RobClogs Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 ...I just buy a length a copper rod of a suitable diameter... Yes, good approach, but where? I've been trawling the web to find 4mm diameter copper rod for exactly the purpose you are describing. And found some, but the minimum order is 500 kilograms (the weight of approx. 7 adults). Can you recommend a supplier selling,say, 1ft rods? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 3, 2013 Author Share Posted July 3, 2013 cut it to length and file or machine the tip to the shape I want. You can have a whole range that way if you wish. Makes perfect sense if one has the machinery and wherewithal to do this simply. It does make you wonder what they make these MT10's out of that they corrode that quickly, I know I'm not the only one who has this problem with them. By the by, you wouldn't be Chris Turnbull the angling artist would you ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Yes, good approach, but where? I've been trawling the web to find 4mm diameter copper rod for exactly the purpose you are describing. And found some, but the minimum order is 500 kilograms (the weight of approx. 7 adults). Can you recommend a supplier selling,say, 1ft rods? What about this? Ok it's 6mm but I'm sure it could be turned down easily enough on a lathe. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/COPPER-ROUND-BAR-ROD-6mm-DIA-900mm-LONG-NEW-/251252759893?pt=UK_BOI_Metalworking_Milling_Welding_Metalworking_Supplies_ET&hash=item3a7fd4dd55 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Isambarduk Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 "I don't buy fancy tips, I just buy a length a copper rod of a suitable diameter, cut it to length and file or machine the tip to the shape I want. You can have a whole range that way if you wish. Every so often I have to gently file the tip back to the original shape when it wears which I then dip in the flux and re-tin before use. An occasional wipe with a cloth to remove unwanted residue during use and they last for years. Very cheap too and perfectly satisfactory." Exactly what I have always done, Chris. Excellent advice, spot on! David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Turnbull Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Yes, good approach, but where? I've been trawling the web to find 4mm diameter copper rod for exactly the purpose you are describing. And found some, but the minimum order is 500 kilograms (the weight of approx. 7 adults). Can you recommend a supplier selling,say, 1ft rods? Google "model engineering supplies". This was top of the list but I there are many more and some may do metric! http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Copper_Round.html Chris Turnbull Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Turnbull Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Makes perfect sense if one has the machinery and wherewithal to do this simply. It does make you wonder what they make these MT10's out of that they corrode that quickly, I know I'm not the only one who has this problem with them. By the by, you wouldn't be Chris Turnbull the angling artist would you ? You don't have to have expensive machine tools (although they help). Providing you can find copper rod of a suitable diameter (see my other reply) you only need a file. Even if you can't find copper of a suitable diameter it is likely that someone in your local model railway group or club will have access to a lathe. I provide turning and silver soldering facilities to the Ely MRC, for example. Sorry to disappoint but no, I'm not Chris Turnbull the angling artist! Chris Turnbull Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Turnbull Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Google "model engineering supplies". This was top of the list but I there are many more and some may do metric! http://www.chronos.ltd.uk/acatalog/Copper_Round.html Here's another one with some metric this time http://maccmodels.co.uk/materials-metal/copper-sections/copper-rounds.html Chris Turnbull Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobClogs Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Excellent advice Chris, both these suppliers look very promising. Thank you very much! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 Folks, can I ask a question ? If I really can't live with a paint job that I have done, given that it is primed with Halfords primer and then Phoenix paints, can you recommend an effective paint stripper - i.e one that doesn't require tooooo much elbow grease ? Had a quick look, Nitromors looks quite good ? Thanks in anticipation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Is it brass? I bodged a brass paint job myself and picked up some gunk called "Strypit" (http://www.axminster.co.uk/rustins-strypit-new-formula-prod838636/) although I got it from my local DIY shop, that worked very well. It's a bit like a jelly type stuff that you glob on and make sure everywhere is covered, leave it for a while then scrub it off with a toothbrush under running water. It's quite evil stuff so do be careful but it did work very well for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Nitromors is very good, but it will dissolve epoxy glues. Not sure about CA though. For plastic kits I use Dettol. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Turnbull Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Please don't take this the wrong way but is your reaction to your paint job a knee-jerk reaction? Stripping a model is a major step to take and can be a case of two steps forward and three steps back sometimes. May I suggest that you put the model away for a while and build something else? When this model is complete then return to the original model and reconsider. You may find that the paint job is not so bad after all. Chris Turnbull Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 Thank you chaps. Chris, that made me chuckle - I had already concluded that having them on my desk 24/7 was a bad idea and they have gone into a box in the cupboard.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Folks, can I ask a question ? If I really can't live with a paint job that I have done, given that it is primed with Halfords primer and then Phoenix paints, can you recommend an effective paint stripper - i.e one that doesn't require tooooo much elbow grease ? Had a quick look, Nitromors looks quite good ? Thanks in anticipation. Chris, I've always found Nitromors to be fine on brass, it will blacken whitemetal, I seem to remember, but that shouldn't be a problem. It also needs rigorous washing to remove all traces prior to re-painting to avoid obvious consequences. - It's not suitable for plastic or resins, melting both. If it's on plastic or resin it's back to Model Strip or Mr Muscle Oven spray, my chosen weapon of choice for sensitive surfaces. - Unless you can get back to a reasonable surface with wet and dry? