Jump to content
 

Whats on your 2mm Work bench


nick_bastable
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've not been feeling the modelling mojo recently but, following Ally Pally last weekend, I finally got myself back to the bench and soldered this up this morning.

 

595663910_GCR10FishVan.jpg.5a708554ac16ae160b38c171714578af.jpg

 

It is a BHE GCR fish van, one of two that was kindly donated by Jerry. I found that BHE had finally gotten these back in stock last weekend and so I purchased a couple more. While it is quite an old kit and not up to the standards of the 2mm Association designs, it is well etched and goes together well with a bit of care. I've just ordered four etched replacement chassis for the intended Peco chassis. These aren't quite correct for the van but will be better than the Peco option. 

  • Like 7
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
18 minutes ago, Atso said:

I've not been feeling the modelling mojo recently but, following Ally Pally last weekend, I finally got myself back to the bench and soldered this up this morning.

It is a BHE GCR fish van, one of two that was kindly donated by Jerry. I found that BHE had finally gotten these back in stock last weekend and so I purchased a couple more. While it is quite an old kit and not up to the standards of the 2mm Association designs, it is well etched and goes together well with a bit of care. I've just ordered four etched replacement chassis for the intended Peco chassis. These aren't quite correct for the van but will be better than the Peco option. 

 

Great stuff Steve,  I often find that cracking out the soldering iron often gets the mojo working - there's something about starting on a fresh etch that is immensely satisfying.

 

I'm glad they are getting built - even with my cavalier attitude I would struggle to justify GCR fish vans at Bath.

 

Jerry

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, queensquare said:

 

Great stuff Steve,  I often find that cracking out the soldering iron often gets the mojo working - there's something about starting on a fresh etch that is immensely satisfying.

 

I'm glad they are getting built - even with my cavalier attitude I would struggle to justify GCR fish vans at Bath.

 

Jerry

 

Thanks Jerry, there is definitely something to be said about swaps and bartering. A bit of research has shown that I can get away with the GCR fish vans on Great Northern metals and, as you know, I've even found a historically correct reason to run the bogie fish van as well.

 

I also picked up another of the old Farish GNR fish vans at Ally Pally. While this is somewhat compromised in the overall dimensions to fit generic chassis used at the time, it is quite a nice moulding and they cry out to be improved with an etched chassis. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, queensquare said:

 

  I often find that cracking out the soldering iron often gets the mojo working - there's something about starting on a fresh etch that is immensely satisfying.

 

Jerry

 

Ah! So that’s why I have so many half built projects! 

  • Like 1
  • Agree 2
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I've just about finished the first of the Fish Vans. Just vacuum pipes and some proper spoked wheels to find and it'll be ready for painting.

 

202970459_GCRFishVanandChassis.jpg.a15c1df1b9c7455af7688182f9bced3a.jpg

 

The chassis is the 2mm replacement etch for the Peco 10' WB chassis. This is incorrect but looks much better than the Peco chassis the body is designed to run on.

 

Three more to do.....

  • Like 12
  • Craftsmanship/clever 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

My first ever sector plate, inspired by the one built by Mark Fielder for British Oak:

 

 

IMG_20190403_154221.jpg

IMG_20190403_154229.jpg

 

I chose the "Kite" type of tufnol as it seemed to be more suitable for tapping the holes for the bolts. The drill I used was a 2.3mm HSS Jobber - is it normal to smoke when drilling the holes?

Edited by Valentin
  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Maybe you need to back the bit out and clear the swarf out of the flutes?

 

I would not claim to be an expert on drilling and tapping Tufnol but I did discover that using spit as a lubricant when hand-drilling very fine holes (0.3mm if I remember correctly, in a jig for Electra couplings) did not work well. The moisture caused the material or the swarf in the hole to expand slightly, the drill bit started to bind, and then snapped off. Drilling dry worked much better. But that may be less of an issue for larger holes.

 

regards

Graham

Edited by Graham R
  • Agree 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Not that I have masses of experience, but personally I have always drilled Tufnol dry, regularly removing bit and cleaning dust / swarf. I agree with Graham that using a lubricant will cause the dust to coagulate and then cause drill to bind and if a small drill break.

Ian

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

What's on my workbench is a machined brass gear housing that is frustrating me incredibly.  Every time I fix it to the frame the axle/gear assembly, whether inserted before or after, gains a tight spot. Before attaching the axle turns freely. It's a one piece axle rather than stubs and I increased the clearance all around and fitted the gears to a new muff (twice), remade the axle, smoothed everything. I'm all out of ideas right now...

Edited by richbrummitt
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, richbrummitt said:

What's on my workbench is a machined brass gear housing that is frustrating me incredibly.  Every time I fix it to the frame the axle/gear assembly, whether inserted before or after, gains a tight spot. Before attaching the axle turns freely. It's a one piece axle rather than stubs and I increased the clearance all around and fitted the gears to a new muff (twice), remade the axle, smoothed everything. I'm all out of ideas right now...

 

Sounds frustrating indeed ... Is it possible that fixing the housing to the frames distorts the housing slightly? Can you try an alternative fixing?

Link to post
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Graham R said:

 

Sounds frustrating indeed ... Is it possible that fixing the housing to the frames distorts the housing slightly? Can you try an alternative fixing?

 

I need to fix the other spacers afterwards. After some further experimentation it seems the heating causes the issue. I got it fixed last night along with most of the other spacers. I needed to get this far to confirm the body. The body almost fits, which is good. A big enough image to be really cruel...

 

20190412_090419.jpg.bd3827c18c0a8d8ca6d008b93601c293.jpg

 

 

  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm finally nearing the home straight with a GWR County that I have building for a customer. This has really taken far too long but hopefully it will be off to its new home in a couple of weeks time.

