[Mike Cecil]

The axle housings went off to the sandblaster yesterday, suitably shrouded to avoid getting grit inside and masked to prevent sandblasting of the polished surfaces. Dismantling the axles was an interesting process - you know there is a problem when you take off the rear cover and bits of chewed-up steel drop out! A carrier bolt and keeper had come adrift at some stage, and been chewed up by the crown wheel & pinion, but surprisingly, neither have any visible damage. The bolt and keeper are another matter - I might have to replace them!

Yesterday I had to do a woodworking job on a treated pine post to erect another bird nesting box for the local Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers, so stayed with the theme and finally made an axle rack, neatly tucked out of harms way next to the work bench. This should reduce the risk of damage to threads and splines while in storage. It safely stows the axles from the current project, plus the spares for both the MB and GP.

The stacks of finished parts, ready for re-assembly, grow: the image shows one of three such stacks. I've also created a database listing of parts I'll need to purchase - that continues to grow, too!!

Mike