Phil Mortimers 7mm WorkBench - Mercian Vivian Style Garratt

[PhilMortimer]

Update,

 

MEK has no effect on slaters wheels. Or Milliput. 10 mins immersion dangled on the end of a copper wire whilst in the ultrasound bath did the trick. All paint removed. Wheels intact and unaffected. And nicely degreased ready for re-spraying.

 

2 things to note.

 

1) Cats do not like the sound of the ultrasound sonicator and rapidly make themselves scarce. This is advantageous in that it prevents them from climbing on my lap whilst trying to work at the bench. Must remember this as a deterent for the future.

 

2) Diane does not like the smell of MEK and rapidly made herself scarce, even though the top of the jar was screwed on tight. This NOT a deterent to be used in the future if I want continued approval for my modelling activities!

[Giles]

All good info...!

 

My wife is also called Diane. I taught her to silver solder after we got married, and she now spends more on tools than I do!

 

Your good lady does understand that untrasonic cleaners clean jewelry up nicely, doesn't she?

[PhilMortimer]

Giles,

 

I met my Diane in the workshop at work, where she was running the lathe. That probably tells you everything!

 

She now spends much of her time on the road fixing really big lasers. So she also has lots of really nice tools. Far better than mine. Haven't taught her to silver-solder though.

 

And yes, she is fully aware that an ultra sound bath is good for jewelry. It has been tested to good effect! However, I can no longer use the excuse that a piece may not be suitable due to the difficulty in keeping it clean!

Edited December 17, 2016 by PhilMortimer

[Simond]

I can confirm that the ultrasonic bath is good for jewellery, and that the cat hates it with a vengeance - I turned mine on when he was eating, and he ran away. I couldn't bring myself to do that again! I think he hates it more than the vacuum cleaner.

 

Best

Simon

[Giles]

You obviously have excellent taste...!

[Marshall5]

Hi Phil, if you've not already stripped the paint from your Slater's wheels I seem to remember reading that Pine-Sol (similar to Dettol) works well at loosening paint without damaging the plastic.

Ray.

[PhilMortimer]

Thanks Ray,

 

I did it with MEK last night and it worked a treat. Already for re-masking and re-spraying. That will be done later, as I have to lay the fire for the cats first. A toasty warm place to stretch out is another encouragement to keep them off my lap during modeling activities.

Edited December 17, 2016 by PhilMortimer

[PhilMortimer]

Well that didn't happen. Got a load of document writing dumped on me over the weekend which put paid to any modelling activities. Better luck tonight after work.

[PhilMortimer]

Wheels masked up and primed last night. Flat black to go on tonight after a light rub down.

[PhilMortimer]

Flat black applied to wheels last night and masking removed. Looks OK. Will allow to properly harden over the next few days and then install crank pins. Hopefully work will settle down after tommorrow and I can do a proper write up with pictures.

[PhilMortimer]

OK, Time for an update.

 

I'd hoped to get more done on the loco over the Christmas break, but it was not to be. The lead up to Christmas was frantic at work and very little spare time existed. This carried on throughout the holidays, with just a few minutes here and there for modelling. However, during that time, i have been working on the wheels, specifically the balance weights.

 

The kit is supplied with etched balance weights, but like Giles when he built his loco, I didn't feel they gave a good representation of the weights on the actual wheels, which appear to be cast in with the wheel itself. So the etched wights were discarded and the supplied wheels modified by adding Milliput to form the weights. To do this, I first pressed Milliput in between the spokes and then created a form out of plasticard to aid in applying the Milliput to the front of the wheels, to get the correct approximate shape. This is seen in the photo below, with the wheel just extracted from the form after the intial application of Milliput. At this stage, it looks quite rough, but is then set aside for 24 hrs for the Milliput to set hard.

 

WF_Garratt_111 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

And here is a set of 4 wheels after applications.

 

WF_Garratt_112 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

Again, they look very rough at this stage.

