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Tales from the Treatment Room


Mike Boucher
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Hi folks,

 

This is going to be a slightly different "workbench" thread, in that the workbench is at a hospital.  If you've read my 7mm workbench thread (at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/18405-bouchs-7mm-workbench/), you know that I've recently started treatment for Leukemia (CLL to be specific).  While undergoing treatment, sitting in a room at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston for 6-8 hours one day a week, and 2-3 hours on the 2nd and 3rd day of each "Cycle", I've decided to take the time to build some models.  Some in 7mm, some in others.  Some British Prototype, some US.  Depends on what I feel like working on next.  Hopefully this inspires people on this forum who are going through their own health issues.

 

One of the decisions I've made is that things I work on during treatment, I will only work on during treatment.  (obvious exceptions: no spray paint nor blackening brass.  That has to be done at home regardless)  And for what should be obvious reasons, it'll only be plastic or resin kits.  No soldering!

 

That way when I'm through all this I can say "I made that car WHILE being treated".  Just a way to compartmentalize.  I'll still be working on other projects while I'm at home at night, just not the same ones from the treatment room.

 

I've decided to break this part of my "workbench" off into a separate thread. My workbench thread will be what I work on at home, this thread will be what I work on while hooked to an IV at Dana Farber.

 

First, a repost of the photo in my workbench thread, showing me on my first day of treatment, IV stuck into my left arm, starting work on the first kits I brought in.  (photo courtesy of my brother, Peter)  That was about 5 weeks ago.

 

post-7591-0-68164100-1380161923_thumb.jpg

 

To recap, The first project I started working on were two Slaters P.O. wagons.  Since I've already completed my first 28 day cycle, these were pertty close to complete.  Monday (day 1 of my 2nd cycle, a long day) and Yesterday (day 2, a short day) I finished putting on the transfers for the numbers.  When I got home, I gave them a quick shot of dullcote to seal the transfers, and also blackened the couplings.  These are now as complete as I can get at the hospital.  All they need is lead weight added (another thing I don't want to bring into the hospital!) weathering and my standard coal load.  Here's the pics of their status as of today.

 

post-7591-0-59211400-1380162211.jpg

 

post-7591-0-70967500-1380162220.jpg

 

Monday, I also finished assembly of a set of 5 Tichy Train Group HO scale speeders.  I'll spray paint (or airbrush) the main colors at home, but might do touch up paint at a future treatment session, things like wheel treads steel, drybrush on some weathering, etc.  These guys are tiny, delicate, and one of the more challenging plastic kits I've ever assembled!

 

post-7591-0-97101800-1380162243.jpg

 

post-7591-0-29949300-1380162266.jpg

 

The third project is a Slater's MR cattle van.  The chassis is assembled, and I'm working on the sides.  Yesterday I made the "partition supports" out of the included styrene strips.  Fiddly work...

 

post-7591-0-58313100-1380162289.jpg

 

Today was the 3rd day of the cycle, so it was another short day.  I glued the partition supports to the sides.  Last night, while blackening the couplings for the PO wagons, I also blacked the couplings, buffer bodies, and the guard rails for this kit as well.  Today I assembled the couplings and added them to the ends.  I assembled the buffers and attached those as well.  I then glued one end to one side, twice, making two L shaped body parts.  That's all I got done today.

 

post-7591-0-32567400-1380162466.jpg

 

I think I'll try to get the body painted, both inside and outside before Next Monday's session, so I can get assembly finished and start lettering.  We'll see if I find time for that...

 

Hope people find this workbench thread interesting.  I know my life will be interesting for the next year or so...  :unsure: 

 

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What an admirable way to spend your time!

 

May I also offer my support having received cancer treatment myself some four years ago and knowing something of the journey everyone diagnosed will go through.  There is nothing better than a positive mental attitude and that you are demonstrating magnificently.

 

Aside from the modelling I am also happy to offer my friendship and support to anyone else diagnosed, undergoing treatment or managing the after effects of it.  No-one walks the road alone even if it might sometimes feel like it.

