Warren Branch

[chuffinghell]

Looking at other photos it appears the rope is either attached in the middle

 

 

or both sides

 

 

of the ‘tie bar’

 

is either one acceptable? as attaching the rope in the centre will prove to be far easier

 

 

[57xx]

As you have evidence of both styles, do what works best for you, no one can say it is wrong.

(well they can, but you are then at liberty to tell them to do one with just cause)

[chuffinghell]

Is it normal to wonder if anyone would be interested in buying your layout when (if it’s ever) finished so you can do something else?

 

As my eyes deteriorate I’m becoming more interested in 7mm narrow gauge or dare I say it O gauge of all things

[lmsforever]

Agree about O gauge saw a lovely layout yesterday just what I could do with ,saw it at Risex  good show.

[Stubby47]

The thing is with 7mm, is you need to add more detail, so you end up with the same issue of eyes not working well enough to see the bits you need to add.

[MrWolf]

13 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

The thing is with 7mm, is you need to add more detail, so you end up with the same issue of eyes not working well enough to see the bits you need to add.

 

The absence of detail is far more noticeable in the larger scales than the smaller ones. The only advantage really is that the models are easier to put on the track. 

You're going to have to model the half inch hexagon nuts and bolts as they come in at 0.8mm and are quite visible!

 

 

Edited February 19, 2023 by MrWolf
Really Stupid autocorrect

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

 

The absence of detail is far more noticeable in the larger scales than the smaller ones. The only advantage really is that the models are easier to put on the track. 

You're going to have to model the half inch hexagon nuts and bolts as they come in at 0.8mm and are quite visible!

 

 

 

Might just be easier to get more powerful glasses to be honest Chris. I suspect it'll certainly be cheaper.

[simonmcp]

Chris, I'm nearly 60😲, I found all I needed was sufficient light not better glasses. I have a multi LED Anglepoise light over my workbench. Still not sure I could produce models to your high standards though. Keep up the good work, I really enjoy your thread.

[chuffinghell]

1 hour ago, Stubby47 said:

The thing is with 7mm, is you need to add more detail, so you end up with the same issue of eyes not working well enough to see the bits you need to add.

Never thought of that….N gauge it is then 🤪

[Rowsley17D]

15 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

Never thought of that….N gauge it is then 🤪

 

Or how about TT?

[Graham T]

Z!

 

[MrWolf]

10 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

 

Or how about TT?

 

Great, but the ferry over to the island is bloody expensive!

[Fishplate]

Hi Chris,

 

In addition to glasses, I use an LED magnifying lamp that clamps to my table. It has helped me with detail items for modelling in 4mm, repairing/ servicing and in my hobby job. 

 

I'm away at the moment but can let you know make/ model if you are interested.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Fishplate
Missed a bit. . . .

[Gedward]

I moved up to 7mm for similar reasons Chris. I agree that there's no happy medium, but I'm loving the new scale as I want to be able to add more detail.

BTW, I use one of those head magnifiers when adding small details and a very good LED desk lamp. 

 

[Gedward]

14 hours ago, Gedward said:

BTW, I use one of those head magnifiers when adding small details

 

These are extremely useful for detail work. You can swap out lenses for different magnification. The magnifiers fixed on a stand are good for stamp collecting and jewellery making, but I find these much more comfortable, like wearing glasses.

 

 

[Gedward]

 

I've been asked a couple of times how the bricks are made?

 

1. A mould is created out of styrene strips, using various widths of strip to create a 'channel' which will be the depth and height of the brick.

2. This channel is then filled with dental plaster and scraped off and allowed to dry.

3. Then the dry strip of plaster is removed from the mould. And chopped up with a sharp blade into brick lengths. All bricks are used including any broken ones.

4. Using PVA, the bricks are laid to match the required bond pattern.

5. The bricks are painted in various shades. I use oil but acrylic paints will work just as well.

6. A mixture made from fine tile grout and weathering powder is sprinkled in the gaps for mortar. Then water is misted over the wall.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Gedward

[Winslow Boy]

Thought I'd post these from this morning's walk.

 

They're of a bridge on the Bury, Bolton & Manchester canal. It's just below the Meccano Bridge and the flight of locks.

 

Edited February 24, 2023 by Winslow Boy

[57xx]

On 21/02/2023 at 08:29, Gedward said:

 

These are extremely useful for detail work. You can swap out lenses for different magnification. The magnifiers fixed on a stand are good for stamp collecting and jewellery making, but I find these much more comfortable, like wearing glasses.

 

 

 

This is what I was going to suggest after reading Chris's post. I have one with a built in LED light, makes working on models so much easier.

[chuffinghell]

7 minutes ago, 57xx said:

 

This is what I was going to suggest after reading Chris's post. I have one with a built in LED light, makes working on models so much easier.

I admit that I do have one similar with a LED light build in and it does help, although it was only a cheap ‘n’ nasty one so maybe I need to invest in one that’s better quality

[57xx]

This is the one I have, Chris:

Headband Magnifier

 

 

[chuffinghell]

19 minutes ago, 57xx said:

This is the one I have, Chris:

Headband Magnifier

 

 

looks like a good one

[johnhutnick]

The magnifying headset shown by Gedward is an Optivisor.  The typical lenses are from 2x to 5x.  There is also available a hinged auxiliary lens to move in front of the regular lens for added magnification.  You can change out your lens plate.  However, this is a slow process, not something that you might do for each time you are viewing a part of a project.  Typically you may need more than one Optivisor.  If only one, for me 3x is best.

As far as alternate brands, please look at BBC programs showing art restoration.  Paintings can be 100,000 GBP or higher.  They all use Optivisors.

[MAP66]

After many trials with various optical aids, I too ended up with the Optivisor and can also vouch for how good it is for when needed for the fine detail stuff, that’s how I am able to do things like this in 4mm scale...

 

 

Its extremely comfortable to wear with no need to remove it when not needed, just flip up the visor instead and carry on modelling. I wear it over my normal glasses with no problems. In fact, I often forget I am wearing it and have walked around the house with it still on my head. Our postman is no longer alarmed when I answer the door still wearing it. He just gives a smirk and I think, not again 😄

[Gedward]

6 hours ago, johnhutnick said:

If only one, for me 3x is best

 

Yep 3x is the most useful. After that the useful focus is very limited and is literally a pain in the neck. 😀

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Gedward

[Stubby47]

Another idea is to buy a cheap pair of 3.5 reading glasses, and use those together with your normal ones.