Jump to content
 

Whats on your 2mm Work bench


nick_bastable
 Share

Recommended Posts

What's on my workbench? Absolutely everything! I'm normally quite disciplined about keeping the desk tidy when I'm working, but two deliveries in the last couple of days (thank you, Eileen's Emporium and David from Shop 1) lie spread out in all their gloaty glory. EE have provided all the stuff I didn't know I needed when I first started soldering, and the haul from Shop 1 is to create a plank with two Easitrac turnout kits and two homemade soldered turnouts, as I dip my toe in the terrifying waters of track making.

20201109_181919.jpg

  • Like 9
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I could win the 'Untidiest Workbench' any day!  This the current state of mine as I continue work on the station building for Kirkallanmuir.

 

177224786_DSC_14791.JPG.2d880c53bff51fa91c817f5bde0cc161.JPG

 

Jim

Edited by Caley Jim
Spelling correction
  • Like 5
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
1 hour ago, Caley Jim said:

I could win the 'Untidiest Workbench' any day

Jim

 

Sorry Jim, not even a contender:-)

Current state of my portable front room bench - mind it's obviously not a spectator sport judging by my neighbours!

Jerry 

20201109_194509.jpg.21c47e59c7e3c75f950ec29f17f187af.jpg

 

20201109_200315.jpg.064e2b429e87ee28f9aee820d13eaca2.jpg

 

  • Like 12
Link to post
Share on other sites

20201110_000905.jpg.b7081283d4e6900da5c4894b5e16211d.jpg

 

Amongst all that chaos at least something is progressing. A Bulleid BTSO with shallow window vents. The etch on the right turns into the sides on the left, in an attempt to simulate the joint lines that appeared on Bulleid coaches late in life remeding deficiencies in construction. After several attempts to solder the lower body panels in place - 6 thou brass half-etched just dents when you bring a soldering iron anywhere near - and one disasterous go with superglue, it seems that Loctite 601 is the answer to the quandry.

 

Chris

  • Like 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

My bench is more like Chris’. I made a conscious decision not to clear enough working space and am building the track for Ogbourne on my lap and when my lap isn’t near the workbench the sub-baseboard the track is being built on resides atop the bin in the middle of the room adjacent to the chair. Hopefully not a sign of things to come. 
 

3B77F100-4013-4021-A2A4-5B57F5297105.jpeg.8a12e3b350ffc427fda597ec140faa3e.jpeg

Edited by richbrummitt
evidence added
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Nothing very exciting, just assembling a few more LSWR 8 plank open wagons for Freshwater coal traffic. Now I need more LBSCR  5 plank wagons.

 

Odd thing, one of the bodies included buffer shanks, but otherwise identical. I think I picked the bodies up second hand, so not sure of their origins.

 

LSWR_open_wagons_progress.jpg.93ae84fbbe856d5ac641999b5d719275.jpg

 

 

Edited by Ian Morgan
re-loaded image
  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, keitharmes said:

I've been having a go at improving the Dapol Hall by replacing the boiler unit with one from the Dapol 28XX. The original boiler unit is a stretched version of the Dapol Manor, so it is undersized, as you can see in the first picture. I had to shorten the 28xx boiler by a small amount, cutting the boiler away from the firebox with a junior hacksaw removed enough material for me to just glue the two parts together again. Using the 28xx steam pipes also improves the look.

IMG_1953.JPG

IMG_1957.JPG

 

This is on my to-do list as well. Unfortunately I only have one spare 28XX boiler and several candidates for its use - Hall, Grange, Saint, Star.

 

Next up is lining it, Keith.

 

Chris

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Chris Higgs said:

 

This is on my to-do list as well. Unfortunately I only have one spare 28XX boiler and several candidates for its use - Hall, Grange, Saint, Star.

 

Next up is lining it, Keith.

 

Chris

 

 

I've already bought a set of Fox transfers for the large GW engines. Not cheap, and I only need the boiler bands, but we'll see how well it works. The first thing to do is try to match the boiler colour to the rest of the loco. Then make a new chimney. In fact , I've got several chimneys to make, my 2884 class needs a taper cast iron chimney and the Manor needs an original GW one in place of the slimmer BR.

 

Keith

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Premium

Thanks for sharing that Nick. Helps show I think all the time and effort many spend in differing ways to keep the association running and the shops stocked. We should all be very grateful to them, as well as the other small suppliers, I know I certainly am.

 

Izzy

  • Like 3
  • Agree 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Crosland said:

Amazing. Is that all custom machinery?

 

A brave prince with his white charger ventured into the darkest corner of darkest Essex.  Where the marsh comes in from the sea, through the mist you spy a clock tower, yet it cannot be reached across the treacherous reeds.  Journey for many hours on the long windy roads, through the fog one spies a lane climbing to a churchyard on a hilltop, and beyond it through numerous twists and turns to the half-timbered cottage alone on the corner.  In the land of elves, goblins and pixies.  

