Jon4470

I had a go at making a kettle. I used 2mm plastic rod for the kettle and copper wire for the handle and spout. Here it is in situ (with a blob of blutack to hold it in place) Here it is in detail I tried to shape the plastic rod using a file and a dremel. The body is quite rough as a result so I might try just using plain rod....I don’t think the slight taper on the kettle will be noticeable! No stress though.....it’s just a bit of fun🙂

Lining work in progress.... I’ve started with the buffer beams. These were lined white (during the week) and black (this morning). The, very cruel, close up below shows the front buffer beam. The white isn’t perfect - particularly the left hand curve. Also the black didn’t quite touch the white in places. I touched that in quickly after the photo...and while the black was still wet! A more natural and realistic sized photo shows that the imperfections are a lot less noticeable (well I think so😀) When the black is dry I will touch in the white lining to fix those problems. Then it will be time to do he other buffer beam. Now I’m off to try and fashion a 4mm kettle....... Jon

And might help me with the black and white gloss...which I find too thick to line with easily?

More paint applied. First photo uses a flash to see the details.....but makes everything seem a bit garish with no flash the colours are more natural.....but it has highlighted an area on the tank side where the brush has dragged through some paint😠 I hadn’t spotted that until I took the photo...... On a happier note. I spotted something in a photo that I’ll have to add.... A photo in the book about the Thomas Green Company (that built Barber) shows a kettle sitting on the footplate next to the smokebox😀 I can’t resist it....it will have to be added! Jon

I use 225 degrees for white metal and 400 degrees for brass. Hotter than used by a lot of other people (based on comments posted) ....but it works for me! Jon

Good to see you back producing your lovely models. Do you have a sequence that you follow to get the sides and ends properly aligned at the bottom of the hoppers (the part where the sides angle inwards as well as the ends). I found that very difficult to get joined up properly. I’d be grateful for any advice - you seem to get things accurately aligned. Thanks Jon

Absolutely brand new! Trying to keep a wet edge to the paint was difficult- especially on the saddle tank as it is a more awkward shape to paint than some of the flat panels.

Making progress🙂 Thats the first coat on. 2 parts yellow to one part green. The green is the sort of shade that I was looking for. The photo looks a bit darker than the reality...but you get a better idea if you concentrate on the top of the saddle tank - where you can see the more yellow hue. And @Chas Levin...... yes the precision paints dry really quickly! I hadn’t really used much precision paint prior to this. Basically.....I just had to work quickly! Once the second coat is on the question will be whether I try to line it? Jon

My paint mix implement of choice is this Bought from a catering supplies shop in York. A pinch is equal to 0.5ml. I use a pipette for adding white spirit (if required)........using the pipette is how I discovered that a pinch is 0.5ml! The advantage of the pinch is that it fits in a small paint tin and (very important) it can be cleaned easily with a cloth. The disadvantage (I guess) is that it uses too much paint at one go. However it is generally better to have too much rather than too little. Like you, I have never been able to preserve mixed paint for more than a few hours. This loco is so small that I doubt I’ll need a second mix to cover it🙂 Jon

Yesterday some goodies arrived Paints And a couple of long bristled brushes to try out Now, I have to admit that the LSWR green is not the light one that I had hoped for. Never mind....I had previously read a paint recipe for LSWR green and it mentions chrome yellow. I have these two options in stock...... A quick play in a mixing dish with the green and the yellow (on the right) gave this swirl of colours I think there are a couple of options in there that will work. I think it is a warmer colour than the spraycan of Applejack that I had tried earlier (also I do not fancy blasting the model with an aerosol and potentially flooding it with paint). So, I will now carry out a more scientific approach to determine the correct proportions of green and yellow. Jon

Hi Elliott I think that one side of my model is square....the other side is out by a tiny bit I think. I’ll post some pictures soon. I’ve been considering how I could have built the model differently to make the construction easier to get completely square. I think that there are two options. The first is to build the cab as a sub assembly (per the instructions) and then add a bracing piece at the bottom...bit like an additional floor. This would stop the cab “pinching in” at the base. The top is supported by the roof but the bottom has no support because of the open door ways. The other option would be to solder the cab front only to the footplate and then add the roof and cab rear to the front piece. That would result in soldering the cab roof from the outside.....very carefully! All in all though, the model is so small that these little imperfections will not be visible when it is in use (bodgers logic🙂). Also, the side that has the slight out of square will be facing away from me when in operation..phew. Jon

Hi Richard Let’s hope that it is just a temporary outage, You can also try Bill Bedford at https://mousa-models.co.uk/product/coach-etch-lists/ You can can download the list and order etches from that. There will be a substantial lead time as they are made to order, but it is at least another option. Jon

Chas I also wonder if the linseed oil might make satin paint more glossy. It will be interesting to see the results of your experiments. Jon

Hi Chas I can’t help with the proportions of linseed oil in paint I’m afraid. However, it has a number of uses ....... Firstly there is boiled, and then there is raw, linseed oil. I think what you need is the raw stuff, I’ve used it mixed 50:50 with white spirit to restore the colour of wood and even floor tiles! (It stinks to high heaven...but works wonders) Used on its own it almost behaves like a varnish and sits on the surface of the wood or tiles. Mixing it down is what allows it to be absorbed. If I recall correctly linseed oil was used in paint production. I think it was (indirectly) the cause of the Windsor Castle fire. The rags used to dry paint brushes spontaneously combusted - which is one of the fun things about linseed oil based paints! Sorry for the diversion! Jon I would guess that you don’t need much linseed oil in a paint tinlet.

