rynd2it

18 hours ago, hayfield said:

I think you are far better off rebuilding it rather than just painting it. My own preference is to use low melt 70 degree solder for the larger parts, I use an Antex 25 watt iron on the larger parts and a good (industrial strength) super glue for the smaller parts. Any gaps I fill with Green Squadron filler softened with liquid poly (so its nice and runny) or Milliput leaving both for 24 hours before sanding

 

If gluing is your preference rather than two part epoxy, initially I would go for mitre bond (2 part superglue) or an industrial grade superglue, for larger parts the joint can be strengthened with 2 part epoxy behind the joint

 

I think you will find its a blessing in disguise, even if it makes a bit more work 

 

Edit

 

Mitre bond available from the likes of Wicks/B&Q/ Screw fix etc and is used by those fitting kitchens and windows, in 2 parts one the glue the other an activator (aerosol or marker pen)

I got my industrial strength super glue from a tool shop, in a bigger bottle and far stronger) mine is Ever Build Stick 2 others are available 

Definitely a blessing in disguise and I appreciate the tips on glue & solder - thanks.

I haven't done the tender yet so I guess it's back to the Dettol, may as well get my money's worth ;-)

Cheers

On 08/05/2019 at 17:57, rynd2it said:

Update, wear rubber gloves - my hands smell like a hospital

 

Update, I was misinformed, Dettol does dissolve the glue - I now have a kit of parts

On 07/05/2019 at 16:38, rynd2it said:

While sorting out the wheels etc, I decided to strip the paint as it's too thickly applied and shiny. I wanted to do it without using a chemical that would break the glue joints; I asked around and was told to use Dettol - it works and it can be strained afterwards & reused. Useful tip

 

David

Update, wear rubber gloves - my hands smell like a hospital

While sorting out the wheels etc, I decided to strip the paint as it's too thickly applied and shiny. I wanted to do it without using a chemical that would break the glue joints; I asked around and was told to use Dettol - it works and it can be strained afterwards & reused. Useful tip

David

16 minutes ago, hayfield said:

David

 

I think they are very similar to the Romford style, so in theory yes.

 

The big but is if they are not pin point axles.

 

 

They are pin point axles so I'll give it a try as soon as my wheel puller arrives

Thanks

David

Hi John,

Not wanting to force anything - do you know if the tender wheels are a push fit on the axle and could they be opened out to EM gauge?

Thanks

David

Quote

 

Hi John,

Yes, that's the plan I'm starting on, step by step and learning all the way  I have a quote for the Romford wheels and axles already and I'm looking at the High Level gearboxes.

Time will tell

David

2 hours ago, Brassey said:

I've built a number of Dean Goods including one which started as a K's.  For info, High Level gearboxes come as a flat etch and need forming and the bushes soldering in and filing down to fit within the frames.  You'll need a reamer or broach to open out  the bushes to get the axles to fit.

Thanks for that - more knowledge added to my ever-growing list ;-)

4 hours ago, hayfield said:

David

 

Strange in 4 mm scale I am also converting to EM gauge, I have 3 of these, one was the first kit I bought which I will keep, I have a Perseverance chassis fpr an EM example and I will get round to selling the third some time

 

I have plenty of Romford 21 mm drivers for the EM gauge one, I do have a GW models wheel press once I start to use Gibson's  I have converted another K's loco to EM gauge simply by sticking a piece of 40 thou plasticard to one side, then drill out the axle holes from the other side, repeat this on the second side and the outer frames are fine for EM gauge, using black plasticard saves painting, just use Romford?Markit or Gibson wheels with EM gauge axles. For my own use I would still bin the motor, if using the High Level gearbox no worries about gears

 

As for your worm gear I thought K's were push on and had a brass sleeve, if so it may be a Romford worm, if so I have no idea about the ratio

The more I research this, the bigger the project is getting (now where have I heard that before!) - and now I am hearing quite a lot about how the old K's kits weren't that great to begin with. I might just go with the OO rebuild, I can always stick it on Ebay and start again with a more modern detailed model. I'll decide later when I have finished looking for bits

David

Hi John,

I acquired this loco for my planned EM gauge project and I'm researching axles, wheels etc right now. However, I may just clean it and donate it to the Club as an OO gauge - it's basically brand new, the motor runs really well, all I need is a gear wheel.

