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Printed N gauge saddle tank appears at last.. and looks good!

Will J

Entry posted by Will J

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Evening All!

 

I feel altogether rather pleased with this project... you will recall in my last blog entry,

 

http://www.rmweb.co....ection-saloons/

 

I was musing on how well the finer details of my little '813' saddle tank would appear in Shapeways' 'Frosted Ultra Detail' material, the result, which appeared with due fanfare in a UPS van yesterday, surpassed my expectations by some margin.

 

I don't usually go for grand, profound statements in my blog, but will make an exception this evening. When this little object arrived, my model making world changed for good, for the better. The value of the whole thing has struck me, I have here a unique model, fashioned from a sturdy 'blob' of plastic, for a mere twenty quid. The only input required from my end was three or four evenings puzzling through the workings of Google Sketchup...

 

...but with BBC 6 Music on 'listen again', and ready supply of tea, thats not such a chore...

 

An interesting idea set against the perceived notion of hundreds of thousands of pounds needed to initiate a limited edition locomotive... as long as a chassis is available that looks the part.. the only limit is your imagination!

 

 

 

There was uncertainty over whether the handles of the lamps would appear properly, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they did!

 

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The next step, which will wait for a peaceful couple of evenings over Christmas, will be to decorate it in a manner matching the fine quality of the print! I will add some good old fashioned brass/wire handles along the side of the tank, to keep the model somehow rooted in a bit of old school fettling!

 

Also arriving in the post today was this set of decals from Modelmaster, via EBay...

 

edit: forgot the link! http://www.ebay.co.u...923130806111820

 

 

a useful find for anyone with a vague collection of 2mm/N GWR locos to variously repaint.. they seem to be very finely printed. I will report on how they work after application.. they will be handy for my Dapol Hall whose 'Great (crest) Western' tender looks a little odd to my eye... its a nice runner though!

 

Other thoughts Re: Frosted Ultra Detail

 

The saddle tank print above seems to have been nicely cleaned of the paint-unfriendly 'gunk' that has caused others problems, I will give this one a good clean though! Also, while not perfectly transparent (Frosted..does 'wot is says on the tin) I'm wondering with a very narrow 'wall thickness' it could be used to print carriage sides with reasonably 'see through' windows, the 'FUD' can be printed with a wall thickness of 0.5mm.

 

 

Adding weight

 

As I mentioned last time around, good weight is vital to get reasonable performance from the delicate Dapol terrier chassis. The bunker is just that, a bunker, and there is lots of 'spare space' designed into the saddle (which also helps to keep printing costs down!)..

 

..does anybody have a recommendation for the heaviest, most dense 'liquid lead/gravity' material that could be poured in to these voids... or am I better simply mixing some glue and lead shot?

 

Next projects

 

Some obscure little vehicles maybe: (both requests from friends!)

GWR milk van: http://www.flickr.co...745/4968634454/

Eastern region steam heat van: http://www.departmen...m/photo/321078a (mmm, louvres!)

 

But open to suggestions... the more obscure the better, so long as there are drawings, and a chassis that 'almost kinda fits'!

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S.A.C Martin

That is pure brilliance, well done! I am watching this project with great interest. I didn't know you could print such detail in such great resolution. I may have to rethink my own 4mm project. Thanks for the updates.

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rope runner

oh hey wow this is excellent!

 

I think lead shot is the way forward with regards to adding weight, especially in N

 

good luck

 

Paul A.

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Will J

Thank you for your kind comments. It looks great in the flesh and unusually, I have something 'sort of home made' in N which stands up to close up photography!

 

I forgot to mention that the front buffer beam printed out succesfully, but an error (entirely down to me) in the design meant it fell off.. no great hassle, it will probably be stuck straight to the chassis.

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65179
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The tank engine looks excellent.

 

The problem with using lead shot is that the end result isn't that dense due to the way the shot packs leaving lots of spaces. Not a problem in 4mm, but in N/2mm it can be an issue. I go for the lead sheet option for my 2mm models (Eileen's do 3mm (I think) thick lead sheet if you can't access lead flashing offcuts).

 

If you do go for lead shot then don't use PVA to fix it as this combo may expand over time.

 

Simon

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Will J
If you do go for lead shot then don't use PVA to fix it as this combo may expand over time. Simon

 

Is lead shot and epoxy resin a safer bet?

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Mikkel
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That's quite something Will. Please do share photos of progress with this one!

