Black5 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Hi Iain, I joined this site after seeing your progress in pictures last week. Very impressive. Like you, i`m building Camden but not on your scale. Mine is concentrating on the depot with the coal tower, ash hoist,engine shed and turntable as the main building structures.It`s an end to end being built in the garage down one wall measuring 17ft x 2ft. The track is down and wired for DCC. Some ballasting has been done but the next build is the shed now i`ve almost finished the coal tower. Made loads of mistakes along the way but good fun learnig from. Jim. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted December 18, 2012 Author Share Posted December 18, 2012 Hi Jim, Thanks and welcome to RMWeb! Great choice of location to model Sounds as if you've made some significant progress. Would love to hear and see more at some stage. Iain 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 (edited) Well, it was late afternoon on Boxing Day and everyone was having a bit of quiet time. So I made a start on the water tower for Camden Shed. There is a photo on p2 courtesy of LNER4479's scans, and here from a recent eBay auction: The tank is made from Braithwaite panels 9x2 on the ends and 10x2 on the sides. Colin at Alan Gibson supplies the panels in packs of 16, two of these per pack: I started by trying to solder panels individually onto 1mm T and L section brass - T along the central joins and L around the edge. To say it was a shambles would be kind to every shambles that exists. I'm not even going to show a photo in case I get drummed off RMWeb for offences to soldering and modelling in general. Oh, alright then, it's the festive season and everyone likes a laugh.... I very obviously needed to find another method.... Edited December 27, 2012 by 92220 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Given that the panels are supplied in perfect alignment it made a bit more sense to maintain that by soldering scrap brass to the reverse and then to add join and edge detail afterwards. So the sequence looks a bit like this: 10x2 joined together: Then 0.5mm brass rod soldered from the back to join the panels: L section on the edges, and finally, one side and one end section completed: These will be soldered to the base And, if you all promise not to laugh, the reverse looks as if I just bathed it in molten solder. I've seen Nigella's cakes with less icing on than that..... 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNER4479 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Great soldering Iain! That makes me feel a lot better So long as it looks OK from the public side who cares what's going on backstage? IMHO, postings like yours in fact do a great service to soldering and modelling in general 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 You are very generous.... Perhaps the start of a whole "How not to...." series....? I hoped that the business side was indeed the important one - and the photo of the two completed sections is without any cleaning up at all, so hopefully it will scrub up well enough. I'm by no means a soldering expert as you can see, in fact almost a complete beginner, but I have had a go and I'm learning (from many mistakes and an isolated success here and there). I've done a lot of soldering of rail to copperclad timbering and this was the first time with Carr's 188. Iain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Iain, I'm sure you've heard it before, but I can vouch for the phrase "flux is your friend" when it comes to soldering. I found getting the right solder-flux combination a revelation - it literally improved my ability to solder overnight. I like the look of those tank panels! Keep up the progress reports. Merry Christmas Scott 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted December 31, 2012 Author Share Posted December 31, 2012 Thanks Scott, hope you and the family enjoyed a quick surf before Christmas lunch? We have just got back from skiing - I did the tank panels as an alternative late afternoon post-skiing activity to eating cake, falling asleep and watching a film....... Having messed up a few panels with my first method, I am now waiting for a few more from AG. I also miscalculated the sections required for the tank stand so more waiting for those. I used Carr's Red on this job, but basically just used too much solder and flux I think. 188 feels much more fluid than others I've used? I was trying to get all the joints to run into each other and since there are so many joints in a small space on each panel, the result is obvious. Still, the front is as it should be, so hopefully no real damage. There will doubtless be a few sniggers behind some screens! Supposed to be attempting to win a golf tournament this week, but skiing for the first time in 11 years is not the best preparation for that so it will probably be an early exit. Happy New Year! Iain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 No beach for me, Iain - this is the view out my door on Christmas Day: -25C, in Finnish Lapland! Burning up some hoarded frequent flyer miles - well timed too: it was 40C back home on Christmas Day. I'm not sure you can use too much flux - I've never been able to! I like the way flux really makes a small amount of solder flow. It is a practice thing, and if you can get away with working from behind and it looking neat, then you're well on your way. It's our last day in the snow today; an afternoon flight to Hong Kong tomorrow and a week there to defrost, then I'm back home to start serious layout work I hope. Happy New Year! Scott Thanks Scott, hope you and the family enjoyed a quick surf before Christmas lunch? We have just got back from skiing - I did the tank panels as an alternative late afternoon post-skiing activity to eating cake, falling asleep and watching a film....... Having messed up a few panels with my first method, I am now waiting for a few more from AG. I also miscalculated the sections required for the tank stand so more waiting for those. I used Carr's Red on this job, but basically just used too much solder and flux I think. 