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S7 scratch building


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I use 18 or 20 thou steel plate for footplates that look as though they could have rigidity problems such as my Schenectady mogul. I got it as offcuts from an etching company I dealt with. 

 

Dave  

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I have cut the footplate to the works drawing but even in S7 the frames will be to narrow leaving a gap showing between the splashers. Perhaps I should have thought of this before I started but I will find a way around this later. 

Another problem I have is I won't be putting inside valve gear in which leaves a large gap between the frames. I could do with putting in the motion plate / boiler support and dummy value gear.

 

So having decided it needs something between the frames I went and found a thin sheet of Tufnol. Because i am using spilt axle pickups I need something that isn't going to short out. I cut a piece of Tufnol to fit between the frames along with a couple of thin bits of nickel. I made up a sandwich of 2 parts Tufnol and 1 part nickel and glued the together with epoxy  leaving a gap between the nickel. This will have to be drilled and shaped to fit the curve of the boiler when I get around to doing the bodywork. 

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Edited by airnimal
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Guy, it is a A.B.C mini gearbox. I was going to used a Sid Stubbs mini gearbox but the water tank balance pipe got in the way of the drive shaft. So I asked A.B.C to provide me with a small self contained one. I am not sure if it is part of there range or a one off. 

 

I have cut the motion plate to roughly the final shape and marked the cutouts needed.

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Lacathedrale, the chassis was made years ago when I was still working and I had access to a range of equipment including a small industrial shoot blaster. So I was able to place all the parts in this before putting it through large ultrasonic tank. 

I don't miss working one bit but I do miss have several large and small lathes and milling machines at my disposal. 

Plus my boss was unusual in the fact he was happy for his employees to do work for themselves in works time. For the  last 10 years I worked in the scientific industry. Our firm made and developed mass spectrometers which gave me new skills and techniques. Several of my colleagues were watch makers by trade whose standard of workmanship was absolutely top notch so I had to raise my game accordingly.

The footplate you see here was cut from a new sheet of nickel and marked out on one side with a scribe so the other side just needed a light rub with a fine grade of foamed backed abrasive cloth. 

 

I have started to make the bufferbeams from 10 thou nickel from one piece which is scribed and bent to shape after drilling for the buffers and coupling. This one will be scrapped because I have made a mess of the rivets adding one in the wrong place. I am never afraid to scrap something that I don't think comes up to standard I try to aim for. 

 

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After messing up the rivets on the last buffer beam I have cut out a couple of replacements. They were marked out and drilled for the buffers with a ever increasing diameters of drills and broaches, de-burring as I went along both front and back. 

I have heavily scored for the fold lines before bending to shape. The second one doesn't have holes for the buffers because they had dumb buffers on the rear almost from new. Bar the works photo I have never seen any loco in service with rear sprung buffers. 

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I folded the last side by clamping it down to the bench with a section of brass to hold it stable then used a straight edge to fold it into a rectangle. I held it all together with sprung clips before soldering along the back edge with a gas torch. This let the solder run inside leaving very little cleaning up to do. I left the last side over long and filed back the excess. 

 

Lacathedrale asked about cleaning up. After a quick rub with abrasive cloth it was given a clean with Viakal and Stardrops Pink Stuff. Any solder is hardly seen because the part I solderd will be underneath where it wouldn't be seen. There was so little cleaning needed that it only took me a couple of minutes.

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Edited by airnimal
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Angus, thanks for that but you may be a bit premature with praise. I am flying by the seat of my pants not really sure what I am doing or how it is going to turn out. 

I fitted both bufferbeams and just started to put the footplate valances on. The first one has gone as seen here before any cleaning up has taken place. I clamped the valance to the footplate with 6 crocodile clips and cut small bits of solder and dotted them along the inside edge before heating with a small gas torch. I started to heat from the centre taking it easy so not to warp the footplate. 

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It's a shame you're not enjoying it Mike because it is excellent work. Funny how we perceive things differently isn't it - I much prefer working with metal than plastic because it isn't so easily damaged and solder can be undone whereas once plastic is welded together that's it.

