Building the MOK "King Arthur"

[oldravendale]

The boiler was perhaps more difficult than I'd expected. The nickel silver is of a substantial thickness and was difficult to bend even using rollers. Despite using a piece of "pilot" brass to limit the issues with the square edge the leading edge was not properly rolled. I therefore used the persuader and the afore mentioned copper pipe to turn the edges over.



This worked passably well and I'm happy enough with the boiler shape. All soldered up the only area which is less than good is the bit just before the cut out for the motor/gearbox. I'm going to have another go with the persuader to try and produce something a bit "rounder" just in that area, but overall it looks pretty good, though I says it wot shouldn't.


I'm now removing the tabs and sticky out bits before moving on to boiler mountings. There are some witness marks where the spacers are fitted and the boiler was drawn over them to complete the shape. Having removed the tabs I will decide whether removal of these witness marks is desirable - it's always possible that they might be good locations for the lining!

Brian

 

[oldravendale]

Not a huge amount to report today, although it's taken a few hours to do it!

Boiler finally wrangled to shape. Al tabs now filed off and witness marks removed. Boiler then polished with gradually finer grades of emery and then a polishing stick which I understand young ladies use for polishing their nails. I can't remember who put me on to those but they work exceptionally well. Finally the saddle was made up and fitted. That looks a bit rough - ie needs more polishing - but the smokebox wrapper will cover up the filing marks.



Tomorrow is finishing the saddle and then then fitting the smokebox wrapper.

Brian

 

[john lewsey]

Some nice work Brian

 

[oldravendale]

Moving on....... completing the boiler. Smokebox overlay fitted.



Then the frame extensions and buffer beam built up - a dry run at the moment,



Finally the smokebox front plate overlay and front boiler step soldered in position and the frame extensions and buffer beam dry test fitted.



Brian

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Brian,

best start polishing the nameplates - they will be needed soon

Stay safe

regards

Mike

 

[oldravendale]

Thanks Mike.

Nameplates and numberplate/shed plate from Severn Mill Nameplates are lurking in the box. Jolly nice they are too!

It's about time you started 30772........ But get those injectors right! And for absolute accuracy the tender bogies need a small mod. Neither of which I've done, of course.

Brian

 

[Ressaldar]

Thanks Mike.

It's about time you started 30772........

Brian

That I'm afraid, is a long way off. I'm struggling to get the roof ribs on an Inspection Saloon that I promised to deliver early March at the moment and there is another one just needing a few days work to complete it prior to painting. There is a very low depression in me at present which seems to be very persistent and not wanting to shift, but in the current general situation is very small beer in comparison to what despair and anguish many are suffering.

Stay safe all.

regards

Mike

 

[oldravendale]

Sorry to hear that, Mike. That is not a nice problem to have. It seems to be rather more common than one would suppose, and I'm sure there will be many who get dragged down by the current situation.

I'll be thinking of you, and you stay safe as well.

Brian

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Brian,

many thanks for your good wishes.

Stay safe

kind regards

Mike

 

[oldravendale]

Just as an update....... All the bits that were dry run yesterday are now permanent - unless Mickoo gets his blowtorch on them.

It's rather disappointing that it looks exactly as it did yesterday. So no photos.

Just a quick thank you to my followers for their interest. They really shouldn't.

Brian

 

[oldravendale]

Moving on. The cab floor structure is done.



And having got this far who among us could possibly miss the opportunity to see what the chassis looks like with the boiler, frame extensions and cab floor assembly in place? It looks to my mind that an ex-Barry loco close to rebuild. The boilers were never quite this shiny, though. As far as the model is concerned the boiler will lift a bit when all the accoutrements are in place.



Brian

 

[oldravendale]

Well, who of us could resist?

The core of the cab was joined to the cab floor. The boiler was (temporarily) fitted to the cab and the whole combination was fitted to the chassis.



It all seems to fit. Loadsa stuff to complete yet, not the least of which is the bending of the cab overlays and the roof.

