jdb82 Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Simond said: You can always practice by painting beer cans... Now you're talkin' ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted May 19, 2019 Author Share Posted May 19, 2019 Very little progress to report, but I think I've just about finished the front end of Bamburgh now. Looking at the photo's, there's some kind of tap/valve (please post answers below!) mounted on the front of the tank with a pipe leading into the left hand side of the smokebox (blower maybe?). This was made with some brass tube and some spare hand knobs, drilled through with some 0.7mm wire and soldered together. The flare on the chimney wasn't a particularly good fit for the curve of the smokebox - I had hoped the epoxy would squeeze out when I glued it on, but I mustn't have put quite enough on as there was still a gap. Given all the stuff I can't get here in Brunei, you can imagine my surprise when I found some super-fine Milliput of all things in the local hardware store! Good enough for filling the gap under the chimney flare. I slapped it on fairly liberally to start with, and after a few hours to let it cure, I filed and sanded it back. As I had plenty left over, I also used it to fill the two holes in the footplate to screw the sandboxes down with. These are now redundant, as the boxes on Bamburgh are set further forwards than the model prototype. I'll epoxy them on after painting. Finally, the front handrail, which was a PITA to shape correctly even though it's a relatively straight forwards shape, finished off the front end. 7 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Major Posted May 23, 2019 Share Posted May 23, 2019 Beautiful work. It looks like a displacement lubricator to me. Ian. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted June 15, 2019 Author Share Posted June 15, 2019 Final push to get the construction side of things done before packing Bamburgh up with the rest of my modelling stuff and (life in general) to be shipped back to the UK. It'll be another 10 weeks or so as it sails the seven seas back to Sheffield. Hopefully we will have somewhere to live by the time it all arrives! The roof had it's rivets dimpled out - one day I'll invest in a nice GW Models revet press, but in the mean time the gravity dimpler will do. I curved the roof by annealing first, and then rolling it between my led and a pot of cocktail sticks - wasn't quite the perfect size but not far off, and with care I managed to shape it to match the profile of the top of the cab. I'm not really sure how effective the annealing was - I was trying to do it with my gas soldering torch, but it didn't have enough beef to heat the whole sheet up at once, and although I did it in daylight, I didn't see it glow red. It seemed to bend OK afterwards though. The safety valve vent cover was soldered on and everything given a good cleanup. Next, the steps were folded up and soldered together - some fiddly small parts, but all straightforwards. These were then soldered to the underside of the footplate and checked for squareness. That completes the body - it does need a good clean and polish before being wrapped up for the next few months - more so that I can sleep easy than anything else! I popped it on the chassis for a few piccis. All that remains is to sort out the balance weights on the wheels, re-tap the crankpin bushes as some are not completely perpendicular to the crankpin, and then wire up the plunger pickups. All before the shippers come on Thursday. "Loads of time" I hear you say......it's taken me well over a year to get to this stage!! 11 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 9 hours ago, jdb82 said: Final push to get the construction side of things done before packing Bamburgh up with the rest of my modelling stuff and (life in general) to be shipped back to the UK. It'll be another 10 weeks or so as it sails the seven seas back to Sheffield. Hopefully we will have somewhere to live by the time it all arrives! The roof had it's rivets dimpled out - one day I'll invest in a nice GW Models revet press, but in the mean time the gravity dimpler will do. I curved the roof by annealing first, and then rolling it between my led and a pot of cocktail sticks - wasn't quite the perfect size but not far off, and with care I managed to shape it to match the profile of the top of the cab. I'm not really sure how effective the annealing was - I was trying to do it with my gas soldering torch, but it didn't have enough beef to heat the whole sheet up at once, and although I did it in daylight, I didn't see it glow red. It seemed to bend OK afterwards though. The safety valve vent cover was soldered on and everything given a good cleanup. Next, the steps were folded up and soldered together - some fiddly small parts, but all straightforwards. These were then soldered to the underside of the footplate and checked for squareness. That completes the body - it does need a good clean and polish before being wrapped up for the next few months - more so that I can sleep easy than anything else! I popped it on the chassis for a few piccis. All that remains is to sort out the balance weights on the wheels, re-tap the crankpin bushes as some are not completely perpendicular to the crankpin, and then wire up the plunger pickups. All before the shippers come on Thursday. "Loads of time" I hear you say......it's taken me well over a year to get to this stage!! I considered one of these wonderful rivetting tools earlier this year and was told it could be my birthday present. The more I researched it however the less convinced I became as it seemed to take a lot of setting up. If I manage to find a hands on demonstration I am open to persuasion and purchase. Mean time I will stick to a strip of quality graph paper on double sided tape, mark out lightly with the drop tool and finish off on my hammer / anvil rivitting tool. This ancient piece of kit produces a much neater rivet than the drop tool. