S7 scratch building

[airnimal]

I have not been at the workbench for a while due to family matters. I did do a small amount last night and put the end stanchions on the second wagon body. I use oversize evergreen section and then file back to the size required which is tapered in section towards the top.

The wagon on the left has had the stanchions done with the one on the right still to do.

Tomorrow I will be going to the G.O.G show at Doncaster by train with my good buddy Peter so I hope the trains operators have got the new timetable sorted out. The news at dinner time did not look promising.

I have got a small list of things to buy so I am looking for a good day out with hopefully a meal and a couple of pints as well as meeting lots of old friends.

[sir douglas]

did you have a nice day at the dome?

[airnimal]

Thank you Sir Douglas, yes we had a very good day at the dome and travelling their and back on the Cleethorpe train from Stockport. I had to apologize to several women for my good friend who is always outrageous but they took it all in good heart. I bought lots of bits and pieces but it still came to over £80.00. I meet lots of interesting people and saw lots of good modelling and when I got home the 3D printed axleboxes that have been on order from before Christmas had arrived not in the red resin as expected but in clear resin. I will not be able to get these painted for a few days but at least they are there when I get the time.

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Mike,

 

It was great to meet up with you at Doncaster today and to see more of your wagons in the flesh. Yours are of a standard that I aspire to.

 

PS thanks again for the J79 bit's I will make use of them.

[airnimal]

Rob, thanks for the kind words. It was a pleasure to see you work with your new technology. I wish I was a bit younger to learn these new techniques but I will have to carry on with hand tools that I have been doing for the last 50 years. I am sorry I didn't keep the patterns for the J79 as promised.

Both my friend and myself were mighty impressed with you wife's wonderful painting, a truly great gift.

Roll on Telford.

[DLT]

Some great modelling here, I must find time to go through the whole thread.

Many thanks, Dave.

[airnimal]

3D printed axleboxes and springs galore !

[juliant99]

Hi,

 

What is the source of the 3D printed axle boxes and springs? I presume they are LNWR grease axle boxes?

 

Best wishes

Julian

[airnimal]

Julian99, they were produced by Chase 3D Ltd. after I paid for the design to be done by Justin Newitt from Rumney Models who the past the file to Alan Buttler are Modelu who printed some test pieces. They was an issue with the letters on the front of the axleboxes so Justin corrected the lettering and Alan Buttler asked Chase 3D to do the numbers that I needed. They were done with a slot in the back to go with my own etch w-irons which has a corresponding slot to allow a small amount movement or springing if necessary.

Yes they L.N.W.R axleboxes with two types of spring, 8ton and 10ton.

Having paid for the design to be done I suppose I technically own the copyright.

[wagonman]

Julian99, they were produced by Chase 3D Ltd. after I paid for the design to be done by Justin Newitt from Rumney Models who the past the file to Alan Buttler are Modelu who printed some test pieces. They was an issue with the letters on the front of the axleboxes so Justin corrected the lettering and Alan Buttler asked Chase 3D to do the numbers that I needed. They were done with a slot in the back to go with my own etch w-irons which has a corresponding slot to allow a small amount movement or springing if necessary.

Yes they L.N.W.R axleboxes with two types of spring, 8ton and 10ton.

Having paid for the design to be done I suppose I technically own the copyright.

 

 

Indeed you do own the copyright. Any thoughts of marketing to other interested model makers as I'm sure they are better than any of the commercial offerings for sale?

 

How did the sales of the brake van kit go?

 

 

Richard 

[airnimal]

Wagonman, I do appreciate that other people may want these axleboxes but how do I go about selling them ? Having made two complete wagon kits and made the patterns for 12 others for other people do I want to get involved and become a small supplier again. As I have said on here before the first wagon kit sold out within 3 months and with only word of mouth and the brake van I still have some left after 5 years and that including a mention in both the L.N.W.R society and S7 newsletters. Now I sold both these kits at cost without any profit to myself because I and a few friends wanted these wagons and I did the pattern making myself but this time with the axleboxes I have had to pay for the design to be done for me because the technology is beyond me. If I was going to recoup my design costs I would have to sell them a hefty price or put a small amount on them and sell thousands. I could sell them with just a small mark up but then I would be subsidizing other peoples modelling.

The axleboxes have a slot on the back to correspond with my own etched w-irons so would I have to supply those as well ?

I had these etch w-irons etched in 2005 and the cost to me at that time was £2.50 per wagon. What would the cost be now.

I use to be able to build a wagon for about £10 or £11 each but now paying for other people to do some design work for me with this new technology I calculate this has risen to about £23.50 each. Still cheaper than buying wagon kits.

[airnimal]

The price I quoted in the last post of £23.50 was for a scratch built wagon was using new parts obtained at today's prices, the £10 or £11 was for wagons built now with parts bought 30 odd years ago. The brake vans cost me £46 to produce the kit plus £10 for wheels. Other bits were £8 for screw couplings and £4 for the etched plates making a grand total of £64 plus paint and other bits.

I don't mind selling the parts I have produced for myself but I do not want to be left with boxes of unsold bits or kits now I am on the old age pension.

The mention in the S7 newsletter resulted in one sale, and 5 in the L.N.W.R society newsletter.

[Poggy1165]

One option (if you want to be bothered) would be to upload your "bits" onto Shapeways. As far as I know - and I stand to be corrected - Shapeways then effectively acts as your agent, and there should be minimum hassle.

 

Having said that, I can quite understand why you wouldn't want to do this as it will not make your rich and there is always a chance of becoming an "Aunt Sally" given how many entitled people there are out there nowadays.

