Upon its publication, the poem was lavishly praised and brought the Campbells easy entry into the highest circles of British literature.ĭuring a subsequent visit to his native South Africa, Campbell was first enthusiastically received. Although his family had intended for him to attend Oxford University, Campbell failed the entrance exam and drifted instead into London's literary bohemia.įollowing his whirlwind cohabitation and marriage to English noblewoman-turned-bohemian Mary Garman, Campbell wrote the poem The Flaming Terrapin while staying with his wife in a converted stable near Aberdaron. Ignatius Royston Dunnachie Campbell, better known as Roy Campbell (2 October 1901 – 23 April 1957), was a South African poet, literary critic, literary translator, war poet, and satirist.īorn into a prominent White South African family of Scottish, Huguenot, and Scotch-Irish descent in Durban, Colony of Natal, Campbell was sent to the United Kingdom in the immediate aftermath of World War I. The Flaming Terrapin, Adamastor, Flowering Reeds Over a few days, heat of the sun, and UV light from the sun, will damage the masking tape, and the damaged adhesive won't peel, and will leave very stubborn gunk on your paint job.Roy & Mary Campbell (left), Jacob Kramer & Dolores (right), 1920sĭurban, Colony of Natal (now in South Africa) Make sure not to leave the masking tape on for more than needed, and cover it well if you must leave it. A hand hacksaw would be faster, but some people need to use power tools. The Dremel is too small to distort the sheet metal, and as always with those discs, they shatter when you are not careful, and patience wins the race. If I had to use a power tool, I'd use a Dremel with the little cutoff discs (you know the ones, they come in a 40-pack typically). You'll have 45-ish lineal inches to cut, but that's not so far in such thin metal. 12' is a large enough diameter that a hacksaw can make that curve. or, cut a 4' diameter hole in the middle using coarser methods, cut the first inch with the bare blade (wear gloves, I show this in red) and then put the bow of the hacksaw through that hole. Either use the kind of hacksaw where part of the blade extends beyond the tool (and don't kink it). Start it by drilling a hole well inboard of the edge.

That's cheap/easy.įrom there, I would use hand tools, such as a VERY fine tooth hacksaw, working carefully. If you bodge it up, peel the tape, lay new tape and mark again. First, as JACK advises, lay down masking tape and accurately mark the circle precisely on the tape. With that in mind, I would tend to go old-school. Almost any power tool will tend to do that, as will many hand tools. The #1 problem will be distorting the outside of the circle and creating yourself either ugliness or a need to do body work and paint. The van metal is VERY thin - its strength comes from being stamped in a curve, not thickness. If your window depends on being a true circle in a flat medium, and not a Pringles chip, then the window will not fit. The shape is akin to a Pringles potato chip. If it wasn't curved it would go 'waggle-waggle' as you drove down the road. The curve gives it a great deal of strength. A regular grinder is 90 degrees out so would not work the same.Ī circle would require the van side be flat. If you had a Dremel-style cutoff wheel, then the same basic idea would work to hold your tool on the circle. Also have an assistant on the outside who can watch what you can't see, and kill the power if there are problems.īolt the radius-wood to the center-hole of your planned-hole, and work your way around taking your time on the cut. Use eye protection because there will be sparks. Use ear protection because its going to be awful loud in the tin box. I would work from inside the van, so you're not dragging the jigsaw around the exterior paintwork.

Secure the other end to your jigsaw so that it sticks out to one side but doesn't interfere with operation. Use a short length of scrap wood or metal, and drill a hole in one end. Presumably you've removed any lining already and have clear access.ĭrill a small entry hole on the circumference, just large enough for your jigsaw blade to start. Start by drilling a center hole in the van, and carefully measure inside and out to make sure you're clearing any framing members or reinforcements. A sabre-saw is not suitable for this approach. You'll need a fine-tooth metal cutting blade, and maybe several. If the only tool you have is a jigsaw, then make a radius guide.

Van porthole window