"Alcazar"...the build begins...but slowly.

[3 link]

if I'd realised I was going to NEED horncheeks, they would have been there, trust me. Idiot man thought he could get away with it.....

 

Hi Jeff,

 

Nice to see the build under way and starting to come together, regarding the horn cheeks/guides you will ALWAYS need these to keep the hornblocks from binding and running out of true.

 

ATB,

 

Martyn.

[JeffP]

LOL, I know that NOW..........after spending three hours fitting them to a built up chassis. There's more to this loco building than meets the eye isn't there? How does anyone do it for a living???

[3 link]

LOL, I know that NOW..........after spending three hours fitting them to a built up chassis. There's more to this loco building than meets the eye isn't there? How does anyone do it for a living???

 

Morning Jeff,

 

I would love to do loco building for a living but I can only work at a snails pace, so as to a production line to the likes of Jazz or Ozzyo is out of the question.

 

Probably a silly question but when you were fitting the hornguides did you have the axles and wheels on ? Because to give you the correct hornblock spacings you will need to have the coupling rods in place.

 

ATB,

 

Martyn.

[JeffP]

I'm building the tender first so no problems there, thankfully.

 

I read the first line of your post and thought, "Oh no" What have I done wrong now......"

 

I think there's a lot to Jazz's old byeline, "Learning by doing" isn't there?

[Miss Prism]

No, not really, plus the Gladiator side control unit is a closed box almost the height of the bogie centre.

Ugh. Looks like an underslung might be the only option.

 

 

Have you any idea what METRIC diameter wire I might need, my micrometer is metric......

Reference my earlier post:

 

for 650g, use 0.016" (0.4mm)

for 800g, use 0.017" (0.43mm)

for 1000g, use 0.018" (0.45mm)

for 1200g, use 0.019" (0.48mm)

 

Guitar strings are sold in imperial, so no need to bother with the metric values.

[3 link]

I'm building the tender first so no problems there, thankfully.

 

I read the first line of your post and thought, "Oh no" What have I done wrong now......"

 

I think there's a lot to Jazz's old byeline, "Learning by doing" isn't there?

 

Hi Jeff,

 

Sorry senior moment there forgot your building the tender first for a minute , still nothing like being forewarned .

 

ATB,

 

Martyn.

[Kenton]

There's more to this loco building than meets the eye isn't there?

Especially when the instructions are not in black and white or you are intentionally deviating from them.

 

It also helps if you have crossed that bridge at least once before - as Jazz says "learning by doing" the second time you build the same kit it gets easier - it is getting past the first one that is the challenge.

[ozzyo]

Hello JeffP,

 

if I have to fit separate horn cheeks, I tend to make a block out of aluminium that is the same width as the finished horn cheeks with a step that will fit in to the horn guide gap, a bit like these keys that I fitted under the dividing head.

 

 

If you only have a Metric Mic. all you have to do to get the imperial size is divide the metric size by 25.4, so 1mm divided by 25.4 = 0.03937" . If you have an imperial size and you want the metric size just  X  by 25.4, so 3/16"  X 25.4 = 4.7625. that will mean that your 4.8mm reamer will give you 0.0375mm clearance or divided by 25.4, 0.001476377" approx 1.5 thou.

 

Or you could just buy a set of Zeus tables off Ebay for about £5.00 these will also give you most of the tapping and clearance sizes that will want as well. I'm still using a set that I bought about thirty years ago.

 

These may help you get going.

 

 

Or you could get a set of electronic callipers off Ebay for about £7.00 that will measure in both metric and imperial.

 

OzzyO.

[Pete Harvey]

Or if you look on the back of the Scale rule that you should be using will also have them?

 

I know all of the EXPO rules have them.

 

Pete

[ozzyo]

Or if you look on the back of the Scale rule that you should be using will also have them?

 

I know all of the EXPO rules have them.

 

Pete

 

 

IIRC, Pete,

 

not all of the dimensions are correct on the back of these rules, I think that it was to do with some of the tapping and clearance dimensions.

 

OzzyO.

[JeffP]

I have Zeuss tables.

I have calipers, electronic and  ordinary, vernier and dial.

I can do the maths, I used to teach "A" level.

 

But I just forget, and dive in.

[Grasshopper John]

 

But I just forget, and dive in.

 

That could lead to costly problems later on Jeff, Always ask first, thats what RM is all about.

 

Take it from me i am the Grasshopper

 

John.

[N15class]

LOL, I know that NOW..........after spending three hours fitting them to a built up chassis. There's more to this loco building than meets the eye isn't there? How does anyone do it for a living???

I always thought you had told us you used to make 4mm models!! It is almost the same but bigger.

