Pragmatic Pre-Grouping - Mikkel's Workbench

[Castle]

Hi All,

 

There are replacements on Shapeways - Type in Stafford Road Model Works and you will find what you are looking for:

 

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/stafford_road_model_works

 

I haven’t tried the bogies either but their N34 loco coal wagon conversion kit for the Dapol hopper as featured on Little Didcot was good.

 

Like Mikel, no connection- just a happy customer. I hope this helps!

 

All the best,

 

Castle

[Dave John]

There is something very satisfying about soldering brass etches up to make small things. I made that langley one up years ago.  Ok, the benches are a bit odd, but I model Partick. They would nick a GWR bench for the back close on the way home from holidays.  Justifiable load for any CR cct ...... 

[Mikkel]

There is something very satisfying about soldering brass etches up to make small things. I made that langley one up years ago.  Ok, the benches are a bit odd, but I model Partick. They would nick a GWR bench for the back close on the way home from holidays.  Justifiable load for any CR cct ...... 

 

Aha! I was wondering where one of my platform benches had gone.

[Castle]

There is something very satisfying about soldering brass etches up to make small things. I made that langley one up years ago. Ok, the benches are a bit odd, but I model Partick. They would nick a GWR bench for the back close on the way home from holidays. Justifiable load for any CR cct ......

 

Hi Mikkel,

 

This sounds like the prompt to do one of your stories! “Raiders from the North” perhaps?

 

I’ll get my coat...

 

All the best,

 

Castle

Edited January 25, 2018 by Castle

[Mikkel]

Hi Mikkel,

 

This sounds like the prompt to do one of your stories! “Raiders from the North” perhaps?

 

I’ll get my coat...

 

All the best,

 

Castle

 

Sorry Castle, hadn't seen your post. Great idea, must put it on the list!

 

Meanwhile, a bit of old school unboxing today... 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Mikkel

[Dana Ashdown]

 

And I thought Marsh Umber was the new black!

 

Very interesting to see the all brown like this Dana, it makes for a much more stylish appearance than I would have thought - but then I was probably influenced by the notion of worn-down workmen's coaches in all over brown. Thanks for sharing this, quite an eye-opener.

 

I was also interested to see your comment about the Margate versions of these coaches being more crisp. I didn't know that. Good to know for possible future conversions. You mention doing more work on the bogies. I believe there are replacement ones to be had on Shapeways, although I don't have personal experience with them.

 

Hello Mikkel and Castle,

 

Yes I've seen the Shapeways bogies — and very nice they are too! — but with a dozen or so coaches to do (chocolate & cream, brown, and crimson lake) and a few planned, I thought I'd try doing the conversion instead before blowing the budget. As it is, I think I can achieve the look of Dean bogies without the extra cost, in which case I'll be happy. Heresy maybe, but apart from us, whose to know!

 

Dana

[Regularity]

Mostly PW work going on at Farthing at the moment. I've built these 4mm GWR point levers, originally from the Southwark Models range, now available from Roxey Mouldings. They appeared around 1900...

 

...they took an hour or so to do.

 

So, finished by about 20:00 hours, then?

 

Very nice, though.

[Mikkel]

I've been experimenting with glazing for station/yard lamps. The basic shape was cut and scored on  my Silhouette...


 
 
...and folded:


 
 
To represent glazing bars, I filled the folding lines with paint and removed the excess.


 
 
Frosting was initially a problem, as I wanted to use Superglue to fix the glazing in place. However, leaving one "window" open helps the fumes escape. The last bit is then fixed with glazing glue.


 
 
The lamps are old kits from the Mike's Models range. Below is an example with the glazing as supplied, and my replacement glazing. There is certainly room for further improvement, but it's a step in the right direction I think.

 

 

The prototype for these lamps is a bit hazy, but that's exactly what I need as they are supposed to be remnants of an earlier station at Farthing.

 

 

I'm also working on a proper GWR yard lamp. These tended to have hexagonal housing, but more on that later.


 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Mikkel

[NHY 581]

Top stuff Mikkel.

 

Lamps are a growing interest with me. The ones on my Sheep Lane and Mutton are freelance....'in the spirit of' etc....

 

Rob

[Coal Tank]

That is just so clever

[Dave John]

Those look very good, much clearer than the commercial offerings. 

[bgman]

What they said above !

 

Really useful modellers tool that Silhouette Mikkel, you've given me the incentive to have a go myself due to lost clear sheets from one kit.

Just out of interest can I ask what thickness you used and settings on the Silhouette?

 

Top stuff

 

Grahame

Edited February 15, 2018 by bgman

[john dew]

Brilliant ..........that's excellent.

 

Sadly you have reminded me of just how thick the Mikes glazing is......wouldn't look out of place in a diving bell.

 

Best wishes

 

John

[Mikkel]

Many thanks for the comments and buttons

 

Yep, lamps are an interesting area, but also a whole minefield in itself as I have found.

 

The glazing is a PVC product from the German “Aeronaut Modellbau” range (ref #7858/32). It is 0,25mm (i.e. 10 thou) and folds nicely. Using 5 thou might be possible, but could break when folding. My Silhouette setting for this is 3 depth and 10 thickness for the scoring (1 run), and 10 and 33 for the cutting (4 runs). But as Silhouette users will know, it does depend on the material, the blade, the machine and what the neighbour’s cousin had for breakfast.

