Giles

Following the successful test prints, I have produced a few bikes for people, cut odd the (several dozen) sprues and fettled, but not in primer for £15 each Inc postage. They are extremely delicate, being so fine, which is why I am cutting them.

Just for the fun of it (and to help casual operators!) I fitted a route indicator to the bridge point. This is of course operated by the point motor via a torsion rod, arm and link. Thr indicator is printed. A bit of fun!

I've been practicing my drawing, and exercising my printer. It's taken quite a while and quite a bit of experimentation to reliably get it all to print - particularly the brake levers.

The pub - still to be named - has been built Back view - Front.... ......and we need all sorts of transport....

I'm no accountant, nor have any expertise in that sort of area, but I would have thought that a £100K investment should be expected to yield around a minimum of £5k a year profit (that's a 20 year pay-back at zero inflation) , hands off as it were.... and of course all printing/production/labour costs over that - inferring quite a high annual turnover to yield such a profit. I don't know what percentage shapeways gives the designer. I may well be completely wrong as its really not my area, which is why I'm not wealthy! Presumably if the collection is being offered at £100K it is already providing a steady income, which is great. I think what I was getting at with accuracy is that once you have an accurate CAD model, you can modify it to different scales or gauges, whereas if it is compromised initially, then it is less useful for any other purpose. However, it certainly is time consuming!

I can't help thinking that for an stl to be worth a significant amount, it has to be a fully detailed model in the proper sense, and therefore one that can be utilised in any size, and is fundamentally future proof because of its accuracy. This means it has had a vast amount of hours spent on it, and therefore it's creator is invested in it. However, it is very likely that its intrinsic value comes nowhere near that of the time spent on it...... I have drawn up two locos to the best of my abilities, and each has taken quite a few hundred hours. The result is I can print nice locos, but I'm not tooled up to anything remotely commercial, so that's of extremely limited value, and if anyone else produced them for me, I should make a small amount of pocket money at best - if that.... (being realistic) Of course the other aspect is that it can be both tedious and stressful dealing with your own drawings and prints. The idea of administering someone else's is just anathema!

Lazy s*d just umped his bike at the front door again.....

An finally completed.

Assuming the receiver arial is OK (if in doubt, replace it with a new length of wire - the same length) and that likewise the transmitter is ok . If you've got another model that you can bind the transmitter to to test it, do so, to eliminate that as a problem. Try binding to the rceiver from a greater distance (I know it sound silly, but it worked for me once - it could have been a fluke, but who knows....), and at with the transmitter pointing in a different direction. It's worth a try!

I have also made a small number of 3D printed side tipping wagons, which have come out nicely. They are fully functional, like the others, and are fitted with chopper couplings.

014 Rc Harrogate Peckett

Ive finally got the wheels for this thing, and it came to the top of the list - so I finished it off..... It's radio controlled with the usual Rx41 from Micron controlling things, and a 1200mAh battery tucke away in the saddle tank. Drive is by a HighLevel Load Hauler. .] I also got carried away with a 3D drawing project which waas a Kerr Stuart Tattoo - which ended up an actual model

Thank you Dave! This Tattoo started out as a pure 3D drawing exercise that got completely out of hand.... And the Gars Works is now fully finished... and with couplings

Another loco for the rosta..... The Harrogate Gasworks Peckett - also in 014

Tattoo basically complete, radio controlled.

So far so good on the new battery! I've now completed (I think!) the plumbing - injector for the fireman's side, and axle driven punp for the driver's side (plumbing, not the actual pump - there are things in the way....) I think I'm really down to the valve gear now, and waiting for the postman for various bits to do that, as I do have a cunning plan. Nameplates and builders plates orderd from the usual suspects. Meanwhilst it still looks like this

Design Spark Mechanical come to life....

The new cab back in place, but not fixed....... also the battery is stuffed in the boiler, and I'm trying to get my head round the wiring. I'm not sure whether these cylindrical batteries have built in protection circuitry (it's not visible If they do) - so I've got separate little boards to protect against over charging and discharge, which fit in the bunker. Should the battery really need replacing, it can be withdrawn through the hole in the cab back sheet (So long as it hasn't swollen....)

I find that my Mars 2 Pro runs reasonably warm - warmer than the ambient temperature - which is extremely useful from this perspective. I operate it in an unheated room in the house, so this is beneficial. I have a very low rate of failed prints.

Thank you! I would be happy to do a web session (or whatever)if people wanted.

Ah one of Paul Rummer's Lads, or was he after you?

Carbon-arc..... followspots. I used what must have been some of the very last in service in 1980, follow-spotting a Panto in the Wilmslow Rex Theatre. The light was generated using two carbon rods sheathed in copper, about 10mm diameter, set at 90 degrees from each other - one vertical, and one horizontal, in the lantern casing, which you could view through a dark glass. Both were fed on a screw thread via a knob, as they burned away gradually during use, and needed constant trimming to maintain the arc. The vertical one used to burn faster than the horizontal one..... Operation of such a folowspot was a real art, as it required constant mechanical intervention. As well as the artistic anticipation, following, iris, shutter and colour control. The same type of rods are sold with cheap arc welders as a brazing accessory.

Design Spark Mechanical

It's around 0.55mm nickel silver. (Blind bored 0.2mm for the rivet detail and embossed)