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A Wiltshire Carriage Works


Doncaster Green
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Sorry!   This is not a thread about the establishment that used to be at Swindon.   Rather this is an occasional diary of one modeller's attempt to become competent in building LNER coaches in 2mm FS.   I have been encouraged to do this by the vast amount of useful critique and advice being garnered by LaCathedral's thread and would hope to achieve a similar response.

 

First, some background.   I have come to 2mm rather late in life after many years of dabbling (rather inconsequentially) in 4mm and a brief, but unsatisfactory, diversion into N.   2mm appealed as it is, of necessity, geared towards making and adapting things rather than opening boxes.   I know there are superb N layouts out there, but how many of them are populated by scratch and kit built locos and rolling stock?   For me, it is not playing trains that appeals but making them.

 

This diary, hopefully, will document my progress from 'wannabe' bodger of coach kits, through my apprenticeship to a status of competent bodger.   I am currently in the process of erecting my 9th and 10th coaches (another artic twin) and in my estimation have attained a status of semi-competent, others' opinions may differ on being presented with the evidence.   I present 3 exhibits here that evidence the stage I have reached.   I have posted them before in the workbench thread and make no apologies for doing so again in this context.

 

post-14668-0-81527800-1547819090_thumb.jpg

 

post-14668-0-29457700-1547819154_thumb.jpg

 

post-14668-0-99942000-1547819176_thumb.jpg

 

As well as continuing to build new ones, I am revisiting my earliest attempts to improve them in the light of what I have learnt thus far.

 

You will notice they still lack paint.   For this there is a reason.   Whilst the creation of the erecting shop has been accepted by the local planning authority, the proposals for the paint shop have been deemed to be outside the agreed local structure plan and must be resubmitted in amended form.   I should point out that the planning committee has a membership of two and the Chair has the casting vote.   Needless to say, I am not the Chair!

 

For now, I have said enough.   I look forward to receiving your comments, criticisms, laughter, whatever - my skin is (relatively) thick!

 

Regards

 

John

 

Edited to add mention of Atso (Steve) who is doing wonderful things with 3D printing in N and is very much the exception that, I believe, proves the rule of my comment above.

Edited by Doncaster Green
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Hi John, 

 

great looking carriages, I'm looking forward to watching these get finished.

 

I couldn't agree more with your statement above!

 

"2mm appealed as it is, of necessity, geared towards making and adapting things rather than opening boxes.   I know there are superb N layouts out there, but how many of them are populated by scratch and kit built locos and rolling stock?   For me, it is not playing trains that appeals but making them."

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Nice coaches. I do most of my painting with an airbrush outdoors in a sheltered corner. It does mean waiting for suitable weather but on the plus side paint fumes and the more copious thinners fumes from cleaning the airbrush afterwards dissipate rapidly rather than building up in a confined indoor space. It also avoids complaints from fellow residents although perhaps causes a few raised eyebrows from the neighbours. My 'spray booth' is an old cardboard box.

 

Regards, Andy

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Nice coaches. I do most of my painting with an airbrush outdoors in a sheltered corner. It does mean waiting for suitable weather but on the plus side paint fumes and the more copious thinners fumes from cleaning the airbrush afterwards dissipate rapidly rather than building up in a confined indoor space. It also avoids complaints from fellow residents although perhaps causes a few raised eyebrows from the neighbours. My 'spray booth' is an old cardboard box.

 

Regards, Andy

Thanks for that Andy. The garage is looking favourite at the moment although it needs decluttering first! Plus it’s bitter cold if the door is open for ventilation. That may not be too much of an issue as I tend to use airbrushed acrylics over rattle can acrylic primer - I’ve heard good reports of Games Workshop spray cans but have yet to try them.

 

John

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Thanks for that Andy. The garage is looking favourite at the moment although it needs decluttering first! Plus it’s bitter cold if the door is open for ventilation. That may not be too much of an issue as I tend to use airbrushed acrylics over rattle can acrylic primer - I’ve heard good reports of Games Workshop spray cans but have yet to try them.

 

John

 

I've used the garage on plenty of occasions but mine doesn't have the advantages of rapid clearance of fumes or (when the weather cooperates) good natural light. It does keep the rain off but on a rainy day the humidity in there will still be high and may not help.