 

 

Whilst applying the Milliput to the wheels, I also applied some to the inner stretcher of the power units, to hide the fact that I had to joggle the sandbox supports slightly to accomodate the wheels. Once hardned, this was subsequently filed flat. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of this, but Giles's Mercian Garratt thread shows this clearly. After hardening, the balance weights were carefully sanded flat level with the wheel boss and then shaped with a file. I made a circular template from brass to file the outer edge of the balance weight to the correct diameter and ensure a smooth curve. The front of the finished balance weight was then covered in green marker pen and the positions of the holes in the weights marked out and drilled using the hand powered pillar drill. This gives the following.

 

WF_Garratt_113 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

 

The green colouring on the weights is the remains of the marker pen used to give a base for marking out the hole positions.

 

The wheels were then cleaned, degreased, primed and painted flat black. I actually had to paint the wheels twice, as the first time, I grabbed the tin of gloss black instead of the flat black. Oh well. Sonicating the wheels in some MEK did the trick and resulted in nice clean wheels. It should be noted that MEK has NO effect upon the Nylon wheel centers of Slaters wheels. After the paint had hardened, the wheel treads were cleaned and blackened with gun blue.

 

WF_Garratt_114 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

 

The crankpins then had to be added. As is often reported with Slaters wheels, I discarded the supplied steel 12BA bolts and replaced them with brass countersunk 10BA, for thicker and stronger crankpins. The wheels were tapped 10BA, again using the hand pwered pillar drill, to ensure that the crankpins were at right angles to the direction of wheel rotation. The backs of the wheels were counter-sunk and a countersunk 10BA brass bolt scrwed into the wheel. Just before screwing down tight, some Loctite 242 (Blue) was applied to the threads to ensure they don't unscrew. The brass 10BA bolts were supplied from Eileens and unfortunately they sent over long 1 inch length bolts instead of the 3/8" specified. So the crankpins are overlong at present and need cutting back. But it is better to have overlong than too short.

 

WF_Garratt_115 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

 

Finally, the wheels were re-assembled onto the axles and re-installed in the loco's. At the same time, the wheels were shimmed to elliminate any slop between the wheels and the frames. This is particularly important for the outer wheelset of each power unit, which is located behind the slidebars. Elliminating any sideways play in the axles makes it easier to get the nessecary clearances behind the crosshead as the wheel rotates.

 

So here is the current state of the loco's. Not much apparent change from an earlier picture, but sometimes that's how things are.

 

WF_Garratt_116 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

I now need to drill out the coupling rod retaining bushes to 10BA, in order to fit the rods for testing. However, the loco's currently roll freely as they are at the moment.

 

All of this work has taken quite a bit of time, particularly with having to do 16 individual wheels for two loco's. Some may question if it was worthwhile doing it. However, I think the end result looks much better than what would result using the etched versions supplied in the kit.

 

Further progress will have to wait a few days as I'm in deepest Canada at present, far from the loco's themselves.

 

 

It just remains for me to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a better 2017.

 

PM

Edited July 2, 2017 by PhilMortimer

[Giles]

Very well worth the effort!!! And they will be magnificent when they get there.....

 

Incidentally, I tapped my crankpin bushes out 10BA (they are already the right size for tapping) rather than opening out the hole - which saved more space, and seemed to work fine.

 

A very happy New Year to you!

[Simond]

Hi Phil,

 

Reading your latest post I thought "I must tell him that I always tap my crankpin bushes 10BA, rather than using a clearance hole and a nut", but I see Giles beat me to it!

 

I normally file a pair of flats on the flange of the bush, but I have seen posts by people who are clever enough to drill a pair of holes in the face, and make a matching peg spanner. I made myself a little socket to tighten them. I guess it depends on what the real one looked like, and the dreaded lack of clearance behind the crosshead.

 

HNY!

Simon

[PhilMortimer]

Sorry,

 

Meant to say tapped rather than drilled, for the crankpin bushes. No excuse, just an error that crept in whilst writing. As Giles and Simon mentioned, the idea is to reverse the bush and tighten it against the wheel face, thus winning some much needed clearance be hind the slide bars. I will do this when I get home. I like the idea of making a spanner or box wrench to tighten up the bushes. Must think about trying that one and see if it is possible without machine tools.

 

HNY to you all.

Edited January 1, 2017 by PhilMortimer

[Simond]

Phil,

 

You may need a 10BA washer between the rod and wheel face or there may be some interference with the wheel hub.

