We Must Be Somewhere In The Right Sort Of Area...

Well, it turned out we were in the right place with our compensator bench! So much so, that trying to dig a hole for a concrete leg to go in led to a discovery. The remains of an original concrete leg!!

Jim beside the excavation

Jim excavated the old leg on one visit, which we then lifted out, only to find that the two concrete ties underneath were still in situ. Sadly, we couldn't leave these be, as the new leg needed to be set slightly lower in the ground.

A little bit of stabbing with a crow bar identified that another bench leg was also present, bolted to the two ties! So the excavation grew even larger.

The extent of the excavation, showing the two ties at the bottom,
and the damaged leg to the left

The bolts holding the concrete sections together required cutting with an angle grinder as the level of corrosion since the 1950s was impressive. Once the nuts were removed, the concrete leg was lifted off. This was not a simple lift, as they are large, heavy lumps and the bolt remains were tight in the holes. We levered up and packed until we could then lift the leg off. The weight of everything together also precluded lifting out all 3 pieces in one go.

A close up of the bolt

The first leg is simply scrap, but the second could be cut down to form two smaller legs, for use with a wire wheel or two!

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