Our Journey
The trainers arrive
With much anticipation we picked up the team from Auckland airport to begin the week of training. they had travelled all night we collected them from Auckland and drove all the way back down to Otorohanga,and straight in to the mill to start the machines. They did not even put their bags in the rooms.
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Wednesday 3 February 2010
Check out the mill on Youtube
I have uploaded a small video of the mill on Youtube. We are still in a little disarray but things are beginning to get sorted
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Thursday 31 December 2009
The Celebration
Finally we have the machinery in the shed and time for a celebration. A few final touches like connecting to the power supplier and learning how to use the equipment but these are only minor details.
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Tuesday 29 December 2009
Christmas Came Early
ITS HERE!!!!
Santa couldn't get the machinery on the sleigh so he organised a truck and forklift and dropped off the mill machinery just before Christmas. Grant and Peter spent these days unscrewing boxes and trying to fit it all in the shed. We should have built a bigger shed. Ask me if they know how to drive the fork lift I had to go in the house I couldn't bear to watch!
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Monday 28 December 2009
The day has arrived!!
A slight hick-up on the container delivery looked like we might have been held up for a further three weeks.
Suddenly every ship from the States to New Zealand was full. However space has been found and the container has left for New Zealand. Now we wait for a smooth sailing and a quick process through customs at this end. Looks like Santa will have to struggle down the chimney after all.
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Thursday 12 November 2009
Everything is ready!!
This seems to have been a huge hurdle to climb, but finally everything is ready as I write the machinery is beeing loaded in to the container in the USA and will be on the water very shortly. So it looks like our Christmas present this year will be a fibre processing mill.
We really appreciate those of you who have been paitent with us in waiting for this to happen, now we can see light at the end of the tunnel
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Saturday 7 November 2009
Packing of the machinery is beginning
We are still waiting for the news that the ship is on its way. But in the meanwhile we can see that progress is being made and the machinery is being packed ready
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Tuesday 29 September 2009
New Picker is coming along well
Some of you will know that we have had problems with two of the machines. When these arrived at our US supplier they were not up to specification. The Picker has been remade and is now progressing well
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Tuesday 29 September 2009
A personalised touch
Dont you just love this artist picture of Charisma and Lavina.
A personalised touch to our new spinner thanks to Marcels daughter Mariel
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Tuesday 29 September 2009
Dehairer progressing well
After disapointing news on the dehairer it is now progressing well and should be completed and ready to travel with the other equipment very soon
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Monday 31 August 2009
Carder now in the USA
Finally after what has seemed like an eternity the carder has arrived in the USA and is being put through vigorous trials. Which means when we receive the machinery it will be functioning well and run in. We are eagerly awaiting the day when we get the email to say everything is crated and ready to leave.
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Thursday 16 July 2009
Report back from training in Italy
We were hugely encouraged to hear back from Marcel on how well the training had gone on the carder during their recent visit to Italy.
just a few tweeks on the machine to take place
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Wednesday 29 April 2009
Spinner almost complete
The spin frame is beginning to look impressive too. This will be ready to spin the batch of alpaca fibre sent to Italy for carding once the carder arrives in the States. looking forward to seeing our our fleece come of the machine
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Monday 20 April 2009
Carder almost complete
What great pictures of the carder as its final construction takes place. Another batch of fibre has gone over to Italy for the final settings to be completed before the carder is shipped to the States
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Monday 6 April 2009
Sheds are finished- well nearly
A good decision was to get the professionals in to complete the roofs on the sheds. Finally we have buidings that are almost complete
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Friday 20 March 2009
Sheds begin to take shape
Finally we are beginning to look like progress is being made. The small shed is 3/4's finished and framing has been put together for the larger shed.
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Thursday 15 January 2009
Update on the machines
A few more construction photo's here of the Spinner and carder in progress
Everything is still on target for March training here at Riverdale we are looking forward to learning how to use these machines
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Sunday 4 January 2009
The framing begins
Now for those who thought we'd been on hoilday this festive season, well no. Grant and Ted have been dodging the rain and putting up the framing. Now I'm not supposed to tell you that some of it went up twice!
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Saturday 3 January 2009
The concrete goes down
Despite Grants best made plans the boys arrived a day earlier and did the job while we were away shearing. An intensive inspection by Grant gave them a pass rate on the craftmanship
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Friday 12 December 2008
The man from the Council said yes!
Inspection day to day as part of the resource consent process. All the hard work Grant has done needs to be signed off before we can pour the concrete
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Friday 5 December 2008
Progress on the Machines
To the untrained eye these may not look like the final product some imagination may be necessary
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Thursday 4 December 2008