20190412_144806.jpg

20190412_144831.jpg

20190412_144918.jpg

20190408_190109.jpg

  • Like 5
  • Craftsmanship/clever 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Windows 10 to make nine windows! Measuring and marking out is so much easier in these technological days. Even if my printer is a bit wonky, I can draw the fenestration to scale and then score the thin glazing bars much more accurately than when we had to do it by hand. The glazing will remain on the template to assist placement of window frames from micro strip. They will also be painted off white to match the glazing bars.

C73AFE06-8FA6-4455-BCFD-C2E9096D4E47.jpeg

19ECB982-4D76-412F-82FB-AFEA09F7A002.jpeg

F516C89C-507C-4C29-82F0-20488B2B7FCE.jpeg

  • Like 4
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Windows fabbed and painted. I managed to make the “kitchen” window undersize - it’s wide enough, but too shallow! :(

 

The were all a pretty tight fit, which I think is good. A dab of superglue was touched in at the rear to ensure they don’t go walkabout.

 

ABB2709A-1AFB-47D3-8FC8-F7ECC6BFFC87.jpeg.dacaf0da29fe6adeb4e51dd75acae8c4.jpeg

42A7930C-7A8A-409F-8AAE-B40F00261335.jpeg

A116794C-FD61-4D7C-AEF2-1D2194C354F1.jpeg

  • Like 5
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Still busy doing electrics and electronics for club and friends layouts, but I try to spend one evening per week on things for 'Freshwater'. I saw a nice photo of an engineering train on the Isle of Wight in an rmweb thread about Wight Freight, but the photos disappeared before I saved copies. The picture showed lengths of rail on a train of short wheelbase single bolster wagons.

 

I picked up some old S/H brass etches of unknown origin at a meeting a while back, so I thought I might reproduce this for 'Freshwater'. The etches perpetuated the old Tri-Ang trait of brake shoes in line with the W irons, so these were removed and parts of an old Association brass etch of brake gear was pressed into service. The wagon wheelbase is shorter than any of the brake gear on the etch, so it needed some modification. Association etched nickel silver axleboxes and springs, and cast buffers were added. Some square brass tube will form the bolsters, and small T-section brass, filed down to even smaller, added to the body ends to replace the rather poor stanchions on the etch.

 

Because of the required modifications, and lack of locating aids in the etch, each one is taking 4 or 5 evenings to complete to this stage, so it is a long, slow process. Still, 3 down and 3 to go...

3bolsters.jpg.74d80fc71b4ef8d1f2ad0b4597d6e583.jpg

 

Edited by Ian Morgan
re-loaded image
  • Like 2
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, Ian Morgan said:

Still busy doing electrics and electronics for club and friends layouts, but I try to spend one evening per week on things for 'Freshwater'. I saw a nice photo of an engineering train on the Isle of Wight in an rmweb thread about Wight Freight, but the photos disappeared before I saved copies. The picture showed lengths of rail on a train of short wheelbase single bolster wagons.

 

I picked up some old S/H brass etches of unknown origin at a meeting a while back, so I thought I might reproduce this for 'Freshwater'. The etches perpetuated the old Tri-Ang trait of brake shoes in line with the W irons, so these were removed and parts of an old Association brass etch of brake gear was pressed into service. The wagon wheelbase is shorter than any of the brake gear on the etch, so it needed some modification. Association etched nickel silver axleboxes and springs, and cast buffers were added. Some square brass tube will form the bolsters, and small T-section brass, filed down to even smaller, added to the body ends to replace the rather poor stanchions on the etch.

 

Because of the required modifications, and lack of locating aids in the etch, each one is taking 4 or 5 evenings to complete to this stage, so it is a long, slow process. Still, 3 down and 3 to go...

3bolsters.jpg.8e547169787da0880ace67f0376265cb.jpg

 

 

What wheelbase are these? There is a 7' wheelbase chassis in the Association range, you just need to know where to look (2-599) 

 

Chris

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, John57sharp said:

I like this building very much. Can you explain the last photo in the post before last where there appears to be glue or paint all over the glazing? Please excuse my ignorance, I’m eager to learn!

 

cheers

 

john

 

Hi John

 

I score the glazing using a sewing machine needle. Then paint the window with enamel paint. Once it is nearly dry I polish the paint off leaving just the residual in the score marks. Hope this helps!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ian Morgan said:

Still busy doing electrics and electronics for club and friends layouts, but I try to spend one evening per week on things for 'Freshwater'. I saw a nice photo of an engineering train on the Isle of Wight in an rmweb thread about Wight Freight, but the photos disappeared before I saved copies. The picture showed lengths of rail on a train of short wheelbase single bolster wagons.

 

I picked up some old S/H brass etches of unknown origin at a meeting a while back, so I thought I might reproduce this for 'Freshwater'. The etches perpetuated the old Tri-Ang trait of brake shoes in line with the W irons, so these were removed and parts of an old Association brass etch of brake gear was pressed into service. The wagon wheelbase is shorter than any of the brake gear on the etch, so it needed some modification. Association etched nickel silver axleboxes and springs, and cast buffers were added. Some square brass tube will form the bolsters, and small T-section brass, filed down to even smaller, added to the body ends to replace the rather poor stanchions on the etch.

 

Because of the required modifications, and lack of locating aids in the etch, each one is taking 4 or 5 evenings to complete to this stage, so it is a long, slow process. Still, 3 down and 3 to go...

 

 

 

Ian,

 

They look very much like the shot-down Jidenco etches that BH Enterprises were selling (and indeed still have a few of some types). I think the wagons you have are the GWR single bolsters/match wagons.

 

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway saved a number of the ex-LBSCR single bolster wagons that were used on the island and have restored some of them;

 

http://www.ws.rhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=7969

 

Andy

Link to post
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...