On Saturday I welded in the hatch to the top of the conning tower. The lip around the inside of the hatch will stop any water dripping inside when I open the lid after a dive. I'm currently getting a dome made up for the lid and should be able to start making the rest of it over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile I'll be getting the dash panels welded inside and can start working on cleaning up the interior so I can start putting everything thing in place ready to test. This will involve laying inside the hull with the drill and a wire brush to clean any surface rust and prep for painting. I may even have to use a sealant to seal around any pieces of steel where moisture can get between the hull and cause rust.
Fig. #1. The whole thing has been welded from the inside. It was really fiddly getting the TIG torch up into the corners.
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| Fig. #1 07/11/2016 |
Fig. #2. An inside shot of the brackets that help keep the top plate level.
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| Fig. #2 07/11/2016 |
Fig. #3. Here I'm trimming up the outside. I sat it down inside the drum a little to make it easier to take the twist out of it - which unfortunately happened when I welded the inside lip on. It defiantly took out most of the twist this way, but looking closely you can still see it's not perfect, but it will do the job okay.
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| Fig. #3 07/11/2016 |
Fig. #4. All trimmed up.
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| Fig. #4 07/11/2016 |
Fig. #5. The outside of the inner lip has been welded and the whole lot given an undercoat.
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| Fig. #5 07/11/2016 |
Next update coming soon!
