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Kenton

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The cab window beading [34-37] can be fitted before or after assembling the cab. My preference is always to fit such items before as this enables them to be fitted flat and even before removal of the cab panels from the fret. These parts are very delicate and must be at the limit of the etching process. The cab side windows [36] are even half-etched. eek.gif

I found the removal and subsequent filing off of the tags very difficult to do without some distortion of the part taking place.

 

nb040dh_044.jpg

 

The easiest way to solder these parts into their half-etched recesses is to lightly tin the back of each beading, place them in the recess and with plenty of flux but no more solder on the iron apply heat and let the flux do its work. Once complete the cab panels were removed from the fret and tidied up. It should be noted that with the cab side beading the larger window is positioned forward with the half-etched vertical facing outwards. Also, when filing off the remnants of those tags be aware that the cab side panels have a thin half-etched border at the top outside and the rear/forward inside edges - it may help with assembly to leaver the latter tags until after the cab is built.

 

The doors were soldered into the side panels from behind with the hole for the door handle forward on each side. Once again it is much easier to do this while the panels are flat.

 

nb040dh_045.jpg

 

The two half-etched rivets on front and back panels I believe correspond to the windscreen wiper mountings, again these should be punched before assembly.

 

The instructions give warning of the fact that the cut-out in the bottom of the cab front panel to fit over the baseplate is not present. Suggestions are made to either file this out, or to split the baseplate (I think this weakens the design integrity) so I will simply file off a thin layer from the bottom of this panel.

 

I also prefer to build my boxes square on a metal plate rather than the suggestion of on the baseplate bolted to the footplate - perhaps I just do not have THAT much faith in the solder stop/grease preventing solder run and locking everything up.

 

I do however have faith in these etches being square and so am happy building the cab off the baseplate. Then soldering it to the baseplate while off the footplate. As always with this type of construction use small tack joints until the box is formed square and on the baseplate. Then finally run solder round the seams to complete.

 

A couple of points to note are that the cab sides fit outside the cab ends and not to forget that a small amount has been removed from the bottom of the cab front.

 

Even so, and with absolutely no fault of the kit just me rushing at the end of the day, I somehow managed to solder the cab front panel in back to front - I only spotted my gross and stupid error after completing the assembly. So after much blue air, the heat of a micro-burner and a lot of scraping to clean up, it was put back in the correct way round.

 

nb040dh_049.jpg

 

nb040dh_050.jpg

 

In the end I'm happy enough with the result.

 

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Delicate parts such as window frames are designed to be cut off with good quality shears/tinsnips, e.g. Xuron etch shears. The parts should be roughly separated by making cuts which do not distort the finished piece, then the tags snipped off close. If you use good quality shears no filing is necessary, don't attempt to cut out parts like this individually (and certainly not with knives or chisels), chop the fret up as you release the parts. I usually leave the fwindow frames off until last, in this case they are actually black rubber mouldings so I paint them black and fix with varnish after painting and glazing. Same process for those which are left bright metal.

You do seem to have assembled the cab quite succesfully, I don't know how you'll get on with the engine casing by this method. I developed this technique many years ago while scratchbuilding diesel shunters in order to keep the body straight and square, grease is really very good at preventing solder from flowing where you don't want it.

Your comments are much appreciated and we do take notice of them.

Judith and Michael Edge

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Thanks for the designer's perspective on removing the window beading. I had never thought of roughly separating the parts first simply to give access to the shears. As they say "one is never too far gone to learn new tricks". In isolation, one just plods on for years with the same old techniques and the odd new tool or two, then along comes RMWeb and you find there are so many other ways of doing everything.

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Nice to find this thread as I have one of these kits in the "to do" cupboard.

 

Pity it took me a month to find it from when you started, although I think I recognise the compensation arm pictures, but didn't obviously know what they were related to. ?

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Nice to find this thread as I have one of these kits in the "to do" cupboard.

:D you still may finish it before I do ... so many other things to do it seems to only get a look in. However, I am finding this blog and the encouragement from comments on it quite a driving force. Fortunately, Easter 2010 is far enough away ...

 

Having then to scroll up to then read down, to then scroll up again is a bit of a pain! ?
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Thanks 26power,

 

An excellent set of very detailed photographs of one of the two preserved examples.

 

Some of that detail is well beyond 4mm and beyond anything I will achieve.

 

Of course not being too familiar with the original prototype condition does leave me questioning what might have been added/altered.

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