The other day I posted a note about a small project I'm working on in downtown Austin and indicated that I had been unpleasantly surprised to see how poorly some brass tablets that I'd set in concrete sidewalks had performed. That was based upon a quick recon of the block to see what remained.
When I went back today, I discovered that my assessment was quite wrong. I didn't look carefully enough and mistook some scratches and scuffs that appeared on some tablets as evidence of erosion from foot traffic. Here are some photos that show that the tablets actually remain in pretty good shape. Would recommend. These are the 2" flat tablets with corrugated stems that Surv-Kap sells. The alloy is a reddish brass.
Here are some of the 3/8" Steel Spikes in Aluminum Washers that I've used for control points and some offset boundary markers. They've held up surprisingly well. The spikes are just plain steel, but sixteen years later the punchmarks are readily distinguishable.
Well, at least one crew knows to spray around the monument instead of on the monument. I really hate it when I find an iron rebar with the attached tag covered in paint.
Nevertheless, brass monuments do get smoothed over by foot traffic over relatively brief periods of time. I know of one in particular, set in the sidewalk outside Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland in 1996, that has had its lettering completely worn away and his kept at a bright polish at all times.
> Nevertheless, brass monuments do get smoothed over by foot traffic over relatively brief periods of time. I know of one in particular, set in the sidewalk outside Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland in 1996, that has had its lettering completely worn away and his kept at a bright polish at all times.
I'm going to guess that the alloy matters quite a bit. The Lietz Co. sold some yellow brass tablets that were quite easy to stamp and therefore softer than the Surv-Kap reddish brass tablets that take more of a strike to stamp.
Oh, a practice tip: even if the number "666" is next in order for point numbers on your survey, do not stamp a control point "666" if it falls in the sidewalk in front of some women's dorm such as that operated by, say, the Scottish Rite of Freemasons near, say, the campus of the pre-eminent university in Texas, the University of Texas at Austin. I discovered my mistake when I returned to find that someone had carefully *ground off* the point number, leaving all other stampings intact.
> Well, at least one crew knows to spray around the monument instead of on the monument. I really hate it when I find an iron rebar with the attached tag covered in paint.
Yeah, the "protective layer" of flourescent paint really does nothing other than make it harder to read the stampings on the monument. I consider the blast of spray paint on the marker to be a rookie mistake.
One of the issues we and no doubt others face are the grinding machines sent out to relentlessly smooth those joints and gaps to take away trip issues.
I've seen quite a few well placed marks ground to the shank.
The 666 makes me grin.
This week I was setting out some kerb lines for a soccer ground and they'd placed rectangular stormwater pits at the corners.
Coincidence was they were 662, 663 and 667 offset from back of kerb. Also the grade along the pitch was 0.6666% 1:150
I said to the foreman just remember 666 and make them all the same!!
I often wonder what happens when those so disposed see 665 on their speedo (do they stop or keep going?) and pass No 665 Whatever Street and so on.
I digress!
> Oh, a practice tip: even if the number "666" is next in order for point numbers on your survey, do not stamp a control point "666" if it falls in the sidewalk in front of some women's dorm such as that operated by, say, the Scottish Rite of Freemasons near, say, the campus of the pre-eminent university in Texas, the University of Texas at Austin. I discovered my mistake when I returned to find that someone had carefully *ground off* the point number, leaving all other stampings intact.
LMAO!!
One time at a fast food place, the clerk rang up my total then quickly asked me to look at the number then quickly cleared it out. It was $6.66. He did not want that number to be present any longer than absolutely necessary. The meal was fine and didn't even contain any deviled eggs or devil's food cake.
Fascinated with differing terminology
Words. I love words. Almost as much as names. Through the centuries oral communication has changed from being super-localized to worldwide. The minor to major differences are now incredibly evident.
Kerb or curb, it sounds the same to me. But, I got a chuckle out of your reference to a guy looking at his speedo and seeing 666. We call it an odometer. A speedo is a far-too-skimpy miniature male bathing suit famous for letting show that which should not be seen.
My youngest daughter spent a summer working in Sydney, Australia. She enjoyed herself but quickly learned she wasn't speaking the same English as those around her.
This can apply to any of the British Commonwealth, but ...
Australia and America - two countries separated by a common language.
When I've tried everything to read a monument, I grab a contrasting color and give it a spritz. I always carry a few rags with me and I wipe the wet paint back off. If you use cheap markers that works too. The scars (and hopefully stampings) become legible more often than not.
Crews that blast paint on everything are one of my pet peeves. Obviously they've NE er spent a few thousand dollars on concrete...
> When I've tried everything to read a monument, I grab a contrasting color and give it a spritz.
I carry a piece of white chalk in my vest pocket for highlighting punchmarks and circling cut marks on concrete pavement. It probably would work well on stampings, too. Naturally, the next rain will wash it off.
This can apply to any of the British Commonwealth, but ...
Thats a good one Dave. I spent a week in Scotland and could hardly understand any of the things we were trying to talk about in the pubs. Then consider the dialect in various parts of our own US of A. NE, South, urban ghetto slang, even my yooper sound gets a chuckle around here (some think I'm from Minnysoootaa). Then some folks from the left coast who are trickling in who talk faster than a speeding jet without saying anything, and never even take a breath.
It's all good, but it is interesting
For many years
The stretch of highway between Morenci, Arizona and Springerville, Arizona known as Coronado's Trail had the number 666. The number is now 191.
Has a whole lot of switchbacks and steep grades.
For many years
The stretch of highway between Morenci, Arizona and Springerville, Arizona known as Coronado's Trail had the number 666. The number is now 191. Has a whole lot of switchbacks and steep grades.
In the summers of 1975 and 1976 I worked for the USFS in the Apache National Forest on a tanker crew. We drove a Ford 650 on that road everyday from Alpine, Arizona south to Hannigan's Meadow, either loaded with a bulldozer or a 500 gallon water tank. Many times we would drop off the Mongollon Rim headed south to Strayhorse to draft water, deliver/swap supplies, etc. Years later I drove my wife around that area to show it to her and she still threatens to leave me if I ever take her on roads that "bad" again. The highway was bad enough, but the canyon rim roads and side roads really got to her.
Mud Pike - Montgomery County, VA
Virginia Secondary Route 666 is Mud Pike in Montgomery County, VA. I'd say that every county in Virginia has a Route 666.
Carl
Brass Tablets
Never heard them called tablets. When I hear tablet, I think of something square.
"666" is part of my truck license plate #, Clerk asked if I wanted a different one as 10 people before me:-S had refused to buy a plate with that #. I told her it would make it easier to remember ;-).