 

Nowadays I rarely use the garage for spraying and just wait for suitable weather. My 'outdoors' though is usually the shed doorway because this has reasonable natural light, access to power, is sheltered from the wind and gives the option of rapidly shoving things under cover if the weather does do something unexpected. It is also one step away from a less sheltered spot, so I move there when spraying copious amounts of thinners to clean the airbrush.

 

Acrylic-wise it probably depends on the brand but the ones I use most (Tamiya) definitely use a solvent in their thinner. It smells like IPA to me. Plus I use plenty of enamels. TBH it's probably a bad idea to risk inhaling a mist of even purely water based paint.

 

Regards, Andy

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I've used the garage on plenty of occasions but mine doesn't have the advantages of rapid clearance of fumes or (when the weather cooperates) good natural light. It does keep the rain off but on a rainy day the humidity in there will still be high and may not help.

 

Nowadays I rarely use the garage for spraying and just wait for suitable weather. My 'outdoors' though is usually the shed doorway because this has reasonable natural light, access to power, is sheltered from the wind and gives the option of rapidly shoving things under cover if the weather does do something unexpected. It is also one step away from a less sheltered spot, so I move there when spraying copious amounts of thinners to clean the airbrush.

 

Acrylic-wise it probably depends on the brand but the ones I use most (Tamiya) definitely use a solvent in their thinner. It smells like IPA to me. Plus I use plenty of enamels. TBH it's probably a bad idea to risk inhaling a mist of even purely water based paint.

 

Regards, Andy

Hi Andy

 

I have one of those collapsable spray booths with an extractor. Had it for years and never used it! The original plan was to use it in the “workshop” with the trunking hung out of the window. That’s when the planning submission was called in! Suitable “daylight” LED light can be arranged in the garage and, being integral with house, temperature and humidity don’t appear to be a problem. I have an experimental baseboard made of foam board and balsa that has been in there for at least 5 years with no sign of deterioation. As I say, decluttering is necessary though.

 

Regards

 

John

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Acrylic-wise it probably depends on the brand but the ones I use most (Tamiya) definitely use a solvent in their thinner. It smells like IPA to me. Plus I use plenty of enamels. TBH it's probably a bad idea to risk inhaling a mist of even purely water based paint.

 

Tamiya acrylic thinner is a mix of IPA and butanol. Therefore, dangerous if you drank it but probably not too much of a problem by inhaling small amounts. I'd agree that the danger to your lungs from particulate contamination is a bigger worry and that will apply to all atomized paint.

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I thought, for my first proper diary entry, I would describe some of the methods and references I use and give you some idea of the resources available to me at present.   This is not because I believe they are the best, far from it (I said I'm a trainee bodger), but more to invite comment or suggestions for better ways of working, tools that could be of use and, possibly, reference resources I've missed.


 


Firstly, the prototype references I have, in addition to any photograph I can find, are the two Harris books, "Gresley's Coaches" and "LNER Carriages", plus Longworth's recently published "Pre-Nationalisation Coaching Stock" - very good for picking out running numbers for long-lived examples that suit the time period I want and the only publication I know of that has a thumbnail sketch of the side view and internal layout of every diagram.   In addition I have a collection of photocopied drawings from what I believe was a Jenkinson/Campling compendium of Historic Coach Drawings published many, many moons ago.   Suggestions for other useful volumes would be gratefully received!


 


In terms of the craft of coach kit building, the go to sources are John Aldrick's two articles in MRJ 249 and 256.   These are excellent introductions to the art.   I haven't followed them slavishly, I do differ in approach in a couple of areas because it better suits my skill level, but if anyone wants to build coaches in 2mmFS I can't think of a better introduction.   I believe John also wrote something for the Association Journal and if anyone could point me to the issue I would be extremely grateful.   Most of the other references I have are more directed at 4mm construction, but, even then, contain many little nuggets of inspiration.   I've found a very useful one to be "Building Coaches the Comet Way" which is available from their website.   Others include "The 4mm Coach" Parts 1 and 2 published by Wild Swan many years ago.   Whatever happened to the promised Part 3?


