The Bluebird Project

I see on Twitter that you are having difficulty with your quarter turn fasteners. Would these be any better for you, I use them for cowlings and inspection panels and have found them to be very good as they pull themselves into alignment and I have yet to have one come loose or undone.

https://www.arconic.com/fastening_syste ... 0guide.pdf

Yes I know they cost the earth but maybe you could blag a few.

Can't be using the wrong fasteners! That would be heresy.

Was having a mooch online last night, kind of taking stock of things, where we were, where we have been and where we are now...

Found myself going through the progress uploads wondering how the hell did we do that !?

One of my favourite progress uploads was that of the paint going onto the hull. I can still vividly remember that Sunday evening, I very much felt, as I was walking into the still and peaceful workshop, that the stage had been set and I was walking on for the opening act, the prep had been done, the paint mixed and the cameras rolling, this was history in the making and we all knew it! We had a brief pause of quiet reflection then we began, I handed Bill the paint tray to apply the first drop onto K7s nose, it was almost certainly his earned right having brought us this far, I then picked up and followed on......the atmosphere was both reverend and electric, seeing K7’s colour return was for me, pivotal, ‘twas like a nod to Donald and a small gesture of saying “you wont be forgotten, not now” K7 isn’t just an object or play thing to any of us, but rather a living memorial to a great man. At the end of the first coat, irrespective of the fumes, Bill, Mike, John and I stood silently in awe.......Bluebird was back the pain and the struggle had been worth it....



A fantastic compilation by Mike who as always selected just the right track to accompany images.


Anyway, here it is, turn up the volume and just pause for a moment as you watch.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xy3lS-Xhp ... e=youtu.be

My favourite was always Progress 17.

Whether it was the music or it being the first time the boat was seen largely intact it always had twice or three times as many views as all the other videos. Definitely the best one.

But, as Rich says, putting the paint on was quite a moment and a milestone. Bit like when we first floated her off on Loch Fad.

Progress 17 is also possibly the best illustration of the thousands of hours that have gone into the painstaking rebuild, carefully blending in new metal with old.

In many cases, the old metal needed straightening first and I can remember how seemingly hopeless pieces of severely crumpled metal were patiently unfolded so the maximum amount of original material could be retained.

An amazing achievement in my view.

In many cases, the old metal needed straightening first and I can remember how seemingly hopeless pieces of severely crumpled metal were patiently unfolded so the maximum amount of original material could be retained.

That's what took all the time. The parts we had to build from scratch took no time at all by comparison and for years there were people out there who wouldn't believe it when we said we didn't know when we'd be done but we really didn't.