Shackles anyone?

[clivehorridge]

I was on tour of one of our railway projects this week, and in the underfloor wheel lathe workshop, I saw these beauties.

Way too big for cruiser use, but lovely bits of kit. They're used for winching locos in and out of the workshop.

The "1 . 1/4" in raised letters, signifies the diameter of the shackle steel in inches. I wished I'd put a fag packet next to them now, as there's no datum for scale in this photo...

Needless to say they're huge

 

[Towpack]

I find things like that very tactile. It's a pleasure just holding them and 'enjoying' the engineering behind them. Is that weird or is it just me? The biggest shackles I've seen were, I estimated, around 6 feet long with a pin dia of around 18 inches. They were laid on the floor near the 2 huge cranes in the old Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast a few years ago. They must've weighed well over a ton each.

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

I find things like that very tactile. It's a pleasure just holding them and 'enjoying' the engineering behind them. Is that weird or is it just me? The biggest shackles I've seen were, I estimated, around 6 feet long with a pin dia of around 18 inches. They were laid on the floor near the 2 huge cranes in the old Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast a few years ago. They must've weighed well over a ton each.

Its not just you, when you see Brunel standing in front of that pile of massive chains or see the reproduction of the SS Great Britains engine etc etc,,,,

 

[clivehorridge]

I find things like that very tactile. It's a pleasure just holding them and 'enjoying' the engineering behind them. Is that weird or is it just me? The biggest shackles I've seen were, I estimated, around 6 feet long with a pin dia of around 18 inches. They were laid on the floor near the 2 huge cranes in the old Harland and Wolf shipyard in Belfast a few years ago. They must've weighed well over a ton each.

No, like Andy says, it’s not just you, TP!

It only takes the slightest interest in engineering to spark that type of appreciation.

It is strange though, but true!

 

[BobMurphy]

Certainly not just you .

I was having carpets laid (some time ago) and the Fitter was using a bolster chisel to push the carpet edge down behind the gripper rail . . . Except that the chisel was stainless steel, all shiny and smooth. I picked it up and it just fell into the hand naturally, it was a lovely thing to hold.

A simple thing but a lovely piece of engineering.

I was in a boat Chandlers recently and was drawn to the rack of stainless shackles in all shapes and sizes (and mind-bending prices) . . . . . .

Sad isn't it .

Bob.

 

[clivehorridge]

Certainly not just you .

I was having carpets laid (some time ago) and the Fitter was using a bolster chisel to push the carpet edge down behind the gripper rail . . . Except that the chisel was stainless steel, all shiny and smooth. I picked it up and it just fell into the hand naturally, it was a lovely thing to hold.

A simple thing but a lovely piece of engineering.

I was in a boat Chandlers recently and was drawn to the rack of stainless shackles in all shapes and sizes (and mind-bending prices) . . . . . .

Sad isn't it .

Bob.

Stainless fittings are irresistible

 

[Towpack]

Are women the same with shoes and handbags?

 

[clivehorridge]

Are women the same with shoes and handbags?

In stainless?

 

[Gary820]

Stuff like that is great, years ago we were up the Eiffel tower, missus trying to be all romantic etc, where was I.. .... looking at the engineering and how it was all put together

It's why buying new tools is great, can't beat the feel of new tools

 

[StarCruiser]

I was in a boat Chandlers recently and was drawn to the rack of stainless shackles in all shapes and sizes (and mind-bending prices) .

I can spend whole afternoons looking round yacht chandlers! But it's often all I spend as the prices are, as you say, quite mad.

 

[Shayne]

A day in the life ............. i can't find a pic but 1 minute into this vid is a boat i worked and if you look closely i'm sure you will find a number of shackles and swivels at least that big

Each would have a chain looped through it to give us a chance when it snapped , like this

 

[Ben Stratford]

I can spend whole afternoons looking round yacht chandlers! But it's often all I spend as the prices are, as you say, quite mad.

Me too Rich lots of lovely stainless screws and things. Like looking at the ships compasses etc too. Wife gets well cheesed off!