 


Let me now describe the workshop facilities currently available.


 


post-14668-0-65047200-1548079762_thumb.jpg


 


This is a view of the working area, much tidier than normal, with the latest project in view, another D250 twin with the Brake end sides being prepared for fitting to the floor and ends (mustn't build any more - this is number 2 and the LNER only built 4).   Just visible top right is the first of my heretical practises and soldering experts and gurus should close their ears and cover their eyes; I use resin cored electrical solder!   Getting on for forty years ago my then employer was in the process of selling the factory on to another company, together with some, but not all, of the stores.   The balance that was not required was sold on to us, soon to be redundant staff, at knockdown prices and I obtained a brand new, industrial sized, reel of Ersin Multicore for, I think, 50p.   I don't know exactly how much there was but it was heavy!  As I take the solder to the iron then the iron to the job, by the time the solder reaches the joint all the resin has long burnt off.   A good dose of Fluxite in the joint and the job's a good'un!   Over the years I've got reasonably good at using this stuff and, apart from low melt when attaching white metal bits, use nothing else.   What I will do in these days of lead free when the reel runs out I have no idea but I have a feeling, trying to assess what's left, I may run out before the solder does.   Soldering is all done with a 25W Antex with a 2mm chisel bit.   I do have a 50W temperature control iron but very rarely use it having found the 25W perfectly adequate, even for attaching white metal (a well tinned target area, a little wedge of low melt, plenty of flux and a very quick in and out with a hot iron).


 


In terms of hand tools, the arsenal is pretty standard if a little bit limited.   Various small pliers of sundry shapes, a good selection of files (although probably tending to the cheaper end of the quality spectrum), taper and straight broaches from about 0.2mm up to around 5mm, plus the usual scrapers, scalpels, larger knives, pin vices and watchmakers' screwdrivers.  Add in aluminium curl clips and miniature wooden clothes pegs for holding things together and I can tackle most things.   What I don't have, or anywhere to mount it, is a decent vice - bolts through the desktop would not be well received!


 


Power tools are limited to two mini drills.   One is a very old (35 years?) Expo 12v that runs off a train set controller and gives superb speed control.   It is so old, however, that the bearings are about shot and it vibrates like crazy.   I daren't use it for drilling holes because of this and it is used mainly with slitting discs for chopping 10BA bolts to length.   This is unfortunate as it has a 3 jaw chuck that will hold from around 0.3mm up to about 2mm   The other drill is a nearly new Rotocraft with a speed control.   Unfortunately the chuck uses collets which are nowhere near fine enough to handle small drill sizes and, despite much searching, I can't find a replacement 3 or 4 jaw chuck that will fit.   I can think of a lot of things I could do with a drill, such as very small turning jobs, if I had a bench clamp that would hold one and someway of holding the clamp.   I can see construction of some sort of work tray is needed, but my carpentry is a good deal worse than my ability to stick metal together.


 


Lighting for the work area is a 850 Lumens miniature fluorescent daylight lamp on an Angle-Poise type stand and can be augmented by various LED lamps to the sides if needed.


 


In addition there are various bits of wood, aluminium strip and tube and bits of fret waste that have been formed into jigs of one kind or another.   Why I created them I will explain when they get used in the course of this diary.


 


I think I've bored you all enough for today so I will finish this entry and get back to the in-progress coach sides.   To give you all a good laugh, when I start on the sides for the full third half of the twin I will detail here how I do it, or should that be demonstrate how it shouldn't be done!


 


Regards


 


John

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No need for me to cover my ears or avert my eyes as far as soldering techniques are concerned!  Yours are pretty much the same as I have used for many years, although I now use Carrs 188 solder paint for most etched construction, only reverting to 'ordinary' solder when i want to create a strengthening fillet or fill a small gap.

 

As to a suitable vice, there are several available which can be clamped onto the desk, possibly with a piece of scrap plywood top and bottom to protect the desk.

 

All my turning jobs, from chimneys and domes to cylinder lubricators are turned on either my old Precision Petite minidrill or an even older Black and Decker 2-speed power drill, depending on which will hold the diameter of rod needed.

 

More power to your elbow, John.