 

It's dead easy to make the spanner without machine tools. Take a bit of suitable brass rod, say 4mm or 4.5mm diameter, saw a couple of slots across the end and then file it out to about 2.5mm wide. If you can, drill a hole 2mm in the end to provide a clearance for over-long crankpin (not an inch!!). File the legs down so that the recess is about 1.5mm deep. This will work, but is not easy to use. Find a bit of K&S tube that slides nicely over the brass rod, and solder it on so that it's flush at the end. Job done.

 

If you have a pin chuck, it's easy to file the flange on the bushes - file one side, flip it over & rest on a flat surface, file the other side to be parallel.

 

And one more trick that might help. Get a bit of 10 thou plasticard & make a bush-sized hole through it. Put your bush through the coupling rod, then through the plasticard, and then rub it down to length on a bit of emery/wet&dry stuck to a board. If it's loads too long, it might be easier to file it down a bit first.

 

best

Simon

[PhilMortimer]

I usually use a piece of 5 thou brass to file down the crankpin bush. Gives a working clearance without excessive slop. Probably as a matter of course, I will put a 10BA washer between the coupling rod and wheel face, just to prevent potential problems. Nice idea re the crankpin bush spanner. Will try that. Usually I will just use a pair of long nosed pliers, which although crude, can be surprisingly effective. But this sounds like a much more elegant solution. I've seen David's peg spanner. Very elegant, but not sure I can make one with the tools available to me.

 

ATB

[Simond]

Hi Phil.

 

Re use of pliers to tighten them, guilty as charged, m'lord.

 

I'm going to have a go at the proper peg spanner and drilled flanges, one day, but the GW used something that looks very much like a 2-flat nut, with a cotter pin to lock it, so my simple-but-effective approach is not "very bad". All I need to do is add the cotter pins, but I suspect the hollow crankpin is beyond me!

 

I did have to do something similar on my 1366 pannier, where the crosshead clearance was so little that it was impossible to have even an 0.5mm flange - I counterbored the rod to provide a recess for the flange, and cut two sawcuts in it, allowing tightening with a pair of tweezers.

 

Best

Simon

[Guest Isambarduk]

"After the paint had hardened, the wheel treads were cleaned and blackened with gun blue."
 
I have found it much easier to cut thin strips of Tamiya masking tape and to wrap them onto the treads.  After painting, I just peel the tape away to leave bright treads with clean edges against the rim.
 

 
"It's dead easy to make the spanner without machine tools."
 
I made a set of useful sizes from various socket head screws :-) 
 
The peg spanner is another useful dodge for threaded top hat bushes (see here: www.davidlosmith.co.uk/Model-Parts.htm#TopHatCrankpinBushes)
 

 

David

[PhilMortimer]

Thanks David,

 

Yes, I wrap the treads (and flanges) with strips of masking tape, but in this case there was some seepage under the edges and the rims needed a clean. Still, it allowed me to re blacken the wheels.

 

I love the peg spanner. I knew it'd seen it before somewhere, but it's good to see it again. Not sure if I can make one with the tools available to me though (no machine tools or dividing attachment).

 

12 hr drive tommorrow. What fun.

[Marshall5]

I don't know if it's of any interest but I just came across this image of the Baddesley Colliery Garratt in my collection.  BTW it looks kinda chilly where you are as well - I'm in Idaho at present, -5F this morning and 15" of snow but full sun!

Cheers,

Ray.

[Giles]

That's a very good photo - and one I've never seen before..... Thank you very much for showings us!

[PhilMortimer]

Thank you Ray,

 

That is definitely a new one for me. It shows the working condition of the loco, I presume towards the end of it's working life with the NCB. l looking at the stains on the boiler, it appears to have had dome priming issues?

 

Hope you are enjoying Idaho. Its a lovely part of the world. My wife's head office is in Montana (next door) and so we both go to the Northwest quote often. Check out the GN 441 loco at the Issac Walton Inn, in Essex, MT. Cold here today as well. Currently 23F and dropping, probably down to 10F tonight, but with very little snow. However, was flipping cold at 7am when I had to go and put the hay out!