[buffalo]

Or if you look on the back of the Scale rule that you should be using will also have them?...

Should be? Why? I've never owned one and am quite happy to do the sums in my head, on the back of an envelope or with a calculator. Similarly, I've never understood why some folk are so keen on scale drawings, they're just another potential source of error. Much easier to scale directly from full sized dimensions.

 

Nick

[JeffP]

Today's instalment isn't much further on, unfortunately. After household duties intervened yesterday, I got back to a bit of work this afternoon. Sadly, the fog that the Metoffice promised would clear leaving us with a gorgeous day didn't and didn't. So it's perishing up there even with a little fan heater running.

 

First job today was to REMOVE all the horncheeks after finding that most of them fouled the springing wire. They were unsoldered, filed down and resoldered. Yawn.

then the spring wire was threaded and it seemed to work, so the disc wheels were fettled and fitted.  I DO think Slaters need to look at how to stop their wheels rusting inside the packaging, two or three of mine were rusty and the axles too. they were cleaned up with wet-or-dry paper.

 

Once the wheels were fitted, this was the result:

 

 

And yes, I know it'll never have to ride over anything like this, but I couldn't resist this shot:

 

 

Next question: at present the axles have no spacers on, there is about 2mm clearance between inner edge of wheel and frame with the other wheel hard up against the frame.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how many spacers to fit, given that minimum radius is likely to be 6 foot, but COULD go as low as 4 foot 6 inches? Thanks.

 

Work has stopped for this evening due to cold hands.......

 

Edited to say: just noticed MORE rust on that wheel......

[Kev_Lewis]

Great progress there, Jeff.

 

Keep up the good work.

[N15class]

nice work. I would make the front and rear axle play less and you will probably need less than 0.75 mm on the centre ones. You need far less play than you think. I see you have flexible track there why not set a piece up at the radius you want it to go around, instead of guessing.

[JeffP]

nice work. I would make the front and rear axle play less and you will probably need less than 0.75 mm on the centre ones. You need far less play than you think. I see you have flexible track there why not set a piece up at the radius you want it to go around, instead of guessing.

 

Now why didn't I think of that? Where's that eye-rolling smiley?

[3 link]

  I DO think Slaters need to look at how to stop their wheels rusting inside the packaging, two or three of mine were rusty and the axles too. they were cleaned up with wet-or-dry paper.

 

Edited to say: just noticed MORE rust on that wheel......

 

Evening Jeff,

 

I have spoken to David White ( Slaters ) on the rust subject a couple of times at exhibitions, and all he does is shrug his shoulders and said clean them up with some wire wool.

 

Your best bet is to chemically blacken them, they will look better and also keep the rust at bay.

 

Martyn.

[ozzyo]

Hello JeffP,

 

for wheel play very little on the front and rear 2 or 3 thou and about 10 thou, on the centre two. Should give you all the play that you need.

 

OzzyO.

[Kenton]

 

Much easier to scale directly from full sized dimensions.

 

Assuming that the full sized dimensions can be measured. If done by our current builders* there is the simple assumption that they can read a tape measure. But in most cases the full sized dimensions simply do net exist any more, because the original has been scrapped or simply out of reach.

[Ed] * added to clarify that is the builders/brickies currently adding a "garden feature" to our house and not the modellers posting here. (just re-read my post !

[JeffP]

Cheers Ozzy, will do.

 

martyn: off out to get some BC gun black (blue?) if my Carrs steel black doesn't work......

[Miss Prism]

Jeff - for that wheelbase on a 4'6" curve, the versine is about 1.2mm. It won't be as bad as that because the 4 axles straddle the curve better than the same length 3-axle case. I suggest put 0.5mm washers on both sides of the front and rear axles, but leave the middle two with their 1mm either-side play, which should be fine.

[ozzyo]

Hello JeffP,

 

when I'm preparing Slater's wheels, all I do is rub the backs down on some wet'n'dry to get rid of any moulding marks, then counter sink the crank-pin hole for the screw head. Clean up in some meths. Fit the balance weights and then apply the blackening to the rims and back of the wheels and then spray them black. I leave the paint on the treads until all the soldering that will take place near the wheels has been done, then scrape the paint off, with the wheels mounted in the lathe. After that I polish the treads with a Garryflex block (or you could use a track rubber).

 

I also blacken the axles, holding them with a bit of wire that is bent into a U shape with the tops of the U bent to fit into the screw holes in the axles.

 

OzzyO.

 

PS. for blackening the brass centres, to clean them I use a brass brush in the Dremel, then apply brass black. After cleaning them in meths.   

 

 

[scot6p]

Hi OzzyO, what size grit do you use for the Garryflex block? Sorry for hijacking your thread JeffP 

 

Len