 

Jim

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A bodger? Hmm. If that's the case I bet many will wish they could bodge as well, I do.

 

I also mostly still use Ersin Multicore leaded. I believe the code is Ersin 361 or 362 ( one is the savbit alloy I think). It's now sold under the Henkel/Loctite brand. Just got another 3 reels, although you may find the price has gone up a bit......

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I have a feeling I will learn quite a bit.

 

Izzy

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No need for me to cover my ears or avert my eyes as far as soldering techniques are concerned!  Yours are pretty much the same as I have used for many years, although I now use Carrs 188 solder paint for most etched construction, only reverting to 'ordinary' solder when i want to create a strengthening fillet or fill a small gap.

 

As to a suitable vice, there are several available which can be clamped onto the desk, possibly with a piece of scrap plywood top and bottom to protect the desk.

 

All my turning jobs, from chimneys and domes to cylinder lubricators are turned on either my old Precision Petite minidrill or an even older Black and Decker 2-speed power drill, depending on which will hold the diameter of rod needed.

 

More power to your elbow, John.

 

Jim

 

Thanks for that Jim.   The sort of vice I would like is one of those lookalikes for the Swiss watchmakers' vice with twin screws but I haven't found one yet that clamps on.

 

Regards

 

John

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A bodger? Hmm. If that's the case I bet many will wish they could bodge as well, I do.

 

I also mostly still use Ersin Multicore leaded. I believe the code is Ersin 361 or 362 ( one is the savbit alloy I think). It's now sold under the Henkel/Loctite brand. Just got another 3 reels, although you may find the price has gone up a bit......

 

Thanks for starting this thread. I have a feeling I will learn quite a bit.

 

Izzy

 

Thanks Izzy, but the idea is that I'm the learner!   I'll advertise all my mistakes and hope everybody else tells me where I'm going wrong - nicely of course.

 

Savbit alloy - That's the one.

 

Regards

 

John

 

Edited to add - Is it still leaded or has it too gone lead free?   The price?  Well it was 1981 and they weren't that interested in making loadsamoney!  I seem to remember RadioSpares as they were then got lots of cheap stock!

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Thanks Izzy, but the idea is that I'm the learner!   I'll advertise all my mistakes and hope everybody else tells me where I'm going wrong - nicely of course.

 

Savbit alloy - That's the one.

 

Regards

 

John

 

Edited to add - Is it still leaded or has it too gone lead free?   The price?  Well it was 1981 and they weren't that interested in making loadsamoney!  I seem to remember RadioSpares as they were then got lots of cheap stock!

 

They are available in both types. Lots of sizes, wire size and reel weight. Green indicates lead free, Red leaded. I continue to use the latter - with home brew 20% phosphoric acid as a wetting agent when needed. The neat PA is in a 500ml bottle obtained from Boots when they were a proper chemists. Shows how long I have had it....with half left it will probably see me out.....

 

Izzy

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I screwed my watchmaker vice foot to a strip of wood (leftover bed slat in this case) and cramp that to the bench when I want to use the vice,  which stays attached to the foot and wood so I can find it all. That way I can secure it wherever the space is rather than needing multiple feet.

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Thanks Ric

I screwed my watchmaker vice foot to a strip of wood (leftover bed slat in this case) and cramp that to the bench when I want to use the vice,  which stays attached to the foot and wood so I can find it all. That way I can secure it wherever the space is rather than needing multiple feet.

Thanks Rich - why is it the simple solutions always pass me by?

 

John

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Power tools are limited to two mini drills.   One is a very old (35 years?) Expo 12v that runs off a train set controller and gives superb speed control.   It is so old, however, that the bearings are about shot and it vibrates like crazy.   I daren't use it for drilling holes because of this and it is used mainly with slitting discs for chopping 10BA bolts to length.   This is unfortunate as it has a 3 jaw chuck that will hold from around 0.3mm up to about 2mm   The other drill is a nearly new Rotocraft with a speed control.   Unfortunately the chuck uses collets which are nowhere near fine enough to handle small drill sizes and, despite much searching, I can't find a replacement 3 or 4 jaw chuck that will fit.   I can think of a lot of things I could do with a drill, such as very small turning jobs, if I had a bench clamp that would hold one and someway of holding the clamp.   I can see construction of some sort of work tray is needed, but my carpentry is a good deal worse than my ability to stick metal together.

