Field Rivet Demonstration at Lansing Community College West Campus
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
#60 Boyer pneumatic field rivet hammer air charged, gas forge heating rivets to 1600F, pneumatic ...
Creating Another Weld Sculpture
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Welding another sculpture with my favorite welding process, the oxyacetylene process. Jeff Seelye is leading ...
Driving Under Aunt Thelma’s Basement
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Driving west on Lansing Michigan’s I-496, as I approach near the St Joseph and Butler ...
Heinz History Center
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Senator John Heinz History Center Pittsburgh’s historic bridges, shop riveted. Eyebars, forged and upset. Cast ...
Schedule a Presentation
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Calhoun County Historic Bridge Park. Preservation of five historic riveted truss bridges. Contemporary and Historic ...
Moose Brook Bridge Reconstruction
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
“After a long journey beginning as charred remains in 2009 over Moose Brook in Gorham, ...
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania December 23, 2023
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Our fourth trip to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania was an unplanned trip we decided to make after ...
Vern’s Morning in Seville with Marcelle
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
We met in the hotel lobby; it has been almost thirty years since that July ...
Park Street Bridge in Alameda, California
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
In 1935 the Park Street Bridge in Alameda, California, was opened for traffic. Three years ...
Sculpture In Motion: Dance, Math, and Welding Collaboration
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
For the First Lansing Community College Open House, April 1996 Mitzi Carol (dance), Nan Jackson ...
Field Riveting with a #60 Boyer Field Rivet Hammer
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Another successful field rivet demonstration at Lansing Community College West Campus, Lansing, Michigan, with LCC’s ...
My Secret Lansing
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
2023 anthology of prose and poetry, edited by Ruelaine Stokes & Laura Apol, featuring many ...
Wildcat Creek near Lafayette, Indiana: Cast Iron Mystery
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Weeds, vines, and high water hid early nineteenth century cast iron, wrought iron, and I-beams ...
Jackie and Shadow
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Jackie and Shadow are two bald eagles I discovered on YouTube while convalescing from the ...
Unmanned Aircraft
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Twelve seconds and one hundred twenty feet, December 17, 1903. September 23, 2023, Mavic Air ...
Grandfather on a Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
A two-dollar photograph postcard purchased at an antique mall in Mason, Michigan, led to a ...
2023 Mackinac Bridge Walk
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
We did the 2023 Mackinac Bridge walk and met the Vice President of the Rosie ...
George Washington Bridge Walk New Jersey to New York, July 17, 2023
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
“The rivets were of carbon steel, 1 in. in diameter for the main members, although ...
Breakfast with Engineers
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Two civil engineers I highly regard and have known for years, they have given me ...
Cantoro Trattoria in Plymouth, Michigan
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
We have been making frequent trips lately to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan ...
Mismatched Breakfast Chairs
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Breakfast is our favorite meal, and we sometimes breakfast at a popular restaurant north of ...
1881 Hays Street Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Remembering the rivet training for the restoration of the Hays Street Bridge in San Antonio, ...
Polished and Etched Wrought Iron
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
On December 28th, 2008, the Shiawassee River in Chesaning, Michigan, was swollen and ice jammed. ...
Gordie Howe International Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
I’ve heard and read a lot about the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and it seemed ...
Teaspoon Corners
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
South of the small city of Leslie, Michigan, spanning the Grand River, was a nineteenth ...
San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
A visit to the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park for planning a rivet workshop.
Peets Coffee
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Peets Coffee, my favorite Berkeley coffee hang out, a few miles from the Golden Gate ...
Afternoon Spent in the Detroit, Michigan, Area.
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
It’s Friday afternoon and Katie, my PT for the last two weeks, has just closed ...
Historic Bridge Park Presentation
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Vern Mesler presents at the Western Chapter of Michigan Society of Professional Engineers, September 7, ...
Operation
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Last week this time I was checking into Sparrow Hospital for my knee operation. I’m ...
Knee fabrication: joint preparation
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Using an oxygen acetylene torch, with a prime setting of 5,000+ degree flame, you cut ...
Charlotte Highway/Centerline Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Charlotte Highway/Centerline Bridge, an important part of my learning experience in working in the preservation ...
Historic Dresden Suspension Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
There is nothing more exciting for a craftsman than to encounter an exceptional structure and ...
A day of drone photography of Whipple truss bridges
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
A day of drone photography of Whipple truss bridges and a stop at Jeffrey’s Antique ...
Oregon: Bridges to Remember
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
1936 Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, Oregon. One of many of Conde B. McCullough’s Oregon coastal ...
Esther Bielmeier (1900-1989)
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Esther Bielmeier (1900-1989) working at a coal forge in 1918 heating rivets. to be driven ...
Hidden Lake Forest Preserve Bridge, Bach Steel
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Forge welds, punch marks, and many other signs of fabrication work made by craftsmen who ...
“Great Travel Day, Crossing Borders” (Nan Jackson)
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Our west coast trip ended in the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, ...
St Johns Bridge, Portland Oregon
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
St Johns Bridge (East Anchorage), Portland, Oregon Built from 1929 to 1931 Engineer: David B. ...
1936 Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, Oregon.
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
1936 Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, Oregon. One of many of Conde B. McCullough's coastal bridges.
Coburg Railroad Bridge, Coburg, Oregon.
