SeaCat
Hey, my Halo is smoking
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2003
- Posts
- 15,378
This afternoon I went out to the side of the trailer to make me a nice opening in the skirting. I need the opening so I can go under there and replace some ducting. (I'm not looking forward to that job.)
Well I wanted to do a neat job as usual. I had a Chisel and a Mini Maul as well as a small pry bar. I started chipping through the Mortar using the hammer and chisel. It went fairly quickly as the mortar was old. Within about half an hour I had cracked the mortar around the four blocks I wanted ro remove. Then I started working at the blocks themselves to remove them.
The damned things weren't moving. What in the world? I used the pry bar and the chisel some more but they just weren't working. I couldn't believe this. After an hour of this I was getting more than a bit unhappy and had sweat right through my belt. I was also more than a bit frustrated. To hell with the nice neat job. I just wanted those blocks out of there. I can always replace them.
I get up from where I'm kneeling on a piece of plywood and see the cats as well as my wife watching me through the window. I stalk off and get what I need. When I return my wifes eyes open wide as she and the cats watch me line up and take a nice long power swing with the 14 pound sledge.
Well when that hammer hit the concrete blocks the cats scattered and my wife jumped as the side of the trailer seemed to ring. The blocks started cracking and I took another good swing. This time the blocks started crumbling. By the third swing the blocks were broken enough for me to get the pieces out. Imagine my surprise when I knelt down and started pulling the pieces out only to find pieces of rebar threaded horizontaly through the upper and lower pieces of the blocks. No wonder the damned things weren't moving. Who ever put up that section of skirting didn't want it to move.
Now I had another problem though. There was no way I was going to squeeze between these sections of rebar, nor would I be able to slide the new ducting through there. I had to cut the rebar, all four bars. I had a couple of choices now. I could dig out the Hacksaw but I didn't anticipate that being a lot of fun. I also knew my wife and neighbors wouldn't approve of explosives. (Spoil sports.) As I stood there thinking about this the neighbors wife fired up her stereo and all I could hear was Mexican Music. That decided it. Inside I go again to put away the tools I'm finished with and get others. My wife sees what I'm grabbing and starts shaking her head as she digs out her shooting muffs. (I had mine on already.)
Back out at the rebar I plug in the high speed drill and attack the metal with the cutting disk. The metal screams as the disk hits it. Sparks are flying and even wearing the shooting muffs the sounds sets my teeth on edge. It takes a while but I make the eight cuts needed. When I finally shut down the drill and take off the muffs the stereo has been shut down. By this time I'm soaked with sweat. We're talking I could wring out my shirt, not to mention my shorts. Thankfully though everything is ready for me to slither under the trailer tomorrow morning.
Cat
Well I wanted to do a neat job as usual. I had a Chisel and a Mini Maul as well as a small pry bar. I started chipping through the Mortar using the hammer and chisel. It went fairly quickly as the mortar was old. Within about half an hour I had cracked the mortar around the four blocks I wanted ro remove. Then I started working at the blocks themselves to remove them.
The damned things weren't moving. What in the world? I used the pry bar and the chisel some more but they just weren't working. I couldn't believe this. After an hour of this I was getting more than a bit unhappy and had sweat right through my belt. I was also more than a bit frustrated. To hell with the nice neat job. I just wanted those blocks out of there. I can always replace them.
I get up from where I'm kneeling on a piece of plywood and see the cats as well as my wife watching me through the window. I stalk off and get what I need. When I return my wifes eyes open wide as she and the cats watch me line up and take a nice long power swing with the 14 pound sledge.
Well when that hammer hit the concrete blocks the cats scattered and my wife jumped as the side of the trailer seemed to ring. The blocks started cracking and I took another good swing. This time the blocks started crumbling. By the third swing the blocks were broken enough for me to get the pieces out. Imagine my surprise when I knelt down and started pulling the pieces out only to find pieces of rebar threaded horizontaly through the upper and lower pieces of the blocks. No wonder the damned things weren't moving. Who ever put up that section of skirting didn't want it to move.
Now I had another problem though. There was no way I was going to squeeze between these sections of rebar, nor would I be able to slide the new ducting through there. I had to cut the rebar, all four bars. I had a couple of choices now. I could dig out the Hacksaw but I didn't anticipate that being a lot of fun. I also knew my wife and neighbors wouldn't approve of explosives. (Spoil sports.) As I stood there thinking about this the neighbors wife fired up her stereo and all I could hear was Mexican Music. That decided it. Inside I go again to put away the tools I'm finished with and get others. My wife sees what I'm grabbing and starts shaking her head as she digs out her shooting muffs. (I had mine on already.)
Back out at the rebar I plug in the high speed drill and attack the metal with the cutting disk. The metal screams as the disk hits it. Sparks are flying and even wearing the shooting muffs the sounds sets my teeth on edge. It takes a while but I make the eight cuts needed. When I finally shut down the drill and take off the muffs the stereo has been shut down. By this time I'm soaked with sweat. We're talking I could wring out my shirt, not to mention my shorts. Thankfully though everything is ready for me to slither under the trailer tomorrow morning.
Cat