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Isambarduk Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 "This ancient piece of kit produces a much neater rivet than the drop tool." I believe that the anvil is the key; I have never seen such crisp rivets made by pressing into a resilient backing. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted June 16, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 16, 2019 15 hours ago, doilum said: I considered one of these wonderful rivetting tools earlier this year and was told it could be my birthday present. The more I researched it however the less convinced I became as it seemed to take a lot of setting up. If I manage to find a hands on demonstration I am open to persuasion and purchase. Mean time I will stick to a strip of quality graph paper on double sided tape, mark out lightly with the drop tool and finish off on my hammer / anvil rivitting tool. This ancient piece of kit produces a much neater rivet than the drop tool. Intriguing. Could you show us what it can do, please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted June 16, 2019 Author Share Posted June 16, 2019 4 hours ago, Daddyman said: Intriguing. Could you show us what it can do, please? I too would be interested, so don't worry about hijacking - post away! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doilum Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 1 hour ago, jdb82 said: I too would be interested, so don't worry about hijacking - post away! Not as good image definition as I wanted. I have only my tablet at present. I will borrow a decent camera later in the week. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted June 17, 2019 Author Share Posted June 17, 2019 Finished off the balance weights on the wheels on Sunday a this was achieving by filling the space between the spokes with Milliput and then filing & sanding back (for the centre wheels). For the front/back wheels I had already glued some scrap etch into position, and just had to give the thinnest of coatings to fill in the gaps between the tyre and the centre ring. The wheels were then blackened. I use egg cartons to ikeep everything for one wheel together. After blackening, I painted the balance weights so they didn’t stand out as much. They, along with the spokes will eventually be the same shade of green as the body. I gave the chassis a quick clean and then reassembled it, and then gave the body a once over with Viakal before taking a few gratuitous shots. Thanks to a solidly built gearbox and some extra ballast in the boiler, she weighs in at a chunky 350g. I was hoping to have wire up the plungers as well by now, but time has beaten me. Time to wrap her up and sender her on the 8000+ mile journey. See you in the UK in a couple of months! 10 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 (edited) Just a very quick update......Bamburgh finally arrived last week after her 8000 mile journey from Brunei. Other than having a bent vacuum pipe, and being rather tarnished, she seems to have made it here relatively unscathed. Pickups need wiring and then I'll be ready to paint, although work and daughter are keeping me pretty busy at the moment, so goodness knows when that will happen!! Edited October 23, 2019 by jdb82 10 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted November 3, 2019 Author Share Posted November 3, 2019 Wired up the plunger pickups today, and am please/pleasantly surprised by how well and smooth the running is. Forgot to take a video, so you'll have to take my word for it ;-) I also trimmed off the crankpins flush with the bush, however I have realised that the cab steps foul the crankpin bush. I must have located then fractionally too far back, so I'll move them forwards a bit, and probably just thin down the bush as well. That's for another day though - time for a Sunday beer. Apologies for the grubby state - haven't got round to cleaning up yet......putting it off until just before painting as I fear it may take some time. 12 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted December 1, 2019 Author Share Posted December 1, 2019 (edited) It's taken the best part of a month, but the steps have been moved, and it now runs without a problem. Even the plunger pickups seem to be doing their job! I have also played around with ways of fitting the cab roof. I wanted it to be removable, but I didn't want to go down the usual bent wire road. It might be that I'm a bit behind the times here - so feel free to stop reading here...... After a few minutes browsing on eBay, I found some very small, but very strong magnets. They are only 3mm in diameter, but very strong to the point that separating them is difficult. Even better, they were only about £1.50 for 10 of them. I bent a few pieces of waste etch, and glued a magnet to them, and then subsequently epoxied it to the top of the cab. Attaching the corresponding magnet to the underside of the roof completed the exercise. Because of the strength of the magnets, the roof is now pulled into the correct position and is held firmly in place, as demonstrated in the video below. Link to magnets: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Small-magnets-tiny-neodymium-discs-2mm-3mm-4mm-5mm-6mm-strong-craft-magnet-disk/162003918151?