RMweb Premium DLT Posted June 24, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 24, 2017 Struggling with vacuum pipes at the moment, the whitemetal ones supplied in the kits are usually pretty poor castings. Cosmetically the best ones I've found are the Branchlines brass castings, but they are too hard and break when you try to bend the pipes. I've tried annealing them (on my gas barbecue) but it doesn't seem to make any difference, they still break. Please can anyone recommend a source of decent looking vacuum pipes for locos? Cheers, Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 ... the best ones I've found are the Branchlines brass castings, but they are too hard and break when you try to bend the pipes. I've tried annealing them (on my gas barbecue) but it doesn't seem to make any difference, they still break.... I'm not sure that cast brass can be annealed like sheet brass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrg1 Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 I use Guy William's and Iain Rice's method described in their books of the pipe made of wire, and bound with very fine wire. Quick and simple-and cheap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Daddyman Posted June 25, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 25, 2017 With a cast pipe, saw off the bit that you want to bend, preferably just below at the representation of the strapping that attaches the pipe to the bufferbeam on the real thing, and then drill a hole up into the casting. This hole will take a piece of wire that will then represent the bent part of the pipe. Use vernier callipers on the upright on the original pipe to gauge its diameter, and choose a piece of wire of the same thickness - 0.8mm if memory serves. You can anneal this wire to your heart's content. You can also nick it with a triangular file if you need to create right-angle bends. You can just about see it here: The thickness of the bracket casting should give your drill bit some "land" to work with. Failing that, drill the casting 0.5mm, stuff wire up the hole, and then use capillary tube (0.8 or 0.9OD with 0.5ID) for the bent bit. I use LRM pipes, but the ones I use are designed for NER locos, and I'm not sure if they're suitable for southern locos. Another method, cheating a bit, is to cut off the cast pipe as above, solder it to the b.beam, and simply butt-join the piece of wire you need to bend up to the casting, soldering it somewhere suitable and far enough away from the casting so as not to de-solder it. I did this on my D20. It took quite a bit of work as I did de-solder the casting quite a few times, but with perseverance and swearing I got there in the end.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 How about Markits turned brass vacuum or steam heating pipes ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Michael Edge Posted June 25, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 25, 2017 Struggling with vacuum pipes at the moment, the whitemetal ones supplied in the kits are usually pretty poor castings. Cosmetically the best ones I've found are the Branchlines brass castings, but they are too hard and break when you try to bend the pipes. I've tried annealing them (on my gas barbecue) but it doesn't seem to make any difference, they still break. Please can anyone recommend a source of decent looking vacuum pipes for locos? Cheers, Dave. I find that if you heat the cast ones red hot and allow to cool they bend quite well, preferably only once as the brass will work harden again. Gibson do some cast brass vac and steam heat pipes as well, otherwise I wind my own from 36swg wire round .8mm brass wire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 How about Markits turned brass vacuum or steam heating pipes ? Probably a bit too coarse / overscale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted June 25, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted June 25, 2017 Hi Gents, thanks for all the suggestions on vac-pipes. I have had the same breaking problems with the Romford version. Something I have done previously with the Branchlines castings is to solder the detailed bit to brass wire that WILL bend, as Daddyman suggests. I did it by filing the cast rod to half thickness, and the brass wire similarly, then soldered them together to make a lap-joint. Just looked up the Iain Rice method and that looks good as well. However I was looking for something a little less labour-intensive! I will give it a try, and also get some of the Gibson cast brass version. I've used their Westinghouse air pipes, and they bent without breaking. Thanks again, Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham_Muz Posted July 3, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 3, 2017 Dave's excellent E5x build found it its way to Canute Road Quay at the weekend. 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
number6 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Is that an ugly duckling just to the right? Been quiet - and unhelpful - about vac pipes as I've been in the West of Ireland [repeat to self: I am not doing Tralee and Dingle, I am not doing Tralee and Dingle]. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham_Muz Posted July 3, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 3, 2017 Is that an ugly duckling just to the right? It's one of Southampton's infamous Herring gulls... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Is that an ugly duckling just to the right? .... Looks like an apparition in yellow and green Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted July 3, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 3, 2017 I've been in the West of Ireland [repeat to self: I am not doing Tralee and Dingle, I am not doing Tralee and Dingle]. How's your Tralee and Dingle layout coming along? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 3, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2017 .... I am not doing Tralee and Dingle, I am not doing Tralee and Dingle Once you are hooked, there's no going back.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 3, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 3, 2017 Thanks very much for hosting the E5X Graham, nice to see it on a 4mm scale background at last. Must get on and finish it! Cheers, Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
number6 Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Well I definitely not doing that monorail thingy... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 4, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 4, 2017 Well I definitely not doing that monorail thingy... Well I suppose that doesn't really count as "narrow gauge"... http://www.lartiguemonorail.com/history.php Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Well I definitely not doing that monorail thingy... Ah go on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
number6 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 That would be an ecumenical matter... I sat through the film show they have at the Listowel museum for the Lartigue. The first 5 minutes was slides of the museum displays we'd just walked around admiring and one was definitely a photo of the film show. I was told yesterday the Tralee is too wide for 'proper' narrow gauge... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 That would be an ecumenical matter... I sat through the film show they have at the Listowel museum for the Lartigue. The first 5 minutes was slides of the museum displays we'd just walked around admiring and one was definitely a photo of the film show. ...... Hang on, they were showing you a film of a...film? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
number6 Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 a film of THE film. Caveat: I love Ireland. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 10, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 10, 2017 (edited) Right, getting back to the loco, sorry for the delays. I've finished the lining marathon, stripped down the chassis and blackened & painted it. On to final assembly and weathering now. Photos when its finished! Sorted the vac-pipes issue by soldering the top bit of the Branchlines casting to a length of brass wire (annealed on the gas barbecue) by filing both to half-round and creating a lap-joint. Fiddly, but not as fiddly as it sounds. Cheers, Dave. PS just knocked one of the front lampirons off..... Edited July 10, 2017 by DLT Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 12, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 12, 2017 (edited) Pretty much finished at last, although theres still a few small bits to attach here and there. Anyway, time for some photos. Edited September 5, 2022 by DLT 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
number6 Posted July 12, 2017 Share Posted July 12, 2017 Its been a pretty amazing day for me so far [okay technically yesterday] but this just takes the biscuit! Thank you so much Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DLT Posted July 12, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 12, 2017 (edited) A couple more photos: The boiler backhead, leaning against the wall of the (7mm Scale) shed And the cabside showing the Westinghouse pump. That's enough for tonight, Cheers, Dave. Edited September 5, 2022 by DLT 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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