 

Dave

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Like others here I have been following  your very detailed description on this build and it is certainly testament to your craftsmanship.

 

I can relate to your sentiments if it doesn't give you pleasure, and I'm certain you aren't the only one who may become frustrated whilst working with metal, I hope it doesn't put you off and maybe, just maybe you will revisit the model sometime in the future, not for our sakes but for your own and enjoy it once more.

 

What has been built to date is something to be very proud of and I am certain I echo others likes/craftmanship whilst you have been kind enough to share it with us.

 

Take care and stay safe.

 

G

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5 hours ago, airnimal said:

The ends of the bufferbeams have been filled in and the corners rounded off. I am not happy with one of these as I have filed a bit to much off one and the it doesn't quite match the other corners.

As the prototype’s were wooden, and the loco used in places where knocks and scrapes were common, I wouldn’t worry about it, but would present it as the carefully modelled result of a rough shunt...

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8 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

It's a shame you're not enjoying it Mike because it is excellent work.

 

Dave

Absolutely agree with Dave - its stunning work, but at the end of the day you need to enjoy your hobbies!

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1 hour ago, airnimal said:

Anway i I think the best course of action is to just do a bit at a time and put it away when I get fed up with it. 

Given that you do need a loco to shunt the wagons, and your preference for building wagons, the above strikes me as just about the sanest piece of thinking I have seen on line in many years!

 

And those spectacle plates look good.

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12 hours ago, airnimal said:

just do a bit at a time and put it away when I get fed up with it

 

Probably the best approach I think.

 

The techniques that you post certainly help even with something as simple as using a piece of Tufnol placed over the spectacle plate is worth using, thank you for posting your method. The simple but effective methods sometimes escape those of us who maybe have a similar attitude toward scratch or even kit building, it is something I will now employ.

 

Enjoy !

 

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I always enjoy your posts Mike. Whatever your personal preference at the bench might be, you’re a first class engineer in my book. Everything you produce - be it plastic or metal - is incredibly crisp. On several occasions I’ve had something in front of me that I’ve made and knowing it may not be quite right thought to myself, ‘If I was Mike I’d throw it away and make another’. So that’s what I do!! 

Edited by Tricky
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Tricky, I didn't know my stupid ways would rub off on other people. You will make me feel guilty for posting. 

But as you say if it doesn't satisfy, it is never going to get better over time. I always regret it later if I don't something about at the time.

I have a case in point here with the tank front. I used the old tank as a template to make another. I soldered the old tank front on to a new piece of metal and drilled / spotted through for new rivets. 

I cut around and parted the parts and cleaned the edges before riveting with my G.W. Models riveting tool. 

Unfortunately I messed up a couple of rivets. This was caused by my hamfisted workmanship and not the excellent G.W.Models riveting tool. Most people wouldn't bother but I can't live with this so I will make another one later, but not today. 

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When I cut a new tank front I will hopefully have a new tank to go with it. I bent a new tank using my bending clamps held in the vice and using wooden blocks to push down the sides. I left the sides over long and will cut back later to the size required. The tank very nearly fits with just a small amount of adjustment needed. 

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I have cut the tank sides down. I am quite pleased with the fit of the front to the tank that hopefully will not need to much filler /  solder to achieve a good joint. I will use small bore brass tube where the tank turns under because there was a join here. 

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Edited by airnimal
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After soldering the front tank plate in and cleaning up I have come to the conclusion this loco is never going to get finished. I have mess up the rivets yet again and I should have scrapped this tank front again but I have used it with regret. I should have taken my own advice and binned it first thing instead of wasting hours on it. 

 

I think I better order some more wagon wheels. 

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While I greatly admire Mike's skill and perseverance – and agree with him that when a model ceases to be fun, put it aside for a while. Problem is when you're as easily distracted as I am you end up with a shelf full of half completed models slowly disappearing under the dust of ages. I would show you a picture but it's too embarrassing !

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