225. The sad tale of why I beat my stove chimney with a blunt instrument
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- #narrowboat #narrowboats #canal #canals #liveaboard #cruisingthecut
Enough people spotted and commented upon my sad-looking stove chimney in the prior (roof painting) video that I thought I had better come clean, do a confession, and explain why it's looking so dented. This is that story.
See the chimney being made here: • 138. Getting a custom-...
See the dinette rant at: • 26. In which my new na...
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Theme music: "Vespers" by Topher Mohr and Alex Alena, from the TH-cam music library
"Mary, that bloke on the next door boat is talking to his chimney again...."
Don't change the chimney. This one has a story now, it looks like a tough little one who survived a horrible treatment. A new one is just shiny and boring.
Save the Chimney!🦾
As you were describing your bashing of the chimney, I had visions of Basil Fawlty giving his mini a jolly good thrashing!
You followed the unwritten rule. If at first you don't succeed....you need a bigger hammer.
That was a beautiful story, David. It had everything: drama, action, comedy and happy end. Well done, well done indeed!
questionable pfp mate
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have watched this video. I STILL laugh after watching again and again! A humorous end to a difficult day. ❤️ from the great State of Texas!
Try a light coating of copperslip a high temperature grease from any car parts shop
Also, the biggest mistake was having the chimney welded all the way down. Those welds he broke shouldn't have been there to begin with. Rather, it should have been secured to the flange with a metal hose clamp. That way he could just remove the hose clamp and the chimney will have enough flex to be easily removed.
This was my thought too!
LOL - I can just see you whacking at the chimney with hammers and other boaters passing you by wondering what the crazy man was doing.
You're a good story teller, truly!
Thank you! 😊
Now that's the story I love. Explaining for more than 9 minutes about the dented chimney. Cheers!
I'v often found that uncontrolled violence against inanimate objects is an answer. it usually shifts the issue along a bit.
Best vlog I’ve seen this year! You are a great storyteller indeed and made me laugh several times throughout.
I’d call it patina and enjoy the several more years of use it will give you👌
🤣🤣👍That was a great story.
You're funny without even trying!
You could make the description of buttering toast riveting
I agree!
riveting .....? considering his chimney quite the description
I can’t help but notice the outstanding job you did on your roof again David, I used that video as a lesson for my daughter to use her own wits and talents to solve her own problems. Keep up your efforts, they make difference my friend.
I would pay very good money to have seen footage of a crazy man shouting and attacking a chimney reminds me of Basil on faulty towers 😂
The only thing he didn't do, and we only have his word on this, is ferociously shake his clenched fist at the thing.
Fawlty Towers on the Canals.
If anyone orders 'a prawn goebbels' or 'mentions the war' they will have to come take me away. ;-D Again.. a very entertaining, enlightening and excellent vlog.
I can't believe David just confessed to battering his beloved chimney half to death due to anger issues and is now conspiring to replace it with a younger, prettier model, _escandalo_
xD
I'm a 50-year-old man, I believe such thoughts are compulsory.
@@CruisingTheCut that chimney gave you EVERYTHING and this is the thanks it gets
Storytime with David is sheer joy. More please!
Aww, thanks Nicola :-)
And this, kiddies, is why we always apply some sort of anti-seizing compound to two metal parts that at some point in future have to come apart again. Now, I'll grant you that this knowledge has been hard-won on my part, and also yours too, but harken to this snippet of wisdom: use the grease!
What to do when your hammer doesn't solve your problem... get a bigger hammer
🤣😄😂
My go to favorite tool is a small pry bar. Way better than just a hammer.
We had a saying back in my Navy days - "If it is stuck, force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyways."
Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m not laughing AT you, I’m laughing with you! I think your chimney’s new look has Character.
Thanks for your story!
It was a good outlet for you. You are usually so understanding and calm, so periodically let your frustrations out in a safe way.
I think you are one of a few that can make a talking vlog more amusing then some of your sailing vlogs.
2 years ago, after 42 years of marriage, the love of my life passed away. We were just 18 years old when we married. I must say, your videos and series have helped me through some very difficult times. Through your Vlogs, I feel I have made a new friend and I sincerely thank you. Cheers to you and may God bless you. ❤️ from Texas.
I am so sad for you to hear that; an immensely traumatic time for you. Glad the videos could help in some small way and my best wishes.
@@CruisingTheCut Thank you for your kind words. ❤️
This may well sound a bit mad, but believe me it works. Just give the mating surfaces a, liberal coating of good quality black boot polish. It contains a small amount of graphite which is the magic ingredient that will stop it becoming permanently stuck. The same goes for threaded items on things like exhaust manifolds or anything that goes through constant heat cycles from cold to hot and back to cold again. I learnt this trick from and old steam boilerman when I was but a mere apprentice, and fifty years later I'm still using it. Trust me, it does really make a big difference when the time comes to taking things apart again.
