CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2016 91Boatbuilder’s Notes
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Restore a
Baby Blake
CARVED SAW HANDLE
One tradition lost when plastic replaced wood in saw handles was the
wheat grain carving which adorned a treasured saw. In 19th century
Sheffield where this tenon saw was made by Richard Ibbotson there were
scores of saw makers, each vying to outdo the others with their quality of
steel and – not least – the beauty of their handles. Note the extravagant
rearward-facing horns shaped to fit beneath the heel of the hand and
between the thumb and forefinger, and the sinuous ‘lamb’s tongue’ licking
forward to the blade – standard factory-finished features in that elegant
age. But the delicate wheat grain motif flexing around the aperture was
carved by the saw’s proud owner. By the First World War the wheat grain
motif had itself become a standard feature among large manufacturers who
applied it at the works using high-speed rotary cutters.Brace and driver
Of all the bits available for the carpenter’s brace, one of the
most useful in boatbuilding, where screws can be large and
timbers tough, is the screwdriver bit. Since the handle of a
standard screwdriver is only a few diameters wider than
the bit itself, the torque you can develop with it is limited
by your pain threshold as the handle chews into the palm
of your hand. Then again, a well-bedded screw can bring a
power driver to a whining standstill.
However, with a screwdriver bit in a carpenter’s brace, your
body weight behind the pad and one hand on the crank,
you should generate enough torque to start a vintage
Bentley on a frosty morning, driving big screws in or
extracting them with ease and control.TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPH PETER SMITHI had removed my Baby Blake from my 1951
8-tonne Gauntlet over 10 years ago, to replace it
with a modern design. Now that this was not
working, it was time to restore the original toilet!
It had languished in a plastic bag, neglected in a
corner of the back garden and was totally seized, with
only the lid moveable. But I was motivated to attempt a
restoration, to retain the authenticity of the original fitting on
a vintage yacht, and on the discovery that a spare kit was available
for all the perishables, such as the rubber seals and washers.
But first I had to dismantle, ease and clean all the individual parts that
make up the toilet. The biggest task was to remove some mild corrosion from
the bore of the waste pump. This was done by wrapping wet and dry paper
around a 10-inch paint roller of a diameter slightly larger than the bore of the
pump. The fluffy material exerts enough pressure to rub the paper against the
sides. Once it was shiny and smooth, I could reassemble the toilet.
Some of the old bolts seared when I tightened them. However help was on
hand from Spares Marine, which stocks all the individual parts of the complete range of Blake toilets,
including the ceramic bowl. The bronze parts were given two coats of Hammerite paint. The Bakelite seat and
lid came up spotless with Renapur Balsam and now the toilet is ready for action.Spares Marine 01803 607299 sparesmarine.co.uk