1/32 Coaches for the Garden

GrahamMc

Western Thunderer
I've been thinking ahead to bogies for the coaches. The Caledonian used Fox bogies for their 48ft stock and there's an excellent GA drawing in the Caledonian Association book on coaching stock so I had no excuse. :) I still haven't decided whether I will be making a master for casting, or making each part required. I'm intending that the bogie sides are cosmetic and that the bogie will have inner frames to locate bearings and suspension. I'll probably do an etch for the inner parts of the bogie.

The main feature of the Fox bogie was the pressed steel sides with heavy flanging on the top and bottom edges. The radius of this flange was about one inch radius, so is quite noticeable. the depth of the flanges was three inches.

I opted to cut the side from 3mm styrene on the CNC mill. The styrene was cut down to 2.4mm to get to the scale three inch depth and the outline was cut, and pilot holes for all the river holes drilled. the curved flange edge was then machined using a ball ended bit and a bit of hand coded GCode.

View attachment 82413

The various plates to fit on the side were cut from .75mm styrene surfaced down to 0.6mm to get the 3/4" prototype thickness.

View attachment 82414
A slightly tighter shot showing the machining of the curved edge. All the pilot holes drilled on the CNC mill have been opened out with a 0.8mm drill to suit the brass rivets I have.

View attachment 82415
This is the first plate being placed using the brass rivets through some of the holes to locate it before stickign it down with Mekpak.

View attachment 82416
The side with all the platework in place and most the rivets inserted. the holes for the footboard supports - like the two at the left - have been left till the footboards are fitted much later.

I'm not sure about the 1/32" brass rivets. Their size is about correct but I think that they might be just a bit too prominent. They might look better after getting a scoosh of primer or I might have to look for an alternative. I might try getting some scale 7/8" G scale Archer rivets or I might try George Slater's rivet method, applying heat to the end of plastic rod to get a mushroom head effect. This only works on the old Slaters red/brown rod and I might have enough of it left to do the job. It would need to be the 30 thou size. My only reservation with this method is getting the heads to be the same size since the size can vary depending on the time the heat is applied and the distance from the heat source. I no longer smoke so I can't use George's heat source of choice, but I now make do with a candle flame. :)

Jim.

Hi Jim. Just in case you've forgotten there's a list of fastener sizes on WT. Search for 'Fastener sizes and scale equivalents'. The sizes, diameters, heights etc. are given in Gauge 1. Hope this helps. G.
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
Many thanks for the pointers. Unfortunately, as far as I can see, the Grandt Line and Scale Hardware products can only be sourced for the US with extortionate rates of postage. But I found a UK supplier of scale hardware whose prices are quite comparable with the US ones on the £ = $ basis.

High Quality Miniature Nuts, Screws, Bolts, Hardware, Fasteners and Accessories | Prime-Miniatures

...and with pretty good postal charges so I might have a dig around with some of their rivets. The rivets I've used have a 1.25mm head and Prime Miniatures have a rivet with a 1mm diameter head, so I might try some of them.

I'm not sure about resin casting with all the undercuts that there might be.

Jim.
 

JimG

Western Thunderer

markjj

Western Thunderer
A good source for small rivets and many other modelling bit if it' any help. Some are available in the UK from a few model boat suppliers but the service from Poland is cheaper and very good. I hope it's some help.

RB Model - home page
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
... as far as I can see, the Grandt Line and Scale Hardware products can only be sourced for the US...
Jim,

Not so.

The 7mm NGA stores sells the Grandt Line range and includes rivets (really useful for those who are doing alterations to JLTRT diesels). More importantly:-

a) the stores is prepared to sell to non-members;
b) there is a telephone number so that you make enquiries and place orders.

I have done just this and recommend the service.
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
A good source for small rivets and many other modelling bit if it' any help. Some are available in the UK from a few model boat suppliers but the service from Poland is cheaper and very good. I hope it's some help.

