Re: DP 399 A Sight To Behold
Hi Graham.
Most finials were/are wooden, although I have seen some metal ones. They tend to be cast Aluminium, and I think, hollow.
As far as I know, the finials are, as you have surmised to protect the end grain at the tip of the pole. The “ tin hats” shown in other posts are a later implementation of the same thinking. All poles are pressure treated anyway, still using good old Creosote ( it’s not a good idea to climb in shorts, particularly on a hot day. Apart from the obvious danger of splinters, oozing creosote can irritate bare legs!). Other methods of preservation were tried, along with different chemicals but Creosote was found to be the best.
The little white label at the base of the pole has the date and employee ID number of the last engineer who tested it.( Unless it’s faded off in the sun, which is quite common). Should be completed before climbing.
A couple of the pictures in post 18 show the spike that mounted the finial. The only reason the earth wire is wrapped round it is to stop it poking the engineer in the eye!
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"Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly."
Last edited by Tim; 29th Oct 2022 at 7:09 pm.
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