Eastwood Town - A tribute to Gordon's modelling.

[gordon s]

I’d better not mention the B12 that turned up Saturday then.....

 

It just popped out of the internet whilst I was looking up vitamins......

[Enterprisingwestern]

7 minutes ago, gordon s said:

I’d better not mention the B12 that turned up Saturday then.....

 

It just popped out of the internet whilst I was looking up vitamins......

 

We've all been there, although not necessarily vitamin pills and B12s!

 

Mike.

 

Mike.

[BoD]

1 hour ago, gordon s said:

I’d better not mention the B12 that turned up Saturday then.....

 

It just popped out of the internet whilst I was looking up vitamins......

Best not to go buying any paper then.

[gordon s]

Took a few seconds for the penny to drop. Very clever......
 

Sat and watched four evenings of the TPC from Sawgrass and Lee Westwood took outright second with his last putt. Looked at the prize money this morning and that one putt gave him an extra $500k versus sharing 2nd. Nice work if you can get it.....

 

Suffered earlier in the day with the ups and down of watching Spurs. Do nothing for 30 minutes, then a great goal. Equaliser half time and then the hero gets sent off. We play better with 10 men and then lose 2-1. Could someone tell Mourinho the guys at the front are there for a reason?.......

 

Had a call from the surgeon yesterday as it would appear the stents they fitted may have blocked already, so back to the Churchill again today. I don’t mind as I shall take the train into GWR territory. Do I need a passport?

 

At least I’ll have a mask on to get past the checkpoints at Didcot.

Edited March 15, 2021 by gordon s

[gordon s]

Box openers of the word unite.....

 

What is there not to like? When Hornby make a good 'un, they are hard to beat.

 

 

....and just in case anyone thinks all I do is open boxes, work is progressing, albeit slowly on this pile of bits. It's been quite an experience filing up white metal castings and playing with 70 degree solder. Please note I'm not that bad at fitting the bits together, the parts are just placed there, whilst I spend another few minutes reading the instructions and trying to work out which screw goes where and how each part relates to the next. At this rate it could be finished by Christmas....

 

I'm also waiting for some new rods from DJH. The chassis runs really well, but still has some slop in the rods. I'm hoping to get similar running quality without the slop with some new rods, but can always use these if I fail miserably.

 

Bit of an ugly duckling really....

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by gordon s

[hayfield]

 

I had a very lucky turn by buying a Hobby Holidays chassis jig very cheaply, by fitting the bearings into the chassis by using the coupling rods as the datum seems to solve the problems with coupling rod alignment.

 

I must admit I have held back with the DJH kits I have, as I wish to build/convert them to EM gauge. Certainly the castings are very good, but the chassis are designed for 00 gauge, not an issue where there are no outer cylinders. Some other makes have similar issues with cast cylinders, I may end up with Comet  replacement ones.

[gordon s]

That's what has confused me, John. I have an Avonside C2 jig that I bought to build Comet chassis. I assembled this chassis on the jig, so know it's all square and level. The rods sit perfectly on the spigots at the end of the 3mm rods, yet it was only when I fitted the top hat nut crankpins, did I find how tight it was. After a chat with TW and Co, I changed them back to plain crankpins and bushed the rods. It was much better, but I'm convinced it could be better still, hence ordering a new set of rods to start again. The existing rods do allow the chassis to run smoothly, albeit with some slop.

Edited March 15, 2021 by gordon s

[hayfield]

I think it has been reported before the Markit Deluxe crankpins can be difficult and or the size of the coupling rod spigots on the axles of the chassis jig. Gibson use a similar system but not heard/noticed any issues with this make

 

 

[Denbridge]

9 hours ago, hayfield said:

I think it has been reported before the Markit Deluxe crankpins can be difficult and or the size of the coupling rod spigots on the axles of the chassis jig. Gibson use a similar system but not heard/noticed any issues with this make

 

 

I use Gibson and ultrascale crankpins and bushes. I unreservedly recommend them, but unsure if they would be suitable for markits wheels.

[gordon s]

Afternoon all....

