a fairground life

Another fine night at Irvine. All the big rides were reasonably busy from 7pm. "r" phoned me from "Dunkeld", the miami running light box was not working. When he opened it up it was totally blown inside. I've ordered another one from an electronics wizard who makes them at home. To get us over the fair "r" wired all the lights just to stay lit. He also repaired the water lasers with fibre glass tape and resin today. I first used fibre glass 20 years ago. I had made a new cash box for the upright paratrooper. It was a box section frame panelled with aluminium sheets. It was very tinny sounding inside and I was concerned about the panels getting dented-so I applied resin and matt to the inside of the panels. 20 years later the cash box is on the skydiver and not a single dent. I then went on to make moulded front handrails with impregnated colours and metal flake glitter. I had to make a mould for this and at the start I destroyed the first four until I got my first handrail lift. Eventually I got the system down pat. Since then I have made rounding boards, chair o plane seats, center panels, domes, balls and moulded car panels for the juvenile skydiver,adult skydiver, twist and a juvenile twist. Handy stuff this fibre glass, but it stinks when you are working with it, its messy, it irritates your skin and when you cut it, you need to wear a mask as the dust will cut your lungs.
It does not rust or rot though and that makes it pretty maintenance free.