Wright writes.....

[Brocp]

Agree with Tony and the other comments regarding the current state of HMRS Pressfix transfers. I model LMS post war, so the choice of brands is limited. I've used old PC transfers (the original HMRS transfers) for post war lined black LMS locos and they stuck fine and were clearer, more defined and who's colours were more accurate than a brand new set of them from HMRS which did exactly as Tony described earlier in regards to the length of time for back paper to come off. Also the colours and printing seem to be mkre washed out and less sharp than the older PC and older HMRS transfers. These newer ones (for me from the last few years or so) are s***, no other way to put it really.

 

The lining is exactly the same...

 

I'll give Fox a go, i do use their LMS smokebox number (individual) transfers and they are quite easy to use, though I've never used their lining, what is it like?

[The Fatadder]

Does anyone have any alternative liquid options to Carr's Green Label?

My current bottle of flux has almost ran out, and the given that postage costs from Phoenix are pretty steep I'd like to see if there are any alternatives that might be available from a hardware store / chemist (or possibly in bulk via ebay) 

 

Hopefully there is going to be enough left in the current bottle to finish off the K18 full brake that I am currently in the middle of building.

[92220]

Good morning Tony,

I hope that you and Mo are well.

 

My experience of recent sheets of HMRS Pressfix no. 14 mirrors yours and that of others, I’m afraid.  I am not quite so adept at applying (very high quality) waterslide lining in acceptably straight lines on brass carriages, but will have to practise more.  
 

On another note, I thought you and other contributors might be interested in these two poor quality photos of my progress on Camden Shed.  

 

Buildings and train are just placed to give a sense of the scene.  Both the Primrose Hill station building and Camden Goods shed will be extended for the new layout since I have more space.  The goods yard will provide either a semi-working or static backdrop to the loco shed and mainlines.  
 

Hoping to complete the mainline circuit in the next couple of weeks or so.  Storage yard is complete already.

 

 

 

I look forward to welcoming you here one day.

 

best wishes,

 

Iain

 

[Tony Wright]

30 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Does anyone have any alternative liquid options to Carr's Green Label?

My current bottle of flux has almost ran out, and the given that postage costs from Phoenix are pretty steep I'd like to see if there are any alternatives that might be available from a hardware store / chemist (or possibly in bulk via ebay) 

 

Hopefully there is going to be enough left in the current bottle to finish off the K18 full brake that I am currently in the middle of building.

Good morning Rich,

 

I've always been puzzled why one needs a range of fluxes which come in bottles with different coloured labels on them. Are they different strengths? 

 

Years ago, when I started soldering loco kits together (after reading the dire warnings in the kits' instructions NOT to solder but to use glue in case a casting were melted) I used the famed EAMES 40 flux. This came in small brown bottles and, I assume, was phosphoric acid. I have no idea what its strength was but it caused me to cough and splutter a great deal, in a way more modern fluxes don't seem to. This means it was either stronger than today's fluxes or I've developed an immunity to boiling flux fumes down the years. 

 

I've certainly never bothered with different coloured bottles and now use 12% phosphoric acid flux supplied by Hobby Holidays or London Road Models for all my soldering needs. Hobby Holidays uses a courier service because the Post Office is sensitive about carrying 'noxious substances'. I've picked bottles up at shows until last year. 

 

Someone once told me that phosphoric acid could be obtained from chemists, in whatever strength required, though I've never bothered.

 

As always (and in a classic case of do as I say rather than as I do), work in a well-ventilated area (with an extractor fan?) and avoid breathing in at the crucial times..................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

13 hours ago, johndon said:

 

Nice photos Tony, I didn't realise just how little of the NCB Shed (top left) had been built when you visited...

 

 

Good morning John,

 

Would you care to pen some lines about your wonderful layout for BRM, using your photographs and mine? A sort of 'progress report'? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[johndon]

1 minute ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning John,

 

Would you care to pen some lines about your wonderful layout for BRM, using your photographs and mine? A sort of 'progress report'? 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

Hi Tony,

 

I will have a word with the team and get back to you.

