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D869

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Blog Comments posted by D869

    D869

    Posted

    There have probably been shows that have had us wanting to be climbing the walls but Leeds wasn't one of them.

     

    The sepia thing was unplanned... probably just the combination of the camera, layout lights and the hall lighting.

     

    Shall we see you at Tolworth Mr Pete?

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    • Funny 1
    D869

    Posted

    Fire retardant will be fine. I dont want to go over the top but I also dont want to inadvertently create a fire hazard.

     

    Looking at some of the stuff on the Interweb, the Cellotex and similar products have a good deal to say about fire resistance. The only specific thing I've found on fire behavior of the extruded polystyrene stuff says that it needs to be enclosed (something along those lines).

     

    No doubt there is better info out there and I'm still a good way off actually needing to make any hills - this was just a quick trawl.

    D869

    Posted

    Thanks - looks good. I'm assuming your Cellotex had foil on it?

     

    Having said that I'd prefer foil free stuff I'm also thinking that anything polystyrene based will do bad things in a fire. None of us want a fire but it would be nice to know that I'm not creating hills stuffed with flammable material that will create poisonous fumes if the worst happens.

     

    Regards, Andy

    D869

    Posted

    Thanks for the info - will save me a good deal of googling time. The pink extruded stuff sounds like what we used last time around. I definitely want to start with something where I dont need to remove foil or whatever other facing if possible. The baseboard structure will be the more traditional plywood.

     

    Regards, Andy

    D869

    Posted

    Thanks for the info Don. I've used the more dense builder's rigid insulation foam on South Yard and St Ruth for making big volumes of 'hill'. I'm not sure exactly what the technical term for this material is. The stuff I've seen more recently has foil on both sides so I have been wondering what I will use for the new layout - maybe the non foiled stuff is still around and maybe it isn't. I haven't really looked very hard yet. It wont be expanded polystyrene though - I agree it's 'orrible stuff when you start cutting it.

     

    The ground at the rear of the quay will need something fairly substantial though. It's neither low nor subtle.

     

    Regards, Andy

    D869

    Posted

    Hi Ian,

     

    Glad to hear that it's not just me that struggles with this. Your diagram is clearly the answer - just build that :)

     

    Seriously, I think it is tricky - I think we are conditioned to dismiss things as 'flat' but we need to change our perception. I found that cycling on roads that I'd previously considered 'level' when out driving changed my perception of them pretty quickly. The trouble is that even when we know that there are subtle variations in level, it's still difficult to work them out by looking at photos. Going to the real place can help... but only if the ground levels haven't changed (which in the case of Hayle they have... a lot).

     

    Mucking about with bits of cerial box and clay certainly helped me to get to a conclusion that I was happy with.

     

    I was wondering while doing this whether clay would be usable as a ground making material for real. I've now decided that the answer is 'no'. My clay is dry in places now but the main issue is shrinkage - the paper templates were wrinkled where they had been pulled around by the shrinking clay. A quick slice with a sharp knife around the edges of the clay to separate it from the paper has allowed me to straighten the paper out again. I will stick to the more usual things like Sculptamold for the real layout.

     

    Regards, Andy

    D869

    Posted

    Cheers Laurie. Good to see you and glad you had fun on the day.

     

    All grommet/strain relief suggestions will be stored away for the day when this particular job comes off the back burner so thanks for that. Before that day there are more important things like wood to cut and so on.

     

    I was thinking of some flippant comment about our respective mental states but decided that it might be best left as an exercise for the reader.

    D869

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Graham R said:

    Thicken the whisky tin metal by gluing on a suitable washer, then use the grommet :-)

     

    I have in mind something similar involving making  something along the lines of a stepped washer on the lathe and using it with a flexible grommet/strain relief sleeve unless I can find something better ready made. It's not very high on the 'to do' list though.

    D869

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Ian Morgan said:

    It's called a rubber grommet.

     

    Hi Ian,

     

    I think that the thin metal of the malt whisky tin is capable of slicing through a grommet when used on a handheld controller like this so it needs something to protect the grommet from the metal.

     

    I already have some things like these in my stash... https://uk.farnell.com/hummel/lcp07b/cable-gland-polyamide-6-5mm/dp/2887516

     

    These should prevent the metal from causing damage but they lack any strain relief at the point where the cable exits the gland so I dont think they are ideal either. Something that has both a hard plastic sleeve through the hole and also a flexible strain relief sleeve on the outside end would be ideal but the stuff I've found so far has one or the other, not both.

     

    If only the whisky people had foreseen the high probability that their packaging would find a new use as an electronic project enclosure, honestly... :jester:

    • Funny 1
    D869

    Posted

    Good to see you too Pete (plus Kyle, Meeth, Exeter and Loch Awe) and sorry we didn't have more time to catch up.

     

    Yes, the enclosure I've 'upcycled' to house the tractor controls has attracted some favourable comments. A sort of new take on John Greenwood's 'beer can' controller. It was originally temporary but it is quite a nice size so I think I'll probably keep it as it is - I just need to figure out a more long term arrangement for getting the cable out without the tin slicing through the wires.

     

    Regards, Andy

    D869

    Posted

    Thanks for the kind remarks Jeff, glad you enjoyed the layout at Southampton.

     

    We claim no special powers. The simple answer to how we do it is that we leave off the stuff we can't see - it's the same in all scales but in 2mm there is more that is smaller so we leave more things off.

    D869

    Posted

    Thanks Pete.

     

    That's still the mock-up that it's standing on and the inlay is 1/32 balsa. I still have some more work to do on the gubbins below decks before I can cut any wood on the real baseboard.

     

    The track on the mockup is all liftable. I haven't decided yet whether I will use it on the real layout or make new track.

     

    Using one set of points on two 'layouts' would be a new take on the usual approach of 'rip it up and start again'.

     

    I have been progressing other things too but it's all rather repeat stuff or early days stuff that isn't really good material to talk about on here. The Gresley BG is now in the paint shop but a winter paint job is never going to be quick.

     

    Regards, Andy

    bcnPete

    Posted

    Nice work Pete. The point does seem uncomfortably close to the end of the board but hopefully you have that under control.

     

    I like the nail filing stick in the background. I have several which I use a lot. Mine are in multiple dayglo colours and came from a chemist's shop in Southend, so if they are good enough for Essex Girls then they should be right.

     

    Regards, Andy

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