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Modelling mojo and state of mind


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1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

That’s how it went with the Hudswell. I like to process in the time I’ve spent but sometimes it take 20mins to getmy tools out and by then the initiative has be lost. I don’t want to proceed until I can work out how the boiler is supposed to be completed. It looks like it’s just butt joined but can’t see it holding. Until I can work that out I don’t see have the energy to proceed, it not the next step in the kit but I’ve got it in the back of my mind. 
I don’t like too many projects on the go at once as invariably they get left at a tricky stage and then I end up just shuffling boxes trying to find something ‘do-able’.

Anyway back to the gardening. 
Please all keep your peckers up.

Robert

Is that an etched boiler? I always re-inforce the bottom seam with a thin strip of brass, just some fret waste, inside. Pre-tin it and the edges of the boiler to be joined. Much finger-singeing later it will be secure.

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There's perfection and perfection.  It is delusional to attempt perfection if you are modelling in 00 as the scale/gauge relationship is seriously compromised; not trying to re-ignite the debate, just pointing out that the vast majority of us on this site regard ourselves as 'serious' modellers, a wobbly thing to define anyway, yet work happily in 00 gauge.  Tony Wright often argues that a kit or scratch build model is more satisfying than an RTR equivalent that may present better detail or be more to scale, because as Karl Marx pointed out, the craftsmanship that the labour of building or creating something confers a degree of ownership of it that transcends merely buying, it and does not end when the person who created it is paid for his labour or sells what he has made.

 

My current project is to build a Collett 1938 31xx large prairie using an old Airfix 61xx chassis and mech, it's running plate and tanks, the boiler of an old Bachmann 43xx from the 'Bay, and the cab area of an old Mainline 56xx.  This is hardly scale modelling, and is much more like kitbashing, but the finished loco, if it is reasonably successful, will give me immense satisfaction.  I will have breathed life into pieces of detritis from the scrap box, and this alone appeals to my inner hippy and it's sense of recycling.

 

But this sort of thing is risky from a depressive's mental health point of view, as a failure will be accepted unreservedly as my fault because I am stupid, inept, and lack both the skills necessary to undertake such an ambitious project and the sense to realise that it was beyond my ability.  This is where the 'little and often, 10 minutes here and there' style of modelling is valuable, because you are able to achieve small successful progresses that you can (and should!) congratulate and reward yourself for, which are affirming and validating, but any 'failures' can be regarded as not important, minor setbacks that can be overcome at the next session after some thought, usually.  Because at this level they actually are only minor setbacks, not major disasters, despite what your depressive subconcious (your worst enemy, and a clever liar) is sublty telling you.

 

Of course, if someone decides to produce a 31xx to current standards at a price I can afford, the first of which is already unlikely as there is lower hanging fruit and the second of which is becoming increasingly unlikely over time, it will be much better than a kitbash bodge on an obsolete mechanism, and if I bought one I would be very happy with it, but it wouldn't be the same thing at all as the project loco, which Tony Wright and Karl Marx know is mine in a different way.

 

If you build something and you are happy with it, it is a joy and a validating life affirming thing.  If it then becomes available as a better model in RTR form from a company that has huge resources to pour into research and production that you don't, this should not detract from your achievement or the positivity you obtain from the model you built; ask yourself if the RTR producer could have done as well as you if it had only your resources at his disposal.  I am not intending to make any excuses for my 31xx, which will be what it am, and have opened a thread in 'Modifying and Detailing RTR' if anyone is interested.

 

Major failures are depressing, of course, even to 'norms', and we've all had them.  Maybe the 31xx project will turn out badly, though I'm rather enjoying it at the moment and it's feeding my mojo.  Successfully completing a project is, in my case, always accompanied by a sense of relief and the feeling that I've 'got away with it', itself an indication of my deep insecurities and the mendacity of my subconcious.

Edited by The Johnster
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4 hours ago, Barclay said:

Is that an etched boiler? I always re-inforce the bottom seam with a thin strip of brass, just some fret waste, inside. Pre-tin it and the edges of the boiler to be joined. Much finger-singeing later it will be secure.

Yes it’s etched. I think what you have suggested is going to be the way to do it but I’m hoping for a smooth bottom(!) to the boiler, not with a kink or egg shaped. 

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4 hours ago, Barclay said:

Is that an etched boiler? I always re-inforce the bottom seam with a thin strip of brass, just some fret waste, inside. Pre-tin it and the edges of the boiler to be joined. Much finger-singeing later it will be secure.

Duplicate post.

Edited by Erichill16
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15 hours ago, great central said:

 

You'll save 33% on every trip with a railcard. Still cost £30 for a year or I think you can get a three year one online cheaper. 

You'll get your money back on the Nottingham-Cardiff trip alone if you're buying an on the day ticket.

 

Information here, after a quick Google, although I'd rather you didn't use the train line. If it's reasonably easy use station ticket offices or for shorter journeys from unstaffed stations buy on the train, unless there's a penalty fare system and ticket machine.

The train line is merely a travel agent and if something goes wrong the rail companies can't alter anything.

https://www.thetrainline.com/trains/great-britain/railcards/senior-railcard.

Thanks, much appreciated. I’ve always found that if not buying on the day, the ticket machines work well for prebooked tickets. Will get my Railcard next week.

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I’m not looking for the perfect model, what I am happy with is something that is built to the best of my abilities. I don’t want any wonky parts, poor running or blemishes in the finish. Perhaps I’ve reached my peak and am on my way downhill, I hope not.  I do follow Tony’s thread and have even posted on there occasionally.

The issue of building kits that are later announced as rtr is that I feel my time would have been spent building something else.  If only I had a crystal ball! 

