The Honest Courtesan

The dry weather continued just long enough for me to get all the steel done for the next section of roof; this one was a bit trickier because we actually had to build two sections together, the triangular structure occupying most of this picture and another, inverted triangle between it and the previous leaf.  It’s a bit hard to see in this picture because the sheet metal is in the way, but if you look closely to the left of center, it’s the area in which the ladder is visible.  I spent a lot of time on that ladder last Friday, welding the sections I couldn’t reach from the roof of the shop, but I’m less nervous about it than I was doing the previous section because there’s now enough structure for me to rest my weight on, so I’m not just balancing precariously atop the ladder while trying to weld.  It probably also helps that I’m getting better at welding; my welds are ugly as sin, but they’re good and solid and I’m getting better at judging how much current to use, how long to hold each tack, etc.  That came in handy with the aforementioned inverted triangle, because its top was far too wide to span with an unsupported cee purlin, which meant welding that cross-piece into place; it’s the bit that looks like it’s supporting the top of that sheet metal, but that’s a trick of perspective because there’s actually an appreciable gap between the two.  The next day we put in a cross-support prior to adding the purlins, but you’ll see that in my next report, which will feature a picture of the mostly-complete roof section from below.