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Hello Mike

I think that you are doing exactly the right thing to keep your mind from dwelling on other problems.

Like you I have health problems in the big 'C' area and I find that modelling in 'EM' gauge really applies the mind and

gives it something else to concentrate on (especially as I am also 80 years of age)

Please keep your present way of thinking to the front of your mind.

My very best wishes to you for the future

Michael dJS

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Best wishes for a good outcome Mike. There seem to be many directly or indirectly afflicted by various cancers and it is clear that a positive mental attitude is vital to beating it and your method will provide a measure of "added value" for your future.

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Good to see such a positive attitude, and best wishes for the future. Just a very minor point regarding the Midland cattle van - the dividing partition supports only occur at one end of the van, so that in the outermost position they create a space equivalent to a "small" cattle van, but it is good to see this detail, which is often omitted.

There is a good picture in the NRM archive at http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=Derby&objid=1997-7397_DY_9164

 

Edited by Nick Holliday
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Praise to the hospital for permitting you to continue with such activity during treatment (yeah, I do realise this is NOT the NHS).

 

I am amazed that you can find the energy and will power to do such modelling during your treatment (let alone post details on here).

 

Wishing you the most positive outcome from the treatment and as comfortable a transition to that state as can be obtained.

Edited by Kenton
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Good to see such a positive attitude, and best wishes for the future. Just a very minor point regarding the Midland cattle van - the dividing partition supports only occur at one end of the van, so that in the outermost position they create a space equivalent to a "small" cattle van, but it is good to see this detail, which is often omitted.

There is a good picture in the NRM archive at http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=Derby&objid=1997-7397_DY_9164

 

Thanks for the picture!  Now I have a prototype photo to work from when it comes to the lettering, especially since I decided to do the brake gear only on one side, like that van.  My timeframe is later than that picture, but I can always justify the MR lettering in the mid-late 40's by claiming they never got around to repainting that one yet...

 

The Slaters instructions show putting the dividing supports on both sides, so I blame them ;)  Shouldn't be too hard to pop them off one side and lightly sand away the glue marks before I do the paint.

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Well done Mike and all the best with the treatment , it makes me think that my injured shoulder should not stop the modelling though I can only move below the elbow on my right arm at the moment. thanks and keep modelling!

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Thanks for the picture!  Now I have a prototype photo to work from when it comes to the lettering, especially since I decided to do the brake gear only on one side, like that van.  My timeframe is later than that picture, but I can always justify the MR lettering in the mid-late 40's by claiming they never got around to repainting that one yet...

 

The Slaters instructions show putting the dividing supports on both sides, so I blame them ;)  Shouldn't be too hard to pop them off one side and lightly sand away the glue marks before I do the paint.

 

Looking again, I blame my interpretation of the instructions.  They show the left and right handed pieces, but they're drawn so it appeared to me that they belonged on both ends of the van.  i.e. left and right end when looking from the side.  The text doesn't specify that they belong only on 1 end of the van, but when you know to look, you can see that smaller line drawing does show that.  I've removed one set.  Again, thanx for the additional info.

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Hi Mike

 

Thanks for the inspiration. I'm starting radiotherapy - two months of it with daily hospital visits - next week and I know I'm grateful for the in house and free wi-fi, and fo the foresight that made me get an iPad. The rest of the time I'll be working from home the rest of the time, something my university's agreed to, and that means that I can actually get something done without interruptions. My hospital visits won't be as long as yours with 7 minutes treatment time per day, but there is the travel.

 

Hope that your treatment goes as you wish.

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Yesterday was another day at Dana Farber.  The good news is that since I've handled the infusion rate well during the first cycle, they've speed up the rate.  So, now I'm only sitting there hooked to the IV for about 5 hours.  Which means less time for modelling, but I'll take the trade off...

 

Over the weekend, I took out some spray paint and painted the Midland cattle van.  Everything below the solebars black, everything above, inside and out, a glossy light gray.  Glossy because the transfers don't stick to flat.  I did put a coat of dullcote on the inside, but not the outside.

