ON THE PLOT
From page 28
With the machinery taken care of , it ' s time to look at your infrastructure . The working lives of gates and fencing can be greatly lengthened if their components are well looked after . Which means dealing with any rust and repainting in the case of metal components , and in coating wooden components with some form of preservative . At the same time , the integrity of fences , and their lifespan , can be enhanced if you take the time to tighten loose strands , fix any breaks and refasten strands to posts and droppers . It is also worth noting that the galvanising ~ that coating of tin which is added to metal components and wire after manufacture to protect it against corrosion ~ is very quickly burnt off in a fire . As a result , your fire prevention preparation should include removing any combustible material ( eg tall grass and weeds ) growing near fences . This can be done using a brushcutter or by hand by “ skoffelling ” under the lowest strand of fence with a spade . When attending to metal gates and fence posts it is sensible to have everything you will need to complete the job ready at the same time , in the form of a kit . Thus , wire brushes , scrapers and rust remover ( and water to wash the residue off with ), metal primer and paint brush , and top coat and paint brush . Rather than doing all the rust scraping and removal around the plot , then all the priming , then all the top-coating , rather do each component ( eg gate or post ) in one operation . Thus , you will scrape or otherwise de-rust one gate , wash the deruster off and allow it to dry for a few minutes , then apply the primer to the exposed spots . After a further couple of hours to allow the primer to dry , apply the finishing coat . With one gate complete , move on to the next etc . That prevents scraped , bare metal from being exposed to the elements , dew etc , allowing for corrosion to set in before the primer is applied . Also , for best adhesion of the paints , undercoats such as primers are best overcoated before they have a chance to dry out completely . Once your gate and fencework is attended to , examine your irrigation and water-handling infrastructure . For a start , your fire prevention preparations should also have taken into consideration your plastic pipework which ,
Continued on page 33
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