Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

The 36XX might have to take a back seat for at least a little while........................

 

 

Mike Trice has very kindly sent me the 3D-printed V2 body featured recently in these pages (in fact, he's sent two, plus lots of other 3D-printed bits, including Gresley coach ends for gangwayed stock). He's asked me to try it and see what happens. 

 

Well, a phone call to Comet/Wizard yesterday resulted in a complete V2 chassis arriving in the same post as the V2 this lunchtime. 

 

What fantastic service from Andrew, and what a fantastic gesture from Mike!

 

I have all the necessary wheels/motor/gearbox in stock (apart from one 24mm driver, which Andrew kindly enclosed - how did I end up with five driving wheels?), and I've ordered a suitable tender from SE Finecast.

 

Looking at the quality of the 3D-printed V2 body, it looks fantastic, with no 'witness marks' whatsoever. 

 

I'll report on progress accordingly.....................

 

Thanks again, Mike.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[t-b-g]

The V2 looks very nice. Hopefully you can get enough weight in it to make it pull your trains.

 

One cleaning up tool I haven't mentioned is this. A brass wire brush in a drill. It will remove solder but not mark the metal.

 

[cctransuk]

11 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

The V2 looks very nice. Hopefully you can get enough weight in it to make it pull your trains.

 

One cleaning up tool I haven't mentioned is this. A brass wire brush in a drill. It will remove solder but not mark the metal.

 

 

That's fine for accessible brass, but something a little more delicate and precise is required for whitemetal work.

 

On brass, too, the 3M wheels will get in where the big wire brush won't. For intermediate work on brass, I have some smaller brass cup brushes.

 

John Isherwood.

[polybear]

7 hours ago, dibateg said:

I abhor those glass fibre brushes and I never use them. The fibres get every where and stick in my fingers ( Tony would probably say I'm soft anyway! ) I tend to use emery sticks and a miniature circular wire brush in the mini drill. 

 

1 hour ago, t-b-g said:

One cleaning up tool I haven't mentioned is this. A brass wire brush in a drill. It will remove solder but not mark the metal.

 

 

Ah yes....

Almost as bad as glassfibre brushes in my book, as I find they tend to fling bristles at warp nine all over the workshop.  Still, at least they can be seen more easily.

I do recall mention of a method of removing glass bristles from fingers etc.  Paint a coating of latex(?) or PVA(?) glue (I can't recall which, or perhaps another type?) over the area; when dry peel the glue off, and the bristles should come with it.  Never tried it though.

Edited June 16, 2020 by polybear

[t-b-g]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

That's fine for accessible brass, but something a little more delicate and precise is required for whitemetal work.

 

On brass, too, the 3M wheels will get in where the big wire brush won't. For intermediate work on brass, I have some smaller brass cup brushes.

 

John Isherwood.

 

The brass wheel is not good for everything but is one of a range of tools. I use all sorts of scrapers, filed up brass chisels, wet and dry glued to sticks in confined spaces. Plus I have the pencil with a brass wire insert which is good for getting into tight corners. I haven't tried the wheels you have got but they look really useful and I feel I should get some.

 

Anything but glass fibre!

 

I am going to sound a bit bigheaded now but for most soldering, including whitemetal, I rarely have to do much cleaning up. With the iron, fluxes and solders I use, I have learned just how much solder to put on. Sometimes, I have to fill a gap in a poor kit and then cleaning up might be necessary but thinking back, the photo of the horsebox was taken after I finished soldering but before I did any cleaning, which is why bits of dust and dirt are visible.

 

This was one I did fairly recently. Cleaning up around that would be a tricky task so I just made sure I didn't have to do much.

 

 

 

 

  

[t-b-g]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 

Ah yes....

Almost as bad as glassfibre brushes in my book, as I find they tend to fling bristles at warp nine all over the workshop.  Still, at least they can be seen more easily.

I do recall mention of a method of removing glass bristles from fingers etc.  Paint a coating of latex(?) or PVA(?) glue (I can't recall which, or perhaps another type?) over the area; when dry peel the glue off, and the bristles should come with it.  Never tried it though.

 

I must have been lucky with mine. Had it a few years but no bristles have come off yet.

 

I like the tip about the glass fibre but it won't get me using it again.

[PJT]

5 minutes ago, polybear said:

Ah yes....

Almost as bad as glassfibre brushes in my book, as I find they tend to fling bristles at warp nine all over the workshop

 

A bit like using a 'cup' wire brush in an angle grinder: you end up looking like a porcupine.  I stopped doing that twenty-odd years ago when I stopped restoring old cars.  I certainly don't miss having little red puncture marks all over me the next day after using one.

 

Pete T.

