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The Nth Degree

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  1. The Nth Degree
    I really don't know why I'm titling my blog in French with vague culinary references but it has to stop soon – I'm running out of ideas and the drift is getting wider.
     
    You may notice from the picture below that there has been a change of workshop location. I'm afraid the 'Goodwill to all modelling men using the bookcase as a workshop' season is over and I have resorted to bringing everything into the office. But onwards the march.
     
    Over Christmas I have been trying to steal a few moments here and there to get as much done as possible (this is meant to be a quick build, after all!), but I've failed miserably. Quite a bit of what I had managed to fit in was all mundane filing and drilling, the labours of which hardly ever show on the model, but the fruit is in a good fit and smooth, level running.
     
    To that end, the axle guard units have been assembled and fixed, along with the actuating lever of the DC1 braking system.
     

  2. The Nth Degree

    Mink pour deux

    By The Nth Degree,

    Last night I started cleaning up the castings of two Iron Mink bodies. According to the newspaper padding in the boxes these are both kits of circa August 1980 vintage, but are still full of their original detail if slightly blemished. Cleaning up and test fitting took about an hour per van body – gluing took about 20 seconds each, ensuring all corners were square.
     

     
    Originally introduced at the end of the 19thC with lever brakes on one side, some were upgraded during repairs to more modern braking. These vans both have DC1 brake gear, as contained in the kit, although other braking systems are available from ABS as extras. A more in-depth overview of the variation on brakes for these vans can be found on this thread or a more thorough explanation of GWR wagon brakes from this website.
  3. The Nth Degree

    Mink garnis

    By The Nth Degree,

    With only an hour to spare before bed I put myself to work on the body details.
     

     
    Firstly, the door frames were glued on. Being cast, they were not totally straight and flush with the body so some gentle persuasion was required. Easy enough as long as it is gentle. I'll glue the door panels on at the same time as the roof. Also, as these wagons will not be gunpowder vans I added the end vents. Gunpowder vans were not ventilated, just in case an errant spark from the loco happened to find its way in and... well, you can guess. I also need to file off the four discreet rivets from the corners, but I'll do this when I complete the solebar modifications. I'm not sure why I have to do this, I can only assume it was something to do with the cladding or panelling of the interior of those prototypes.
     
    Talking of trimming, I've also started removing the extraneous brake hangers that are not required for the refitted V6 Mink – of approx. 1910-1920. I've kept the opposite side central V hanger on simply for balance.
  4. The Nth Degree

    Entré

    By The Nth Degree,

    This is a small blog serving a couple purposes. Firstly, to document building these wagons for my personal use, and secondly to test out the Blog feature while remaining fairly anonymous.
     
    I have a few ABS wagons to build for my future layout – mostly BR period LMS and LNER opens, plus a few BR brake vans. I bought a small collection of pre-war GWR wagons quite cheaply so thought I could test out a few means and methods of construction before I start on my 'layout' wagons.
     
    I never seem to have the time to get my soldering gear out so I'm exploring the feasibility and longevity of using glue, and to that end I've bought a small supply of various types. Along with a basic toolkit, this is all I'm going to use for these wagons and see how they fare on our club layout with as much rough shunting as I dare.
     

     
    So this is it. If I use any more I'll add them as I go.
     
    The glue is a fairly thick superglue as recommended by JLTRT, among others. I have a square for aligning sides and ends, a Stanley knife for trimming the castings of flash and pips, a Swiss file bought from my local locksmiths for £5 and a brass pen brush for cleaning the gluing surfaces. As far as I can tell, this is all I'm going to need for the majority of the build.
  5. The Nth Degree

    Mink choc arrêt

    By The Nth Degree,

    I had to refer back to my opening post recently to remind myself what and why I'm doing this due to an 'issue' with the kit.
     
    If any of you reading this have bought an ABS kit you will be aware that they come with drawing pins for buffers. No, I'm not kidding. You bang them into a brass tube sleeve and then through some frustrating trickery with spring wire, secure them at the back behind the headstock. I now understand why everybody that I know who has built ABS kits replace the buffers and coupling hooks with something else.
     
    However, this is not an exercise in accuracy or to avoid frustration; this is to test the durability of glue as a building medium. So I used them. I can say without hesitation that if I were building these as layout or display models I would also have been one of those people who replace their buffers and couplings.
     

  6. The Nth Degree

    Entré 2

    By The Nth Degree,

    A small update on the tools I've used. The wheel bearings required opening out – the cast holes being undersize to suit a variety of options of wheel bearing – so I made a purchase of a small set of drill bits. I already had the pin vice.
     
    My largest small size drill bit was 1.5mm and my smallest standard sized bit is 4mm so this set fill some of that gap. A reasonable price of £7 for the set of seven drills from my local independent DIY shop. By coincidence, Heywoods wheel bearings fit quite snugly in a 2.4mm hole, which is one of the bits in the set.
     

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