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 No connection - just a satisfied customer :-) Bamburgh has now had a good cleanup, and etch primer was purchased from Phoenix Paints at the Warley Show last weekend; priming is next on the to-do list. Edited December 1, 2019 by jdb82 Forgot to include the link 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 Managed to squeeze in a quick priming session on Friday - just the body......still need to strip down and clean the chassis. Still finding my way with the painting side of things. I need to sand down this first coat with some fine grade paper as I ended up with a couple of splatters that need removing. I wonder if someone could give me a bit of advice here...... On my only other attempt at using an airbrush on my Hudswell Clarke canal tank, I used the Vallejo model air primer. This is not an etch primer, and therefore didn't adhere to the brass as well as I'd hoped, however the finish was very smooth. This time, I thought I'd give Phoenix Paints two part etch primer a try. I'm certain this will bond with the metal far better, but I struggled to get a really fine mist and therefore it's not as smooth as I'd hoped for. Towards the end of the session, I was getting a few 'splatters'. Any advice on how to correct these issues? Am I using the wrong pressure (somewhere between 20&30psi - my compressor has no tank reservoir so the pressure decreases the longer I spray)? Or is it the consistency of the paint I have mixed? Don't get me wrong - the finish is not terrible, but it could be better! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted December 8, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 8, 2019 Ian Rathbone in his book says that the Phoenix etching primer "sticks like the proverbial" but has to be diluted far more than the instructions indicate. He followed the instructions and got cobwebs out of the airbrush! to address this problem, his formula is two parts Phoenix etching thinners, one part cellulose thinners, and one part Phoenix primer. He doesn't mention pressure, but does say that only a thin coat is necessary, and it must be left for 24 hours for the etching to work. If I understand him, you can then prime a more appropriate colour (in the interests of colour density) on top of the thin etching primer coat if necessary. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Isambarduk Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 18 minutes ago, Daddyman said: Ian Rathbone in his book says that the Phoenix etching primer "sticks like the proverbial" but ... you can then prime a more appropriate colour (in the interests of colour density) on top of the thin etching primer coat if necessary. This was my experience exactly. By a bit of trial and error on dilutions I came up with a workable solution to avoid the cobwebs but Ian's solution is the answer. On the pressure, I've not found it too fussy (once you have thinned the etch primer); I just use the same pressure as for other spray painting - I am sorry I can't say from memory what this is exactly, because I set it by 'feel', but I can go and look at the pressure gauge in the workshop if you wish. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 Many thanks chaps - I don't have any cellulose thinners to hand, but I will try diluting with the etching thinners a little more. 4 hours ago, Daddyman said: Ian Rathbone in his book says that the Phoenix etching primer "sticks like the proverbial" ...... I get the sticking bit - I primed a piece of waste etch and have tried scratching it off with a finger nail first....this didn't even leave a mark....followed by a screwdriver. Even with this, I had to practically dig the stuff off, so I think it will achieve what I was hoping for in the long run! 3 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted January 4, 2020 Author Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) Since my last post, I have primed the chassis and sandboxes, and they, along with the body are now waiting to get the North Sunderland Railway's light green and black livery. It might be a while before this happens - living in a small house with a young child means I can't use the compressor whilst she is asleep, and I'm generally otherwise occupied when she's awake! I shall wait for a rare moment when she is out with the grandparents and I get to stay at home..... Until then, I've started something a little different, and another first for me. A family member gifted me an NER C10 12 ton goods wagon. Not sure if anyone recognises the manufacturer from the instructions? By all accounts I think it's a fairly basic kit - for example there's not much provided by way of framework under the chassis of the wagon. I'm happy to scratch build this part, however I haven't really found much online. If anyone can point me in the direction of some photos or diagrams, I would appreciate it. I think the kit must have been laying around for a while because it was pretty grubby, and I needed a bit of good old Surgical Spirit to get rid of the residue left behind by the sellotape