Using a ruling pen

[Iain Popplewell]

 What the finished boiler bands look like.

 

The extra decal is applied like any waterslide transfer and gives very effective bands. Incidentally if you put it on wonky, even when dry 24hrs later, rewetting can allow you to tease it straight. At least it worked for me anyway.

 

 

The lining on the cabside and tender are pressfix HMRS lining and is noticeably less fine than the boiler bands.

 

Who knows by the time I line my next loco I'll do the lining with a pen also. Having experimented with this however I think brushing in panel corners is going to prove the bigger problem than ruling the lines. (Advice on this gladly accepted)

 

In making this posting I wanted to stress the point that looking up drafting sets is the way to find good ruling pens and compasses on the internet. They seem to be reasonably common second hand and for about £50 with a bit of judgement you get all the drawing and measuring equipment you need for laying out and ruling lines. You also get an excellent set of drawing equipment dividers etc. For people like me who's chance of mastering CAD is zero this is excellent value for money.

 

Ps. I didn't mention the sets compasses which worked pretty much as they came without any honing. I used them to (edge-line) the wheel treads. Again a bit rough but better than using a brush in my hands. More practice needed.

 

Edit: To change HMRC lining to HMRS lining I can almost hear the sound of the approaching lynch mob almost a fatal typo there.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Iain Popplewell

[Alan Kettlewell]

Great work Iain and good to see another keen on learning this art. I'm no expert but I have managed to successfully line several locos now using bow pens. It's the practice that counts! I can recommend having an early go at lining a tender as the long straight edges lend themselves well to do 'offset' lining using your dividers. Replace the sharp pin in the dividers with a small length of brass rod to avoid damaging your work, set to the right distance from the edge and draw along keeping the brass rod along the edge. It's good practice and can give confidence - and of course you can easily clean off and start again if it goes wrong. Keep up the good work.

 

Cheers ...Alan

Edited January 20, 2017 by Alan Kettlewell

[RBAGE]

Hello Iain,

 

Great work. To move on to the next stage I could make no better recommendation than to enrol in the weekend course at Missenden and go on Ian Rathbones painting and lining course.

 

The course is set for the 3rd to the 5th of March and the latest advice is that there are 4 places left.

 

Get it straight from the horses mouth and with the skills you've shown so far, you should take along a couple of subjects and get them finished in the weekend.

 

Bob

[Iain Popplewell]

As of Monday 23rd Jan. Having posted above how you can pick up drafting sets easily, out of interest I had a quick look on E-bay today.

 

To anyone who is interested there is an excellent selection on offer today. Some sets just like mine and a Mercury set who's quality looks excellent.

 

If you've been thinking of purchasing some pens today might be your day. He who hesitates is lost, seize the day etc!!

 

Search for: Keuffler and Esser Drafting set.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Iain Popplewell

[gaf2u]

All,

I was fortunate enough to actually attend Ian Rathbone's session at Missenden just a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and he demystified a huge amount around painting and lining for me, not to mention honing and setting up my pens and compasses. I've a long way to go to get anyways good at this (practice, practice and more practice), but it was a great start and has given me the push to give it a go for myself if nothing else.

 

I'm going back again for Mick Bonwicks weathering session next time - the guys in that class were doing some great stuff too!

 

I'd wholeheartedly recommend Ian's session to anyone considering giving it a go, but lacking the confidence to actually start!

 

Darren

[knottyAl]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum, but as an ex Ordnance Surveyor, 20 odd years of using bow pens and fixed gauge pens every day, I agree that successful lines requires practice. Also a bowpen tuned up to suit the medium(paint or ink etc)and your personal grip on the pen.

As an N gauge modeller,lining vehicles is not impossible, but also not easy! Other uses for a pen can be drawing window glazing bars, and wagon lettering (if you don't look too closely!) Alan.

[grob1234]

Just wondering if anyone has had any success contacting the German pen manufacturer Haff? I've sent a couple of emails asking if it's possible to pay via PayPal as oppose to IBAN which is annoying. No response. Just seeing if anyone has purchased from them, as I believe Mr Rice likes their pens.

