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Again, this structure is an inseparable part of the monumental roof structure and therefore must be saved. However, the ravages of time have done their work considerably and many rotten parts must be replaced. Not an everyday job and certainly one that requires the necessary expertise.
Staalcon BV of Heerhugowaard is that expert. We speak to Niels Mul, director at Staalcon, about this assignment of historic importance. "This is certainly not 'business as usual' for us, but it is a job that we tackle with love and pleasure. We are happy to be part of this wonderful renovation."
Dismantling the parts was quite a job to begin with. Mul explains, "The construction was partly attached with rivets and partly with bolts and nuts. Old rusty rivets and stuck bolts, that required muscle work. Once disassembled, we found that many parts were no longer intact. We need to take out the rotten spots and weld new steel in their place. The challenge with this is that the frame and trusses are made of welt iron, really something from the old days. It requires the necessary knowledge to weld new parts in there."
To ensure that everything will soon be reassembled in the right place, Staalcon labeled each loose part with a number. "That is the only way to make everything fit together again nicely," Mul outlines. "Currently, everything is ready at our workshop; we are still waiting for the results of the welding test. Then we can start the pre-treatment of the material, it has to be made clean and bare, the rotten parts have to be ground out. Before welding, we heat the hot metal to the right temperature, then weld the old and new parts together using MIG/MAG welding technology -with a special welding wire. It is mainly the preliminary examination that is very intensive with this job."
Mul laughs when he says, "People are probably wondering who tinkers with a structure from 1891... The answer is simple. You do that if you have a love of history and knowledge of the trade. For Staalcon, restoration work is not new, but on this scale it is. Dismantling stuck parts, precise labeling, blasting, grinding, repairing, blasting and coating again ... Very labor-intensive, but beautiful work. We realize that we are contributing to something tangible from the past. That we are part of something bigger. You have to dare to do this kind of work, since you never know what you're going to encounter. So some vocation does come with it."
