With the holidays behind us and Spring coming up fast it was time to get back to the twin Ajax missiles. Sandy Hook in January is a fiercely beautiful place. There were white-caps on the bay spraying up on the road and the wind was whipping around. Spending time banging on old missiles in an unheated building can lose some of its allure in the Winter months. However, I had the privilege of having Bill Jackson lending a hand. For those of you who do not not know him, Bill is the President of the Fort Hancock Nike Site Volunteer Association. He is a hellava tour guide and one of the primary driving forces of the Nike Site. He is also a great guy to have working with you on any project - and with things like this restoration there is a wide variety of unusual stuff that continually crops up. We changed lightbulbs, drilled out frozen bolts and chuckled about seeing our breath in the A&S building.
All in all it was a very productive day. We are down to the last Main Fin on the second Ajax. All the bolts (which were frozen) were drilled out and the doggone thing still wouldn't let go (and by God we tried)! Ripped up a bunch of drill bits. Uncle Sam sure used great bolts! Next trip I'll be taking an air-chisel to it. We setup a secure area for the tool storage and developed a working plan for the removal of the booster fins. A few more workdays like this and we will be ready to start some of the smaller component refinishing. I like to call it "Visual Progress". It doesn't so much move the project ahead (though it all adds up) as much as it gives you a sense of project direction, and more than a little satisfaction at seeing some parts nearing completion. It helps me to visualize where this is all going.
'Til next time.... Blazing Skies!
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