I Have Started Battening

I finished a small amount of welding this morning and then got inside the the compartment that will house the bow thruster to apply some seam sealant.  This compartment is about the size of a coffin! so not very easy to work in.  I'm gonna have to paint the inside of this sometime.  Thats gonna be fun........... NOT.

I then did some drawings for the metal shop and took them over.  These will be the pressings for the gas locker and other outside lockers.  Hopefully I will get them back in a couple of days.

With that done I found by mid afternoon I was out of jobs.  So I went to the builders merchants and got 40 2 x 1 batons and started the battening.

The lower batons will be put on with nails.  The gun in the picture is driven by compressed air and will fire a hardened nails into mild steel up to 8mm so the 5mm angle is no challenge.

I had this gun to put floors down in trailers when I had my trailer manufacturing business.  It runs at 150psi and uses 1/3 cu/ft per shot so needs a good air supply.

As you can see these nails are spiral fluted a bit like rifling but in reverse.  This spins the nail as it penetrates the steel and screws its self home.  Its virtually impossible to pull out.  Its easier to cut the head off then cut the nail once the wood is removed.

This method of fixing is also very fast.  To put these 5 batons on took less than 20 minutes.

I will do a video tomorrow.