Of all the parts of the Nottingham Water Clock that have deteriorated, changed colour or simply gone missing probably the most radically changed piece has got to be the main frame. This tubular steel structure has supported the clock for over forty years and has definitely been showing its age.
The clock after removal from its pool.
When the clock was removed from its pool in February the frame was a substantial element but, it became apparent, a shadow of its former self. There was talk that parts had been removed over the years but investigations were required to establish exactly what was no longer there.
Emett at work on the Clock. A model of it next to him.
The first call was to Emett's drawings. Because he was so intimately involved in the construction of his 'Things' there was little need for full working drawings. He relied instead on sketches and scale models. When it came to the frame the complexity of it would defy two-dimensional drawing and the models came into their own. He did, however, need to show his clients what he was proposing to build and so his highly stylised ink and watercolour drawings would be unveiled. Excellent to sell an idea, but not exactly something that could be built from.
Emett's drawing.
Having been able to look through his wife Mary's filing cabinet, a number of photographs have come to light taken in Emett's workshop during construction of the clock. These have proved invaluable as evidence for the original form of the frame.
The frame in Emett's forge.
Sketch of missing parts.
Using the photographs as a guide sketches were produced and the missing parts identified. It was then up to the fabricator to interpret the sketches and photographs and bring the frame back to life. The frame is still a work in progress but it is already re-gaining its lost elegance. The legs have been extended and many of the missing elements have been restored. There is still finishing work to do on the welds and the hub for the waterwheel needs to be remodeled but it is most definitely well on the way.
Work in progress. The frame is 400mm taller.
Our thanks must go to the fabricator Mark Dewar at Lycett Fabrications in Tamworth who has worked tirelessly to do justice to Emett's work. He has been able to reproduce the curved members without the use of computer controlled bending machines, this has all been fabricated by hand. He has also restored the pads at the base of the frame to anchor it into place.The complexity of the frame is now returning and it will once more take on its supporting role.
Mark Dewar with the Clock Frame.
After the fabrication works are complete the frame will be zinc sprayed and powder coated to its original colour. The frame will still bear some of the scars of being stood in water for forty years so the the new glossy finish will accentuate this. Rather than carry out radical surgery to return it to 'showroom condition' it has been decided to retain as much as the original structure as possible. It will wear its history.
No comments:
Post a Comment