28ten

Well done Adrian! its good to see another S7 layout in the challenge.

Woohoo it works

Thanks for that - I'd never noticed that axles were thinner in the middle than at the ends. Is modern stock the same?

i think your modern is very different from mine!! to be honest I don't know.

I have just had a look at the exactoscale, what a shame they dont do them in S7

This is a very long term plan, which is why I shouldn't be doing anything on this, and should be concentrating more on the task in hand, so to speak..

which is the large white box!!!

I quite like IKB kits, but they are getting a bit long in the tooth, the panneling on some of them is a little variable in width which can make lining an adventure!!

Out of curiosity, what's bugging you about the axles? They look OK to my untrained eye.

they should have a taper like this you can see in that photo how much more I should remove from the wheel center. its one of those things, once you know about it it bugs you!

Definitely a small, but noticeable improvement. Something else to log for the future

Im glad its visible! i could take a little more off without compromising the wheel. it probably won't cost that much to get a batch of CNC axles done as they are bugging me now!

you may well find that once you have opened the box, 4mm will go out of the window! there is something about genies and bottles....

Very nice, have you seen these link ? nice bicycles as well:lol:

How do you press the wheel centre casting into the tyre blank - is it as simple as just pressing in by hand, or do you mount it on a chuck, etc. and get the lathe to press it in?

if the fit is good it should just be a gentle push-fit into the recess. anything more and the wheel center could distort, the loctite is more than sufficient to retain the center.

 

Thanks for the info. I have a unimat 1 at the moment which does what i require at the moment but i am looking for something slightly bigger (it was ok when i was still in toolmaking as all i had to do was machine what ever i wanted at work in my time).

 

Regards

Peter

The C3 is a nice size that can be lifted by two people, ideal for up to gauge one. and you obviously have the skill to tweak it, these two sites might be helpful.

mini lathe

Gadget builder

there are also come cnc conversions out there if you fancy that!!!

Nice bit of machining the wheels look superb . What lathe do you have now?

 

Regards

 

Peter

Only a Sieg C3 , but it has been tweaked with roller bearings, the underside of the bed has been milled, gibs replaced etc etc.... I think DRO's are next addition, but its not a cheap proposition the display unit is ??170, then there is the scales to add to that, so I think horizontal digital scales might be a more reasonable idea, the whole lot should come in under ??100

I couldn't get the ML7 into my current space, and in fairness the C3 does everything I need.

Buckjumper/3link

thank you, I have never tried bluetack on a cocktail stick, so I will give that a go on a dry run, one thing is for sure, I am glad I made the floor and backplate removable! but it's still a pig of a job. I have CGW sevenmill plates on order, so there is the driver warning sign to go in the cab, not that anybody will see it!

I am actually thinking of butchering the firebox doors so they are open, at least then when I get round to DCC a flickering fire might show some of the detail!

I have never tried the johnsons kleer method, am I missing something?!

I just think you find your own way and write what you are comfortable with. I just chunter about the most recent workbench activity, but what is noticeable is that the same people keep coming back. I think with the blog you tend to follow people more than topics, whereas with threads this is reversed.

Feel free to blog about BR coaching stock, real or model, the Mk2 build was really informative.

I think IKB may have corrected their later artwork, but the main problem with the Colin Waite original is that there shouldn't be intermediate verticals in the waist panelling. They can be taken out quite easily with a bit of work with a needle file.

I never noticed! I will go and check, mind you, I will never need a second V2.

The trouble is that I know I could make a better job of it now....

as I said before so ugly, but I love it

Aha, very nice! The V2s are so perfectly dimensioned, among my favourite GWR vehicles. I assume this is the old Colin Waite kit? Have you maybe added some extra detail to the hounds ventilation etc, as it seems more elaborate than in other built up examples I have seen of this kit?

It's actually an IKB kit. I have an unmade Colin Waite kit as well! I didn't know as much about GW coaching 20 years ago so there are quite a few errors. There are a couple of other Colin Waite kits lurking in the todo pile!

Some of the tilt wagons had a patent rail system for the tarpaulin, but this was removed from most of them. Many of them ran without and form of handbrake, which saves another chore!

Smokebox, good suggestion, i should have mentioned it, but I am only an amateur bodger!

Pugsley the saddle lock is not standard, but it is dead easy to do, I can take a pic if you like. Other mods are replace the carriage gibs and shim it rather than use the 'grub screw' method better still are tapered gibs, but i haven't got round to that yet. the bed has been checked and milled to ensure it is square and a consistent depth, on some older machined the bed is bowed, any problems here and you will never achieve good results. the other gibs have been straightened and lapped, and again simple locks fitted. on a lathe this size you really do need to be able to lock each axis depending on the operaton you are conducting, it makes an imense difference to the rigidity and accuracy.

If you are going for a QCTP I wouldn't recommend the standard one, while it does the job it is not that rigid. there are lots of good tweaks Here I will take a couple of quick shots later. i have also picked up some nice micrometers off ebay for under a tenner, currently I am on the look out for a nice height gauge. A mill will be arriving at some point as it opens up much more possibilities, the only problem is that it all takes time away from actually building anything! but then as long as i am enjoying myself what does it matter?

Adrian, it was what I had lying about and it was about the right diameter! I do find boring cast iron easier on these small lathes as well.

Pugsley, do you have a saddle lock fitted? If there is any movement in the gibs it will cause terrible chatter. You can also get parting tools with tct inserts and they are quite handy.I am no expert but a firm steady feed works best for me when parting off. What you want to avoid is the tool digging into the work as it will break the blade or worse. Really It is a question of practice and learning the limitations of the machine. I was used to an ml7, so I have had to learn to be a little more gentle with this machine! Even so now it has been tweaked it is capable of accurate work.

Hi,

 

Have you seen this site for photos of 1450?

 

http://1450.fotopic.net/

 

Regards

Dave

Thank you Dave, I have seen it and it has been most useful, the only thing is that being a preserved loco it is not entirely 'correct'

I have the GW press and it is great, but as you say it is a pain to setup. I find it most useful, when scratchbuilding, GWR tenders are doddle:lol:

I still use a Leaky rivet press that is over 25 years old for a lot of my stuff

Do you fancy keeping a log of your construction time on the MMP BG?

 

Richard

I can do, i would be surprised if it is less than 120 hours, the Class B tank took 120 + and I would like half a dozen more ! In theory if I average 2 hours a night it should take two months. one thing with MMP you don't need to super detail the kit!

Thanks chaps, picking up on Kentons comment, I think it is a bit of a fallacy that 7mm makes detailing easier, you end up putting smaller parts 'because you can' rather than because you can see them! It's certainly not for the unsteady hand.

I contemplated moving to 1/32 but I realised that I would want to add even more detail.

For those that are interested next up should be an MMP BG, yet more tiny details! But at least it's built into the kit so it is fairly straightforward.

Cracking job:icon_thumbsup2: I do think that a complicated "good kit' goes together quicker than a bad 'simple kit'. the hairstyle looks fine to me, proper haircut, but I do agree with Dan, the trousers could do with a little weathering

I shall be hunting out the MOK stand at Reading......