

Steel - Swan neck
Wood - Ram's head

[Andrew Denny]

Yes, I used to call it the Swan's Neck too, but Streethay call it the Ram's Head, so I stood corrected. But maybe I should stand recorrected?

Can we have a third and fourth opinion, dear readers?

(via my mobile)

[fatboy]

I WAS that young boy!! & years have flown by and have taken their toll on me! I look like i am 43 now!! lol she still looks BOOTIFUL!!

[Sarah]

Ram's head? Swan's neck, surely?