S7 scratch building

[Schooner]

1 hour ago, airnimal said:

Perhaps he wants to know how to build some wagons ?

If so then he has excellent taste in guru: the detail on the cattle wagon is exquisite.

 

All the best for tomorrow.

[airnimal]

I've managed to drill and fit all the bolts on the end. Now I've got to do the other end and side. Oh joy !

I have noticed that amongst the bolts from Masterclub I have had a few of different sizes in one packet. Not very often but it has happened a couple of times which has nearly caught me out. 

I don't know how they cast them or how they do them for the money,  but it's a small price to pay for such good quality.  

 

The Doctor phoned this morning to tell me I have to have a kidney function test and another C.T scan. 

So nothing to bother about. My wife asked me why I have to have a kidney test ?  I didn't ask the Doctor so I got a flea in my ear for not asking ! Can we ever win. 

[Western Star]

2 hours ago, airnimal said:

Can we ever win?

Not often, and then only on unstated conditions.

[Schooner]

2 hours ago, Western Star said:

...unstated conditions.

Which often differ radically from the stated conditions. No wonder confusion abounds.

[Regularity]

Simple test:

Do I have a pulse? Am I still breathing?

If the answer to both of those is yes, then I know I am in the wrong.

[Dave Hunt]

If a man's wife isn't with him when he hears a tree fall in the forest, is he still wrong?

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

10 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

If a man's wife isn't with him when he hears a tree fall in the forest, is he still wrong?

 

It was undoubtedly his fault the tree fell.

 

Especially if it fell on him.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Compound2632

[CKPR]

23 hours ago, airnimal said:

I have noticed that amongst the bolts from Masterclub...I don't know how they cast them or how they do them for the money,  but it's a small price to pay for such good quality. 

Thanks for this information re. Masterclub - I've just looked them up ['Masterclub' product shop on Facebook ?] and they are very reasonably priced for such useful parts (I don't think that I could get away with using microstrip cubes for bolt heads and nuts in 7mm).

[airnimal]

CKPR, I am pleased the information about Masterclub bolts and rivets was of use to you but will you still be as pleased when you get to drilling several hundred holes to place them in ? You may end up swearing at me for ever telling you about them.

I still use small cubes of plasticard when I want square bolts but the Masterclub bolts for hexagonal bolts are something else. They certainly make a huge difference in 7mm scale , the drawback is they double the time it takes to build a wagon. 

[Regularity]

9 minutes ago, airnimal said:

the drawback is they double the time it takes to build a wagon. 

Not a problem if you enjoy the process, and are not after a large collection of wagons.

[Regularity]

1 hour ago, airnimal said:

 

A close up photo of my work would be cruel, and show up lots of errors.

Whereas the cleanliness and squareness of your work is, well, cruelly reminding me to up my game!

 

(For avoidance of doubt, that is a compliment!)

[Simond]

I know the feeling…

 

 

[wagonman]

On 06/07/2021 at 12:41, airnimal said:

The Doctor phoned this morning to tell me I have to have a kidney function test and another C.T scan. 

So nothing to bother about. My wife asked me why I have to have a kidney test ?  I didn't ask the Doctor so I got a flea in my ear for not asking ! Can we ever win. 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago I broke a bone in my foot and called in at the local Minor Injuries Clinic for an X-ray. Needless to say I got (gently) chided for not asking exactly which bone – there are quite a few to choose from – was damaged, as if it made any difference to my mobility, or lack of it. Bless her, she's a great nurse though...

[airnimal]

Finally finished all the building work, so on to the fancy bits. After cleaning everything I put all the metal parts in Birchwood black before washing a second time and spraying with matt black from a Halfords rattle can. The grills I didn't paint because they will have lots of lime wash on them once all the paintwork is finished. I will leave everything for a couple of days before I put it all back together again. 

The body was again sprayed with a Halfords rattle can of red oxide.  

[airnimal]

I wasn't going to assemble this wagon for a few days but the desire to get it finished was to great. 

There is still plenty to do on it but at least I am on the home straight. There is a bit of glue on the bars on the left that will have to be removed because I glued them in back to front before I noticed and had to remove them before glueing back them in again. 

 

Hospital tomorrow for a blood test before I go and have a beer with my brother and the rest of the cycling friends. 