Hi Mick Thanks for the detailed reply. You look to have made a good job of the roof despite the challenges. While I was researching some information about the D18 brakes a few weeks ago I noticed that the diagram book did not show the two windows in the van portion and that it also showed the ducket at the end of the van portion. However, the photo I was looking at showed the arrangement that you have in the model. I was perplexed especially as the D130 brake diagram had the windows and middle position for the ducket........but that is an elliptical roof carriage. So I started to look at the clerestory brakes in any photo I could find. I think I found every variation possible! (With or without windows, ducket at the end or middle). I came to the conclusion that the diagram book shows the original design of D18 and then that design evolved over time. When the elliptical version D130 was introduced it simply picked up the latest variation of windows and ducket. Hope you don’t mind the rambling, I was interested to see you describe it as a later version...glad that my conclusion from the photo checking seems to agree with your knowledge. Jon

Hi Mick Good to see this build...I have a few of the clerestory carriages in the “stash” waiting for me to make time to build them. Did you have any problem mixing D&S sides with Worsley ends? (They look like a good fit in the pictures). And for the roof did you use brass sheet (I can’t remember if D&S supply plastic for these ones........) Jon

I may have worked out a suitable green! while ordering the brown as recommended by @Chas Levin I browsed around the other pre-grouping colours that are available. The bright “Drummond” green used by the LSWR seems like a good candidate - so it is also on order. (Just to confuse the people at Phoenix I also ordered some NER green.....NER, LSWR And GNR all in one order!) While Googling Thomas Green’s green I happened on this book.....and it is also on order! @jessy1692 have you seen this before/ already got it? The joys of the internet🙂 Jon

Thank you! I should also have said that no buffers is correct. There should be a central connector (same principle as a buckeye) but I’ve left that off because I will need to fit working couplings. By the way, what make of brown paint did you use for the frames on your current project?

Thank you! I haven’t decided on the exact shade of green yet. It may end up LNER green (for simplicity). Likewise I’ve not decided whether to line it or leave it plain. As for the external regulator......(tongue firmly in cheek) I look forward to the 4mm equivalent of angle iron and gaffer tape😀

Now cleaned up and primed As ever the priming highlights any gaps and “blegs”. I think that the grey pulls everything together nicely and makes the model start to look like a locomotive. Once the final clean up is completed then it will be painting time - green body, brown frames and red motion. Jon

I’ve been working on the “little and often” method of modelling recently..... and making steady progress with all the sub sections of the build. I find this approach helps sometimes - especially when concentrated time is just not available. It always surprises me how a few 30 minute modelling sessions can really help to make progress. The end result is: Construction is complete! A couple of prototype notes...... yes - the front spectacle really were partly covered by the saddle tank. The cab was cut down because of the restricted clearance in the tunnel on the line and, as a consequence, the spectacles were slightly covered. I believe that the restored Barber is now having a taller cab fitted...so the crew can actually get inside properly rather than hanging out the doorway to see ahead. The other prototype note is that the smokebox dart was set at “ 2 o’clock”... which is upside down compared to other Locomotives as far as I know! I mentioned that the cab was low. Perhaps this photo will emphasise how small this loco actually is: That’s the D20 tender in the background - both models are the same scale. On a construction note (for those that plan to build one of these) I added a filler piece between the boiler and the cab: This was to prevent a gap that would be caused by the strip across the front of the cab: I then glued the boiler and smokebox in place ..... followed by all the pipework (which had already been cut to size and soldered up into sub assemblies) under the saddletank. So now it’s time to clean the model up and then add the paint. Jon

That’s looking good Chas - and I admire your perseverance! With the addition of the dark green, the finished look is starting to show.

The cab is now soldered to the footplate I painted the inside in a cream colour. I also managed to glaze front and rear spectacles. The cab doesn’t have yellow curtains though😃........I’ve masked off the cab door to protect the interior paint from any over spray when I paint the exterior. I figured it would be easier to fit the masking tape before attaching the cab to the footplate🙂 I’ve also attached the handrails. I drilled holes in the footplate before attaching the cab. Then passed the wire up through the hole and then soldered it onto the cab beading extensions. These extensions will be cut back when i’m Happy with everything. The cab is tack soldered in place on each corner. To me it looks like the cab is leaning forward a bit.....the set square says not though😕 It’s time for a beer and a rest. I’ll take another look at the cab tomorrow. Jon

Well......where was I? I had a spell in the modelling doldrums from mid Feb. All the modelling things on the go were just getting a bit awkward/ fiddly/ boring....plus there were plenty of real world projects that I needed to do. I also got distracted by naval history shows on You Tube.....and am now plotting how to build a G3 Battlecruiser! That’s another story though. Then, just as I thought I would start up the railway modelling again......the site dis-appeared! To re-cap - this was the last photo that I published of Barber ( I think) One of the things that was exercising my grey matter was how to attach all the main bits to the footplate and ensure it was all level and square. In the photo everything is just resting in place. I've decided to start by soldering the cab to the footplate. I will ensure that this is square and then work on the boiler and smokebox - which are still separate components. To facilitate soldering to the footplate the cab has now been tinned at the base of the front and on the inside face of the rear When the cab is attached it will be virtually impossible to get to the interior. That includes getting a paint brush in! So I have now primed it ready for a coat of paint. I’ll probably glaze the rear spectacles .....but may have leave the front ones and do them from the outside later on. I’m not sure that there is enough access, even with the cab off the footplate. Other than that, I think I need to plan out the cab handrails and drill holes in the footplate for them. Then, at last, I can solder on the cab. Jon

Hello Arthur Thank you for the update and it is good to hear that you are progressing with the various projects. I’m saving up my pennies for the C6 - it would be lovely to have an NER Atlantic. I can also confirm that I’m happy to roll boilers, form flares etc Regards Jon