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TomE
  • RMweb Gold

That’s come out really well Will! Particularly impressed with the handle on top of the lamp!

 

Tom.

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Will J
Particularly impressed with the handle on top of the lamp!

 

You wait, I will neatly fill up the gap under the handle with a blob of paint, so I'll make the most of it!

 

Progress wise, I will wait for a quiet couple of days over Christmas to get 'in the zone' and finish it off nicely!

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65179
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Is lead shot and epoxy resin a safer bet?

I think I came across it in Model Railway Journal (issue 180?). I seem to remember that the problem arises from the small amount of acetic acid present in the PVA reacting with the lead to form lead acetate, but someone who has the relevant MRJ can no doubt fill you in on the detail. I've seen references to people using superglue with liquid lead, and as far as I know epoxy should be ok, but I've only used it with lead sheet.

 

Simon

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Will J

I see, thank you for the heads up there... lead shot and PVA would have been my first choice for 'home made gravity'!

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Scottish Modeller
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Hi all,

 

Ref to the Modelmaster decals....

 

From Jim - these are the 'next generation of decals'.

 

Apparently they are much finer than all previous decals he has produced.

 

Will wait and see how they go onto the model before saying anything else about them.

 

Thanks

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Will J
Apparently they are much finer than all previous decals he has produced. Thanks

 

Absolutely.. though I am a big fan of Dapol and eternally grateful for so many of their products.. I do find myself wanting to improve on the logos etc.. on the sides. As well as the quality of the Modelmaster sheet, it is a usefully diverse set of GWR 'stuff' at a keen price bearing in mind its usefulness.

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bcnPete
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That's terrific Will...incredible to see what Google sketch up can allow these days.

 

Really great detail achieved...look forward to see it up and running, painted and with decs!

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queensquare
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That looks fabulous Will. With regards to adding weight, the more you can pack in the better. Go for solid lumps of lead rather than the fine shot as too much space is lost in the way they pack as another poster has correctly commented. Lead can be shaped by making a crude mould and melting it or simply cutting it roughly to size then litteraly beating it to shape with a hammer, finnishing with a fairly course file. This latter method is fun and with practice can result in surprisingly fine results.

Look forward to seeing the finished results.

 

Jerry

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Will J
If you don't object to glowing in the dark, Depleted Uranium is about as heavy as you'll get:-)

 

Mmmmm, might look just the job in the firebox!!

 

Though if I get it mail order it may upset the postman....

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-missy-

Hi Will.

 

Can I add to the comments above? Not really, others have posted how great that looks and I totally agree. Would I buy one? Yes, without a doubt...

 

I agree about the lead sheet though, a far cleaner way of adding weight to that engine, use the lead shot as a last resort.

 

Missy :)

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Will J
Would I buy one? Yes, without a doubt...

 

Excellent, I will spend some time over Christmas refining the design as, nice as it looks, there are some printing issues.... (like buffer beams falling off and other minor issues) which want sorting out.

 

I'm also coming round to the idea that a carefully contrived lump of lead is the best way to go. Will keep you all posted!

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SNCF stephen

Wow, that looks great. I have just got the final draft versions back from the printers for the Draisine. I will post the results in due course!

 

Did you have any knowledge of Sketchup beforehand? How hard did you find it to get your head around it?

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Will J

I have to confess I had a bit of a head start with some CAD experience from my university days.. but Sketchup, oddly, is so 'user friendly' that it needs whole new approach, you have to know its limitations to an extent as well..

 

..what Sketchup does have is plenty of good tutorials on YouTube, here is a good 'taster' one, but there are many. It shows the construction of some simple chairs, starting with a solid block and 'subtracting' material. When you see the 'arc' being subtracted to made the top of the chair, it is not a big leap of imagination to imagine it being the top of a brake van!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCqr3ZJ8Igc

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SNCF stephen

Thanks for that, I thought you might like just a few tips for you with the material. Use superglue to strengthen any fragile areas of the structure. It is very brittle and will crack easily. Always use primer to ready the surface for paint.

 

Also in relation to making carriages you can create small inserts around the edge of windows which makes them very easy to drill and then push through!

 

Good luck with the locomotive.

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The Nth Degree

Excellent Model Will, I'm in the queue for something to model, if you're game? I have to find a chassis for it first though.

By the way, I still owe you a picture of the Lima train you helped me with by selling me a couple GWR coaches. I'll get it out of its box one day, but with the loco it's over 6ft long - that's taller than me!

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