[Brassey]

Just wondering if anyone has had any success contacting the German pen manufacturer Haff? I've sent a couple of emails asking if it's possible to pay via PayPal as oppose to IBAN which is annoying. No response. Just seeing if anyone has purchased from them, as I believe Mr Rice likes their pens.

 

I bought a pen two years ago. They emailed an invoice which gave the details as to how to pay via bank and via PayPal which I did. That was of course before Brexit so not sure what the implications of that might be.

[grob1234]

I bought a pen two years ago. They emailed an invoice which gave the details as to how to pay via bank and via PayPal which I did. That was of course before Brexit so not sure what the implications of that might be.

 

OK thats great thank you maybe I should just order then. 

 

Still in the EU as it stands so nothing should have changed just yet

[PAD]

I believe the main body of the instruments is nickel silver with the points and nibs etc in steel. The Minusa set was first introduced during WW1 when it was no longer possible to import German instruments into the USA. The pattern was revived during WW2. Minusa stood for made in USA. I have never handled a minusa set but from photos I assumed the pen handles were wood. However the ones in this set look like they may be anodised aluminium.

Nice set though.

Cheers,

Peter

[gaf2u]

Well I finally managed to bite the bullet. Post Missenden with Ian Rathbone, and having collected a number of old drawing sets via ebay, and messed around with them on some painted flat brass sheet, I took the plunge and decided to try and line a locomotive. 

First job was to construct a fixture per that Ian describes in his Painting and Lining book - this was a godsend as it meant that both hands were free at all times, and the loco was held rock steady.

The victim was a K's Fowler 2-6-2t tank, painted a base coat of black satin acrylic from a Halfords rattle can.

 

Above - Loco attached to the holding fixture (flat surface that sits over the bracketry is omitted), along with my dividers, compass and ruling pen.

 

The result - I'm pretty chuffed with it although doubtless there's room for improvement around consistency and thickness of the line. My setting out is probably somewhat inaccurate too, but for a first pass I'm really happy

 

Darren

[Iain Popplewell]

Looks pretty good Darren well done.  I hope my first venture into ruling pen lining comes out so well. Doing the corners seems to me to be the problem. Personally myself and a paintbrush, no matter how fine,  is a disaster waiting to happen. Any tips from Rmwebbers very welcome.

 

 

PS. Your loco holding jig looks like a nice bit of carpentry and metal working.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Iain Popplewell

[Ian Rathbone]

Well I finally managed to bite the bullet. Post Missenden with Ian Rathbone, and having collected a number of old drawing sets via ebay, and messed around with them on some painted flat brass sheet, I took the plunge and decided to try and line a locomotive. 

First job was to construct a fixture per that Ian describes in his Painting and Lining book - this was a godsend as it meant that both hands were free at all times, and the loco was held rock steady.

The victim was a K's Fowler 2-6-2t tank, painted a base coat of black satin acrylic from a Halfords rattle can.

 

IMG_1470 resized.JPG

Above - Loco attached to the holding fixture (flat surface that sits over the bracketry is omitted), along with my dividers, compass and ruling pen.

 

IMG_1481 resized.JPG

The result - I'm pretty chuffed with it although doubtless there's room for improvement around consistency and thickness of the line. My setting out is probably somewhat inaccurate too, but for a first pass I'm really happy

 

Darren

Well done, this is the first time I've seen my jig copied, glad it works for you. Try setting your pen so that a piece of paper will just pass between the points. Avoid trying to draw a line over rivets, your top line needs to be lower. Can we see the lining on the back of the bunker? Only joking.

 

Ian R

[Mick Bonwick]

Well I finally managed to bite the bullet. Post Missenden with Ian Rathbone, and having collected a number of old drawing sets via ebay, and messed around with them on some painted flat brass sheet, I took the plunge and decided to try and line a locomotive. 

 

The result - I'm pretty chuffed with it although doubtless there's room for improvement around consistency and thickness of the line. My setting out is probably somewhat inaccurate too, but for a first pass I'm really happy

 

Darren

 

 

You've every right to be happy, Darren. That's a good result, and if I ever get round to doing any lining I'll be pleased (and surprised) if I achieve that.

