Mick Bonwick

I should have made it clear that I meant the varnish was to be applied before the pigment, so that the pigment had something to grip. Apologies for ambiguity.

Rick, If you have trouble getting weathering powders to 'stick', try the application to the intended surface of a thin layer of matt acrylic varnish. Or Testor's Dullcote if you can find any.

What is it that you want to store?

Nice bit of scenic work! :-D

How on earth do you manage to fit all this in to your life?

The photographs were taken at Hope, which was a Lafarge (ex Blue Circle) site at the time of work in progress to increase the rail traffic flow. The site has changed hands many times in its life and is now, I think, owned by the Breedon Cement group. If you enter 'Hope Cement Woks' into your favourite search engine you will be able to sit and read about for hours on end. . . . . . . . .

Sites like this are distribution depots, not 'works'. Cement is not manufactured here, just stored, processed and distributed. In some cases it is also mixed with aggregates to make concrete.

Do you really want to model a complete cement works? They cover a vast area of ground - this set of photographs will give you some idea:

You can just see the aforementioned curved component pressing against the rear of the trigger in this photograph:

In the photograph mentioned above (the third one in your original post), the positioning of parts 10 and 11 is critical. You can see in the parts illustration that part 10 has a curved edge uppermost, which should press against the back of the trigger. In your photograph of your disassembled device it is properly orientated, but when you insert it into part 6 the top edge of that curved component should be protruding slightly above the top surface of the airbrush body (part 6) while pressing against the trigger. Yours cannot be seen at all! This could be because, as Kylestrome says, it is in upside down, or it could be because it is not put in fully upright and the top edge of the curved component is jammed inside the body rather than poking through the slot. See?

I'm not familiar with the type of airbrush that you are describing, but it appears to be a cheap copy of general dual action airbrushes. 'Cheap' means that the o-ring seal that is called part 8 will probably deteriorate very quickly if it comes into contact with cellulose thinners. Its purpose is to form a friction seal between the needle and the paint-filled compartment forward of part 7, the trigger. If exposed to cellulose thinners it will have expanded to the extent that it no longer forms a seal. This does not, however, explain your problem whereby the trigger just flops about. You need to ensure that part 13 is screwed fully home into part 6 and that the spring, part 12, is properly seated inside part 13. When part 14 is fully screwed onto the needle shaft via partr 11 it will grip the needle tightly, and you will be able to move the needle into and out of the nozzle by manipulating part 11.

Soak the tip of a cocktail stick in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and gently rub the affected area (the glazing!) with it.

You get to claim expenses.

The original poster uses mainly enamel paints and therefore solvent thinners. Ultrasonic cleaners at the budget end of the market are made of plastics that are not suitable for use with solvent fluids. They're fine with acrylics and acrylic thinners.

I had word from someone, whose name is not Jeremy, that all entries would be acknowledged in due course. I have no reason to think that this is false news. This conversation took place in front of Clutton, so it must all be true. Surely?

There are several sizes of cup and bottle available to use with this device, in addition to the one that comes with it: https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_14_413_54&products_id=60 https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_14_413_55&products_id=43 https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_14_413_55&products_id=45

In the UK it is perfectly acceptable to use white spirit to thin all makes of enamel paint for modelling purposes. I am not sure if this fluid is called the same in Germany, though. If you are going to airbrush large areas (such as a coach or a tender locomotive) then you should try to mix enough paint for the whole vehicle in one batch. The consistency should be that of milk, rather than a set percentage of paint versus thinner, and the application of several thin coats will be more likely to produce a good result than one thick coat. Railmatch enamels will be thinned quite successfully with Revell or Humbrol thinners as long as the tin/jar is not an old one with crusty deposits around the lid/cap.

As RichardS has said above, a glass dish will be perfect. Enamel paints can be thinned with cheap white spirit and the airbrush can be flushed through during your session and cleaned out afterwards by using the same stuff. As Kylestrome says above, there shouldn't be any hardened paint anywhere on the airbrush, but if you miss some (!) it can be removed using a cocktail stick dipped in isopropyl alcohol. When you take out your airbrush to use it, it should be as clean as the day it first came out of its box.

I saw no evidence of cake. Is that because I left it too late? Crumbs!

I'll bet it wasn't hot by the time it got there!

I have been using them with wires to the frog in excess of 2' to a total of 15 points for several years without any problems at all. That does not necessarily mean that this is good practice, of course!

True.

Well now, what a coincidence . . . . .

Scalescenes do several colours of brick sheets that include just what you are asking aout. http://scalescenes.com/product/red-brick/

Try soaking the nozzle in cellulose thinners, but take care - nasty stuff.