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherKay Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 If I really can't live with a paint job that I have done, given that it is primed with Halfords primer and then Phoenix paints, can you recommend an effective paint stripper - i.e one that doesn't require tooooo much elbow grease ? You could do like the real railway did and just paint over it. Stripping is really a last resort for a completely botched paint job, in my opinion. You've already got primer and a coat of paint on the model. I would look at doing a careful rub down with fine wet'n'dry and a scratch brush to cover blobs or runs and to remove transfers if they don't sit down in planking. Then a quick blast with primer if you need it, and then top coat again to your taste. Here's a photo from a set I took of an ex-Southern PMV/CCT. If you looked closely at the peeling paint, you could see all three of the livery colours it carried in its life: maroon, green and finally blue. All painted on top of each other. http://www.flickr.com/photos/snaptophobic/3500019017/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnaby Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Why not treat it as a very good undercoat and just rub it down a little with wet&dry to flatten it, clean it up and then repaint it. Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 5, 2013 Author Share Posted July 5, 2013 Peter, Snapto and Barn - you are of course right, I can take some sandpaper to it and try that way, I still have the nuclear option if all else fails. With hindsight, building 5 brass wagons was excellent experience in building brass wagons. Painting them all at the same time was only one lot of experience really - would have been better to have done them singly and completed them after they were built, but then I guess I didn't have the gear. I'll get there...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Turnbull Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 The trouble with sandpaper is that it's very easy to remove all the fine etched detail and then you'll be really pissed off. But if you do go down that road then don't forget to give the wagons a good wash and dry before repainting. Of course, if we are talking wagons here, then the prototypes hardly ever saw a lick of paint from the day they were outshopped to the day they were scrapped. Repairs to timber wagons were often left unpainted. It didn't take long when in daily revenue-earning service for the paint to become pretty distressed. Perhaps your wagons are more accurate than you give yourself credit for. Chris Turnbull Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thought I would branch out a little for my next kit - both in region and manufacturer. Ordered this yesterday morning and it was waiting for me when I came home this evening. First impressions are very favourable, although I do note that it seems a step up in terms of complexity. Perhaps this is to do with a variety of brake options, I don't know, my head is poached from being out in this heatwave and I'm not up to a meaningful commentary. Very nifty box it came in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Boucher Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thought I would branch out a little for my next kit - both in region and manufacturer. Ordered this yesterday morning and it was waiting for me when I came home this evening. First impressions are very favourable, although I do note that it seems a step up in terms of complexity. Perhaps this is to do with a variety of brake options, I don't know, my head is poached from being out in this heatwave and I'm not up to a meaningful commentary. Very nifty box it came in. WestbereVisit 028.jpg I've had my eye on one of those kits for a little while. I'm looking forward to seeing this build progress! BTW - I just got his LMS beer van, which comes in a similar box. Kit looks quite nice, but its currently towards the bottom of the "next kit" pile... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 I got a bit of the Gladiator hopper done this afternoon, but in the meantime I thought I would post up my latest thoughts for a 'display/photography plank' - basically to stretch the old grey matter in a different direction and learn a few more things like ballasting and the uses of DAS clay etc. After my experiences with the first trackplan I have decided to go a fair bit smaller - I figured that if I couldn't have a 'roundy roundy' at this stage, I might as well keep the benefits offered by being compact and portable, so it's only 4ft by 14 inches..... The line crossing the upper tracks is a telephone wire connecting to the hut. Talking of huts, are there many kits - I'm not that keen on scratch building one - I've seen the Skytrex one ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 Progress is slow, but I'm having fun. A quote from the instructions - "I don't think this is a kit for the faint hearted" - at least he's honest...... Hopefully finish off the brake gear today and make a start on the internal; hopper workings. There's a lot going on in this kit, that's for sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGhostofNigelGresley Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 Well, with Test Match Special providing a backdrop, I managed to get it finished over the weekend - took me quite a while this one, easily the most challenging kit that I have so far attempted. Folding brass through etch lines is one thing, but there was a lot of shaping of the etches to fit outside of the etch lines which took some thought and a considerable amount of swearing. I also encountered, for the first time, a few kit design flaws which one has to work around, although I must say that the instructions were very honest and helpful in this regard. There was also an extensive amount of laminating involved, so much so that it might finally make me buy a small blowtorch, both for laminating and for cleaning up the occasional random solder blobs that are a continued feature of my work. Alternatively, I may have to investigate Solder Paint ? I have in my head that this was once a Majestic kit, but now I can't find any reference to that so maybe I made that up - either way, I report a positive experience with my first purchase from Gladiator Models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Siddall Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Well, with Test Match Special providing a backdrop, I managed to get it finished over the weekend ....a positive experience with my first purchase from Gladiator Models. hopper 014.jpg There was a commercial once which went something like 'it's tasty, tasty, very very tasty!'. Can't for the life of me remember what it advertised but could equally be used to describe your wagon :-) D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 There was a commercial once which went something like 'it's tasty, tasty, very very tasty!'. Can't for the life of me remember what it advertised but could equally be used to describe your wagon :-) D Kellogg's bran flakes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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