We have almost enough front yard to do what we would like to. There’s only room for two demonstrators, and not enough equipment, but we are making it work.

It’s still hard to work with groups arriving at different times. I’m working on that. Adding people to a talk in progress is an art I respect and hope to become proficient in.

The current project is tent stakes for the Staats House up in South Bound Brook. They are going quickly, and seem to be pleasant enough to make.

Thank you for your patience as we do what we can to bring the building back up to it’s best, and we look forward to our re-opening.

Shawn, the mason, assures us that the west side is the strongest wall in the building. It seems to have been such a bother due to lack of pointing.

I had the unusual sensation the other day of standing in an unstable corner and feeling completely at ease. It was wonderful!

There is a small section on the west side of the north wall which is bulging and separate. It will be replaced next week.

After that, it will be time for a new floor, then for structural bracing to hold the wall up, and finally, time to move our equipment back in. No one is looking forward to putting the equipment in, but we all look forward to having everything where we need it, ready to use.

Today, equipment will be shifted over from a member’s home for the Weekend Journey.

This is something we always look forward to.

As we are under repair at this time, the shop won’t be open, but there will be a portable forge similar to the one we used at the 4H fair, and the smiths will be out in the front yard in the sun. It’s a little different working outside, we are accustomed to working in the shade where the colors of the metal are easy to perceive.  Another challenge will be the lack of hand tools. We will bring our personal favorite equipment, of course, but with the building empty, we won’t be able to simply grab a useful tool off of the wall.

The doors will be open, though roped off for safety. The changes in the building will be visible from the doorway.

When you come to the Weekend Journey, please be aware that parking is a little tight. The Millstone Creamery and the Millstone Sport Shop are to be open.  Please don’t park in front of the Sport Shop, as it’s important for our neighbor’s customers to have ready access. Also don’t forget to plan a moment for some ice cream.

The weekend brought rain, and challenges.

The building’s exterior was wrapped in plastic, much like a slip n slide, to channel water away from the foundations.

Rain began to fall steadily, and gained power over time.

Last night the water table had fallen slightly, but water was coming in under one footing, as well as through the roof in one spot. The walls were holding, but it was not the place to be in a storm.

Today, rubble removal begins.

Thursday September 18^th, the Masons arrived at the shop.

They removed the crumbled brick areas by the doors, and one section which was collapsing on the East wall. They then began to prepare the holes and the bricks for rebuilding. One fellow removed brick while the other used a chisel to remove all evidence of mortar from it.

On Friday, the steam locker removal began. This was hard to watch. They did a careful job, protecting as much original brick as they could, and setting all of the steel fittings aside. The steel has rusted to less than half thickness where it was wrapped in concrete. We saved off the braces, pintels and door with the intent of rebuilding the steam locker in the future.

Behind the locker, the wall was pushed out over a foot. Bricks were at odd angles, pushed down by the soil pressing on them. A real surprise, however, was hidden behind the brick of the wall.

In the ground, shale had been stacked like Jenga, and cinderblocks were neatly stacked in the hillside.

It seems that when the hill was closed up after original construction, they used the shale to brace behind the wall. When the wall began to go 100 years ( my guess ) later, the solution of the day was to dig out the matter pressing on the wall, insert cinderblocks, and cement over it, then replace the brick wall, and build the locker to hold it all in. We are not the first to have problems with this part of the shop.

Throughout the past week, bricks have been moved, brick has been cleaned, historically correct mortar has been made and used, holes in walls have been filled, and so on. It’s been a lot of work, a dramatic visual change in the interior of the building, a few scares here and there, and a lot of learning.

I have been enjoying working as a gopher for the masons. They are knowledgeable and likeable. They allow me to carry water, clean brick, move rubble, and such other things, so they can do the things they are properly trained to do.

In the next week, we hope to clear out most if not all of the rubble, and prepare the floor for the concrete trucks. It is probable that the floor will be generic grey, and we will need to color stain it to make it look like the shale underneath. As sad as we all are to lose the character of the shale slab floor, our building’s safety is the first priority. It helps that the new floor will make the building easier and more approachable to visit.

The Structural Engineer got to see the foundation, and was more optimistic than expected.

The General Contractor also had pleasant things to say, mainly that we are not in as poor condition as it seems, and that the job is eminently manageable.

Sunday was a wonderful day! I had been contacted by email, a pair of thoroughly delightful gentlemen, brothers, wanted to see the shop they had grown up spending time in. They had vivid memories of watching Mr Wyckoff shoeing horses, and remembered some great details about the place ( the block that the anvil stump was cast into, the apron, and so-on. ).

While we waited for them, a number of others arrived, mostly neighbors. I had expected 2, and had instead the good fortune of about a dozen visitors! It was a delightful visit, though brief. Fortunately, the weather held.

The shop is unsettling to look at. The rubble, the loose brickwork, and the flood damage are all the more obvious for being exposed, and of course I am so in the habit of looking for it now.

The foreyard is far better looking, as the flooring has been removed and disposed of. We had a very generous helper, who is appreciated.  In two days, 5 pickup loads and 2 trailer loads went out.

The logistics of doing the foreyard demos are evading us. We do have intentions of putting it together, but the sheer mass which would need to be moved, once cold, and only three hours later ( when we are tired ) once again, hot, is an oppressive thought.

The Champion tire shrinker has been moved to storage, it was quite some production. The steel rack is also there. It fit. It all moved, it all fit, and we haven’t got more than a few square feet of unused space.

Moving it took 5 people,  an engine hoist, several chains, a dozen heavy planks, a trailer, and a lot of interesting verbiage.

Now we must remove the floorboards and crumbled stone within the next two weeks. I think it’s an approachable task.

To the gentleman who came by asking when we re-open, I’m sorry I couldn’t go into detail, but we were balancing a rather cumbersome contraption.  We hope to begin foreyard demos in April, and reopen the shop September or thereabouts, with allowances for building requirements.

Tomorrow I hope to stop by and remove some ivy from the back wall, and trench out the waterflow, which is a biennial job.

Rust mitigation is more of an issue with the complex machinery, but so far, we have been successful with all but one machine. It’s currently on an engine crane, and will be out tomorrow.

The Architects have been in, and we have instructions for site preparation.

We ought to know more in April.