 

I have used an Expo of similar age and it probably has the same issue as yours. I didn't use mine 'directly' very frequently at all. Instead I used a flexi drive with it. For drill-based turning jobs I clamped the business end of the flexi drive in a vice and found somewhere suitable to stop the mini drill wandering off. My old cheap flexi drive eventually snapped in the middle and I replaced it with a Proxxon one from Mr Sissling's emporium. IIRC they can be had in both collet and chuck flavours.

 

Last year I joined the ranks of the lathe owners. I really enjoy using my lathes but for coach building and lots of other 2mm work you really don't need one.

 

Regards, Andy

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I have used an Expo of similar age and it probably has the same issue as yours. I didn't use mine 'directly' very frequently at all. Instead I used a flexi drive with it. For drill-based turning jobs I clamped the business end of the flexi drive in a vice and found somewhere suitable to stop the mini drill wandering off. My old cheap flexi drive eventually snapped in the middle and I replaced it with a Proxxon one from Mr Sissling's emporium. IIRC they can be had in both collet and chuck flavours.

 

Last year I joined the ranks of the lathe owners. I really enjoy using my lathes but for coach building and lots of other 2mm work you really don't need one.

 

Regards, Andy

I will certainly look into the flexi-drive Andy. I would love a little watchmakers’ lathe but I don’t think I would use it enough to justify it and I can’t think where I would put it.

 

Regards

 

John

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It's time for another dose of my rambling.   Over time you will notice that the actual diary entries occur on either a Monday, Wednesday or Friday or even all three.  This is a result of the domestic situation; my other half has medical issues that require her to attend hospital 3 mornings a week for anything up to 7 to 8 hours.   As she is collected at around 6.30 am I find the period up to about 9.30/10.00 to be an ideal time to crack on and achieve something.   The rest of the week is pretty much taken up by things domestic and time for productive modelling, as opposed to dreaming and scheming, is very limited.

 

First, a quick word about the kits I am building.   The ones I've shown so far are all from Chris Higgs' Masterclass range and are provided with either a resin roof or a very nice 3D printed one with the roof vents included.  The finished articles will form the passenger stock on a small layout I'm attempting to build representing a part of the old GNR Nottingham to Grantham line.   The normal passenger services on this line, judging from photographs, appeared to be 5 coach sets of Gresley or Thompson Non-Gangwayed stock (referred to as Ordinary Stock by LNER), with a mixture of teak and steel panelled singles or twins and, as no manufacturer produces suitable RTR stock, I would have to build it all!   But from what?   Looking around I found Worsley Works produces both Gresley and Thompson stock in 2mm in their scratch aid range and I ordered some of each along with the necessary underframe bits for the 2mm Shop, but I was lacking roofs and couldn't find anything suitable.   Nonetheless, I started my first coach but was not really happy with the way it was going.   At that point fortune smiled!   I was offered half a dozen complete Masterclass kits including roofs.  An offer I did not refuse!   I had heard of Masterclass, but up until then had only seen examples of GWR stock and hadn't realised Chris did LNER as well.   Perhaps here was a possible source of roofs.   So, plucking up my courage (don't forget I'm very much a loner in modelling terms with few contacts), I contacted Chris and he agreed, as he was designing a number of different roof types for 3D printing, to provide Gresley and Thompson roofs to match the Worsley sides.   At the same time he agreed to supply underframe etches to match which got me over one of the reasons I was not happy - without resorting to cutting floors in brass or something the body and underframe of the Worsley kits would both be mounted on the same base.   Then Chris announced he was going to have a sales drive as he had quite a bit of stock and I became the proud owner of quite a few more kits.

 

Progress on the current build, the D250 artic twin mentioned in my last post, has been steady and I have a nearly complete Brake 3rd unit.   The first picture is of the two underframes ready to take the bodies.