 

John, I have lived with the glazing on the Mike’s models lamps for years, and never really worried about it. Modeller’s license and all that. Here are some un-converted ones on the bay platform:

 

 

It was only after buying a set of the ex-DCC oil lamps from Gaugemaster (the price seems to have come down, 14£ for 3) that I began thinking about it. The glazing on those is very nice, but measurements suggested that the lamp housing (on the oil lamps at least) is very much overscale (11.56 mms at the widest point, ie almost 3 scale ft). So I thought I’d see what could be done about the glazing on other products.

Edited February 17, 2018 by Mikkel

[Tony Teague]

Mikkel

To avoid frosting, use canopy glue:

https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=1143&name=formula-560-canopy-glue-2-oz&Itemid=443&category_pathway=4048

 Tony

[Mikkel]

Mikkel

To avoid frosting, use canopy glue:

https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=1143&name=formula-560-canopy-glue-2-oz&Itemid=443&category_pathway=4048

 Tony

 

Thanks Tony, I hadn't heard of that before. Would it be strong enough to fix the glazing to whitemetal do you think? I used Superglue as I wanted to make sure it was a proper bond, and my normal glazing glue wasn't up for it.

[PenrithBeacon]

There is also Kristal Klear and Glue and Glaze

[Tony Teague]

Thanks Tony, I hadn't heard of that before. Would it be strong enough to fix the glazing to whitemetal do you think? I used Superglue as I wanted to make sure it was a proper bond, and my normal glazing glue wasn't up for it.

It won't dry as quickly as superglue but given how small the parts are I would have thought that it would be strong enough.

Only way to find out is to try it!

I use it for all glazing as it dries clear and does not frost clear plastics.

 

Tony

[Mikkel]

Thanks gents, I have been using Testors Clear Parts Cement until now, but it looks like it's time to try something new.

[Silver Sidelines]

Wonderful.  Many years ago (1960s perhaps) I made something similar based around 'grain of wheat' bulbs.  I used a plastic drinking straw for the lamp standard and cut the lantern from acetate sheet.  I used cut down dressmakers pins for the corners.  I left the points on the pins to engage with a 'plate / collar' fitted on top of the column.  This meant that the lantern was removable for bulb changes.

 

I wonder what happened to them, they were painted ex GWR coach chocolate and cream.

 

Ray

Edited February 18, 2018 by Silver Sidelines

[Mikkel]

That sounds quite ingenious Ray. The corners on mine are the weakest part of the "folding" method, as they're a little on the thin side. Ideally, pins or just simply bit of wire would probably enhance them.

[richard i]

I've been experimenting with glazing for station/yard lamps. The basic shape was cut and scored on  my Silhouette...

 

 

...and folded:

 

 

To represent glazing bars, I filled the folding lines with paint and removed the excess.

 

 

Frosting was initially a problem, as I wanted to use Superglue to fix the glazing in place. However, leaving one "window" open helps the fumes escape. The last bit is then fixed with glazing glue.

 

 

The lamps are old kits from the Mike's Models range. Below is an example with the glazing as supplied, and my replacement glazing. There is certainly room for further improvement, but it's a step in the right direction I think.

 

 

The prototype for these lamps is a bit hazy, but that's exactly what I need as they are supposed to be remnants of an earlier station at Farthing.

 

 

I'm also working on a proper GWR yard lamp. These tended to have hexagonal housing, but more on that later.

 

Leave one glazed section open to have some one lighting it or just repairing it.

Richard

[Northroader]

These are still in the old works yard at Swindon, but then there’s that bracket to etch..

[Rail-Online]

I have a feeling that Scalelink did an etching for those fancy lamp support brackets on one of their early etches - however an expensive way to get one!

 

By the way the standard vessels in GWR oil lamps were square and slighty tapered and the glass was a 'Brandy glass' shape - I will try and take a pic of one. There were some earlier ones that were circular but these were very squat - probably only 2 1/2" tall.

 

Tony

[Mikkel]

Leave one glazed section open to have some one lighting it or just repairing it.

Richard

 

That's a good idea for a little cameo, I'll make a lamp like that - many thanks Richard.

 

 

These are still in the old works yard at Swindon, but then there’s that bracket to etch..E795F646-4658-4719-B234-6538285ADE3F.jpeg

 

Very nice. Amazing to think that something as simple as works yard lighting was decorated to that extent. Having said that, there are some interesting drawings in Stephen Williams' GWR Branchline Modelling vol 2 (Vaughan's GWR architecture also have a few), which show simpler designs. There are no dates on them though.

 

I have a feeling that Scalelink did an etching for those fancy lamp support brackets on one of their early etches - however an expensive way to get one!

 

By the way the standard vessels in GWR oil lamps were square and slighty tapered and the glass was a 'Brandy glass' shape - I will try and take a pic of one. There were some earlier ones that were circular but these were very squat - probably only 2 1/2" tall.

 

Tony

 

Thanks for that Tony. I couldn't find any close up photos, but see now that there's a couple of nice illustrations of these on page 55 of GWR Branchline Modelling. Wish I'd noticed before as I have already done the yard lamp - but good to know for future builds.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Mikkel