Nate, Folks,
Thanks! Maybe there is only inch thick arch board material. If so I may use that and then splits (1 inch thick) bricks for the liner. I got into the arch work a little more this afternoon and evening. Can you say DISASTER!
It just keeps getting worse. I guess I shouldn't complain the arch has served me well for 20 years with out much love! The arch is probably about 100 years old. So I will cut it some slack.
I got the steamaway out of the evaporator room and into the wood shed. Suspended it with a couple ratchet straps.
Then brought the cart back in and lowered the rear pan on to it and out the door. Now we have some room to work.
This is just one of my old wood carts that I have the pan balanced on. What could go wrong?
Started squeezing the rails back together. removed all the side brick and splits under them. Found that the left rail is just about shot. several rust spots. You would think this stuff would last more than 100 years! I pulled it in to the dimension and realized that just one rail was moving. The rusty one. I think I may be due for new rails! Just another thing added to the list.
Started to look at the issues associated with new rails. Well they should go back under the stack collar. Began to lift the exterior skin of the stack to expose the base stack.Of course it caught on the stack thermometer and destroyed that too! This base stack was made from 400 series and it has some warping and surface rust. We fired it way to hot several times when I had to old pans and we were burning pallets! All in all not too bad for 20 years. So I need to figure out how to gently unfasten and lift the cast stack base, remove the old rail/s and insert new ones. That should be enjoyable!
I think I will wheel barrow out the old bricks and sand and start fresh. Wife thinks its telling me I should be done making syrup! Wait what was the initial objective. Yea replace the rail gasket! Looking more like a summer project!
Regards,
Chris