 

post-14668-0-69696300-1548250332_thumb.jpg

 

The top one is the Brake 3rd with the brake gear for the articulation bogie.   The next shot is the two sides and the ends/floor ready to be married together:

 

post-14668-0-10561300-1548250589_thumb.jpg

 

The third and fourth pictures show the body stitched together and temporarily joined to the underframe and roof to check that all fits.

 

post-14668-0-96382300-1548250744_thumb.jpg

 

post-14668-0-25391700-1548250783_thumb.jpg

 

Please excuse the standard of my photography, it's only a little compact and the lighting is not really any good for taking pictures.   You may notice that, unllke the previous twin, I have fitted representations of the door hinges (just in time remembering that the guard's door opens inwards and therefore doesn't need them!).   I've agonised over this for a bit.   The first few bodies I built were for teak panelled stock and lack of hinges was not that noticeable, but when I did the steel panelled twin it didn't seem to look right without them.   But if I were to fit them how would I do it?   Most builders of metal model coaches I've come across seem to use strips of etch waste soldered to the coach side and trimmed to length and this is the method John Aldrick details in his articles.   (By the way, I found the article John did for the 2mm Magazine in the Aug/Sept 2015 edition)   This didn't appeal to me for a number of reasons:

 

Could I be sure of getting them all in line and in the right place?   No!

Was my soldering sufficiently good to ensure they didn't fall off when I tried to clean up the joint?   No!

Had I the patience to do a proper clean up job?   No!

 

I very much prefer soldering from the back using holes or slots to locate things, it means things go in the right place and cleaning up is not quite so critical.  But what to use?   Casting around I could find nothing that appeared to do the job until I realised a possible solution was staring me in the face.

 

post-14668-0-10414200-1548256959_thumb.jpg

 

This little etch is included 3 times in each kit; twice filling in unused space in the floor/body/end support etch and again on the etch for the sides and ends.   The curly bits are representations of the jumper cables fitted to the ends of the coaches, but, as these are already etched onto the ends and I see no reason to file off one detail just to (possibly badly) solder back the same thing, they were not needed.   So, what if I chop them in half and thread them through a 0.35mm hole drilled in the right place?   I tried it on the steel panelled Lav/Composite in my first post and it seemed to be a success, one was a little out of line due to the drill wandering but not obtrusively so.  It certainly makes a difference, the side now seems somehow complete.  The dilemma is now, do I do the teak ones as well?

 

Well, that's enough of my wittering for the day - real life has just reared its head!

 

Regards to all

 

John

 

 

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post-14668-0-53029400-1548429235_thumb.jpg

 

A D50 4 Compartment Brake Third.

 

One of my first attempts that really needed revisiting to straighten up some of the door ventilator hoods and address a couple of other issues.   You definitely learn as you go along!   Again, excuse my poor photography.   Also please excuse the fact that I've just noticed the body is the wrong way round on the underframe!   No wheeels on the bogies yet and the ends need a bit of fettling to let the roof sit properly.   Still, I'll give it a scrub up and a nice ultrasonic bath and see what it looks like.   There are a couple of Full Thirds that need the same treatment as well.

 

Not a lot of other progress.   I've have struggled stoically with a dose of man-flu for the last couple of days, much to the amusement of the authorities!   I have managed to start preparing the sides for the Full Third component of the twin although that was not without its dramas!   In my debilitated state I forgot the cardinal rules of drilling holes; always mark where you are going to drill and let the drill do the work.   3 broken 0.35mm drills in 5 holes was not good!!!  Or cheap!

 

I need some advice, tips or guidance.   The Guards' ducket for the brake ends is a nice little 3 piece fold up etch that needs laminating together and then all 4 edges filing to 45 degrees.   So far, every one I've tried laminates nicely but as soon as I start filing becomes 3 separate pieces.   Can anyone give me some pointers?   At the moment I refuse to be beaten and order white metal ones from Etched Pixels although I'm going to run out of etches in a minute.

 

Regards

 

John

 

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I need some advice, tips or guidance.   The Guards' ducket for the brake ends is a nice little 3 piece fold up etch that needs laminating together and then all 4 edges filing to 45 degrees.   So far, every one I've tried laminates nicely but as soon as I start filing becomes 3 separate pieces.   Can anyone give me some pointers?   At the moment I refuse to be beaten and order white metal ones from Etched Pixels although I'm going to run out of etches in a minute.