I think I may be moving off topic so I’ll leave it there.

Take care folks,

Robert

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So work have agreed to let me do a bit of overtime each day for a while (1.5x rate) which should help restore some cash reserves and help pay for some camera equipment I'd like. Looks like the DMF on my car has gone again and needs work, only just out of the warranty period. Hoping the manufacturer gies me some grace on the parts which shouldn't have failed. Probable £700 bill coming for that. Price of used cars is so high lately that selling it with the fault and getting something else isn't worth it.

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Bought a Senior Railcard, my Park & Ride ticket to work is now £9.70 down from £14.70, even if I just use it once a week that’s a good saving. The 5 car Meridians are getting crowded, miss the spacious HSTs on the MML.

 

Dava

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Well, the DMF wasn't such a big issue, £150 labour and free parts replacement. Car is back and feeling smooth again, nuff said on that. My Go Pro Hero+ LCD died last month and house insurance paid out to replace it. Spent a bit extra and got the Hero 9, which is pretty good (once I got the media mod too). Couple more days work then off for two weeks.

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It sounds like you are over the hump and on the finishing straight. It's always good for the mojo when you have a target.  

I'm looking forward to the weekend because a small box of motorcycle engine parts has arrived and the bike can finally go back together, I have found working around its mortal remains to get on with less inspiring but paying jobs was becoming a drag.

Btw, what's a DMF? Our car has only two wires going to the engine, one to the ignition coil and one to the starter solenoid. The engine management system consists of a vacuum hose from the inlet manifold to the vacuum advance on the distributor. Any mapping is handled by a knurled nut on the contact breaker plate. 

I sometimes feel that progress is heavily weighted in favour of the manufacturer and service agents! :D

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:offtopic:

And a complete bag o'sh!te in some. Notably anything with a Nissan K9K diesel and a 5 speed box.

 

Drive take up judder all the time when the engine is hot.... gives the impression that you don't know how to drive or you have a kn@ckered clutch. Neither being true in my case.

Edited by leopardml2341
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Thanks, I know what it is now. An over designed POS. We're no longer content to bend you over for the price of a new clutch (a nightmare to change on any wrong wheel drive car except Vauxhall Astra / Cavaliers from the 80s - 20 minutes at the side of the road!) We now want you to buy a new flywheel too. 

What was wrong with a hardened steel disc held on with some big bolts? It lasted for the life of the car unless you did something really f***witted.

A friend had one done on a 15 year old Transit recently, thick end of £800. Stupid piece of junk. Ford would have been better off working on stopping their vans rusting like a bean can in a salt mine, they haven't figured that out since 1965...

 

All those keyboard warriors who beat on about how much better modern cars are, probably have a lease hire or a company car and couldn't change a spark plug  if their lives depended on it.

Cars should be repairable, rather than recyclable. They're just getting worse. I'm glad that the memsahib and her Triumph Herald are inseparable.

 

Rant over.

 

That is, I feel your pain bro. :banghead:

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Back on topic, though things like the above do affect your mojo, not to mention money that could be spent on projects...

One thing that I find gives me a lift is to do a little something, post it on here and if you're not entirely confident about some aspect of the job, ASK. There are no dumb questions on here and you'll be surprised by both how many total strangers are willing to offer advice and how many others will pop up and say thanks, I was having the same problem.

It's not either,a case of measuring your self worth externally or seeking validation from others, it's a genuine case of people with common interests learning from each other. More often than not, there's plenty of shared interests outside of model railway subjects too.

 

Remember, it's everyone else that is weird!

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Started 2 weeks off work!

 

First port of call was Rocks by Rail today. Its relatively local but only been twice now. Very small operation but some really, really interesting bits of kit. Seem like a very friendly bunch, didn't mind my inane questions at all.

 

DSC_8663.JPG.e0266831465eecb70f33da2fd18b6c82.JPG

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11 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I can remember that crane being walked across the countryside when I was little from one ironstone quarry to another. I presume that it's been cut up to make Chinese mountain bikes now?

 

1 hour ago, Coldgunner said:

Parts of it survived, I think the cab and bucket, but yes, now razorblades.

 

Just the cab as far as I know.

 

We are doing some more restoration work on the cab as it had some water ingress over lockdown, and generally tarting it up a bit.

 

Regards

 

Ian

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Ugh, so payday finally came, got my first 45 hour overtime week paid and I might as well not have. About 50% of it lost to tax, NI and a bit of pensions. Trying to get my Youtube vlogs up as a bit of a side project but not seeming to get any traffic coming my way. Please do take a look and subscribe/share if possible. Have got more on the way!

 

 

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5 hours ago, Coldgunner said:

Ugh, so payday finally came, got my first 45 hour overtime week paid and I might as well not have. About 50% of it lost to tax, NI and a bit of pensions. Trying to get my Youtube vlogs up as a bit of a side project but not seeming to get any traffic coming my way. Please do take a look and subscribe/share if possible. Have got more on the way!

 

 

 

Thanks for posting the video.

 

I was on the admissions desk that day, and quite glad to be out of the rain, however, it did brighten up a lot in the afternoon.

 

Come and see us again, and we will find someone, if I am not available, to give you much more background to the Museum.

 

Regards

 

Ian

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Does anyone struggle to finish anything. Its like starting is really easy but then you get to a hard point and you put it to one side and do something else, but going back to the other just get gets harder. 

 

I've spent just about all day clearing out books, trying to sort out which negs have or have not been sorted, and trying to get the study a bit tidier. It just feels like a mountain and in turn that seems to make doing modelling harder. 

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