 

Cheers,

 

PM

Edited January 7, 2017 by PhilMortimer

[Marshall5]

Glad that the photo is useful - sorry I don't have a date for it but, as you say, probably towards the end of its life.  Regarding the lime stains on the boiler I'm leaning to a leak on the top feed.  I seem to think that Railway Bylines did a photo article on the Baddesley Garratt a year or so back but I can't check the index until I get back to the Island. 

  23F - I wish!  It was - 11F here in Boise last night and I've just dug out the drive and sidewalk ... again.

Cheers.

Ray.

[PhilMortimer]

Having looked at the picture, yes, I think you're right, it's a leak at the top feed. Have yet to solder mine on (and I'm missing one anyhow).

 

We had some -ve digit temperatures last week, when back home in Canada. Because it's so dry at that temperature, I often find that it doesen't feel super cold if you're busy working outside. If there is a wind, it's a different matter.......... However, down here in MD, the air is much more humid and I feel the cold far more. Either that, or I'm getting soft.

 

Again, many thanks for the photo - very atmospheric.

 

Phil

[PhilMortimer]

WF_Garratt_117 by Phil Mortimer, on Flickr

 

Spot the difference? No, it's not that my desk / workbench is tidier than normal!

 

The garratts and I have had a bit of an adverserial relationship. We have been balefully eyeballing each other for the past few weeks and like all things, one occaisionally has to take a rest and step back to get some perspective back. I had hoped to make more progress over the Christmas Hostilities Festivities period, but to be perfectly honest, my mojo was somewhat lacking. Never-the-less, the break from slogging away at the locos was obviously good for me, because yesterday I fitted the coupling rods. It doesen't sound like much, but a fair amount of work was involved, espescially with 2 loco's and four individual chassis.

 

Yesterday was flipping cold. It was around 10F and blowing a gale. Unnesecary outdoors work did not appeal, Diane was preparing for a work meeting and Canyon was happily munching away at his hay bale, which to him is far more important / interesting than working. So it was the perfect day to fit the coupling rods. You may remember way back in this saga that the couppling rods had been assembled and polished and opened out to accept slaters crankpin bushes. Using the coupling rods and an axle jig, the axle bearings were soldered into the frames and thus the spacing of the bearings should match that of the couplings rods. bearing in mind the trouble that I'd had with these chassis, today was going to be the day to see if it worked. In short, it did and all chassis roll just fine. For each rod, one of the bushes was filed down until just proud of the coupling rod. This and the other bush were then tapped 10BA and screwed down onto the crankpin (yes, I used my long nosed pliers again - Crude, but it works - sorry guys!), trapping the rod on the wheels, but with just sufficient clearance to enable the rod to rotate, but with little slop. The bush is reversed, so the brim is on the outside of the rod, thus trapping it. The shorter of the two bushes is installed closest to the cylinders to allow clearance so that it can rotate behind the slidebars and crosshead. The other bushing remains at standard lengh as it has to also accomodate the connecting rod on the same crankpin. The overlong crankpins were then nipped off and filed flush with the bushings, ensuring that the bushings can be unscrewed if nessecary. All four chassis run very smoothly, which is a bloody miracle considering the issues I had with setting up the frames. There is a hint of stiffness at one point in the rotational cycle of the hind unit of one of the loco's, but I think that is due to a slight cusp on one of the bushings, which needs removing and polishing smooth.If it's a real problem, i can always make a new one.

 

So there we are. Both loco's now roll smoothly and having the wheels and rods on now enables me to get on with finishing the cylinders and slidebars. For this, I need to drill out the cylinder end castings and fabricate a new set of slidebars, as the castings supplied are in my opinion not sufficiently good for use. I intend to use some N/S strip to make a replacement set. I also intend to replace the cast piston rod with some 1.5mm dia N/S rod, which should give a much smoother sliding actions. So quite a bit of work is required before the rest of the valve gear can be fitted. One thing that I need to work out is if the wheels can be removed with the slidebars fitted, as this will affect when the frames are painted. Ideally, I would like to fit the slidebars and the cylinder ends prior to painting, soldering the cylinder ends from the inside of the cylinders to keep things clean, and then adding the cylinder covers. However, I will need to test this and this will require fabrication of the slidebars first.

 

Watch this space!

Edited July 2, 2017 by PhilMortimer