 

I am not a football fan, but my eldest brother's wife is Italian. I think there will be a lot of commotion and arm waving going on in there house on Sunday.

[airnimal]

I have started to letter my cattle wagon with what ever available tranfers I have. These numbers and letters are not NSR but they fit the bill perfectly.  I have run out of the North  Staffordshire knot so I will have to do them free hand. I have done them before but it does take many attempts to get right.  

If anyone has any spare methfix knot's that they don't have use for, I would be glad to accept any. Perhaps I have some on my sheets that someone else doesn't have and we could trade ?

 

Looking at the small amount of photographs of these cattle wagons there are a few things I have missed off including a vacuum pipe and rail strips on the roof. With there not being a great deal of information about these wagons, there is always going to be a certain amount of guesswork to building models 125 years after the original's were built.

 

I have some white metal castings for the vacuum pipe but I am reluctant to use them because of there softness. I find things that stick out tend to get broken very easily. I may attempt to make a couple out of brass.

 

[airnimal]

I have put the outline in with a white pencil used for writing on glass. All I have to do now is draw it in with ink. Easier said than done. 

[airnimal]

I have now painted in the knot and the scrip lettering with ink and applied the tare weight from tranfers. I used a fine nib to go over my pencil lines.  It's not perfect but under a coat of grime it might not look to bad. I can see the finishing line but there is still some way to go. 

 

But my other half has dropped a bombshell on me ! She wants the entire house decorating baring the living room which was only done 2 years ago.  3 bedrooms, kitchen,  bathroom and the stairs.  

Why when there is hardly anything wrong with the rooms as they are ? 

My argument is that we should spent what money we have going on holidays  ( remember them ) and not the house. I have said when we are in our rocking chairs in a old people's home we won't look back with fond memories of carpets and curtains but will remember travelling in a old American car in Cuba with cocktails on the beach and other great times. I don't think I am going to win this one.

[kitpw]

I'd be interested to know what sort of ink you used.  I've been doing some hand lettering recently with rather less good results than you've achieved here - so very much a topical question!

 

Kit PW

[Coal Tank]

A mate of mine had a choice 10 years ago, new Ward robes or cycling in Spain. The Ward robes still arent done but he's had a great time. His wife goes as well now. 

John 

[airnimal]

Kit PW, this is the ink I am using for the hand lettering. I don't know if it is ink or paint but if flow's well and it water soluble.  Is ink water soluble? 

I have done the other side now so I can get on with the axleboxes and springs.  

[kitpw]

17 minutes ago, airnimal said:

I don't know if it is ink or paint

Thanks.... it's listed as an acrylic ink at Jacksons Art (which is one of the few suppliers that I can reach on a walk - almost everything comes by delivery nowadays).  I'll give it a try, the ink I'm using dries on the nib too quickly and flows too well, causing a few blobs here and there. The detailed description on Jackson's website says that Magic Colour is water soluble but dries waterproof - so ideal. The dip-pen/nib I use belonged to my grandfather so probably dates to the 1900s - maybe I should upgrade that too while I'm about it!  

 

The cattle wagon is well up to your usual exemplary standard... an inspiration for sure.

 

Kit PW

[airnimal]

Glad to be of help with the ink, one of the reasons we are all on here.

I have found my white metal vacuum pipes which I will probably use because they are so well cast. I don't think I could make them myself from brass that good. 

I have glued on the axleboxes and springs and painted the roof. If I keep going at this rate I could finish everything this weekend. I am pleased at the fit of the roof. Now I will spray on some matt varnish and fit the buffer heads and couplings.  Does anybody know if vacuum pipes were painted a different colour than the body colour ? I seem to remember that the ones on the LNWR were painted red.

[Mol_PMB]

Presumably it is just vacuum piped rather than vacuum braked? If so, the pipes should probably be white. 

I say probably, that was certainly the practice in later years but not sure if it was the case in your time period. 

Red pipes would indicate a vacuum braked vehicle. 

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Mol_PMB said:

Presumably it is just vacuum piped rather than vacuum braked? If so, the pipes should probably be white. 

I say probably, that was certainly the practice in later years but not sure if it was the case in your time period. 

Red pipes would indicate a vacuum braked vehicle. 

 

A vacuum (or Westinghouse) braked wagon of this period would undoubtedly have had clasp brakes. However, I'm fairly sure the distinction in colour of fittings belongs to a much later period.