How are you laminating them?  Did you tin the surfaces first, or, alternatively use solder paint?  If you just applied the iron around the edges, then there will only be solder around the edges, which will then get filed away.  Also, be sure to keep the iron there long enough for the solder between the layers to fuse properly so that the whole thing becomes a solid mass of metal.

 

i now use Carrs 188 solder paint for all laminating, applying a coating of it to one of the opposing surfaces and then, with the two layers together, moving the iron (at 300°) slowly over the top surface observing that the liquid of the flux is evaporating off.  Apart from anything else, I find that using the solder paint results in you having sufficient solder, but not so much that it is flowing all over the detail, reducing the amount of cleaning up you have to do.

 

Jim

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How are you laminating them?  Did you tin the surfaces first, or, alternatively use solder paint?  If you just applied the iron around the edges, then there will only be solder around the edges, which will then get filed away.  Also, be sure to keep the iron there long enough for the solder between the layers to fuse properly so that the whole thing becomes a solid mass of metal.

 

i now use Carrs 188 solder paint for all laminating, applying a coating of it to one of the opposing surfaces and then, with the two layers together, moving the iron (at 300°) slowly over the top surface observing that the liquid of the flux is evaporating off.  Apart from anything else, I find that using the solder paint results in you having sufficient solder, but not so much that it is flowing all over the detail, reducing the amount of cleaning up you have to do.

 

Jim

 

Hi Jim

 

I give them a good clean with wet & dry, then plenty of solder to tin on the mating surfaces.   Plenty of heat to mate them together.   I don't mind too much if the solder runs out of the edges as it probably needs a bit of a fillet to get a smooth edge (although got to be careful to keep the lookouts clear).   I'm wondering if I should be filing along the edge rather than across - across could be putting too much stress on the joint.

 

I have found some solder paste I didn't know I had and I may give that a go.

 

Thanks for that

 

John

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In that case, filing along the edge will be the way to go.  With such a small component, filing across it is probably putting too much stress on the joint.  The other option is to use a fine India stone rather than a file as there then wont be the teeth of the file to catch on the edges.  If filing across the edge, then only file with single strokes in the one direction, that which is pushing the laminations together, not back and forth.

 

Jim

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In that case, filing along the edge will be the way to go.  With such a small component, filing across it is probably putting too much stress on the joint.  The other option is to use a fine India stone rather than a file as there then wont be the teeth of the file to catch on the edges.  If filing across the edge, then only file with single strokes in the one direction, that which is pushing the laminations together, not back and forth.

 

Jim

Thanks Jim

 

Would various grades of wet & dry work the same way as an India stone?

 

What I have noticed is there are 4 holes, about 0.3mm, etched into the 2 bottom layers and corresponding half etched dimples in the underside of the top. There is no mention of their use in the construction notes I have and I am wondering if soldering some 0.33mm brass wire in them, trimming it so the top layer sits properly, may give enough added strength to help it resist the pressures of filing and shaping.

 

Regards

 

John

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What I have noticed is there are 4 holes, about 0.3mm, etched into the 2 bottom layers and corresponding half etched dimples in the underside of the top. There is no mention of their use in the construction notes I have and I am wondering if soldering some 0.33mm brass wire in them, trimming it so the top layer sits properly, may give enough added strength to help it resist the pressures of filing and shaping.

 

When I read the original post, I though to myself that I would always include at least two tying wires through soldered laminations that have to be filed to shape and, given the thought that clearly goes into the production of most 2mm etchings, I was surprised that the necessary dimples or holes hadn't been incorporated into the etch to ensure that they were in exactly the right place - clearly they had been!

 

One further tip, when soldering laminations together that are subsequently going to have to be filed (or broached) to shape/size, I always use one of the high melting point solders that includes some silver in its mix. It is surprising how much localised heat filing and broaching can generate and the use of the hmp solder helps ensure that they don't delaminate - it is particularly effective for laminating coupling rods which will require subsequent broaching of the bearing holes. It also has the added benefit that, using a temperature controlled iron appropriately set, one can subsequently solder the built-up item into position without fear of delamination. 

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