|
TRAILS WEST --
|
|
|
|
Over the years Trails West has installed over 500 markers along the California Trail and it's many branches. The markers installed during the early years had inscription plate attached to them by two bolts. And most of the plates were brass and were inscribed with something other than a quotation from an emigrant diary. Newer inscription plates are made of aluminum, are attached to a marker with four rivets, and have a quotation from a diary inscribed on them. Because of this difference, Trails West has been replacing the plates attached to the older markers with the newer types of plates. Removing the older plates is easy (much too easy), but attaching the newer plates requires that four holes be drilled in the upper steel bar on the markers. This can be a difficult process.
Initially, four holes were drilled in the steel bar using a one-half inch drill motor powered by a portable generator. That was hard work because the drill motor was heavy and brute force had to be used to push against the drill motor while drilling the holes. |
|
| Then Milt Otto devised a rig which we came to call "Milt's Arm." It consisted of a 4-foot length of wood or pipe used as a lever and a short length of chain. The chain is used as the fulcrum. Its use can be seen in the following three photos. |
|
|
The photo above shows Don Enneking guiding the drill and pushing against it while Gail Carbiener pushes against the wood lever helping to force the drill bit into the steel bar.
The next two photos shows Alison, our President when the photos were taken, drilling a bar. She had made the rash statement that she could drill the holes just as good as anyone else (in this case four rivets were being removed to replace in improperly inscribed plate.) So we gave her the opportunity to eat her words. Well folks, not only did she drill out the rivets but she scored a first. She is the first and probably only person in recorded history to drill out a rivet so squarely that when the drill got in far enough, the rivet actually popped out the back by itself (normally we have to punch then out after drill). Tom Fee (in the blue shirt with his back to you) provided the force on the drill by pulling on "Milt's Arm." Commented Alison, "that was fun." Photo by Dave Hollecker. |
|
| Here is another photo showing Alison's triumph. Helping here achiever her "first" are Tom Fee pulling on "Milt's Arm," Dick Brock giving advice, and Dee McKenzie watching to make sure the job is done right. You will note that the drill motor is almost to big for Alison to handle. Photo by Richard Hallford. |
|
| Use of the big half-inch drill motor and "Milt's Arm" was better than the brute force we initially had to use. But it was still hard work. So Don Enneking went shopping and found a rig that and attaches to the steel bar, holds a drill motor, and has a handle to help push the drill bit against the steel bar. It is almost easy to use. The next two photos show this rig in action. |
|
|
Return to the Main People Page.
| Site Map |