craigwelsh Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Currently: I sent off a load more etching last week but haven't had it back yet, this included a set of 9ft,10ft levers and Moreton clutch version of the both too. I etched some test builders and D plates Need to get some tube on the weekend for bottom door operating units. Trying to find someone to turn me a load of buffer ferrules. Trying to find the P number of a 7-plank Sheepbridge wagon to finish off the above Need to make a lot more couplings! I'll probably bring some wagons to S4 North with me if people are going. I've avoided posting pictures on here recently as they are intended to go into print sometime soon. I am a bit behind finishing them at the moment though, especially when I bu##er around with strands of wire doing the pin and cotter :?. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Lewis Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 Need to get some tube on the weekend for bottom door operating units. Interesting: do you intend to make these work remotely somehow? DCC function? Maybe see you at Scalefour North. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Interesting: do you intend to make these work remotely somehow? DCC function? Maybe see you at Scalefour North. Nope! Its just to model the levers that have a round shroud around them, thinner wire poking out of a tube. Thankfully I only need to load wagons not unload them though South Wales seems to have mostly used end tipping anyway.. From the dock photos I have at least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Lewis Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 Nope! Its just to model the levers that have a round shroud around them, thinner wire poking out of a tube. Thankfully I only need to load wagons not unload them though South Wales seems to have mostly used end tipping anyway.. From the dock photos I have at least. Ahh, so you're not that insane then! Every now and again I think about the possibility of making some operating hopper doors, but then the feeling passes..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 Ahh, so you're not that insane then! Every now and again I think about the possibility of making some operating hopper doors, but then the feeling passes..... Hmm I know the feeling but i'm already dealing with 0.02mm strands of wire.. There was a lady at Railex I think it was with an 0 gauge 1923 mineral. The planks were wood, they were properly bolted through all the ironswork and everything worked with cotter pins functioning properly. Something i'll have to try one day for display. Couple of useful tips though: When using cosmetic hooks and buffing plates a saw cut in some scrap wood helps straighten the two for soldering. I enlarge the holes in axleboxes for springing with a 2mm dental burr running at 15k rpm in a minitool from Lidl. Hold the spring with one finger at each end and the axlebox facing the palm. Work from the hole upwards a little and its nice and simple. Better than John Hayes' method as you don't lose the base of the axlebox. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kempenfelt Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 Nice Work Craig, and a couple of really useful tips there! I'm going up to S4N on the Sunday, what day are you thinking of going up? Best Wishes Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Splendid stuff.... Cannae get to Wakefield this year but looking good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 Nice Work Craig, and a couple of really useful tips there! I'm going up to S4N on the Sunday, what day are you thinking of going up? Best Wishes Paul I'm going to pop in on the Saturday morning before I meet up with the parents in York and then go over for the Sunday. Well i've managed to sort the bottom door operating levers before my trip to S4 North with a handy bit of the spare 1/2 etch I put on these frets wrapped around 0.5mm wire 3 times. Once again i've represented the securing chain. I got a bit of solder on the lever guard this side so had to drill out all of the holes to compensate when cleaning it up again so you can see through them all in this shot. Normally I wouldn't paint the body before its attached to the chassis but this was testing something. Compare it to the following prototype at the NRM. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/gallery/image/2733-stanton-nrm-bottom-door-release-catch/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest notascoobie Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Craig, Your wagons are magnificent. Good level of nice detail and an excellent finish. I like the underframe detail. I have spent years building wagons with cobbled together brake guards and levers. Your developing etches look the business - I'm struggling to recall anyone who includes the brakeguard stay. My blackened fingers bear testament to that! Are you intending to market the finsished brake gear and detail frets? I'm sure there's plenty of us freight nutters who'd be most interested. Regards, Vernon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 16, 2010 Author Share Posted April 16, 2010 Thanks, . I think Bill Bedford has the stay on some of his but no one knows how to fold the rest of those up. I will be selling some etches eventually and some people already have some of the main chassis. The lever guards have been redrawn since the ones i've shown here and i'm waiting for them back from PPD along with a few other etches. Once I have all the bits properly done i'll let people buy them somehow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 20, 2010 Author Share Posted April 20, 2010 Following the realization at Scalefour North that Taunton is next weekend I phoned PPD yesterday to check i'd have the test etches back to bring along. Well superb service from them the bits have turned up today special delivery . Mind you the date on them suggests they were etched on the 8th and have been sitting around a while, ah well. Most impressive are the scale 'D' plates in 2 thou brass which have legible numbers and lettering. I scanned in some real LMS plates to get the font correct for this. If anyone needs any 10ft tie bars to solder/glue to your w-irons... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted April 20, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20, 2010 Another very sound reason to come to the RMWeb Members Day at Taunton next Sunday! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 Looking very tasty Craig...... I really think you have an aptitude for this; the etches look excellent I see a way for you to address your fiscal imbalance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 20, 2010 Author Share Posted April 20, 2010 Looking very tasty Craig...... I really think you have an aptitude for this; the etches look excellent I see away for you to address your fiscal imbalance I'm afraid I had to sell a kidney on the weekend for the Mitchell Castle I got off the bring and buy :?.. Need the other one . I need to wait till I get home with my very fine tweezers before attempting a lever guard properly but I think I may have gone too much the other way now and made the assembly too narrow . I think I only changed it by about 0.15mm too though the etch isn't quite as developed as it should be, not as crisp in places. Still, should mean the large batch will be in the middle 'just right'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