 

Sadly I've been back in hospital again with stent and infection issues, but after eight days they managed to get on top of things, and deep joy, I'm home again. I now have a couple of weeks before major liver surgery which could go either way. The surgeons are really upbeat about things, but then it won't be them laid out on the table.....

 

Not a lot that can be done before S Day, so out came the 70 degree solder, an assortment of tools and the DJH J50. I managed to get another set of rods from DJH and they literally just dropped onto the crankpins and rotated perfectly with no binding whatsoever. Result!

 

So a pile of white metal bits that need fettling and off we go. This really took me back to school metalwork 60 years ago, but in reality you never forget the fundamentals that were part of the curriculum all those years ago.

 

Still loads to do and hoping to get it assembled and painted before surgery. Fingers crossed on all fronts....

 

This is what I want to be when I grow up....

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by gordon s

[Siberian Snooper]

Sorry to hear about your continued health problems and I hope that you will be fit and well enough for the forthcoming liver op.

 

Good to see that you got straight back into modelling, looking forward to more updates on the build.

 

 

 

 

[gordon s]

Just out if curiosity, I’m using 70 degree solder on white metal, but read the melting point of white metal is around 300 degrees. Should I be using 143 degree solder or stay with the 70 degree?

 

Only reason for asking is that the 143 degree is a solder wire, whereas the 70 degree stuff is a 2-3mm diameter rod and not the easiest to place accurately, particularly when soldering externally when it’s impossible to access internally.

 

How do you fabricate the spectacle lenses and how are they fixed in place without getting glue on the clear surface?

 

I’m sure all you professionals can do it with your eyes closed, but I can’t see a foolproof method with sausage fingers....

Edited March 26, 2021 by gordon s

[Regularity]

The temperature of the soldering iron has to be well above the melting point of the solder: the metal being soldered also needs to warm up a bit, and the solder hot enough not to solidify immediately on contact.

 

A friend uses standard 60/40 tin/lead solder. For white metal, he applies flux to the joint and carries the solder as a blob to the joint, but doesn’t let the iron touch the white metal. The solder is hot enough to flash through. For other metals, he usually tins the surface, applies flux to the joint, then the iron.

 

Hope things improve on the health front.

[Barry O]

Gordon..think welding..clean the joints add some flux then.. tin the soldering iron tip then weld it... try it on some spare bits of white metal first.

 

Bas

[Re6/6]

 Gordon, this video made by David B may be of interest. He is my 'go-to' person for soldering advice. He's done some exquisitely delicate brass to whitemetal work for me.

 

I've been soldering for years but my efforts were always 'blobby' rather than 'invisible' but since knowing David and using his methods my standards have improved. Quite good for a ham-fisted modeller!

 

https://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/index.php/spring-2021-understanding-soldering/

Edited March 27, 2021 by Re6/6

[gordon s]

Thanks John, that looks like a very useful reference video. I shall sit down after breakfast and watch it through. Having started my working life in electronic components and pcb’s, soldering holds no fear for me under normal circumstances. The girls on our assembly lines were absolute experts and I learned at lot as a 20 year old about this dark art......and a few others...

 

White metal kits are taking me into the unknown, so I’d like to really understand more about low temp soldering and the best combination of solder and flux. I will probably take the body apart again this morning as there are a couple of areas I’m unhappy about and they can certainly be improved. They may well be distortion from the camera, but certainly require further investigation.

 

I enjoyed building the chassis as that was in my comfort zone, but now I find myself in unknown territory....

 

Thanks for all your input, guys. As always much appreciated.

Edited March 27, 2021 by gordon s

[Siberian Snooper]

When I do whitemetal soldering, I put a small blob of solder on the iron tip and take it to the joint, with the joint pre-fluxed the solder just flashes across to the joint. The great thing with low melt solder is the ability to take the kit apart with boiling water, if you get it wrong.