[gaf2u]

Ian,

Here you go!!! I had to laugh. Mind you, I passed on lining the front of the tanks. The chassis is on a workbench in my other house, so haven't got it to hand.  I'm really pleased with this one, particularly for an old K's kit.

 

 

Here she is all numbered and plated up

 

[gaf2u]

Now that I've tried plain black livery, I got even braver and thought I'd try lining Crimson Lake!!

 

I've a number of models in this livery awaiting completion, having started spraying post Missenden with Ian. First baby step lining in this regard is a tender for a Jubilee that has waited patiently for some finishing TLC for some years now. 

 

I struggled a little with the offset lining using the compass - Ian's recommendation to always do corners first is a help, but the cut-outs in the chassis frame, and along the tender top defied me (the rivets, whihc ran right up to the lip killed me, as per Ian's prior note, because the pen bounced over them). I found that I had to check and adjust the compass setting every so often - I'm guessing because I kept changing the angle at which I was holding it. I'm much more comfortable with my Kern pen, than the compass, but practice, practice, practice.....

 

Again the jig was invaluable - I could spin the model around on the bench instantly to suit my position and hand, and everything is rock steady lying on the bench.

 

I used Phoenix Yellow which flows nicely, and Humbrol Gloss black which was much less viscous by comparison (with poorer coverage too). It took some adjusting moving from one to the other. 

 

The Windsor and Newton Series 7 00 brush is the most invaluable tool of the lot - with some patience it helps clean up what might look like a lost cause into something approximating a neat line. I'm really surprised at the difference I can make when cleaning up lines with it.

 

The camera can be cruel......

[N15class]

You seem to be managing very well. I have days where it is brilliant, and I think I have cracked it only to be put in my place the next day when it looks like a drunk spider had walked across the model.

[Iain Popplewell]

Gaf2u you are an inspiration.

 

 If as you say " the camera can be cruel" well I can only say that your tender must look perfect to the naked eye!

 

 That lining to my eyes could be mistaken for the tender Ian Rathbone lined in his video, brilliant stuff. Why you've even lined the tender frame holes. I bet you're really secretly well chuffed with your progress. You should be.

 

 I've been procrastinating (living in dread actually), over lining a loco for a couple of months now and I think your two posts are the kick in the pants I need to get me to take the plunge and give it a go. As you say you can cock it up to a certain extent and still make good by lifting paint with a fine brush. What could possibly go wrong! I suppose in extremis you can always wipe it off and start again. 

 

 

PS.    If  anyone like me is new to postings by Peter Cross aka. N15Class,(see posting of his above), be sure to give the links in his signature a perusal some very useful info there.

 

Thanks for taking the trouble Peter lovely stuff.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Iain Popplewell

[Podhunter]

That was before Brexit so not sure what the implications of that might be.

Right now there are no implications: the UK is still part of the EU.  Brexit is a process that has started but is nowhere near finished.  Until 2019, when the UK formally leaves the EU, carry on as usual.

[gaf2u]

Iain,

Many thanks for your encouraging words. If it helps get you kick started, I'm already learning each time I try over the past few days, and I can already see improvements too. I lined the other side of the tender last night and this morning (last job before we load up the car and head off for a weeks vacation) and I was much happier than with the first side. Couple of new notes to self:

 

1) I was using the Phoenix yellow slightly too thick I think - I stir with a cocktail stick and then lift it out and let the paint run off it, only using the last stubborn drop (usually drop #5) in the bow pen. This time I didn't wait for this last drop, but used paint from drop 4. Made a huge difference in the paint flowing for the line, particularly over my problematic rivets at the top of the tank.

 

2) I drew the yellow line for the base of the tender tank (above the chassis frames) too low, leaving next to no room for the subsequent black line. I got away with it, but just about

 

Here's the second side, and I'm "chuffed" as you say. I'm hoping you'll give it a try too - best of luck, and I'm looking forward to seeing your results.