27 minutes ago, Michael Edge said:

The K's tyres are not plated, they are machined steel, should clean up quite easily but the D location might not survive.

Thanks for that - I'll be really careful when dismantling.

Hi John,

Thanks for all the help and advice, it really is making this into a do-able project. I'd actually found the High Level kits and had decided on the slimline gearbox. Very reasonable pricing too.

Next off, I plan on stripping the chassis right back and de-rusting everything and seeing what is salvageable.

I'll keep you posted and with some pics if that's OK.

David

I'll be testing the motor tomorrow but I will have to completely strip the running gear to free it up. The worm gear has a grub screw in it and I'm told the axle gear wheel was plastic and probably split and fell off. A modern motor & gearbox is on the shopping list but I expect I'll get a nice working model for under £50 (I hope)

Thanks for the help

David

Hi and thanks for the reply.

I have no idea which chassis version I have - other than the fact it is rusted solid. I have attached a couple of pictures which might help.

The tender is in much better condition and runs really nicely. They could both use a repaint but stripping the old paint off without removing any glue might be a problem - I don't really want to strip down as much as you did.

Cheers

David

Hi,

Did you ever finish this thread? I found it because I have just been given a K's Dean Goods and it needs work!

Thanks

David

11 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

If you want to see Autocoach rooves in typical prewar service condition, try this website: http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1793.htm

Beware, though, it is a very addictive site and you can spend hours wandering around it!

The basic pigment of the white lead paint that was used is Lead Carbonate (2PbCO3.Pb(OH)2).  According to current wisdom,  It reacts with Hydrogen Sulfide in the air to give grey Lead Sulfide, which is why white lead painted rooves turned grey with time.  I do not know if coaches stationed permanently in country districts with clean air went grey at a slower rate than those permanently based in sulphurous towns, but would imagine this could be the case.

An idle thought: If you are planning for your layout to cover a period of 5 years, say, you ought to have 5 models of the same coach, each with a slightly darker shade of grey roof and use them in succession to represent the aging process with the passing years.

Now that is really helpful and definitive enough for my purposes. Thank you and thank you all for your contributions.

David

2 hours ago, Wickham Green said:

..... but smoke from the chimney of a locomotive coupled to an 'autocoach' would have a similar effect.

Depending on the original finish - and that is still what is under investigation, but thanks anyway

With respect, that's not an Autocoach for which I was seeking prototype knowledge. It does show the staining of the roof though on that particular coach. Do you know what that roof was painted with?

9 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

Another thing to remember is that the shade of grey could vary from coach to coach along the train.  Also changes if the roof is wet or dry.

Not on a single coach train ;-)

Thank you all for your help, this has cleared it up for me and I'll be painting mine with a grey roof. I'm currently torn between immediate pre-war or post-war for period so its either GWR or BR early.

Cheers

David

The more research I do into this the more confused I am getting. All the photos I can find of autocoaches in brown/cream livery show them as having a grey roof. All the RTR models seem to have a white roof.

I have been told they were white out of the factory but went grey very quickly due to chemical in the loco exhaust.

Anyone have a definitive answer and source of information?

Thanks

David

I searched some more and finally bought the MEK 500 ml from Amazon, which if you search for butanone, is what Amazon finds. £10 delivered is very reasonable

Cheers

David

I've long since given up with Mekpak, a litre of Butanone is only about £8.50 delivered, I found it cheaper and more effective, it just needs decanting into old Mek bottles to make it easier to handle.

 

Peter

Hi,

I just found this when searching for MEK etc and according to various science-based places Butanone is MEK, just another name for it. So I am confused, any clarification would be appreciated.

Thanks

David

Cool, thanks

I think the Morley type is the only really good hand held as it has only a potentiometer and three wires in the hand held and is centre off.   They work brilliantly with all types of motor and regulate the voltage so you can actually test LEDs with them on the lowest settings and allow double heading with dis similar locos like a coreless Hattons 14XX and a Ring Field motor Hornby Dublo Castle.

Downside is the hand held only works with the Morley controller.   and operates the controller quite literally as an alternative to the controller knob through a change over switch.  I use them, what more can I say.

If I had known about those before I designed the control panels for the layout, I would probably have gone for them, they have everything I needed (12vdc auxilliary, CDU and hand-helds) Ah well, keep looking I guess.

Thanks for the info, I'm sure this isn't the last layout I work on.

David