ARBO - Adshead Ratcliffe - Sealants For the Professional

Gosport based marine specialists, The Maritime Workshop, are undertaking a major project for the restoration of the historically valuable wooden Medusa vessel, with the help of Arbo materials.

The Medusa was part of a fleet of HDML’s (Harbour Defence Motor Launch’s) designed by the Admiralty in 1939, for the defence of our estuarial and local waters during World War II. However, she proved such a kindly and versatile design she could be used in every theatre of operation as the war progressed.

After the war, Medusa was used for training purposes, and scheduled for transfer to the Persian (now Iranian) government. This did not occur, and she was allocated to the Hydrographic Office as survey launch.

In 1965, just before her decommissioning from naval service, Medusa suffered a fire which was made worse as the fire fighters could not get their breathing apparatus past her narrow passageways. For three years, the fire damaged ship was left to rot. She was close to having her machinery removed and sold and her mahogany remains burnt, until she was bought in 1968 and slowly refurbished. A process that effectively took 14 years to complete.

Since then, she has appeared in BBC television productions including Lovejoy with Ian McShane, and military training exercises. By now it was discovered that Medusa was the last of her class still in original and seagoing condition, and various attempts have been made to preserve her for all of time.

The latest preservation work, is being undertaken by Bill Puddle and his team of 8 skilled craftsmen at the Maritime Workshop. Supported by Lottery Funding, Bill is now halfway through a 2 year restoration exercise, the extent of which you can see in the photographs.

Bill is using Arbokol 2150 to bed the mahogany planking (from reclaimed boats in India) in three layers to form the new hull of the Medusa. The final restoration work is estimated to require 900 to 1,000 tins of Arbokol 2150, and once completed Medusa will be used for Corporate Hospitality, and a programme of events that justify her Lottery Funding.

With the approach of Christmas the streets of Camden will be buzzing with shoppers.
Even on a normal weekend the street population in this area can raise ten fold to a million people.

If they pause and look sky wards they will see the sky reflected in a massive bull nose of glass. This prestigious project crowns Camden Stables Market which claims to be the largest commercial complex in London boasting entertainment, restaurants, leisure facilities, bars, shopping and offices.

This project is nearly three years old and was designed and erected by EAG of Mildenhall and sealed by Eagle Structural Glazing of Rainham, Essex.
This was the first installation of EAG’s SYSTEMSTAX – producing a frameless glazing solution, which gives maximum façade transparency without having to drill holes through the glass for fixing back to the structure.

It saw large double glazed units – weighing several tons –‘stacked’ on top of one another and affixed by slender fixings combined with UltraGlaze® SSG 4000 Silicone Structural Glazing Sealant for extra support.

Manufactured by US-based Momentive Performance Materials, UltraGlaze® SSG 4000 Silicone Structural Glazing Sealant is a one component, high strength, neutral cure sealant specially designed and tested for structurally glazed curtain wall applications and distributed by ARBO in the UK and IRELAND.

So if you are visiting London go down Camden way and marvel at this spectacular façade if you can drag your eyes from all those bargains.