 

I'm going to think about a transfer for the lower rear of the tender now (behind the lamp irons) - I've already sprayed a sheet of XTra Decal with Crimson Lake. I've been mulling over how to make splasher decals for the locos (Duchess, Princess and Jubilee). Ian Rathbone suggests trial and error, but I'm wondering about making a template (should have done this during construction) and trying to see if I can work it out using compasses and trigonometry (intersection of the bisectors of two chords of the arc)

 

Darren

 

[knottyAl]

Well done,Darren! A super job on your tender. Might French curves and /or a circle template (clear plastic) with an assortment of sizes around the edge be any help to run your pen around curved lines? Try drawing office supply companies, if interested.

Anyway, nothing wrong with your lining as it is. Cheers, Alan

[Ian Rathbone]

You should be able to line the splashers without making transfers (except the centre splashers of the Duchess, which have a load of lubricators in the way). The whole point of the holding frame is to give you somewhere to place the compasses' point to in order to draw an arc. Alternatively you could line the top curve by offsetting from the edge. The easiest and quickest way to find the centre is trial and error, it will only take a minute or two. To do it by geometrical methods will never be accurate enough, trust me, I've tried. The jig comes into its own when doing stuff like this on a LSWR T1.



There are eleven concentric arcs to draw - four white, four black (to give the extra thickness) and three brown. The centre was found by trial and error in just over a minute.

Ian R

Edited September 14, 2017 by Ian Rathbone

[N15class]

You should be able to line the splashers without making transfers (except the centre splashers which have a load of lubricators in the way). The whole point of the holding frame is to give you somewhere to place the compasses' point to in order to draw an arc. Alternatively you could line the top curve by offsetting from the edge. The easiest and quickest way to find the centre is trial and error, it will only take a minute or two. To do it by geometrical methods will never be accurate enough, trust me, I've tried. The jig comes into its own when doing stuff like this on a LSWR T1.

image.jpeg

There are eleven concentric arcs to draw - four white, four black (to give the extra thickness) and three brown. The centre was found by trial and error in just over a minute.

Ian R

I do like the T1 but mine would be in simpler livery.

 

What is your holding jig/frame look like?

[Ian Rathbone]

Here is the completed T1.

 

 

Ian R

[gaf2u]

Ian, The T1 is no less fantastic than I would have expected.

 

It has been quite a while, and between summer holidays and 5 weeks travelling abroad for work, it has meant that there has been very limited time for painting and lining.

 

I have finally finished the Jubilee and tender, and have included a few shots below, and some commentary on things that went well, and some that were not so!!!

Ian – I’ll give offset lining a bash on the splashers for my next painting project (there’s a long queue) – I’m still only mastering the compass. The transfers did turn out well though, albeit there’s a bit of work in them.

 

I’ll run through things chronologically as best I can – some of the photos are taking under artificial light, so I apologies in advance for the colour!

 

Made the transfers up using Xtra Decal A4 sheet with a good generous coat of Phoenix Precision gloss Crimson Lake airbrushed onto it. I had a sheet of Fox’s lining transfers, and cheated a little in that I used these to approximate the splasher diameter for the Jubilee, and a Princess, and a Coronation separately. I then made plastic-card templates of the segments which form the face of the splashers, using the aforementioned diameters. Once the templates were sized properly, using my compass and lining head, I then drew a circle of the required diameter onto the painted transfer using Humbrol Gloss Black, drew the chord in Gloss black to form the segment (with a lining pen), and once dry, completed the yellow line inside the back perimeter of the segment similarly. I lined parallel black and yellow straight lines on the transfer sheet too (for lower rear of the tender behind the lamp irons), along with plain yellow for the firebox and smokebox lining on the loco.

 

 

 

I lined the footplate, cab and steps using the compass, yellow first followed by black. All went reasonably well, albeit the external radius if the footplate beneath the cab front doesn’t exactly match the yellow curve line I required on the cab lower front (this is a K’s Kit). I’ve found that lifting any yellow error with the Windsor and Newton Series 7 brush and white spirit almost always leaves a slight residue on the Crimson Lake, so I try as best possible to minimise any error fixing brush strokes.

 

 

 

 

 

Starting to look the part!

