chaz Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 S&D do a nice range of tools in 7mm. AB4 and AB27 carpentry sets should give you what you need. I have just received figures and tools from them for my ng loco and really pleased with detail and casting quality, and only took a few days to arrive. http://www.sanddmodels.co.uk/ Leigh Thanks for that link, very useful. Just had a look at the online catalogue - nice stuff - I also like AB30 - leg vice. I feel a purchase coming on..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Hi Chaz, IMO it looks better with the small hut removed especially as you are going to add some general clutter and such like. The shelter for the saw looks very neat! Alan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warspite Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Oh, very nice Chaz. Excellent little cameo. Agree, though, it's probably better without the wooden shed if you can relocate it. Stephen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Hi Chaz, IMO it looks better with the small hut removed especially as you are going to add some general clutter and such like. The shelter for the saw looks very neat! Alan. Thanks Alan. Some colouring, a few details and it will be set in place. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted January 30, 2013 Author Share Posted January 30, 2013 Oh, very nice Chaz. Excellent little cameo. Agree, though, it's probably better without the wooden shed if you can relocate it. Stephen Thanks Stephen, and the wooden shed already has a new home.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Peter and I agreed that we needed a couple of short lengths of railings for the end of the bridge #4. Here's the first piece.... When we discussed it Peter was keen on the hooped-top type of railing. A narrow strip of brass was drilled 0.7mm for the stanchions. Then soldered to a second strip and drilled through so that the holes matched. Hooped tops formed by bending the 0.7mm nickel silver wire around the shank of a drill bit (Drill bit set into a piece of wood with just the shank showing to hold it). support stanchions are 1mm diameter wire. Golly, am I glad that only a very short length is needed - this one is the longer of the two and is about 50mm long. It was not a quick job.... 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 link Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Peter and I agreed that we needed a couple of short lengths of railings for the end of the bridge #4. Here's the first piece.... When we discussed it Peter was keen on the hooped-top type of railing. A narrow strip of brass was drilled 0.7mm for the stanchions. Then soldered to a second strip and drilled through so that the holes matched. Hooped tops formed by bending the 0.7mm nickel silver wire around the shank of a drill bit (Drill bit set into a piece of wood with just the shank showing to hold it). support stanchions are 1mm diameter wire. Golly, am I glad that only a very short length is needed - this one is the longer of the two and is about 50mm long. It was not a quick job.... Hi Chaz, It might have not been a quick job but it certainly looks the business, and it's these small additions that are making your layout come to life. Regards, Martyn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Hi Chaz, It might have not been a quick job but it certainly looks the business, and it's these small additions that are making your layout come to life. Regards, Martyn. Thank you Martyn. Have a look at the posting below to see the two sets of railings fitted to the end of the bridge. I must agree that it's the small details that make the layout come to life - as soon as Peter saw the railings in place he said that this small addition gave a "human scale" to the bridge. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 A couple of photos of bridge #4 with the girders sprayed grey..... Another picture of the bridge with the wooden shed relocated from the factory yard visible in its possible new position... And finally two snaps showing the railings fitted, although not yet painted... Chaz 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev_Lewis Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Those railings really do look the business. The quality of your modelling is top draw, Chaz. Keep up the great work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) Those railings really do look the business. The quality of your modelling is top draw, Chaz. Keep up the great work! Thankyou Kev', for the most encouraging comments. The most satisfying thing for me this morning was that, having finished the railings to dimensions taken from the bridge, when Peter arrived and put the span in place (he had taken it away to work on it) I was able to make them fit against the end piers with just a little trimming needed. It doesn't always work out that way.... Chaz Edited January 31, 2013 by chaz 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted February 1, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2013 Those railings are superb. Are you tempted to add a small boy with his head stuck? Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 (edited) Those railings are superb. Are you tempted to add a small boy with his head stuck? Don Thanks Don. Trickiest bit (as you might well realise) was drilling the strips. A few bits of brass went into the scrap bin. "Are you tempted to add a small boy with his head stuck?" I did suggest this to Peter, but he didn't seem too impressed with the idea. Now, if I can find a good 1:43 fire engine.......maybe not. Chaz PS - I really must sign off now.....got some weeds to plant.... Edited February 1, 2013 by chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc smith Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 "Are you tempted to add a small boy with his head stuck?" I did suggest this to Peter, but he didn't seem too impressed with the idea. Now, if I can find a good 1:43 fire engine.......maybe not. Chaz PS - I really must sign off now.....got some weeds to plant.... I think that would be a nice cameo Chaz Or maybe a young spotter, attempting to climb over the railings, to get a better view / photo Perhaps running from a foreman, who is shaking his fist? .... Oh, wait a moment - that was me! and so was the boy with his head stuck in the railings Looking great Chaz A real masterpiece 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Hi Chaz, So there's no chance of you building me several feet of the railings then . . . I'll duck now! Alan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 Hi Chaz, So there's no chance of you building me several feet of the railings then . . . I'll duck now! Alan. It might not be wise to build your hopes up, Alan. A couple of small jobs.... In the