 

[hayfield]

Gordon

 

Sorry to hear you have been unwell and back into hospital, seems you are in very good hands and they know what they are doing. I must admit when I had stents fitted it is very worrying to the uninitiated, but the things they treat as run of the mill are unbelievable to us mere mortals, Good luck for the upcoming operation, sounds like you have the best looking after you

 

I still prefer to use 70 degree for whitemetal kits, simply as you can undo the joint in steam if you go wrong or the item needs adjusting (the older the kit the more likely this is) if the joint is sound its just as strong as any other joint. I put slivers of solder in the joint which has plenty of liquid flux in it. Then take the iron to the joint, seems to work the best for me

 

I started off using an Antex 25 watt iron, changing the tip size according to the size of metal being soldered.  Now I have a 75 watt solder station, after sound advice on here I turn the temperature down to 300 degrees for whitemetal, don't forget the larger castings act as a heat sink, I guess 100 or 135 might be easier to use as the solder will solidify quicker, but its no where as easy to undo unless you have a heat gun and are very careful

 

I had to revert back to my Antex a couple of weeks ago whilst I waited for a spare, like the stone age !!!  I now have a second iron for the station and a selection of different size bits 

[Indomitable026]

4 hours ago, Re6/6 said:

 Gordon, this video made by David B may be of interest. He is my 'go-to' person for soldering advice. He's done some exquisitely delicate brass to whitemetal work for me.

 

I've been soldering for years but my efforts were always 'blobby' rather than 'invisible' but since knowing David and using his methods my standards have improved. Quite good for a ham-fisted modeller!

 

https://www.missendenrailwaymodellers.org.uk/index.php/spring-2021-understanding-soldering/

Thank you for posting that link.

 

Excellent concise explanations - very clear and understandable.

 

 

 

 

[Re6/6]

David gave me this advice.......

 

"The 70 degree does not adhere well to brass or nickel silver.  If using 70 degree for this, you have to tin the harder metal with something like 145 first and the 70 degree will bond to that rather than the brass/Nickel silver.

 

The 100 degree, though, will bond to brass and nickel silver, doing away with the need to tin the hard metal with 145.  It will fix white metal to brass/nickel silver in one go.

 

100 degree will also bond white metal to white metal but it is a waste when the 70 degree does it just as well.  Therefore, keep the 100 degree for fixing white metal to brass/nickel silver."

[Regularity]

Don't use 145 for items which need a strong bond. It flows like butter because it has not much more strength than that.

[lezz01]

Gordon, the other way to go with 70 deg solder is to cut it up into small bits using a pair of plyers, flux the joint and distribute the solder along the joint. Then use a mini blowtorch and play it up and down the joint until the solder starts to flow. You will need to practice and but it's a good way to solder big chunks of white metal. The trick is to keep the torch moving and not let the flame settle in one spot for too long. I've built two or three K's kits, (two 2Fs and a 0-4-0 Johnson dock tank), using this method and it's quick and effective but you do need to practice first and be wearing your big brave boy pants too. It won't work for small detail parts though as they heat up too fast, use an iron for those. 

Regards Lez.

[gordon s]

Thanks for all your input on the dark art of soldering white metal. I did manage to get some improvement whilst practicing, but having spent several hours yesterday fettling bits and bobs, I came to the conclusion that kit building is really not for me. I enjoyed building the chassis as those were brass components and the challenge of getting a smooth running chassis was a mechanical skill that I could relate to. The body however was something where I realised it was becoming a chore and not a pleasure. Bear in mind I’ve only soldered the large major parts and there are a whole stack of small items that will require a disproportionate amount of time, so I made a decision.

 

Tony Wright has rebuilt numerous loco’s that have found their way into his workshop and once in great shape, they have been auctioned off with the proceeds going to Cancer Research, a cause dear to my heart, so I dropped a line to Tony and I’m delighted he is very happy to use his undoubted skills to make this pile of bits into a J50. I think the chassis is OK as it all moves smoothly, but my soldering with low temp solder has fallen short of my own expectations. Rather than put it back in the box never to be seen again, I really hope it goes to a modeller who will be able enjoy a heavy kit built loco and if we raise a few bob for Cancer Research, then it’s a win win for all.

This is as far as I got, so I really will look forward to seeing Tony weave his magic once again. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2021 by gordon s

[Siberian Snooper]

It's looking very good for a first time build. At least it won't be going to waste.

 

 

[Regularity]

28 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

It's looking very good for a first time build. At least it won't be going to waste.

 

 

People said that about the first version of the layout...