David in Dudley.
Intriguing idea! Cheers
A little bit of heat might have saved you all that hassle. Thermal expansion does wonders for removing stuck parts like that.
exactly my thoughts
This is true. A bit of hand held propane torch on the sheet metal at the collar would had expanded the sheet metal fast then the cast metal collar. The chimney might of came off with ease then.
I was just heading to the comments to say this. A dead blow hammer would be handy as well.
Penetrating oil like pb blaster would loosen it.
Nobody asked you
Great story share. Thanks for being real and being you. Every video you do is a pure treasure.
So glad to see the age old principle of " if at first you don't succeed , get a bigger hammer" is as relevant today as ever!!
As an engineer I have the full range from toffee to sledge.
It's called percussive maintenance.
you mean persuasion :-)
You have to do what most mechanics do,GET A BIGGER HAMMER
Well told, relatable, and appreciated.
You tell a good story, David. I am exceedingly pleased that there were no explosives stored about the boat!
;- )
David “hey Chris I need a new chimney”
Chris “what happened to the old one?’
David …
Chris …. * Staring at the mangled chimney *
David ….
Chris “right then”
HAHAHA since I started to watch your videos this has to be the most hilarious vlog, you had me laughing with your animated expression 3:14 had to replay it many times....
Man v chimney..a tale of derring-do, a story to stir the blood of every Englishman(or any man...or woman, worth their salt)...it had everything..tension, frustration, bitter resentment, a sad resignation, but then triumph was snatched from the jaws of disaster...gin and tonics all round, I say...😎
Oh that summation was brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
As the Romans said: "If the bolt won't turn, use a bigger hammer." And if it breaks, it needed to be replaced anyway. Peace.
Made me think of that Fawlty Towers episode where Basil goes bonkers on a car that won't start.
Thank you David. Just got home from a long day at work and put your vlog on and it made my day. Brilliant tale.
Great, thank you :-)
So I have been listening to a 10 minute story about removing a chimney from a narrowboat. Strangely entertaining. 😄
I just thought the same lol and at 05.31 in the morning ha ha 😂
I will not hate on you, but I am disappointed in the lack of the use of a Cricket bat.
or hockey stick. or tree branch a la Basil Fawlty
Ahh, Adopt the Japanese principle of Wabi-Sabi, there is beauty in patina. It adds character and is not sterile. Not everything needs to be perfect. In fact, you now have, as you have just shown, a wonderful talking point and added history to this glorious adventure you are on! I say, all hail the stubborn chimney, let it remain as a reminder of your independence!
Throughout this clip- i had an image of a bloke standing atop his drifting narrowboat. legs straddling the chimney tugging like fury.....only for chimney to eventually part company with boat.....and David to take a ducking in the cut!
I like the way he narrates in every video. It’s like a good story only better.
I really got a kick out of this story. You always seem so calm and mellow. It must have been some sight to see you beating up your chimney. Good job! Well done.
It's got that rustic distressed look now. Someone would probably pay extra for it like that.
Definitely a thing in America today.
Hello David, I know it can be intensely frustrating when a simple mechanical device does not submit (this is also probably an indication you are not a mechanical genius). To determine what you may be up against, I went back and looked at episode 138, where the chimney was replaced. Since you are working with a chimney that has the inner and outer liners joined together, there is no way you can knock the dents out.
I noticed in episode 138 when the new chimney was being fitted, it fit quite tight. Therefore, a years worth of flue ash, tar, acid, and water, is guaranteed to rust the chimney to the collar. I would recommend taking a small (toothbrush sized) stainless steel bristle brush and cleaning off the mating surfaces (internal and external) of the collar and chimney liners before reassembly. It you can't get a reasonably smooth surface on the collar mating surfaces using the brush, use a machinist (mill bastard) file. Put anti-seizure compound (available at an auto parts store) on all the mating surfaces (including any screws that get fastened), then reassemble (or attach) the chimney. The anti-seizure compound is extremely messy so, wear gloves and have that trusty roll of paper towels standing by.
The stainless steel chimney exterior can be shined up using fine grade steel wool. However, with all the dents, it's probably not worth the effort. I would imagine other narrowboat skippers have encountered the same stuck chimney problem so, it's likely other chimneys on the canal are in a similar dented condition. Anyway... I enjoyed your video, keep up the good work. Cheerio!