 

I manually painted the top of the footplate, and tops of the splashers, prior to applying any of the splasher transfers as folows.

 

I then started with the tender rear, lowermost line. I cut out my yellow/black pairing from the Xtra Decal sheet. I wasn’t sure if it was like HMRS transfers and you just lift the surface layer from the backing paper, or cut through like old Airfix waterslide decals, so I cut through, making sure that my cut was tight to the external edge of the lines on the sheet i.e. minimal if any Crimson Lake on the transfer. I then cut this into 4 parts, to fit between the lamp irons and vacuum pipe, and applied them using warm water to separate the transfer from the backing sheet, and Microsol applied liberally to the tender. I have to say I was amazed at how the Microsol got the transfer to suck down into the contours of the jointing plates on the tender – it came out really well.

 

Rear sides and top lined by pen, bottom as a transfer

 

I then went at the smokebox and firebox lining. For some reason I decided to only partially cut through the Xtra Decal and lift the smokebox lining off the backing paper. This made it very flimsy, but I cut it into three and again using warm water and Microsol on the boiler, applied it. The only tricky bit was getting a small portion to wrap around the pipe on the left side of the boiler.

 

The firebox lining didn’t go so well – same method except that I cut fully through the Xtra Decal this time, made three parts. However this time the transfer puckered up in places about 1-2 minutes post application. I brushed on more Microsol thinking this would help it settle down and it did improve things overnight, but there remained some very very slight puckering, only barely noticeable.

 

Next to the splashers – using an Olfa cutter and scalpel I cut out the segments, and these went on beautifully. The only problem I encountered was that in having to scribe / cut out the segments using multiple passes of the Olfa cutters on the transfer sheets, I was left with a few tiny tiny slivers of stringy transfer at some places on the edge of my segments. If these happened to get under the transfer as it was being applied, it made for a pronounced bump in the surface of the transfer. I had to lift two transfers post application, and remove such slivers.

 

HMRS Pressfix transfers were applied as per the Methfix method i.e. cut out, separated from the backing sheet, applied to a pre-wetted (with dilute meths) area as required, and then soaked in the diluted meths and pressed firmly into place. All well with this (I like these transfers, although positioning numbers in series is tricky because the carrier film isn’t quite transparent).

 

Once transfers were applied, I added nameplates, numbers etc. and set-about getting ready to varnish. I pulled the smokebox line partially off while cleaning down the loco surface with white spirits and a lint free cloth (to get rid of my greasy finger prints), but re-fixed it successfully with Microsol.

 

Lined and transfers – the garish glossy finish will be toned down by varnishing as follows

 

I used Ronseal Matt and Satin polyurethane varnish, mixed 3:2 Matt:Satin, and then thinned 50:50 with white spirit. I prefer a finish much more toward satin than gloss, and this ratio has worked for me previously on freight locos – this is my first time using it on a lined passenger loco. Once I started spraying, I had my “oh-crap” moment. I had stirred the varnish well, and set about first varnishing the tender side, with my air pressure set at the usual 25 Psi (while spraying i.e. the trigger is depressed). The varnish appeared to have lots of tiny particles in it, and my beautiful gloss surface was now no longer smooth and blemish free! I then reduced the pressure to 20Psi and sprayed more slowly, with first wetting and then flooding the surfaces. The other side of the tender was better, and the loco was good but not perfect – very very slightly orangey peely! As one does, I checked the proverbial “instructions” in Ian’s Painting and lining bible afterwards, and noticed that he recommends a pressure of 40Psi for varnishing, and using only Ronseal gloss with some matting agent added. RTFM !!!!!

You can judge yourselves from the photos – I’d probably give it a B, but definitely not an A. I haven’t had this problem when varnishing previously, so I’m open any suggestions ye might have as to how to achieve a more homogenous and smooth surface.

 

 

 

I haven’t figured out the best way to initially paint / treat valve gear as yet, but I’m booked into Missenden in Spring, so I’ll be taking the Jubilee over there then for some weathering with Mick Bonwick, and will address all that bright shiny metalwork as part of same.

 

Cheers

Darren