Another Strickland UK
- Thread starter cwf
- Start date
ALCEDO ATTHIS
Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
hello , in France near Paris
I ask because an ancestor of mine made a tour of Brittany, in 1888, on a tricycle tandem, with her new husband. They started in Caen and reached the south of Brittany when a wheel collapsed. No one could fix it, so they finished the tour by train. It was a time of great experimentation, particularly in tandems, so I am looking for a photo.
She left a journal, so I know photos were taken. I have enquired at local archives but no luck. Do you know if anyone has copies of local papers from the time? Or is there a French vintage cycle club, which might help?
Thanks, Charlie.
She left a journal, so I know photos were taken. I have enquired at local archives but no luck. Do you know if anyone has copies of local papers from the time? Or is there a French vintage cycle club, which might help?
Thanks, Charlie.
ALCEDO ATTHIS
Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
hello , you can try here
gallica.bnf.fr
Gallica
Plusieurs millions de documents consultables et téléchargeables gratuitement : livres, manuscrits, cartes et plans, estampes, photographies, affiches, revues, fascicules de presse et journaux, enregistrements sonores, partitions
ALCEDO ATTHIS
Enthusiastic about Wooden Canoes
hello Charlie , I put a message at tonton vélo forum , I 'm King ,( kingfisher alcedo atthis for the story )
so wait ans see , but what was the journal to drive research ?
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic.php?t=55641
and an other one here
www.velovintageagogo.com
so wait ans see , but what was the journal to drive research ?
https://forum.tontonvelo.com/viewtopic.php?t=55641
and an other one here
Connexion
www.velovintageagogo.com
Last edited:
It appears to be from page 184 in the document at the first link below. Strickland was also listed in the official directory of the World's Columbian exposition, May 1st to October 30th, 1893. This is available at the second link below.
Benson
International exhibition Glasgow 1901 : Official catalogue (side 189) - Danmarks Tekniske Kulturarv
Årstal: 1901
tekniskkulturarv.dk
Hello Athis,
I got the year wrong, it was the second half of May, 1885. They started in Cherbourg, Valognes, Coutances then Granville, where there was definitely a photo. Avranches, Pontorson, Dinan, Ploermel and the wheel collapsed in Vannes.
She was called Fanny and her husband George Brayshay.
I think we had better move to ffison (at) tiscali (dot) co (dot) uk. I have started with gallica.
Many thanks.
I got the year wrong, it was the second half of May, 1885. They started in Cherbourg, Valognes, Coutances then Granville, where there was definitely a photo. Avranches, Pontorson, Dinan, Ploermel and the wheel collapsed in Vannes.
She was called Fanny and her husband George Brayshay.
I think we had better move to ffison (at) tiscali (dot) co (dot) uk. I have started with gallica.
Many thanks.
I finished the ribs and moved on to the inwales, quite complicated pieces of woodwork, let alone the steaming, so I have reused the originals.
The original screws holding them to the strips and outwales were mild steel, so had rusted. I had to use a hollow drill to release the shanks from the wood, so the inwales were quite heavily perforated. To strengthen them, and perhaps keep moisture and bugs out, I glued 1" dowels in. I then had to mark where new brass screws could go, avoiding the dowels, the rusted remains of the original screws
the ribs and the holes where the screws holding the coaming will go, at approx 4" centres.
It seems inwales and coamings are unusual on a Strickland, so I've drawn a rough of the construction and a couple of photos of the well-worn originals. The inwale has to be relieved underneath to clear the ribs. The original ribs were consistently 3/8" half-round, ie 3/16" thick. The ones I had a local firm machine from rock elm planks are not so consistent, so they needed work for the inwale to fit.
The original screws holding them to the strips and outwales were mild steel, so had rusted. I had to use a hollow drill to release the shanks from the wood, so the inwales were quite heavily perforated. To strengthen them, and perhaps keep moisture and bugs out, I glued 1" dowels in. I then had to mark where new brass screws could go, avoiding the dowels, the rusted remains of the original screws
It seems inwales and coamings are unusual on a Strickland, so I've drawn a rough of the construction and a couple of photos of the well-worn originals. The inwale has to be relieved underneath to clear the ribs. The original ribs were consistently 3/8" half-round, ie 3/16" thick. The ones I had a local firm machine from rock elm planks are not so consistent, so they needed work for the inwale to fit.
I've turned the canoe over and started scraping the outside. With good old hindsight, I can suggest that anyone intending to replace ribs AND scrape the outside, do the scraping first.
I don't know if the ribs and nails were first fitted while the strips were still damp from steaming, but the nailheads had sunk into the strips. Of the 900-odd nails I have replaced, maybe 5% were still proud, probably because, when cutting the ends and turning them over, there is a risk the hammering will drive the nail back a little. This makes the scraping more difficult.
In the photo you can see the new nails, the old ones, the scraped paint and a bit of unscraped.
I was hoping the outside had been varnished and then painted but it seems the black paint was applied under the waterline first and then the rest varnished. The black has soaked into the wood and I don't think it's worth trying to remove it. Besides, the paint seems almost like it has been heated, in places it is very thick and almost crystalline. The varnish comes off comparatively easily.
There are many bumps and gouges - it has had an active life.
I don't know if the ribs and nails were first fitted while the strips were still damp from steaming, but the nailheads had sunk into the strips. Of the 900-odd nails I have replaced, maybe 5% were still proud, probably because, when cutting the ends and turning them over, there is a risk the hammering will drive the nail back a little. This makes the scraping more difficult.
In the photo you can see the new nails, the old ones, the scraped paint and a bit of unscraped.
I was hoping the outside had been varnished and then painted but it seems the black paint was applied under the waterline first and then the rest varnished. The black has soaked into the wood and I don't think it's worth trying to remove it. Besides, the paint seems almost like it has been heated, in places it is very thick and almost crystalline. The varnish comes off comparatively easily.
There are many bumps and gouges - it has had an active life.
I finally had a go at the crystalline paint with a heat gun. It smelt of tar and bubbled, some remailing in the cracks but it came off fairly easily. I asked Mark Edwards and they use Bostik bituminous black paint, made for waterproofing outside surfaces such as roofs.
I'll mask the water line and bash those pesky nailheads again before using that.
Thinking about those nails, perhaps it would be better, after knocking them through and before cutting, to bend them 45 degrees and establish the bend before cutting and finishing off. That way there might be less chance of the nailheads being driven back.
I'll mask the water line and bash those pesky nailheads again before using that.
Thinking about those nails, perhaps it would be better, after knocking them through and before cutting, to bend them 45 degrees and establish the bend before cutting and finishing off. That way there might be less chance of the nailheads being driven back.
