Thursday January 15, 2014

Day 38..

In this mornings workshop practical we continued to weld! Gas welding to be more precise and oxyacetylene to be exact! So being me I found it really hard to get started! I do not like fire I do not like flames I do not like the sparks hence I am a real wuss! However, after another demo from andy and a few over the shoulder hints and tips I finally managed to get going. Perhaps not my finest work as I did seem to keep blowing holes in the metal - but I now know why I was doing this - because I did not have the torch close enough to the metal. If you move away from the surface then you are heating a bigger area and not exactly where you need to be, so it is harder to get the molten pool started. This type of gas welding has its advantages over electric welding for example where accessing electricity (e.g., via an extension cord or portable generator) would present difficulties; it is more self-contained making it "more portable" which is great for farming environment. After practicing our technique and with our best pieces we went out to the benches to make key-rings. This involved filing the rough edges, rounding the corners and drilling a hole in to one corner. I have to say this little welded together pieces of metal looked well cool as key-rings perfect for a tractor key!

This afternoon in theory dom started the class off with some sheep husbandry revision - we were split in to groups and given a topic each regarding the preparation to breed. In my group our subject was the preparation of the ram for breeding purposes. We made a chart of the things we felt were most significant such as condition scoring and weight conformation - if he is underweight this could result in a low sperm count, checking his teeth and feet - as he will be required to mount all those ewes, ensuring he has two functioning testicles and a straight penis that is free of scabs - as these could cause pain when he starts his job. You should also check medicine and vaccination records ensuring that he is up to date, just as the ewes would be before breeding. And, you should just have a think about your breeding program and ensure that your ram is right for your requirements - if you are happy with the stock that he is producing, otherwise it is time to change!