 

[Clive Mortimore]

33 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

 

Ah yes....

Almost as bad as glassfibre brushes in my book, as I find they tend to fling bristles at warp nine all over the workshop.  Still, at least they can be seen more easily.

I do recall mention of a method of removing glass bristles from fingers etc.  Paint a coating of latex(?) or PVA(?) glue (I can't recall which, or perhaps another type?) over the area; when dry peel the glue off, and the bristles should come with it.  Never tried it though.

Wearing disposable gloves is another method. Put them on before using the pencil,  when you take them off they pull out the glass fragments as there is more of the fragment in the glove than the person.

[gr.king]

Where possible, use the glass fibre pencil under the running tap????

[Tony Wright]

Every now and then, I start a project which I'm really excited about. The new Mike Trice V2 is just such an example.........................

 

 

Fortunately, having access to several Comet V2 frames I've built, I was able to assess immediately what might be needed by way of bodywork alteration. The deeper bits between the leading and centre drivers had to go, because they'd foul the motion support bracket otherwise. A few minutes' work with a coarse file did the trick.

 

 

Another source of immediate interference was the rear bracket supporting the footplate adjacent to the firebox. 

 

 

I made up the frames using my ancient (but extremely accurate) Jamieson jig. Here. I'm testing the initial fit before the support bracket had been soldered in place. Perfect!

 

 

As mentioned, Mike Trice sent me two bodies, the second iteration having the front steps included. The first one was used as a sort of guinea pig, and where I cut slots in the footplate to accommodate the support bracket is visible. This was achieved with a mini-circular saw in a mini-drill, cleaning up with files afterwards.

 

There is loads of space for subsequent ballast.

 

 

With mods tested and 'approved, I then altered the second body to fit the frames.

 

Note the internal splashers.

 

 

A perfect fit. I drilled and tapped a hole in the cab footplate to secure the rear end. 

 

Note the springs partly cut-away to accommodate the pick-ups.

 

These 3D-printed bodies are superb. Fat too good to fit on to a Bachmann chassis, even the later ones. I feel a further order to Comet coming on! 

 

More tomorrow, when I should have it running.  

 

Thanks again Mike. 

 

 

[Barry Ten]

10 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

Note the springs partly cut-away to accommodate the pick-ups.

 

 

 

 

 

I've had some concerns about weakening the etch in that area by removing one of the springs, such that I've either not done it (and

adjusted the pickups accordingly) or soldered a support across the length of the axle holes. Presuming from your experience that

such concerns are unfounded, Tony?

 

Al

[Tony Wright]

15 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

 

I've had some concerns about weakening the etch in that area by removing one of the springs, such that I've either not done it (and

adjusted the pickups accordingly) or soldered a support across the length of the axle holes. Presuming from your experience that

such concerns are unfounded, Tony?

 

Al

They're not unfounded at all, Al,

 

It's vital that any nibbling away of the springs be done AFTER the holes for the bearings have been broached and after a substantial fillet of solder has been applied at the top of the bearing, filling the slots where there's provision for compensation/springing. Only then might the springs be snipped away. 

 

Otherwise, it's dead easy to move the bearing hole, making a true-running chassis all but impossible.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Daniel W]

This is what I have been working on recently. And, incidentally, what i was using the scratch pen for. A 51L kit for a diagram 1/163 Iron Ore Hopper. This is the first part of a rake of hoppers now in use carrying Limestone that i am building for my quarry layout.

 

The kit went together well enough, however I did replace the whitemetal headstocks with some brass U section to give a neater appearance. The Rumney Models wagon detailing etch came in handy for adding some little bits to the solebar. Although, in future i may just stick them on with a dab of epoxy since soldering them on always ends up looking messy. The hopper locking mechanism has been (crudely) scratch-built ala Geoff Kent's MRJ article. Unfortunately, i am not as skilled as Mr Kent, so alas my example is even more 'representational' than he claims his to be!

 

All in all, i'm fairly pleased with kit for a third attempt at soldering something up. Theres some wonkyness and the brake levers have been overly bent-up in all honestly. But at stand-off distance it should be fine.

 

Regards

Daniel

[grob1234]

3 hours ago, gr.king said:

Where possible, use the glass fibre pencil under the running tap????

 

My preferred method, with a bit of Jif, and the brass comes up just lovely.

[grob1234]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Every now and then, I start a project which I'm really excited about. The new Mike Trice V2 is just such an example.........................

 

 

Fortunately, having access to several Comet V2 frames I've built, I was able to assess immediately what might be needed by way of bodywork alteration. The deeper bits between the leading and centre drivers had to go, because they'd foul the motion support bracket otherwise. A few minutes' work with a coarse file did the trick.