[juliant99]

airnimal, thanks for your post about the axle boxes and springs. I have made tentative first steps at learning 3d modelling so that I can venture into the world of 3d printing. I have started with a grease axle box and maybe one day it will be finished! Out of interest which diagram brake van kit have you got in stock? Julian

Edited June 5, 2018 by juliant99

[airnimal]

Poggy1165, I have no objections to other people using the files but I haven't any knowledge on how to go these things. I am a Luddite at heart and struggle to use the most basic of technology.

juliant99, I hope you get the hang of 3D modelling as I am sure it the way forward but for old bloke like me it is to late.

The brake van is a Dia16, the standard van from 1870's to 1904. It has featured quite a lot on my posts including the very first post I made on here about 18 months ago.

[wagonman]

Poggy1165, I have no objections to other people using the files but I haven't any knowledge on how to go these things. I am a Luddite at heart and struggle to use the most basic of technology.

juliant99, I hope you get the hang of 3D modelling as I am sure it the way forward but for old bloke like me it is to late.

The brake van is a Dia16, the standard van from 1870's to 1904. It has featured quite a lot on my posts including the very first post I made on here about 18 months ago.

 

 

Several people on here have Shapeways "shops" so could give you advice (pro and con). I could run the advert again – and indeed buy a kit off you. I'll contact you off group for that!

 

Richard

[Guy Rixon]

I agree with using Shapeways as a printing agent, it works well for many designers. It goes like this:

 

1. Designer creates a free account at Shapeways.

 

2. Designer uploads some models to Shapeways. These are retained by Shapeways under the designer's name but not exposed to public view. Designer can order prints of these models for himself. Shapeways set the prices for these prints according to size and material, incorporating their profit margin (which shows up as "handling charge" in the break-down of costs; it's not huge).

 

3. Designer turns selected models into "products": a product is just a model with a web page that could be shown to customers (but products are hidden until the designer chooses to reveal them). Designer sets his own profit margin each product which is added to Shapeways' base price. Default margin is zero, and margins can be adjusted by the designer at any time.

 

4. Designer opens a Shapeways "Shop", which is just a home page for his range that links automatically to his products. At this point the products become visible to the public.

 

5. Customers buy prints through the shop and pay Shapeways, who tally the designer's margin and give the money over to the designer whenever it reaches a sensible amount (EUR30 IIRC).

 

At no point does the designer have to be involved in production or supply of prints or handling of customers' money.

 

All the set-up is done by through Shapeways' web-site and it's fairly easy now (their site used to be much harder to use for designers).

 

EDIT: if airnimal wants to make the prints available without profiting from them, I'd be happy to put them in my Shapeways shop (link in my signature) at zero margin and with proper attribution.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Guy Rixon

[airnimal]

Blimey that sounds a bit long winded to old bloke like me. I am sure it is very straight forward but I have a lot going on with family matters at present and will be going to stay with my eldest daughter for a few weeks on Sunday. I still have a bit of time untill then so I painted some of my axleboxes today. I mess up the first batch by spraying them with satin black rather than matt black so had to go over them with a thin coat of matt. This has resulted in the loss of detail somewhat on the springs.

It is hard to see in the photo's but they don't look to bad in the flesh.

Edited June 7, 2018 by airnimal

[juliant99]

Hi airnimal, your completed wagons are looking really very good. I like them a lot. I have sent you a private message regarding your D16 brake van kit. Not sure if you have seen it, but I am interested in purchasing one.

 

Best wishes

Julian

[airnimal]

juliant99, thanks for your kind comments but I do not know how one access private messages.

I was smiling at my dear mother in the 1970's for not able to use a phone because she came from a farming back in the 1930's and here am I in the twenty first century not able to use modern technology now. I know which I prefer.

[juliant99]

airnimal, not to worry! If you scroll to the top of the page, you will hopefully see your username at the top of the screen on the right hand side. If you click on the little down arrow next to your username a dialogue pops up, and 'Personal Messenger' is one of the options - click on that and you will hopefully see my message. From there I hope it will be clear.

 

If not I was just asking how to go about purchasing a kit, but thought a private message would be more appropriate for discussing payment/postage details.

 

Best wishes

Julian

[Krusty]

It is hard to see in the photo's but they don't look to bad in the flesh.

 

 

 

The cattle wagon is absolutely gorgeous.

[airnimal]

Julian, many thanks for the help on personal messages, I now have another string to my bow. I will not reply to a lot of them because most are time related but I have answered the ones that are more relevant.

Krusty, I am pleased you like the cattle van. It still needs number plates and all the small lettering doing but I think it does look a lot better with the axleboxes and springs fitted.

I fitted the 4 plank open with the same combination this morning.

Again awaiting number plates and other lettering.

[Poggy1165]

I'd just like to let you know that your example has encouraged me (possibly one of the slowest and laziest modellers on Planet Earth) to start scratch building a 7mm scale CLC cattle van. This afternoon I have put together the floor, solebars and headstocks. A long way to go, and even more detailing to do. I don't expect the end result to be anywhere near these exalted standards, but at least I am having a try.

 

(As one of my teachers used to say "very trying".)

[airnimal]

Wow, that is fantastic I am so glad you have taken the plunge. I started over 50 years ago and they were mostly rubbish but I persisted and keep going. Don't be afraid to scrap bits of plastic because that's all they are, bits of plastic. Keep things square and keep checking as you go along, count the number of strokes when scoring plank lines. I only ever score twice and very lightly. Remove all the burrs and clean out any lines with an old toothbrush or wire brush. Cattle vans are probably the hardest wagon to build because the sides tend to fold inwards. Mekpak is very aggressive and has a tendency to warp but Limonene is more gentle but slower to set.

Good luck and post your results.