While being treated, I glued the body together.  Then, I took a bottle of flat black and touched up where there was a little grey overspray, and also where the rattle can missed.  Next was to clean the wheel treads, getting all the paint off those.  Finally, I started lettering the sides.  Got the MR, Large, and 1 digit of the number on both sides.

post-7591-0-03279100-1380649045.jpg

 

Should be able to get the lettering finished next week.  I haven't done anything with the roof yet, as once the lettering is finished, I'm going to weather both the inside and outside of the van.  The photo posted earlier in the thread shows a very clean, freshly painted wagon, but right next to it, and behind it, shows some rather severe lime drips down the sides, and it really struck me how distinct they were.  Some boards are absolutely filthy, but the next board up is completely clean, and the ends are clean as well.  Hopefully I'll be able to achieve the same result with thinned white paint.  After that I'll add some cattle and hay, and glue on the roof.

 

While I was waiting the 15 minutes between pressing down the transfer and being able to soak off the carrier film, I started on the next van in the pile, a Parkside Dundas GWR fruit van.  Cleaned up the sides and ends, which took quite a bit longer than I expected.  I then assembled them to the floor, and started gluing on the vents.  When the IV machine beeped that I was free to go, here's what it looked like:

 

post-7591-0-77766400-1380649341_thumb.jpg

 

I don't have a big "backlog" of plastic kits right now.  I've pulled 3 GWR kits from Parkside (fruit van, open goods wagon D032/033, and container wagon) out of the "to do" pile.  I'm planning on assembling all three of them, and then painting them GRW grey in one airbrushing session.  So that's the plan for the next few sessions.

I had considered building 3 Slaters 6 wheel milk vans, but looking at the kits there seems to be quite a bit of soldering involved in the chassis, which I can't do during treatment.  So, they'll stay in the pile for a while longer.  But, other than the 6 kits I've mentioned, there's only a Slaters salt wagon and everything else is etched brass.  I might jump to some US prototype stuff that's been on the back burner...  We'll see what strikes my fancy after the 3 GWR kits are assembled...

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Good work Mike.

 

I was recently off work after a minor operation and told to take it easy for a few weeks. All I could do was lift a soldering iron...

 

Best wishes for a good recovery.

 

Tony

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A great and inspiring thread Mike.  I hope that things improve for you.  It brought back many memories of batch building Slateres cattle vans for the cattle train on Long Preston. You aren't the only one though.  A very good friend of mine who is part of the Lancaster Green Ayre team is currently in hospital with bad circulation problems in his leg and faces possibly losing a foot.  I visited him last night and he had two little boxes of etched brass parts and a small set of folding bars on his bed.  He's spending his time folding reinforcements for the main river bridge, and has calcualted that he can fold up 6 an hour.  I was sent away with a request to get the rivets puched out on another batch as he doesn't want to run out of work.

 

All the best

 

Jamie

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Great stuff mate. What on earth do the Staff think of this great Occupational Therapy?

P

 

The first time one of the nurses see it, they ask what I'm working on.  I explain its "toy train kits", and they just let me keep working.  As long as I put down the tools when they need to take my blood pressure, or hook up the next bottle to the IV, doesn't seem to phase them at all.

 

The councilor/social worker who comes by occasionally to see if I need to talk about anything thinks its great.

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A great and inspiring thread Mike.  I hope that things improve for you.  It brought back many memories of batch building Slateres cattle vans for the cattle train on Long Preston. You aren't the only one though.  A very good friend of mine who is part of the Lancaster Green Ayre team is currently in hospital with bad circulation problems in his leg and faces possibly losing a foot.  I visited him last night and he had two little boxes of etched brass parts and a small set of folding bars on his bed.  He's spending his time folding reinforcements for the main river bridge, and has calcualted that he can fold up 6 an hour.  I was sent away with a request to get the rivets puched out on another batch as he doesn't want to run out of work.

 

All the best

 

Jamie

 

How many does he need to fold?  ;)

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How many does he need to fold?   ;)

 

We think about 80 but when i cut them out of the etch I only rivetted about 60 so I've just had to search through the glory hole for the spare etches. I'll have to post a photo of them.

 

Jamie

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