Absolutely hilarious. One of your funniest yet!
I grinned at the beauty of your story telling while also empathising with your absolute frustration.
Sometimes you have to remind the boat that you still think your in charge!
Might I suggest high temperature black paint on the chimney to hide the evidence of your consternation until replacement? Just a thought. Cheers!
Bit of high temp grease might work a treat too ?
Metal expands as it heats up, you could've lit the stove and let the pipe heat up, then given it with the hammer.
The pipe inside the chimney would have expanded roughly the same amount as the chimney.
hitting it with a blowtorch would probably be better, if you heat the stove up it'll probably get stuck even further because everything expands, right?
I thought you were going to tell us you finally stood up and gave it an almighty kick and ended up taking an H20 tumble!! Good story telling, as usual! 😉
Obviously that chimney deserved a bashing. Fine work, David! 😁
Hear Here
This is known as percussive maintenance.
I really like hearing you explain things!!! You are a great storyteller with real life experiences!!! I wish you would write a book!! Thank you for all you do!!!
When Brute Force Fails... Get A Bigger Brute!
I can totally relate to this. Everyone has these moments, and with nobody to reign us back in, we go all in. Break or bust. I'm not proud of it either - far from it, but what can you do? Mental note to self: "What would I tell someone if I saw him doing just what I am doing right now?" - and hope to find that note in time, next time I need it.
Next chimney ask the builder to not weld the bottom 1/3 but to put in a folding latch that tightens it when closed so it is solidly on when you want it and loose when you need it to be. Good story and well told.
If it was me I would have took the boat under a bridge to get the thing off lol
Nothing wrong with a bit of percussive maintenance! I just hope you weren't reported to the NSPCC...
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Chimneys! 😂
One small tap for man, one giant dent for chimney. ,!!!
A great story David, we’ve all been there, you are not alone.
Keep smiling mate
JD
Could never hate you, keep on cruising 💖
Two different metals, hence they welded. Same as alloy wheels getting stuck solid to mild steel hubs.
Welded or corroded?
My money's on corrosion.
Pretty obviously the original fit was very, very snug hence the difficulty in removal.
For what it's worth a clean and polish will be fine for the functionality.
Dents are in the eye of the beholder ... don't suppose the smoke will care one way or another.
Your candour on the matter is touching, I can envisage your gentle descent from mild vexation to barely suppressed apoplexy
Oh mate, you just have to do as you said and take the chimney off once in awhile and break the crud out. I swept my chimney (or at least passed the brush through a few times) just about every time I emptied the cassettes and mine was just fine last winter. I was working at the office last year so I'd let the fire burn out whilst I was at work so I could sweep it when I returned and that worked for me. For what it's worth, my chimney is a right state and the bands that hold my hat on are just about perished.
I'm in the midst of a badly needed DIY paint job. The roof was bad enough that I'm priming the whole thing. Priming always takes the longest because I'm discovering little rust bubbles that my OCD won't let me ignore. The recent weather hasn't helped. Hopefully, the undercoat and topcoat won't take as long. I'm just doing the roof and the worst of the sides that I can get to at my mooring but I'll do the rest in the Spring. I'm getting away from traditional narrowboat colors and going to two tone grey. Dark grey above the rubbing strake, black on the rubbing strake and below to the waterline. Dark grey on the gutters and around the windows but light grey everywhere else. No artwork planned for right now but after it's finished I might go with grey camouflage. Penny for your thoughts?
For a camouflage pattern , the only proper type would be the WWII "dazzle", of British and American warships. Miniaturized of course, for the size of boat you Captain!
Lol chimney rage...it’s the new thing apparently. Thanks David for making me laugh out loud several times!! I almost spat out my hobnob (which are available in Canada). Oh dear I needed that laughter thanks!!🇨🇦😂
Learn something new all the time... *bonus video-photobomb by the white-grayish boat in the background at the end!!*
It might not have been necessary to beat it like you did to remove it but maybe it was a little therapeutic? Either way I'd say it's better than it was when it was new as it now it has character and a story. I say keep it until it rusts through and no longer functions.
Confessions of a narrowboat man lying on the top of his steel roof lamenting his tormented chimney.
A piece of art for the ages.
This is a wonderful yarn. But being from the U.S. I can't let this story go without a little help. The correct nomenclature for the second hammer is BFH !! I'll let you figure that one out.
Clearly, it is obvious that you used a left-handed hammer for a right-handed job.
I'm just imagining a British man going full DBZ on the chimney in spring.