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Vern and Nan visit the Coburg Railroad Bridge that spans the McKenzie River adjacent to ...
Forge Welding at the Blacksmith Association of Missouri Annual Ozark Conference in Sedalia, Missouri
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
An April posting on Facebook showing the transportation of the 1942 Murray 100# Power Hammer ...
Preserving Historic Iron and Steel Bridges as the Craftsmen’s Record.
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Vern Mesler presents at the SAE/ASM West Michigan Section Meeting, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Featured was ...
Association for Bridge Construction and Design Western New York Chapter
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Vern Mesler presents at the 2022 Spring Seminar of the Association for Bridge Construction and ...
Madame Curie of Machine Tools
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Kate Gleason, the Madame Curie of Machine Tools (1865 – 1933) For me, age does ...
San Diego Maritime Museum
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Wrought iron, rivets, and mill marks are some of the features Nan and I look ...
Estrella River Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
The Estrella River Bridge on River Grove Drive in Whitley Gardens, California, was saved and restored in 2020 ...
Old Greenspot Road Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Old Greenspot Road Bridge spans the Santa Ana River, San Bernardino County, California. Old Greenspot ...
Grand Trunk Shop in Battle Creek, Michigan
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
While searching on Google Books for book titles on shop workers, I found an interesting ...
The Big Four Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
During our trip south we spent time on a number of historic riveted truss bridges ...
Knoxville, Tennessee
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Traveling south this week for a family event and an opportunity to inspect historic riveted ...
Bell Frame Delivered 12/16/2021
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Bell frame delivered to C.A.N. Art Handworks, Detroit, where the final preparations will be completed ...
Fabrication and Riveting
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Fabrication and riveting of the Unity Bell frame at Bach Steel in St Johns, Michigan, ...
Ambrose Harris a Civil War Veteran
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Union Cemetery, Blanchard Michigan. It's our second visit to view the gravesite of my great ...
Lagunitas Creek Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Lagunitas Creek Bridge 2021/2014 Point Reyes Station, California
Riveted Bell Frame Assembled
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Unity Bell Stand bolted and ready to rivet. Previous Unity Bell Stand posting: https://www.facebook.com/vernon.mesler/posts/4221904121270542
Riveted Unity Bell Frame
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Carlos Nielbock of CAN Art Handworks, passionate about preserving the cultural heritage of Detroit, toured ...
Riveted Railroad Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Riveted Railroad Bridge, Grand RiverLansing Michigan River-walk
Berkeley Steam Ferryboat
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
It was one of those unexpected and memorable experiences on our 2018 West Coast trip, ...
James Cooper
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
James Cooper, in April 2001, wrote: “Fellow Pontists - A lot of comment has come ...
SIA 2021 Award
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Vern Mesler receives the Society for Industrial Archeology’s General Tools Award during the 2021 SIA ...
Visit to Bach Steel
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Visited Nels Raynor, Bach Steel, in St Johns, Michigan to talk about eyebars, forge welds, ...
Lansing Recreation Center
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
REO Town (as the area south of Lansing’s downtown is known by the locals): We ...
Calhoun County Rivet Demonstration
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Restoration of the five historic riveted truss bridges for the Calhoun County Historic Bridge Park ...
Park Street Bridge, Alameda California
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Park Street Bridge, a double leaf bascule bridge connecting Alameda and Oakland Park Street Bridge ...
Golden Gate Bridge: missing rivets
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Golden Gate Bridge: missing recorded rivets “There were about 600,000 field driven rivets in each tower. ...
Lansing Community College Rivet Demonstration
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Rivet demonstration for Lansing Community College President Dr. Steve Robinson at LCC West Campus Technical ...
Riveting on the Golden Gate Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
One million two hundred thousand field rivets were driven in the fabrication and erection of ...
What’s In A Name
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
On display: black twisted steel bent to resemble scrolls, welded to spindly round metal stock ...
The American Bridge Company’s Ambridge Works: The Eye Bar Shop
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
[pp. 10 – 13 in The Iron Age, September 15, 1904] (Re-formatted for clarity by ...
Gale Road Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
There is nothing more satisfying for craftsmen after months of hard physical labor than to ...
Bauer Road Bridge, Clinton County, Michigan
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Small stones crack under the iron straps on the heavy freight wagon wheels, and a ...
20 Mile Road Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
“Township meeting minutes, newspaper chippings, engineering records, historic photographs, and written personal recollections and oral ...
Crossing the Brazos: Rehabilitation of the Waco Suspension Bridge
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
After visiting Austin, San Antonio, and Waco in December 2019, we left Texas for our ...
You Can Always Learn Something New
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Steve Tarrant (left) and Vern Mesler (right) at the Richmond Virginia Railroad Museum Railroad museums ...
Honoring the Original Engineering Design
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Cut River Bridge Repairs (Heath M. Robinson Memorial Cut River Bridge) Mackinac County, Michigan Steve ...
Barista as Craftsman
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
Christine, barista at Espresso Royale Café, Lansing, Michigan Dark brown and boiling inside a thick ...
Restoration of an Iron Gate from Arlington National Cemetery.
By Historic Bridge Restoration |
From Left: Vern Mesler, Ty Zimmerman, Brian Howard, Collin Howard, Braeden Howard at B.R. Howard ...