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Finishen C216 Bofors container project

MarcdeB

Well-Known Member
I found this C216 in a room at Hurst Castle, Milford-on-Sea, Hampshire. Found in the sense of spotting it while working there.

At first sight it looked so rusty that it appeared to be lost forever and was beyond repair but closer inspection showed bait a bit of a challenge it could be saved as it was still quite sturdy and had no holes in it. Apart from the rust the only problem with it was the lid had come off as the hinges had rusted through and a previous owner had riveted bits on it to lock it with a padlock.
I asked the Director permission to try and restore it since Hurst Castle had two Bofors gun positions on its roof during the war, one of the guns still on display there, I felt this C216 should be brought back to life to put on display.

A big task lay ahead and when I got it at home in Bournemouth started working on it.
First took off the bits that we not supposed to be on there and remove the remnants of the old hinges, then sanding as best as possible since it has been eaten by rust quite a bit and fill the holes which were not supposed to be there. Got a tin of Deep Bronze Green paint with matte finish and started painting it. In the evening I started cutting stencils by hand and once the paint was cured I painted the markings on with Golden Yellow paint using the stencils.
I bought 0.5mm thick sheet metal to cut strips for the new hinges which once folded and fitted I riveted to the lid. Finished painting the last bits and now it is ready to go on display.

I am very pleased with the result.

The first photo shows what it looked like when it came to me.
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