Project ID: 791
| Description | A Shared project involving the Friends of the Copperworks and Swansea U3A |
| Topics | History |
| Type | External research (U3A as research assistants) |
| U3A | Swansea U3A |
| Organization/partner | Hafod-Morfa Copperworks Swansea |
| Year started | 2018 |
| Source of reference | The project to restore the traveling crane is part of a bigger ambition to restore the Musgrave engine. http://cherish-de.uk/digitalhistorylab/musgrave/ The friends group with the expertise and drive of one member in particular, Tom, a professional engineer, have been researching and writing method statements for several years. Swansea Council has secured funding to restore the roof and Swansea University has secured funds to remove restore and replace the traveling crane. At the end of a year, we should be working in a secure, safe and dry building to refurbish the engine itself. The crane should be fairly straightforward but the timescale is short. We do not have a start date yet but it looks like early Autumn. Our plan is to find volunteers to support Tom to work on this over the course of a month or so. So we are looking for volunteers to commit to regular sessions over this period which will include some evenings and Saturday mornings. The venue will be a secure yard in LLamsamlet for dismantling for 4-5 days and then Tom’s workshop in Brynhyfryd for detailed stripping down and reassembling. We imagine that there will be a team of 3-5 volunteers working in each session. The roles we are looking for are: Role 1 ; Hands-on engineers and physical helpers. The task involves using force and heat to loosen fixings and dismantle sub-assemblies. Each component has to be carefully recorded restored and replaced in the same position or with an exact replica. Some machining of new parts will be required. Role 2 ; Heritage researchers, Gathering images and oral histories which tell the story of the importance of the Musgrave Crane and Number 1 rolling mill it powered and weaving these together into a soundscape interpretation application. Role 3; Project Documenters It is vital we keep accurate historical records to satisfy Cadw and produce an annotated digital photographic record. This will involve photographing and detail record keeping and possibly 3d computer aided design. |
| Output | We will be uploading much of this information to a website creating an engaging blog of the project. |
| Notes | A Shared project involving engineers, researchers and documenters working alongside the Friends of the Copperworks Swansea |