RB Model - home page

Mark,

Many thanks for that pointer. That looks like another good source and the prices are good. The head profile of their rivets looks better, being a flatter dome that the head on my 1/32" brass rivets, which is pretty well semispheric.

Jim.
 

markjj

Western Thunderer
I have found them to be some of the best profiles. I have some of the scale hardware ones from the US and these look much better. Price and delivery is much better to.
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
I have found them to be some of the best profiles. I have some of the scale hardware ones from the US and these look much better. Price and delivery is much better to.

Mark,

I've just sent off an order for some of the 0.8mm shaft/1mm head rivets to try them out. Their prices are very good and the postage isn't too steep.

I've just had a browse through all the headings on this page and I would think that some of our members modelling in the larger scales might be interested in a lot of the hardware - like pulleys, sheaves and shackles.

RB Model - home page

Jim.
 

markjj

Western Thunderer
Jim

They also do a range of railway wheels I guess for obscure European narrow gauge railways mainly.
This company do the turned buffers for some of the leading 0-gauge plastic kit manufactures here in the UK
I brought a load of the 0.5mm shaft 0.8mm head rivets off them to fit the wagon strapping on some wagon kits that I have.
By the way you will need a strong magnifier to see them when they arrive they are tiny but beautifully formed.

Mark J
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
Well, my rivets arrived from Poland at the beginning of the week from the supplier who Mark suggested...

RB Model - home page

...and I got their 1mm diameter head on 0.8mm shank rivets. They arrived about a week from ordering so pretty good from eastern Europe.

They do look very good with a flatter dome than the 1/32" rivets I used earlier.

32Coaches037.jpg
Here is the first use of them and they look just about right when compared with the GA drawing. The 1mm head equates to a 1 1/4" diameter rivet head full size. I scooshed some Halford's grey over it to see better how they looked.

32Coaches038.jpg
...and they come up very nicely. Please ignore the lack of cleaning up which doesn't show when the Plastikard is in its virginal white. :) I also took a sort of overhead shot...

32Coaches039.jpg

...to show why casting this could be difficult with the projecting brackets for the spring mounts - especially the end ones.

While waiting for the rivets from Poland, I did have a go at producing rivets from 0.020" Plastikard rod using George Slater's melting technique on the rod ends but I couldn't get a good consistency of head size and the results looked untidy when fitted. I think that if I want to use this method in future I will have to find a way of presenting the rod to the heat source at exactly the same distance for exactly the same time and I suspect that will require some form of jig rather than my dodgy right hand. :)

Jim.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Smashing stuff. David Jenkinson's Plastikard coaches stood up well to the test of time. I know because a couple came back after David passed away for repair to paint damage following a 'fall'. Pretty good considering I started painting his coaches in the mid 1970's.

There was a downside to it all though. I carry a lot of static in my body for some reason, which transferred to the plastic coaches and attracted paint like a super-magnet while I was lining them out. So I used to spray some Simoniz anti-static polish onto a cloth and wipe the inside walls of the coach. It worked, but I had to make sure I made no mistakes because 'rubbing' would have re-introduced static with a vengeance.
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
Larry,

I was really impressed with David Jenkinson's methods when they originally appeared in the Modeller in the 1970s. I had had several unsuccessful attempts at construction before this and my first attempt at using his method worked. I also got his book to save digging out the magazines. :) I started using the CNC machine more recently to avoid having to make the separate panelling lacework overlays since hand and eye were becoming not quite up to it. :) But otherwise I build the Jenkinson way.

And the bodies do last well. I have some Midland six-wheel clerestory bodies built in the 1990s and they show no sign of warpage or disintegration. The only problem I ever got was with some S scale S&D coaches where I had used too much Mekpak when joining the outer sides to the inner box and the sides started buckling after a few weeks. I now put ventilation holes on all my inner box sides to let trapped solvent vent to outside.

Jim.
 
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