WEEK 12 - Day 46 Dismantling Furnace to Pan 5

This is getting to look like an archaeological site. With most of the superstructure dismantled we can see the flues underneath the salt pan.

The first photograph is looking east from the Stove house end looking towards the furnace front, but from the interior. The collapsed brick flue walls have been cleared to show the flue walls where they are infilled with flue ash, sand and cinder deposits. This a deliberate part of the construction to reduce the amount of bricks used in the furnace.The were four firing positions, with two 'dead-draft' flues along the outer walls to prevent the salt crystals from burning on the bottom of the pan as the crystals were drawn to the side. At the end of the pan (bottom of picture) the flue arrangement changes as the flue gasses were ducted underneath a walkway between the end of the pan and the front wall of the Stove House. The flue chamber is the wider infilled channel, with an ash filled space between each flue.

This second picture of Pan 5 furnace is taken looking west from the front of the furnace looking towards the Stove House 5. There is a clearer space within the flue at the fire end. Pan 5 was originally fired with coal or coke and later altered to burn recycled oil.

WEEK 12 - Day 45 Lifting Pan No5

Today we lifted the pan from off its firebox. For a video of the lift link to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NG2XzYito4

and http://www.youtube.com/user/Saltteller#p/a/u/0/1CDa6xhk58Y

WEEK 12 - Day 44 Preparations for Lifting Pan 5

Whilst also continuing to dismantle the brickwork of Stove House 5 final preparations were made to lift the salt pan No.5 off the furnace. Packing wedges were inserted between the iron beams and the underside of the salt pan so that the weight of the pan is evenly distributed and there are no unsupported areas. Paul and Simon spent a couple of hours in the cramped space underneath the pan inserting the wedges. Like many salt pans the sustained heating the brine over a long period of time causes the iron plates of the pan to distort and buckle making each position an individual fit. You can see the rows of rivets which join each of the pan plates.

Lifting eyes have been attached to the ends of the main beams. It is to these that the hooks will be attached to the crane's lifting chains tomorrow. The crane is arriving at 8am with the lift taking place about 10.30am. The operation will be uploaded tomorrow afternoon.









See uploaded time lapse video, which shows the dismantling of the roof trusses of Stove House 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW4g1xKlfmQ This took place on Thursday 16 September, 2009 and Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2--23 September, 2009.

WEEK 11 - Day 43 Salt Pan 5, Laserscan and Pan House-Warehouse 4

The team is rapidly dismantling the Stove House 5 and preparing to lift the salt pan off the furnace so that it can be shot blasted and given a protective paint. H&E Scaffolding are now taking down scaffolding and removing it from site, so we can really see that the contract is getting close to completion.



A magnetic drill was used to drill the holes in the lifting beams below Pan 5. This type of drill clamps itself to the iron beam by an induction magnet so that the steel can be drilled. Galvanised bolts were then tightened to clamp the two girders together. Wooden packing pieces will be inserted between the girders and the underside of the pan in preparation for lifting the pan off the furnace base on Tuesday, next week.

APR services returned today to fill in gaps in the laser scan survey. Parts of the stove house areas of Stove House 1 and Stove House 2 were inaccessible when the main scan was carried out earlier in the work programme.

Decayed floor beams, and the collapsed roof structures which had fallen on top of it have now been removed and props inserted below the floor beams. This is one of the older areas of the Lion Salt Works dating to about 1894.
Walkways (left) have been inserted from the Loading Bay / Packing Area to provide safe access for the architects and engineers to prepare the Phase 2 schedule of works and cost plan, prior to going out to tender for the main restoration work.
Moving south from the Packing Area you move into Warehouse 4 which has a huge crushing mill (right) used to convert dried blocks of salt back to loose crystal salt and pack them into sacks.

Moving past the crushing mill to the south end of Warehouse 4 (left) you can see that this warehouse is unusual in having an iron frame. The floor has the same hatches used to 'loft' salt from Stove 4 on the floor below. From the end of this warehouse you can look down into Pan 4 (right). Pan House 4 was built by Alan Thompson.