that attached it to it's protective cardboard in the packaging, as the small mountain of Gariflex droppings will atone to. Once cleaned up, the sides were folded back on themselves and sweated together. Next, the sole bar was folded up. Really, I could have done with a set of folding bars for this, but I don't have any.....I improvised with a block of wood, a length of brass bar and some clamps. It did the job. The floor of the wagon was next - the one provided was a piece of copper; given the rest of the kit is brass, I don't think this was the originally with the kit. Either way, it was too small so I made my own to the correct measurements. Hopefully I'll get this all soldered up sometime tomorrow and I can start work on the underside. I'm not very familiar with the various W irons and brake gear that wagons have, and although I can use the diagram on the instructions, a few extra picks would be useful! I'll have to see what I can find :-) Edited January 4, 2020 by jdb82 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2mm Andy Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 That wagon kit looks very much like one from Medley Models (now trading as 'North Eastern Railway Days' I think). They usually attend the Pontefract exhibition towards the end of January. I seem to remember there being a fair few wagon kits as well as an NER '1001' and some other locos. There is a bit of info on the C10 wagons here on the Wizard Models website (you can download the instruction sheet for their 4mm kit which has some prototype information); https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/wagons/nerdc010/ Andy 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 Just a couple of quick updates...... The NER wagon has been soldered together and the corner plates sweated on. All straightforwards - next will be the rest of the strapping before moving onto the under frame. Also, the MW Class L has received it's first drops of colour. Started attacking the cab, but as none of it is removable it's requiring a very steady hand. With plenty of weathering and the roof on, nobody will notice the blemishes and wobbly lines ;-) Still need to do the inside cab walls and the handbrake stanchion. What do you reckon....red or black for the stanchion? And whilst we are at it, what colour do you think the cab interior walls would have been (before the layers of soot built up!)? 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir douglas Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 cab interiors are usually either cream or off-white but black up to waist height 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir douglas Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 (edited) looking through various photos of preserved MW's, most of them are off white though i have no idea what the works default was Edited January 26, 2020 by sir douglas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share Posted January 26, 2020 47 minutes ago, sir douglas said: looking through various photos of preserved MW's, most of them are off white though i have no idea what the works default was Thanks Sam, I'll opt for the off-white option then. Bamburgh had a few different paint jobs whilst it worked up on the North Sunderland Railway - plenty of info about the livery, but nothing that I've found about the inside! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 The chassis and wheels have been given waft of black with the airbrush last night. Highly unexciting, but just to prove I'm doing something! Didn't take any photos of the cab, but just need to paint the top half of the cab walls (interior) an off-white and then give everything a generous layer of soot before stating the green livery outside. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdb82 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Share Posted March 1, 2020 If there was an award for the best travelled loco before it's even been finished Bamburgh would win it by a mile. Having been conceived in Brunei, brought back to the UK last summer, spent time at my parents house, and more recently in our rented house, Bamburgh is now on the move again. We have finally completed on buying a place which we are moving into in a couple of weeks time. Yep, that means she's being packed up again, although this time we are only going 5 minutes down the road. Been a busy year with all the moving country/house. A young daughter, a new job, lots of house renovations and a wife who bizarrely wants to see me occasionally (??!!), are not things that lead to speedy modelling! I didn't take any photos, but I have been playing around with making my own transfers for the lining. Need a bit more practice not getting them all twisted up as I take them out of the water, but things are looking promising. I had had the loco stripped down for painting, but decided the best way not to loose parts in the move was to attach them to where they should be, so built it up again before packing. Don't look too closely at the can interior. It was going quite well until I attacked it with cream gloss, without really having the right brush.....I now have quite a lot of remedial work to do. You live and learn as they say..... I have been allocated a small part of the smallest room for my workbench, although I do have a 28ft garage to expand into when needed :-) 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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