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S7 scratch building


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I'm currently experimenting using white ink and calligraphy  pens as I can't work out were my drafting pens have disappeared to. Only tried it onto card so far not bad results so far. But more practice is required before moving to the side of a wagon.

Marc

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Thank you for the information regarding pens and ink. I think I have had better results with a fine pointed paint brush than anything else.

I have not do a great amount  over the last month. I am trying to finish wagons built awhile ago so I have added a weight box under the W.J.Turner wagon. I want to paint this one the same as the one I did a couple of years ago but I cannot remember which paint I used for the body colour. 

A couple of shots of the end door opening bar of another wagon. It is a 16 BA nut soldered to a bit of wire and runs in a brass tube which will be blackened and replaced after painting.

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Nicked Line, I am sorry to say that the door does not open, but I suppose with the method of the wire in the tube it would be possible to do. 

 

Finally Christmas is over and I can get back to a more normal life. Will the new year be more productive than last year ?

 

First of all, both my better half and myself would like to move house. My good lady would like to move closer to our youngest daughter so she can help with the two small grandsons when retirement arrives at the end of the year for her. I would like to know what sort of space i will be able to have for a workshop / layout room. So untill we can find something to meet our needs i will make a few more models.

 

I have a few ideas for some more wagons. I have decided to make up some Slaters w-irons that i had in stock. 

I find they work extremely well providing they are well prepared. That requires a bit work with needle files to make a good sliding fit with no rough edges. I then tin the part that slides before applying the iron over the hornblock. Once I am satisfied that it all moves freely, I apply more solder to the top and bottom to firmly secure the hornblock before cleaning everything up. 

 

 

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Happy New Year Mike. I am not as clean a worker as you are so have problems with the Slater's design – I prefer the Exactoscale/Bill Bedford guitar string method. If my mojo ever returns...

 

Good luck with the move. I usually swear the next time I move it'll be inside a wooden box – except the trendy ones are using wicker these days!

 

 

 

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Richard, i hope your mojo comes back soon.  Winter is not the best time for myself because I can never get warm and that is one of the reasons I try to escape to warmer climes at this time of the year. I had been planning to go in a few weeks time but I think we need to concentrate on finding a new house. 

 

I have polished the w-irons to make sure there isn't any tight spots before I blackened them. They were then cleaned before giving them  a very thin coat of Halfords Matt black. 

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I have  assembled the wheels sets on a sub base taking care to make sure that the wheels run sweet and true and the springs are soft under compression without any end float.

I have decided to make another Wigan wagon from the photographs in Oldham Library.

I have done a quick sketch taking dimensions from the Coal Trade Wagons book by Len Tavender as a guide.

Intresting parts include the diamond shape crown plates and half round corner strapping over the corner plates at one end.

This one is lettered for Park Lane Ince Wigan with two round circles with crosses in the middle. 

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23 minutes ago, airnimal said:

I have decided to make another Wigan wagon from the photographs in Oldham Library.

Hello Mike,

 

I appreciate that you have posted the occasional snap of the Oldham goods yard... are the originals available as part of an on-linew resource within the libraries of Oldham?

 

regards, Graham

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Graham, I do not know if it is available on line, Brassey posted a thumb size print on page 5 of this thread back in July 2017. I try not to post direct copies and just use them as background to the models I make. I am unsure of copyright issues. 

I have a copy purchased from Oldham Library and if I find it  ( just had a look but couldn't find it )  I will bring it to Bristol at the end of the month.

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I have made a good start on this Park Lane wagon with the underframe done and both sides. I find sometimes it is better to make and fit the sides before making the ends especially when both ends are different.

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This is not one of my better builds because I have made so many mistakes through lack of attention.  

When scribbling the sides I went to far when marking the uprights for the door opening and had to fill the top part in with filler. I also glued the wrong end in when putting the body together. 

I don't like using filler. I think it is a result of poor workmanship and I try not to use it but having invested a lot of hours in this build already i felt I should use it on this occasion. 

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Edited by airnimal
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I went to Oldham Library today to obtain another copy of the large photograph that I am working from only to be told that they do not have any left and will not be printing any more untill after April because they have run out of money this year. I will then have to search high and low at home for the one that I have put somewhere safe. 

 

I have started to put some detail on when I got home  The corner plates have been put on made from 2 pieces, butt joined and will be trim back in the morning when they have time to harden. The crown plates have been made from 20 coloured plasticard but thinned down to just over 10 thou.

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Having invested a fair amount of time already I was still not happy with this build. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong ? Because I am estimating from a photograph I took a lot of information from other drawings from the same period to make my own drawing. I should have taken more care when calculating the height of the body sides because I am sure this is to high. 

 

What at to do now ? My better half suggested I turn it into another wagon, but my inclination is to scrap the body and start again. I would have to remove the ironwork next to the crown plates because they would be at a wrong angle. I could retain the the basic frame and wheel set up and provided I successfully remove the body without damaging the frame.

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I suggest that you repeat the drawing exercise again and compare the second result with the model - only then decide what to do based upon:-

 

1/ if the wagon agrees with the second drawing then leave well alone;

2/ if the wagon has identifiable differences to the second drawing then decide if you can resolve the differences;

3/ if there are differences and you cannot address those differences then remove the body from the frame and start a new body (without, hopefully, the need to add filler to the top plank over the door).

 

regards, Graham

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Graham, exactly what I was thinking. When looking back at the photo I estimate the body is about 3 times the size of the solebar. Clearly I got this wrong when I did the first drawing. Now I have done this second drawing it looks a lot more like the picture. 

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Edited by airnimal
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Graham, you are correct of course but in mitigation I have my youngest daughter here with our 2 young grandchildren both of which are not happy bunnies. I am also trying to get her car ready for its M.O.T tomorrow and trying to keep them entertained. You try drawing with a lively 2 year old sat on your knee helping grandad.

 

A quick dab dab of correction fluid on the drawing will do provided I remember when making new sides and don't make the same mistake again.

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Having made multiple attempts at this latest wagon a decision has been made for the sake of my sanity to send it to the breakers yard for recycling. There comes a time when no matter what one does this is never going to be a good model. 

 

I will retain the wheels and sprung w-irons for another day. Some you win .......

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Edited by airnimal
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Not wanting to waste the wagon frame I decided to do what was done in real life. I converted the dumb buffers to sprung buffers and build a new body. There is a photo in Bill Hudson's Private Owners Wagons by Oakwood Press showing a Buxton Lime Firms which had had just that operation done to it. I had a set of buffers that looked very similar so it was better than scrapping the complete wagon. Bill quotes dimensions in the text so it was easy to make a accurate enough body.

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When I fitted the buffers one was catching the solebar on the inside. On inspection it had the hole drilled off centre. I should have sent it back,  but a better solution was to fill the hole down the middle with off cut of white metal and drill it out again. Going to my box of old white metal castings ( ice cream tub ) I found a couple of round bits which I superglued into the body.  I should have soldered them in but superglue work just as well. I then put it in the lathe and drilled it out using Methylated Spirits to stop the drill snagging.  

 

A start has been made on detaining the body with the first pair of corner plates put on from 10 thou.

 

 

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