Fred Dibnah

Could watch this fella all day.
Health and Safety my arse.

Absolutely class, I recorded quite a few of his series from iplayer about 5-6 years ago and watch them all the time . His first ones (The Fred Dibnah story) are the best, Beginnings where he is taking down a mill chimney “a brick at once” staging scaffold around the top of the chimney 250ft in the air, no handrail, not a hint of any harness fag in mouth with a hammer and chisel. FFS.
 


Absolutely class, I recorded quite a few of his series from iplayer about 5-6 years ago and watch them all the time . His first ones (The Fred Dibnah story) are the best, Beginnings where he is taking down a mill chimney “a brick at once” staging scaffold around the top of the chimney 250ft in the air, no handrail, not a hint of any harness fag in mouth with a hammer and chisel. FFS.
Have you seen the one where he sinks a mineshaft in his garden
 
Have you seen the one where he sinks a mineshaft in his garden
That was topper to watch. To see him and his ex miner mate, apply their skills and knowledge in the construction was very interesting indeed. It's a shame the whole ambitious plan was never completed, it would have been a great tourist attraction, filling heads with appreciation, joy and wonder.
My dad carried his coffin at his funeral, they were mates because of their love of steam engines.
I bet your dad has some great stories.:)

The programmes gave me an even greater appreciation of construction and engineering, of steam engines and the industrial revolution. I love looking at buildings and engineering with a detailed eye.
 
Me dad has his own demolition business about the same time as Dibnah and they were in competition to knock down the chimneys (me dad used gelignite though). Dibnah's technique was canny - though he struggled like fuck with the cooling towers ;)
He once went to China in the late 80's to blow some chimneys and when he got there they wouldn't let him use explosive for some reason, so he used Dibnah's method after what he's seen on telly.

I've got a photo somewhere of me pressing the button on the Consett Steelworks chimneys.
Brilliant ,, should of Nuked all of Consett:lol:
 
Me dad has his own demolition business about the same time as Dibnah and they were in competition to knock down the chimneys (me dad used gelignite though). Dibnah's technique was canny - though he struggled like fuck with the cooling towers ;)
He once went to China in the late 80's to blow some chimneys and when he got there they wouldn't let him use explosive for some reason, so he used Dibnah's method after what he's seen on telly.

I've got a photo somewhere of me pressing the button on the Consett Steelworks chimneys.
Was the non explosive option to knock away some of the bottom of the tower, support it with blocks and then knock out or burn away the supports?
 

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