 

 

Another source of immediate interference was the rear bracket supporting the footplate adjacent to the firebox. 

 

 

I made up the frames using my ancient (but extremely accurate) Jamieson jig. Here. I'm testing the initial fit before the support bracket had been soldered in place. Perfect!

 

 

As mentioned, Mike Trice sent me two bodies, the second iteration having the front steps included. The first one was used as a sort of guinea pig, and where I cut slots in the footplate to accommodate the support bracket is visible. This was achieved with a mini-circular saw in a mini-drill, cleaning up with files afterwards.

 

There is loads of space for subsequent ballast.

 

 

With mods tested and 'approved, I then altered the second body to fit the frames.

 

Note the internal splashers.

 

 

A perfect fit. I drilled and tapped a hole in the cab footplate to secure the rear end. 

 

Note the springs partly cut-away to accommodate the pick-ups.

 

These 3D-printed bodies are superb. Fat too good to fit on to a Bachmann chassis, even the later ones. I feel a further order to Comet coming on! 

 

More tomorrow, when I should have it running.  

 

Thanks again Mike. 

 

 

 

That looks superb, Tony. How does the body shape and proportion look to your expert eye? That isn't a loaded question at all - it looks exactly like a V2 to me!

 

I really fancy a few V2's, but the Finney one puts me off and its not exactly cheap either!

 

[Theakerr]

I try to use my fibre pencil as little as possible but there are certain jobs where nothing else really does as good a job.  So when I do use it I wear disposable gloves, clean my bench top, make a point of working over this area, vacuum and do a final clean up with duct tape. 

[chris p bacon]

2 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks again Mike. 

 

I got a surprise box too from Mike, luckily I don't need so many drivers as they're not V2's, but I do need to clear the bench before starting on them.

[Tony Wright]

11 hours ago, grob1234 said:

 

That looks superb, Tony. How does the body shape and proportion look to your expert eye? That isn't a loaded question at all - it looks exactly like a V2 to me!

 

I really fancy a few V2's, but the Finney one puts me off and its not exactly cheap either!

 

I don't know about 'expert', Tom,

 

Checking against the Isinglass drawing and comparing it with prototype pictures, the body is spot-on. 

 

Sitting on top of a decent chassis, I reckon it's as good a 'layout' V2 as any I've seen. I have observed (and photographed) Finney V2s (in both scales), and one might argue (with justification) that they represent the 'Rolls-Royce' of V2 models; at an commensurate price, of course. That said, and certainly for my needs (or wants!), this MJT V2 body is perfect. It's far crisper than a Nu-Cast one, more accurate than a Crownline one and far more detailed than a Jamieson one (all of which I've built). 

 

There are a few things to add - lubricators (got those as spares), buffers (again spares), vacuum standpipe (loads of), a front coupling (never provided in kits, anyway), a smokebox dart (got that), handrails and pillars (hundreds of), and a reversing lever (easily made), but it's almost as complete as an RTR body; and it's much, much better than the current RTR body! 

 

I don't know whether Mike is going to sell them (he's looking at this thread), but I'm sure there'll be a market for it; especially as the forthcoming new Bachmann V2 will inevitably be delayed.

 

I'll certainly finish the second one as well. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited June 17, 2020 by Tony Wright
typo error

[grob1234]

Thank you, Tony, most helpful as always. A superbly handsome locomotive, I would certainly be interested if Mike is looking in! All you'll need is a good handful of lead in there and it'll weigh enough to haul 10+ carriages at some speed too I'd have thought.

 

I must be maturing with my modelling. I have seemed to have 'in stock' items I would normally need to have to order. It's very satisfying having a decent stock of modelling materials and supplies.

 

Not long now til I can make a meaningful update on my projects - they're really getting to a critical mass now, which is very exciting.

[davidw]

9 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

I don't know about 'expert', Tom,

 

Checking against the Isinglass drawing and comparing it with prototype pictures, the body is spot-on. 

 

Sitting on top of a decent chassis, I reckon it's as good a 'layout' V2 as any I've seen. I have observed (and photographed) Finney V2s (in both scales), and one might argue (with justification) that they represent the 'Rolls-Royce' of V2 models; at an commensurate price, of course. That said, and certainly for my needs (or wants!), this MJT V2 body is perfect. It's far crisper than a Nu-Cast one, more accurate than a Crownline one and far more detailed than a Jamieson one (all of which I've built. 

 

There are a few things to add - lubricators (got those as spares), buffers (again spares), vacuum standpipe (loads of), a front coupling (never provided in kits, anyway), a smokebox dart (got that), handrails and pillars (hundreds of), and a reversing lever (easily made), but it's almost as complete as an RTR body; and it's much, much better than the current RTR body! 