 

Thanks

 

John

[Tony Wright]

39 minutes ago, 92220 said:

Good morning Tony,

I hope that you and Mo are well.

 

My experience of recent sheets of HMRS Pressfix no. 14 mirrors yours and that of others, I’m afraid.  I am not quite so adept at applying (very high quality) waterslide lining in acceptably straight lines on brass carriages, but will have to practise more.  
 

On another note, I thought you and other contributors might be interested in these two poor quality photos of my progress on Camden Shed.  

 

Buildings and train are just placed to give a sense of the scene.  Both the Primrose Hill station building and Camden Goods shed will be extended for the new layout since I have more space.  The goods yard will provide either a semi-working or static backdrop to the loco shed and mainlines.  
 

Hoping to complete the mainline circuit in the next couple of weeks or so.  Storage yard is complete already.

 

 

 

I look forward to welcoming you here one day.

 

best wishes,

 

Iain

 

We're very well, thank you Iain,

 

I had my first jab on Monday and Mo goes next week. 

 

I hope you and your family are well, too.

 

What a fantastic prospect you've shown us. I really look forward to seeing progress in the flesh in the future. A great modelling project!

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[St Enodoc]

11 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Rich,

 

I've always been puzzled why one needs a range of fluxes which come in bottles with different coloured labels on them. Are they different strengths? 

 

Years ago, when I started soldering loco kits together (after reading the dire warnings in the kits' instructions NOT to solder but to use glue in case a casting were melted) I used the famed EAMES 40 flux. This came in small brown bottles and, I assume, was phosphoric acid. I have no idea what its strength was but it caused me to cough and splutter a great deal, in a way more modern fluxes don't seem to. This means it was either stronger than today's fluxes or I've developed an immunity to boiling flux fumes down the years. 

 

I've certainly never bothered with different coloured bottles and now use 12% phosphoric acid flux supplied by Hobby Holidays or London Road Models for all my soldering needs. Hobby Holidays uses a courier service because the Post Office is sensitive about carrying 'noxious substances'. I've picked bottles up at shows until last year. 

 

Someone once told me that phosphoric acid could be obtained from chemists, in whatever strength required, though I've never bothered.

 

As always (and in a classic case of do as I say rather than as I do), work in a well-ventilated area (with an extractor fan?) and avoid breathing in at the crucial times..................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I recently bought some 10% phosphoric acid from a home-brew beer shop. Apparently it's used as a steriliser.

[LNER4479]

I ordered a replacement bottle of flux recently from Eileens Emporium, along with some brass strip I needed. 48 hour turn round and delivered (thoroughly bubble wrapped) without any fuss.

[Tony Wright]

11 hours ago, 31A said:

I have to say, I've always preferred Methfix transfers myself; I find it easier to move the characters around until they are where you want them than with Pressfix, and there is not the carrier film that you get with waterslide.

Thanks Steve,

 

What I find with 'Pressfix' transfers (or did) is that once the numbers/letters are released from the backing paper using plain water (filtered, because we live in a limestone area), by then applying a small amount of 'Decalfix' (or similar) they can be moved around to ensure the correct position. Once happy, they're just blotted down with a cotton handkerchief. 

 

It would seem from other correspondents that the current 'Pressfix' transfers aren't much good. I wonder if the HMRS is aware of this? If not, the Society should be, and the problem attended to. The sheets certainly aren't cheap! 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

5 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

I recently bought some 10% phosphoric acid from a home-brew beer shop. Apparently it's used as a steriliser.

Thanks John,

 

Was it cheaper than the equivalent sold for soldering?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[St Enodoc]

8 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks John,

 

Was it cheaper than the equivalent sold for soldering?

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Well, I can't get the specialist stuff here at all so the price didn't matter, within reason, but I reckon it was good value at the equivalent of about GBP 4.00 for 250ml.

[Killybegs]

10 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

It would seem from other correspondents that the current 'Pressfix' transfers aren't much good. I wonder if the HMRS is aware of this? If not, the Society should be, and the problem attended to. The sheets certainly aren't cheap! 

 

 

They do need storing carefully. I had one sheet lose its stickyness completely because I failed to replace the protective sheet when I put it back in its sleeve. I have some sheets that are well over 20 years old and are still working well. They are all stored in a cardboard shoe box.