foreground three bundles of steel rods for the rack in the factory yard. Behind is a modified Peco stop block. The steel rods are lengths of Plastruct rod welded together with solvent. I painted them with Humbrol Metalcote 27003. I gave this a good stir and then tried to paint the white plastic. Horror! It wouldn't stick but just slid along on the brush leaving a lumpy mess here and there. In desperation I got another brush charged with white spirit to clean it off. Success, the thick paint thinned out and flowed beautifully, covering in just one coat. I allowed the paint to dry overnight and then produced the metallic look by polishing the surface with a brush. then I added some randomly applied rust colour, well thinned. I replaced the plastic beam of the Peco stop block with a wooden one. The 0.5mm brass wire fixed in the centre of the beam is there to lift the loop of a Dingham coupling. If a loco is driven too hard towards the siding end the loop would hit the beam very hard and might be mangled - the wire ramp will lift it safely over, leaving the buffers to do their job. I reasoned that this wire is no more obtrusive than the couplings on the stock. Chaz 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
switcher 1 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 That rusting metal looks good, congrats. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckjumper Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Coming together nicely, and really love the fencing. Ragstone are about to release a GNR pattern buffer stop which might be of interest - I suspect Andy will have some on the stand at Kettering. Like signals they are one of those things that flags up the originating company when there isn't any stock about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 2, 2013 Author Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) Coming together nicely, and really love the fencing. Ragstone are about to release a GNR pattern buffer stop which might be of interest - I suspect Andy will have some on the stand at Kettering. Like signals they are one of those things that flags up the originating company when there isn't any stock about. Thanks Adrian. I note your comment about the originating company - I'm sure you're right - however the stop block will be on the end of the track (behind the office) on which the J50 is standing in this photo, so can probably only be glimpsed by a viewer. Still if it's not a silly price.... Chaz Edited February 2, 2013 by chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 (edited) Next detail to be tackled......can you see what it is yet? Picture shows the back of the assembly jig in use for measuring to ensure that each brass rectangle is the right length. Each one is filed until it will just fit between the card pieces. Next snap shows the assembly jig with one side and the first tread in place. I set it up like this (with the weight) to leave a hand free for the soldering iron. The stairs with all the treads soldered in. As these are all butt joints the job would be impossible, I think, without some sort of jig. Once the soIdering was done I found the assembly was very tight on the jig - the brass contracts as it cools from soldering - and I had to eased it off very carefully. The next shows the stairs with the top landing, a support leg from square brass tube and the handrail with brass angle uprights. The trick, adding these details, was not to linger too long with the iron. Plenty of liquid flux put on the joints helped and nothing came adrift. The last picture shows the stairs in position on the end of the goods platform. A whole day spent making them if I include the jig, but worth it I think. Chaz Edited February 6, 2013 by chaz 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fettster42 Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 Brilliantly simple idea, but so clever Leigh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 6, 2013 Author Share Posted February 6, 2013 Thanks Leigh. When I have problems with soldering they are to do with holding the joint together so an assembly jig is sometimes the best solution. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N15class Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 So now you kow how to do them when is production starting? A very neat way to assemble an awkward item. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 So now you kow how to do them when is production starting? A very neat way to assemble an awkward item. Thanks Peter. I'm not sure I could have made the assembly jig without my little Proxon circular saw, which made cutting the strips of ply' all to the same width and with square edges very easy. Production? You would have to enjoy filing! (every tread needs to be accurately to length). I suppose if you had a lot to do it would be sensible to have them etched. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 When I was working as a technology teacher (when dinosaurs roamed the earth and Kenneth Baker was in charge at the Dept of Education) we kept a couple of tea chests near to the circular saw, into which were lobbed any useful offcuts. I think that the labourer who works the circular saw in the factory yard might well have scrounged one or two for his offcuts. Of course these might well be pillaged fairly regularly by the other workers, if only for firewood, but that's another story...A quick trip onto Wikipedia gave me the size of a tea chest (500 x 500 x 750mm) and I was away. I made my tea chests out of 0.8mm ply' (what else?) and cut the metal corners from aluminium foil. A small one-shot freezer tray furnished enough material for dozens of chests, which could be cut with a scalpel.The first snap shows two tea chests, one unfinished and one with the ally' foil added. All the assembly was done with a gel-type superglue. I did try to cut the foil narrower but found that if I did it was almost impossible to fold to a neat right angle. No, I'm not planning to paint 'em green, the Humbrol tinlet is there to show how small they are.The second snap shows a tea chest in position, complete with some timber offcuts.The other tea chest may well sit just outside the shelter and be filled with sawdust. Eagle-eyed followers might spot that I took the fence off the saw and refitted it so that it lies flat on the table, as it should. The saw has also had its first coat of green. I decided not to bother with primer. Once it's glued into the shelter the paint is unlikely to be touched, so shouldn't suffer any wear.Other small details may be added to the shelter - a girly calender perhaps - de rigeur in a 50s/60s workplace - no PC in those less enlightened times. Chaz 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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