Brian

 

[simond]

Nice, beginning to look like a real beast.

keep well!
Simon

 

[7mmMick]

That’s really coming on Brian, lovely

 

[Ressaldar]

Looking really great Brian, keep posting the pictures

Stay safe and well

regards

Mike

 

[oldravendale]

Well, if the boiler was a difficult prospect the cab overlay was even more difficult. It's one of those jobs where you need three sets of Mark 1 eyeballs and at least that many pairs of hands. The roof clearly has a gentle bend but the difficult bit was the sharp bend in the transition between cab sides and roof proper. This is complicated by the extremely small amount of material immediately above the cab cut out before the roof which gives almost nothing to get hold of. Additionally it's all in nickel silver - lovely stuff when it comes to soldering but a real devil when you have to bend it.

It's taken three afternoons to get this near enough right - not perfect but near enough. I had to use a steel roller and a bit of pressure at the top of the left hand side cab to get the curve just right after the overlay was soldered to the former underneath. It looked OK before solder was applied! The trouble was that, in concentrating on the curve I ignored the effect that the end of the roller was having lower down the cab side where it created a nice crease. This is difficult to treat as it is just above some etched rivets. I managed to move a bit of the area around with smaller rollers but I'm still less than entirely happy with it. I'll have a further go today using a rounded piece of soft timber to try to push the metal around a bit more. What I need is a micro panel beater!

Of course, the whole thing wold have been easier if I'd annealed the metal before starting but my previous experience with annealing did not go well and I ended up with a brass roof which went in the bin. I suppose it would have made a bit of modern art if I'd thought about it...... However, after this episode I'm going to have another go using the bits left over from the kit to see whether I can make it work for future reference.



Next job was boiler to cab which went together extremely easily. That rolling at the cab end of the boiler was exactly right. It was just the break I needed after the struggle with the cab.



And I've prepared the footplate ready for soldering together and fitting. This is complicated by the overlay at the cab end actually being separate from the former so that the overlay goes over the cab floor but the former comes up to it, if you see what I mean. The instructions advise removal of some of the tabs but I'm not sure which ones yet. Dry run below.



Once I get the footplate on it really will be time for progressive daily shots with the boiler/footplate on the chassis! Perhaps even with tender.


Brian

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Brian,

I sympathise with your annealing experiences, mine were very similar! The outcome looks fine and as you say the boiler/cab join working out straight away takes away most of the cab roof debacle. Looking forward to the next update.

Stay safe and well

regards

Mike

 

[simond]

I agree, and to which I would add that any discrepancies will be much less visible when it's a shadow on a dark, non-glossy surface.

atb
Simon

 

[dibateg]

It came out alright in the end Brian - nice work. I've never annealed those MOK overlays in the past, but they can be tricky, like trying to form a spring...

Cheers
Tony

 

[oldravendale]

Now it's footplate time. Again, not without some complication. The footplate overlay has to fit over a step in the cab together with the cab interior splasher which has to be shaped out of the overlay. The base comes up to the step but not over it. The complication is that this can't be done with all the location tabs present and the overlay has to be separated from the base at the cab end to wrangle it through the hole. Although the instructions are adequate in explaining what has to be done it took an inordinate amount of time to work out precisely how it would work and which tabs would have to be removed to allow it to happen. Instructions advise that removal of some tabs will be necessary but don't say which ones. Having worked out and fitted the left hand side the right hand side was a doddle.

This is the cab interior showing where the overlays overlap the steps and the splasher tops soldered to the interior of the cab.



The saving grace is that, when completed, it looks excellent and the fit is, of course, exemplary.



Finally a look at that creased cab side. I worked on it with a piece of rounded soft wood which I'd knocked around a bit to give what can best be described as a fibrous corner, just pushing the metal around. It now looks fine - a future coat of primer will tell whether it's entirely eliminated the problem. The mark which can be seen here just above the rivet line is a witness mark to all the scrubbing with the wood and the crease itself has gone.


I then spent the rest of yesterday afternoon forming the cab beading. This again needs much care and some adjustment as the beading determines the vertical (cast) hand rail location. If I get this wrong the hand rail will be less than straight. There'll be a fair bit of "fit and adjust" this afternoon.

Brian