[Tony Wright]

10 minutes ago, Killybegs said:

 

They do need storing carefully. I had one sheet lose its stickyness completely because I failed to replace the protective sheet when I put it back in its sleeve. I have some sheets that are well over 20 years old and are still working well. They are all stored in a cardboard shoe box.

I think that's the point John,

 

I have sheets of 'Pressfix' older than 20 years (well-over, when they were sold by Peter Chatham) and they still work fine, but most of the numbers/letters have been used up. 

 

It's the current sheets which would appear to be nowhere near as good. And, it would seem, they're still being sold.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[JamieR4489]

I've never had a problem with HMRS transfers (pressfix). I've got just over half a dozen sheets and they all work fine. I've no idea how old they are but I probably bought my first sheet about 2 and a half years ago. They've been bought from Peter's Spares and Wizard Models. The ones from Wizard have come in a slightly different packaging but I don't know whether this means they're newer or older than the ones from Peter's Spares, the ones from Wizard have certainly been bought more recently. It may be worth noting that I always keep the protective sheet on and just cut through it when I cut the transfers out.

 

I much prefer pressfix to water slide. I find water slide are much more fragile and can curl up on themselves. Some don't tend to stick very well either (Modelmaster seem to be the worst for this).

 

Jamie

[thegreenhowards]

3 hours ago, Brocp said:

Agree with Tony and the other comments regarding the current state of HMRS Pressfix transfers. I model LMS post war, so the choice of brands is limited. I've used old PC transfers (the original HMRS transfers) for post war lined black LMS locos and they stuck fine and were clearer, more defined and who's colours were more accurate than a brand new set of them from HMRS which did exactly as Tony described earlier in regards to the length of time for back paper to come off. Also the colours and printing seem to be mkre washed out and less sharp than the older PC and older HMRS transfers. These newer ones (for me from the last few years or so) are s***, no other way to put it really.

 

The lining is exactly the same...

 

I'll give Fox a go, i do use their LMS smokebox number (individual) transfers and they are quite easy to use, though I've never used their lining, what is it like?

My only experience of their lining is their 0.35mm plain lining which I found robust and easy to manipulate. I used it to line my Klondike here which was very fiddly but all worked OK taken slowly. The double white lines around the boiler bands are from Modelmaster. They had a tendency to break but if treated gently were OK. The slight blemish in the front boiler band is probably due to my incompetence.

 

I have rather given up on Modelmaster as they take so long to deliver anything and don’t reply to emails. So I’ll be using Fox boiler bands for my O gauge N1 which is next through the paint shop and will report back.

 

 

[Compound2632]

3 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

It's the current sheets which would appear to be nowhere near as good. And, it would seem, they're still being sold.

 

2 minutes ago, JamieR4489 said:

I've never had a problem with HMRS transfers (pressfix). I've got just over half a dozen sheets and they all work fine. I've no idea how old they are but I probably bought my first sheet about 2 and a half years ago.

 

I'm with @JamieR4489 here. I've bought several sheets over the last three years (but none in the last year) - the LNWR sheet and the gloriously titled "LMS English pre-Grouping goods vehicle insignia (except LNWR)", all direct from HMRS; all have been very good, both in definition of the printing and the adhesion. I keep mine in their packets in an air-tight box but I do find that older sheets give more trouble, even ones that have remained sealed. But here I'm talking of the Pressfix sheets supplied with Slaters kits that are at least 30 years old...

 

9 minutes ago, JamieR4489 said:

I much prefer pressfix to water slide. I find water slide are much more fragile and can curl up on themselves. Some don't tend to stick very well either (Modelmaster seem to be the worst for this).

 

I've had very variable experience with waterslide transfers, including non-adhering Modelmaster ones. Things have got better since I started putting gloss varnish on the area where the transfer is to go, and MicroSet rather than water.

[Tony Wright]

I find this a real puzzle regarding 'Pressfix' transfers..............

 

I wonder whether there are different batches produced? 