188 feels much more fluid than others I've used? I was trying to get all the joints to run into each other and since there are so many joints in a small space on each panel, the result is obvious. Still, the front is as it should be, so hopefully no real damage. There will doubtless be a few sniggers behind some screens! Supposed to be attempting to win a golf tournament this week, but skiing for the first time in 11 years is not the best preparation for that so it will probably be an early exit. Happy New Year! Iain 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Iain, I think you should have used Carr's green. The red label is for low melt solder. Although personally I prefer a paste flux. Bill 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 You are very generous.... Perhaps the start of a whole "How not to...." series....? I hoped that the business side was indeed the important one - and the photo of the two completed sections is without any cleaning up at all, so hopefully it will scrub up well enough. I'm by no means a soldering expert as you can see, in fact almost a complete beginner, but I have had a go and I'm learning (from many mistakes and an isolated success here and there). I've done a lot of soldering of rail to copperclad timbering and this was the first time with Carr's 188. Iain Iain, I would suggest that 145 solder may help. It needs less heat input to get the solder to flow better. I think Green label flux is what Carrs/C&L would recommend, but I have only used LRM 12% Phosflux (with their solder) for years so can't really comment on the suitability of various Carrs fluxes. Jol 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 1, 2013 Author Share Posted January 1, 2013 Thanks Bill and Jol, I was using 188 so that I could use 145 to solder the completed side panels to the base without unsoldering the L section brass at the edges. But I will happily take the advice for the other two panels! Carr's Red was recommended as a general flux - it seems to be the alternative choice to the ideal one for most jobs according to their book. I guess 1st choice is 1st for a reason. Thanks as ever for your help. Happy New Year! Iain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Here's a quick update - no more than snaps I'm afraid but I'll get some better photos when I've progressed a bit further. I have made a little bit of progress with starting some scenic stuff at this end. Made a short section of the 3rd/4th rail electrified North London line (this bit is on a separate board so I can finish it). It's unweathered at the moment so should improve with a bit of painting. This passes under the Primrose Hill station building. I've done the beginnings of the bridge abutments and the wall at the back of the Pembroke pub and the rest of the Gloucester Avenue houses. The bridge itself has the mountings attached and the pedestrian barriers installed. It's ready to paint before installing the roadway and pavements, then adding the bundles of cables it carried. Iain 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold fishytrains Posted January 11, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 11, 2013 The bridge looks fantastic, a great result for your efforts. Mike 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguin of doom Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I'll second that comment. Bit of paint on that and you wouldn't know it was a model. Cheers. Sean. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thank you I have been considering adding the rivets using thin aluminium adhesive tape and this pounce wheel tool that Andy Y and others mentioned in another thread - one of the BCB threads I think. It would have cost about 300 quid to add them in Archers transfers. They really are quite prominent on the real thing and there are 1000's of them. I'd have to do it before painting. Still, it's cold enough not to be able to spray it outside for a while so I can ponder - but in all probability I will leave them. I might never finish... Iain 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Gwinnett Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 How about dots of matte medium or similar. Or maybe glue from a glue pen or similar, just dot along the surfaces? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Neat PVA, applied from a pointed tool to form small "blobs" is a technique that was once popular for adding rivets but has fallen from favour since printed rivets became available. You could resurrect it. Slaters also do a plasticard sheet of rivet "strips" but they may not be suitable in this case. Sheet 0431 https://slatersplastikard.com/plastikard/embossed.php 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Thanks very much for suggestions, much appreciated. I cannot begin to describe how much I have learned from you all here on RMWeb. I'll have a think, but I'm leaning towards some method that will have the rivets on an overlay that is then attached to the bridge. There are too many, and their arrangement is too regular, for it to be feasible to do them individually, at least for me. See this photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersg/6272164744/lightbox/ I think it will be worthwhile experimenting with a Slaters sheet and trying to find a pounce wheel that is fine enough. There are plenty of rivets on the water tower so the technique is probably worth learning. Thanks again, Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Iain, another approach might be to produce some rivetted brass panels using a GW (or similar) rivet press. Mine has a screw operated table, so that rivets can be produced in lines and at equal spaces. That might work for the "edge" strips, six sided plates, etc. Etched rivet strips are also available, e.g. http://www.scalelink.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2escalelink%2eco%2euk%2facatalog%2fScale_1_87___HO____Echelle_1_87__HO___________%2ehtml&WD=rivet&PN=Special_Meshes___Mailles_especiale%2ehtml%23aSLF016#aSLF016 Jol 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Thanks Jol, I think the scalelink strips will be brilliant for the edges of the water tower panels. Whether I can solder them on without it looking like I'd poured a litre of mercury over the whole lot is debatable! Vincent Worthington's account, if I remember correctly, said that he made the water tower one Christmas and it involved adding 17,000 rivets! There was also an article in an old issue of MRJ about making your own rivets through electrolysis. Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianwales Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Thanks Jol, I think the scalelink strips will be brilliant for the edges of the water tower panels. Whether I can solder them on without it looking like I'd poured a litre of mercury over the whole lot is debatable! Iain Hi Iain If you've got access to a Resistance Soldering unit then you can use a thin film of solder paint, I have seen this method used and the solder is virtually invisible. Ian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks Ian. I don't at present and it might be a fair way along the learning curve! The advice is much appreciated though. I've got some Slaters rivet sheets on the way to see how they work first of all. Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1BCamden Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Hi Iain, regarding the Regents Park Bridge, maybe these will help with the detail. best regards 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Many thanks indeed for those! Lots of details visible that I can use. I notice from your username and profile that you are interested in the area. Do please feel free to chime in at any point. Best wishes, Iain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now