 

Which is where Bill Blackburn used to live, who made the machinery.    The rail straightener is my favourite.  Though the sleeper chopper might make better video.  

 

 

- Nigel

 

 

 

  • Like 8
Link to post
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Nick Mitchell said:

20201128_191020.jpg.eef0c8d503590856bae16cc6cbdedc63.jpg

 

On my workbench earlier today was this pile of 100 Mod 0.4 18T spur gears, having been de-burred and tested. They are now winging their way to Shop 3 for sale to members.

 

For anyone interested in how these gears are produced from blanks, I have made a little video showing the Association's machine in action.

 

 

 

Well done, Nick. I see you required minimal makeup to assume your role. :rolleyes:

 

Judging by the way we go through quiet a number of different products, I'd say the Goblin isn't the only one gobblin' components! 

 

Thanks again for helping keep our little emporium stocked. 

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

3 hours ago, Nigelcliffe said:

 

A brave prince with his white charger ventured into the darkest corner of darkest Essex.  Where the marsh comes in from the sea, through the mist you spy a clock tower, yet it cannot be reached across the treacherous reeds.  Journey for many hours on the long windy roads, through the fog one spies a lane climbing to a churchyard on a hilltop, and beyond it through numerous twists and turns to the half-timbered cottage alone on the corner. 

 

I don't know whether to type "go east" or try "xyzzy".

 

Apologies if no one has a clue what I'm talking about.

  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
4 hours ago, Nigelcliffe said:

A brave prince with his white charger ventured into the darkest corner of darkest Essex.  Where the marsh comes in from the sea, through the mist you spy a clock tower, yet it cannot be reached across the treacherous reeds.  Journey for many hours on the long windy roads, through the fog one spies a lane climbing to a churchyard on a hilltop, and beyond it through numerous twists and turns to the half-timbered cottage alone on the corner.  In the land of elves, goblins and pixies.  

 

Which is where Bill Blackburn used to live, who made the machinery.    The rail straightener is my favourite.  Though the sleeper chopper might make better video.  

 

In my mind I have always likened Bill to Gandalf. When I was part of the Darkest Essex Area Group, he would appear intermittently to delight and amaze us with his wizardry. You could see the glow from his rail straightener from as far away as Chelmsford. These days when I drive to work on the M65 and pass the exit sign to Blackburn W, I always think of him. Not only was he an inventive engineer, he was incredibly encouraging to a newbie like me - as indeed were all the members of that group.

  • Like 5
  • Agree 2
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Recently I have played around with the level crossing a bit more. Although it worked very nicely with the DCC decoder I decided I wanted it powered using the AA batteries that will run the hacked servos for the points on the layout it will be used on.

 

So I stripped it down and added another gear reduction to allow faster motor rpm and overcome the diode drop voltage but with a similar final rotation speed. This added a 2.25 reduction to that which already existed, 456-1, so it’s now 1026-1. I also had to reverse the diodes, their direction, as another gear reduction reversed the motor direction relative to the disc.

 

1818403076_RMwebTSELC12.jpg.f5a3aeebefaefc3f91bd789b67aade7d.jpg

 

Although a way of overcoming the diode drop was suggested once I had studied the wiring diagram I realised that in this particular situation it wouldn’t work. I have drawn it below, it’s a bit rough but you will get the idea, the principle behind it.

18629442_levelCrossingwiringdiagram.jpg.d151ceefd59cec2b02c03c13b389bf93.jpg

Both micro switches are normally closed. Current can flow in both directions. At the end of each rotational disc limit one closes, which thus stops the motor. When this happens only reversing the current allows the motor to work, the diodes controlling the direction. As soon as the disc moves of course the switch then closes, so current flow then bypasses the diodes until the opposite disc limit is reached when it happens all over again. Power is cut until motor direction is again reversed. So just a DPDT to control it’s position, and thus the gates, open or closed. Really nice and simple. Electrics on a level I can cope with – just!

 

So, 4xAA rechargable batteries for power giving 5.25v fed through a resistor of 44ohm to get the slowest revolution that the motor would run at, both with and without the diodes in circuit. Currently the resistor(s) are a couple of ancient wire wound variable output types joined together 25ohm & 50ohm. The 75ohm level is needed for the hacked 7.5gm servos. I will probably replace these with 1/4watt metal resistors when I can obtain some in the right values. The variable wire wound have been ideal for homing in on the precise ohm level. Low ohm values in particular sizes aren’t so common, 1/4watt should be okay for non-continuous operation I think.

 

126893682_RMwebTSELC13.jpg.d0cb74298e3e6c0d17ab12a54a71c876.jpg

 

I've also codged up a pair of gates now. They need finishing off but allow fine tuning to be undertaken. They are just held in place with tabs of magic tape at the mo.

 

1347941359_RMwebTSELC14.jpg.709aa30925c4842e104528639d8501c0.jpg

 

Izzy

  • Like 12
  • Informative/Useful 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 3
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...