 

My recent experiences are that the newer sheets I've bought aren't anywhere near as good as those from years ago, yet others report the opposite. 

 

Hmmnnn.

[Andy Hayter]

I too have mixed results with Pressfix.  I have a very wide selection and some date back at least 30 years.  Those that do lose their tack can be used as per Methfix - which I am slowly beginning to prefer.  A bit more fiddly perhaps but the results are just as good if not better.  

[43129@stainmore]

On Stainmore Summit we used to bank loose coupled freights in both directions. All using DC control with matched loco performance. Here is a J21 arriving with a BR 2MT on the rear. Banking up hill and subsequent piloting down hill was the essence of the whole layout. My new creation of Barnard Castle will also feature DC banking  of westbound freights using the same pool of DC locos. Here is  a glimpse of Barnard Castle station forecourt- my lockdown project!

 

Richard N

[t-b-g]

I recall talking to one of the HMRS people about the "Pressfix" transfers a while ago. There had been a problem getting supplies from the original manufacturer, something to do with getting supplies of the paper. I can't remember if it was just the paper that changed or the manufacturer but there was a change, probably quite a few years ago now.

 

Recent ones have had poor register, fuzzy printing and been generally much lower in quality than the earlier version.

 

Methfix ones are not quite so convenient to use but they do seem to be the better quality option now.

 

I lettered a number of vehicles for Retford using "Modelmaster" transfers and I found them excellent to use, especially as you can remove the carrier film completely after application, leaving just the letters etc. if you are careful.

[Steven B]

20 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

However, I can assure you that soldering loads of wires together doesn't really prepare you for making a set of outside Walschaerts valve gear, no matter how long it takes. 

 

Likewise soldering surface mount components in place (something I'm happier doing than attempting any valve gear!). There's skill to both, but it's still soldering part A to part B which some modellers never get the hang of and prefer to pay to let someone else have the enjoyment.

 

Steven B.

[Michael Edge]

4 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good morning Rich,

 

I've always been puzzled why one needs a range of fluxes which come in bottles with different coloured labels on them. Are they different strengths? 

 

Years ago, when I started soldering loco kits together (after reading the dire warnings in the kits' instructions NOT to solder but to use glue in case a casting were melted) I used the famed EAMES 40 flux. This came in small brown bottles and, I assume, was phosphoric acid. I have no idea what its strength was but it caused me to cough and splutter a great deal, in a way more modern fluxes don't seem to. This means it was either stronger than today's fluxes or I've developed an immunity to boiling flux fumes down the years. 

 

I've certainly never bothered with different coloured bottles and now use 12% phosphoric acid flux supplied by Hobby Holidays or London Road Models for all my soldering needs. Hobby Holidays uses a courier service because the Post Office is sensitive about carrying 'noxious substances'. I've picked bottles up at shows until last year. 

 

Someone once told me that phosphoric acid could be obtained from chemists, in whatever strength required, though I've never bothered.

 

As always (and in a classic case of do as I say rather than as I do), work in a well-ventilated area (with an extractor fan?) and avoid breathing in at the crucial times..................

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

I suspect that Eames 40 flux was probably 40% phosphoric acid. When I first used this flux (more than 45 years ago) what we got was about 80% and this was capable of burning a hole in the carpet, the 12% frequently sold is only just strong enough for steel but fine for everything else. Phosphoric acid is the only flux I use apart from Fluxite for wiring. I can't understand all these different fluxes either and at least one of them is Baker's fluid which is lethal on steel - even the fumes will produce rust on anything near it.

[LNER4479]

57 minutes ago, 43129@stainmore said:

 

 

Great stuff. Your Barnard Castle project sounds great, a fascinating prototype location. With this standard of modelling, please do consider starting up a layout thread on here - I'm sure it would generate a lot of interest, especially amongst us north country types.

 

[Barry Ten]

Can anyone explain the difference between Carr's Green and Red flux?

 

I've got on well with the green one for general purpose brass, nickle silver and white metal soldering but the last time I looked, the only one I could get through the post at present was the red one. I suppose I'll probably end up having to give it a go as I'm down to my last few drops of flux, after tipping over most of a bottle right at the start of lockdown.