How in the world can Santa go down that chimney? And are you sure didn't take a cricket bat to the chimney? Love the Incredibly Hulk comparison, so funny
Finish the job off David. A hammered and buffed finish is all the rage these days
It's fine. Shiny things quickly lose their appeal. Just paint it uht black and it be great for a long time.
OH you poor guy..... lol.... I'm not laughing @ you David, im laughing w/you. I can only imagine your delimbas.
Bless your heart,
Chris from Missouri
Some patient, persistent, but not too strong, tapping around the base followed by the application of a flame from a cheap butane torch around the base would have carbonized your " white gunge" into powder and the heat would also expand the diameter of the chimney so that a gentle rocking motion from the top end would gradually loosen it. Repeated tapping and heating might have been necessary but, in the end, the thing would have to come off. Docking or mooring first would have taken the incentive to rush the project away. This technique is common but if you have't used them before, they are not intuitive. Instead of replacing your perfectly serviceable chimney, I suggest you find a curved piece of steel to slip inside as a backing to beat out the larger dents but also cover the entire chimney with small dents for an "artistic" look.
Good man with a hammer then, David? You'd make a perfect Land Rover owner, so you might want to consider one for your next Vandemonimum! Did we establish what the white gunk is?
That's hilarious! It's amazing how the simplest job can make you rage the most!
😅😅 This gave me a good laugh.. I had visions of Basil Fawlty and his car.. you know, when it wouldn't start...."Right, that's it, you're going to get a damned good thrashing".. were you tempted to whip it with a sapling tree!! 😅😅
Indeed I was!
My thoughts exactly!
Pyrrhic victory. Hmm. A few weeks ago I was pretending to cook something and bent down to get something from a cabinet below the microwave. Yes the microwave door was open and yes I did stand up into the corner of it. I'm bald. Things like that HURT. I flashed, bash went my hand, boom went the front of the microwave, tempered glass everywhere which is poetic given that I had lost my temper, for just a moment. But a very satisfying moment. I needed a new one anyway. Amazingly my hand was unhurt.
Couple of pop rivets, bit of banging from the inside (shove a steel pipe up and whack the pipe) and a brillo clean good as new. The high temperature grease that someone else suggested. Or just love it as it is, it works.
Why am I suddenly thinking of Basil Fawlty with a tree branch?
What can I say? Few people could have made the story of your dented chimney so entertaining!!!
Incidentally, I spotted the dents much earlier but I'm glad now that I didn't ask!
Here, hear just could not stop laughing myself..😂
Is there any chance to see footage of the epic battle of 'David against the white-gunged chimney'? Recreating it might be a bit costly on the CGI, or what does 'swelling torso-muscles' and 'tshirt bursting at the seams' cost nowadays? 😂
Btw what's all that mentioning of The Hulk if clearly Thor would be your MCU-character of choice? Might need some additional CGI to get THAT image into your regular viewer's heads though.... 😁
Would love to see a re-enactment while your new one is being made.
yes i want watch that.
another thought , on the rusty look use steel wool on the outside it'll look newer but dented . Bill
I had not laugh this much in 2020. You sir, get a new subscriber!
I have seen all of your episodes (from Sweden), and suddenly this vlog channel went epic! I have to admit that I was laughing really hard and could see the whole action clear in front of me. How you first started gently and carefully and then become more and more iritated and frustrated, and finally how it blow the top for you and built up a rage so much that you needed to spank and bash your brand new chimney. But that was also a laugter of recognition, because the mad guy hitting his so beloved chimney, could have been me...Thanks David that you're telling how a normal weekday could look like behind the camera. Keep on doing your marvelous work...
Yes, par for the course for many of us isn't it? It's good to know others may react similarly and looking back later it hopefully causes a rueful laugh.
I had exactly the same reaction and feelings!
Hello again, lovely vlogs as usual, keep it up man and remember to act as a pirate every now or then haha
Arrrgh!
You should have made a video of that battle. It would have been very popular.
Sometimes and man's got-ta-do, what a man's got-ta-do ! Take heart! Through your sacrifice, you probably save so many more innocent Chimneys.
I saw that you read many comments and decided to let you know that from here in America I enjoy your content. One day I hope to knock the UK off my list of places to visit after Rome. Be safe!
In Australia... Tim Tams!
🤣😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂 I don't mean to laugh at your frustration but you just made my Monday exceptional. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!!
We enjoyed the way you told the story and were laughing out loud!
Great story. I could follow along with the frustration that you must have had at the time.
Sir, while I try to mind my own business, I will make this suggestion. If the looks bother you, I would make or have made a slightly larger sleeve to put around it since it still functions properly. Back to minding my own business.
Its now an interesting piece of sculpture. You should send it to the next Royal Academy exhibition.