26power Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 Seems like a good idea - a wonder nobody else has done. Will be interested when you get around to sorting out a way to sell them (if I read earlier messages correctly). Regards, 26power If anyone needs any 10ft tie bars to solder/glue to your w-irons... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogusman Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 Hi Craig The etches and the built wagons are looking superb (do you think you will be selling them at scaleforum this year?). As for the use of games workshop paints i am definitely a convert since my son models space marines and the odd pot of paint ends up on my modeling bench . I am very impressed with the chaos black spray as I've used it on my collett goods chassis (the one i showed you at scaleforum last year). Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 21, 2010 Author Share Posted April 21, 2010 Got a bit distracted tonight when I should have been finishing other things... Solebar is a bit wobbly, ideally I need a Hold N Fold or some stronger rulers, bending bars I have are too wide for this channel. The parts replaced although these are really good mouldings for plastic, brake shoes especially are better than the separate ones Exactoscale just released.. Did anyone note the mistake on the etch for this underframe? A couple of things haven't etched correctly though for some reason which is odd. The lever bend guides were on the artwork sent i'm sure as was the correct lever guard for these, its turned up with a hole in . Talking of lever guards i'll have to play some more with them and get the just right middle ground. I'll be able to show people the issues on Sunday if there is interest in etch technique. 10ft brakes will fit nicely between Bill Bedford w-irons but you do need a flat floor and filed solebars unlike this Vanwide I never finished! There was only one set of brakes.. Good thing I etches two tests of it! I can't take a decent picture but these leaf springs went together well, not sure how difficult the hangers for them will be. Just need to organise my newly purchased reference photos to find all the relevant wagons. These were Don Rowland's proof prints and are rather useful as they have the negative numbers on the back if I need a blown up version ordered. I really hope I can have finished lever etches for Railex once i've had a look at where bits have gone wrong. S4um will depend on my job situation by September. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome_whistle Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Just need to organise my newly purchased reference photos to find all the relevant wagons. These were Don Rowland's proof prints and are rather useful as they have the negative numbers on the back if I need a blown up version ordered. I really hope I can have finished lever etches for Railex once i've had a look at where bits have gone wrong. S4um will depend on my job situation by September. Craig, Your etchs look great and I'll be more than happy to contribute to your future liquidity when they become available. I'm also a wee bit jealous of a man that has a box of Don Rowland's proof prints. Are Don's photographs available commercially? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 57xx Posted April 22, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22, 2010 I can't take a decent picture but these leaf springs went together well, not sure how difficult the hangers for them will be. Have you set your camera to Macro mode? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted April 22, 2010 Author Share Posted April 22, 2010 Have you set your camera to Macro mode? Yup that was macro mode, i'll have to try again during daylight and possibly through the magnifying glass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted April 23, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 23, 2010 Craig, Your work is so superlative and the interest in your products is so high, I was just wondering whether any modest contributions 'up front' from interested parties might help you with development costs? I'd be interested in doing that, anyway, if it helped.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesome_whistle Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 Craig, Your work is so superlative and the interest in your products is so high, I was just wondering whether any modest contributions 'up front' from interested parties might help you with development costs? I'd be interested in doing that, anyway, if it helped.... I'd be happy to do the same if it would help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 . I've etched a batch of 10ft tie bars (see earlier post) and have many more than I need available. £2 an etch will do 9 wagons. They are prototypically thin though so do need fitting with a little bit of tension in them. I know some people use angle instead but i've now has issues once these are soldered or glued on taught. They match the Parkside solebars on my Palvna at least.. I've illustrated one of the ones im keeping for myself and the waste in between the bars has been battered on it a little. Mineral wagon building is now beginning en masse with a batch of about 15 Parkside and Bachmann examples. The trays contain all the little bits off the fret in each compartment while I begin to glue the Parkside bodies together and fold up the subframes. I thought i'd quickly cover the weight fitted to my finished examples. The 5-plank here has liquid lead stuck in with PVA and is just over 40g in weight. It was a nightmare to do though. The other wagon has a newer fitting of 2 layers of sheet lead bought at S4 North and cut to fit with holes drilled in for the AJ mounting. This lead is soldered directly to the floor so no issues with reacting for now. This wagon weighs slightly more too so benefits all round. The AJ height stop can also be done with a sliver of lead across the chassis (fixed AJ wires don't need this). AJ's are worked via MSE electromagnets powered by a 1200mA mains adaptor running at 9V bought from Maplins (VN10L). The dropper is 1.2mm soft iron rod from Eileens as is the counterweight. Hinge plates on these are from Palatine Models. Painting the scale model of that plate is proving tricky by the way.. The model plate fits in the top of the "2" (in 12 Tons) on the real thing easily for scale. A Chas Roberts plate shoudl be sent off soon though, these are quite distinctive and thankfully all text is a little bigger than the 12 TONS on that LMS plate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin parks Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Hi Craig, I've just seen your wagons - absolutely cutting edge stuff! You metioned trouble with the silvering effect ontransfers in one of the posts. Well, here is something that might be of interest: I have found out that with Modelmaster transfers (and this might work for other makes) that the carrier film can be removed with a little white spirit on a fine brush - once the transfer has dried out over night. I discovered this when actually attempting to bed-in some transfers which had not adhered too well. The film turned to a gel-like consistency when it came into contact with the white spirit and could be taken off with the tip of the brush leaving the transfer behind. It seems that the adhesive of the transfer is not affected by this technique (and I am talking about small amounts of spirit applied with a 000 brush). You have to varnish over the area afterwards in the normal way of course, but the difference is worth the effort. This method has worked even with tiny lettering and it doesn't affect the paint finish - as long as the paint is not fresh and you don't scrub madly at the area around the transfer. Colin Parks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 Thanks for that tip Colin, most useful. B) Craig - What you're doing here with the etches is very impressive B) B) B) When are you moving on to air braked wagons? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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