 

I don't know whether Mike is going to sell them (he's looking at this thread), but I'm sure there'll be a market for it; especially as the forthcoming new Bachmann V2 will inevitably be delayed.

 

I'll certainly finish the second one as well. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I saw Mike's V2 body some time back. Your photos really do it justice. And v2s I'll need by the bucket full! Hope my wife is paying attention to all my hints.

Edited June 17, 2020 by davidw

[Paul Cram]

58 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

I don't know about 'expert', Tom,

 

Checking against the Isinglass drawing and comparing it with prototype pictures, the body is spot-on. 

 

Sitting on top of a decent chassis, I reckon it's as good a 'layout' V2 as any I've seen. I have observed (and photographed) Finney V2s (in both scales), and one might argue (with justification) that they represent the 'Rolls-Royce' of V2 models; at an commensurate price, of course. That said, and certainly for my needs (or wants!), this MJT V2 body is perfect. It's far crisper than a Nu-Cast one, more accurate than a Crownline one and far more detailed than a Jamieson one (all of which I've built. 

 

There are a few things to add - lubricators (got those as spares), buffers (again spares), vacuum standpipe (loads of), a front coupling (never provided in kits, anyway), a smokebox dart (got that), handrails and pillars (hundreds of), and a reversing lever (easily made), but it's almost as complete as an RTR body; and it's much, much better than the current RTR body! 

 

I don't know whether Mike is going to sell them (he's looking at this thread), but I'm sure there'll be a market for it; especially as the forthcoming new Bachmann V2 will inevitably be delayed.

 

I'll certainly finish the second one as well. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I'd certainly be interested in one. The new Bachmann will be too expensive to dump half of it.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Paul Cram

[St Enodoc]

14 hours ago, t-b-g said:

I was the same until I got a bit of the dreadful stuff stuck right in the end of my RH forefinger for several months. I got that dreadful sharp "ouch" every time I touched anything and decided "never again".

Don't forget that Tony has asbestos fingers so all the nerve endings will have been cauterised decades ago...

[t-b-g]

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Don't forget that Tony has asbestos fingers so all the nerve endings will have been cauterised decades ago...

 

A friend of mine as a saying, I haven't heard it elsewhere but some may be familiar with it.

 

"There is no sense where there is no feeling"

 

It may, or may not apply here, I can't work out which!

[Tony Wright]

12 hours ago, Daniel W said:

This is what I have been working on recently. And, incidentally, what i was using the scratch pen for. A 51L kit for a diagram 1/163 Iron Ore Hopper. This is the first part of a rake of hoppers now in use carrying Limestone that i am building for my quarry layout.

 

The kit went together well enough, however I did replace the whitemetal headstocks with some brass U section to give a neater appearance. The Rumney Models wagon detailing etch came in handy for adding some little bits to the solebar. Although, in future i may just stick them on with a dab of epoxy since soldering them on always ends up looking messy. The hopper locking mechanism has been (crudely) scratch-built ala Geoff Kent's MRJ article. Unfortunately, i am not as skilled as Mr Kent, so alas my example is even more 'representational' than he claims his to be!

 

All in all, i'm fairly pleased with kit for a third attempt at soldering something up. Theres some wonkyness and the brake levers have been overly bent-up in all honestly. But at stand-off distance it should be fine.

 

Regards

Daniel

That's excellent work, Daniel,

 

Thanks for showing us.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.

[Tony Wright]

10 hours ago, grob1234 said:

Thank you, Tony, most helpful as always. A superbly handsome locomotive, I would certainly be interested if Mike is looking in! All you'll need is a good handful of lead in there and it'll weigh enough to haul 10+ carriages at some speed too I'd have thought.

 

I must be maturing with my modelling. I have seemed to have 'in stock' items I would normally need to have to order. It's very satisfying having a decent stock of modelling materials and supplies.

 

Not long now til I can make a meaningful update on my projects - they're really getting to a critical mass now, which is very exciting.

Thanks Tom,

 

One thing I should correct is my statement regarding the need for lubricators. As usual, I should have checked first! Mike supplied them (beautifully 3D-printed), in a little plastic bag. He also sent me a variety of chimneys and other bits and pieces.

 

In the later iteration, the backhead is a separate fitting; which will really help in the fitting of handrails before it's installed.

 

I have to say these 3D-printed items have now ridden me of any previous prejudice. With quality of this standard (no 'witness lines' at all), then even I will 'embrace' the new.

 

Just think, my fingers might even see a return to their having 'feelings'. And, even I have general 'feelings', even though it's reported I have no sense! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony.