7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Yup afraid so, but hey ho, now I know.

Hourly rate, depends where you work, China, Turkestan, Silicon Valley!

I'm not doing this as a job, so hourly rate really doesn't come into it and I tend not to think that way, otherwise it does then become a job (I already have one of those); I prefer the paying hobby mindset.

If I went full time and had order books full for five years and turning people away, then that's the time to think hourly rate.

It would be fair to say that if you applied a business hourly rate then I doubt any of these would ever be built professionally, it's not even as though it can be built out of the box as a really basic model, too many parts simply do not fit or are not supplied.

It's sold as an aid to scratch building and in that context it is 100% accurate.

Next up is the instruction build for the W1, so it will be a nice direct comparison between something I've designed and the County, by rights the W1, even being 300% more complex, should only take half the time.
 
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mickoo

Western Thunderer
End of weekend update.

I'd hoped to have completed the upper works, but things conspired against that, specifically the sanding levers and cranks, for their size and simplicity you'd not think there's a good five hours work in there. Still, that elephant has been banished from the room and the list of things to do is down to a mere eight items; cab step treads, buffer beam step, firebox/boiler washout domed covers, cab roof gutter, smokebox door number plate bracket, some cover thingy at the base of the smokebox/boiler behind the saddle, speedo bracket with conduit and finally a strap over the rear of the whole firebox to close the small gap with the cab and represent the angled bracket therein.

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Slightly closer view of the sanding levers and steam pipe footplate flanges.

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Three cranks, two levers, three pivots and two gland plates plus valve rods. There should also be four studs on top of the rocker covers, two on the flat section, two on the sloped section, I'd like to add them but that whole assembly is likely to dissolve if you even threaten it with a soldering iron lol. I'll sleep on it and see if a easier solution presents itself this week.

Sharp of eye will notice that the front handrail has been removed, I wasn't happy with it, couple of the bends were not quiet just so and it wasn't all 100% square and ship shape, plus the central handrail knob wasn't centred correctly, only being out by less than 1 mm. Head on it was blatantly obvious and cockeyed so it had to be moved.

Once those last few upper works parts are done then it'll be time to finish the chassis, motor, pickups, valve gear, brakes, draw bar mount and vacuum pump to complete, this only leaves the two injectors behind the cab steps.

Whilst I have some very nice castings acquired with the exchange of some shekels (there's nothing in the kit at all, injectors, brackets, pipework or drawings) I've very little accurate details on pipework at the moment. So some time this week a little research is called for and then the decision as to whether to fit to the frames or step rears will be the final thing to do.

Couple of larger overall views.

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Some one privately asked if there was any of the original kit left, the answer is yes.

About 80% of the tender was used, most of the coal space was rebuilt and an all new fire iron tunnel as well as tool lockers were required. There were a couple of extra bits and gubbins underneath as well as the brake shaft rebuild.

On the engine about 60% is original, main frames (plus a couple of stays), footplate, valance with rear steps, cab sides - front, floor and roof, cab seats and reversing lever stand, reversing lever reach rod, buffer and rear drag beam, firebox wrapper (should really of changed that as well with hindsight), splasher sides, cylinder front and rears (with new correct profile overlays) and bogie are all original....though some bits were modified.

Additional castings used/planned, lamp irons, tender axle boxes and springs, boiler washout domed covers, injectors behind cab steps.

The rest is all scratch built which leaves all this as left overs.

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Rather more than your average kit waste...sadly.
 

Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
Despite all the frustration and additional parts you've had to scratchbuild or source, it's a magnificent result Mick and I'm sure the customer will be very pleased with it. :thumbs:


Regards

Dan
 

adrian

Flying Squad
It's really looking the part now. :thumbs: After all that effort I hope it's going to get a fully lined green livery rather than some workhorse plain black.

I'd hoped to have completed the upper works,
I know it's correct to prototype and the fault is in the prototype and not the model - but the top of the firebox and boiler just look awfully empty to me and those main steam pipes look awfully asthmatic :'(
 

Paul Cambridge

Western Thunderer
That’s a superb model and a credit to your perseverance. I personally think that the Hawksworth Counties are rather handsome beasts and you have really captured their look. I never saw one, I’m just that bit too young, despite growing up in Cornwall in the 1960s.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Thanks chaps, almost there now.

On the body, I just need to try and fabricate some round washout plug covers (I only have oval ones), I'll try Ozzy O's technique from a few years back, turn a dome shaped punch and just bash some 10 thou and hope for the best ;) Also need to fill that old screw hole in the backhead and make a couple of fire hole doors to replace the missing ones.

On the Chassis it's just brakes (just brakes he says :eek:...the final elephant in the room), wipers, motor mount, draw bar fixing, speedo crank, valve stems and levers and vacuum pump shaft and crosshead bracket. The drivers are on and blackened and we've a rolling chassis with coupling rods all fitted. I've also got the correct bogie wheels, so they'll be blackened and fitted. This finally leaves just the sand pipes to fit to complete.

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I was a little concerned at the 'generous' tolerances in the machine cut coupling and connecting rods, far more than I'd ever use or open out to ease tight spots, but all said and done, it does remarkably smoothly. I did the usual trick of upgrading the Slaters crank pins from 12 to 10BA and flipped the top hats as the County has flat round crankpin covers.

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I tried a different tack on cleaning, still using Cillit Bang I then dropped it in a tub of hot water after it's scrub, left it for 10 minutes and then blow dried it vigorously. I've found most of the tarnishing is Cillit Bang drying off, if you speed up the process then it leaves a cleaner model. Also from this point on there's zero touching with uncovered hands. Neoprene disposable gloves do wonders at stopping greasy finger marks.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Superb Mick!
Cheers, not quite in the superb bracket just yet mind lol.

Ok slow weekend but motor mount now in and wiper mounts with temporary flying leads.

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The rear wipers are going to be tight and a change or routing to the front ones, but the principle is basically the same, then the two strips will be linked with a cable down the side of the frames. Vacuum pump fitted to frames via a stand off bracket, some people use flat sheet, I opted for 1.0 mm wire and I still need to add the triangular bracket to the other side of the engine.

At the moment the wipers are thin phosphor bronze strips and seem to work just fine up and down the test track, but with the flying tabs I do have the option to change to piano wire which might be a little more robust in the long run. There's two L shaped brackets underneath the copper clad strip so each can be removed for working on/repair if required.

Not sure which type of decoder is going to be used, but there is space to mount it vertically behind the motor so long as it's not wider than the wheels, if so I may as yet add a tall bracket back there for it to mount on, rather than it being put in the currently planned tender location.

The cylinder insides and section between the frames will be filled with lead and I'll make a dummy ash pan shaped box at the rear and do the same there, I doubt it'll be enough so not really sure where else it can be added and the boiler needs to be kept clear for the speaker. I can probably get some in the backhead extension plug and maybe some on each side of the firebox internally as well as a little inside the smoke box saddle.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Mick,

You could get quite a bit of lead under the cab floor, behind the wheels, inside & outside of the frames. The other area that is usually available is above the motor, stuck to the underside of the firebox top. I got loads in there on my Dukedog.

Best
Simon
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
All done and now packed away for delivery tomorrow. Quick rush to pack the car and do battle with the M25 and then hopefully relax with a well earned pint.

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Added weight between the cylinders and top of the firebox, ole gal now tips in at just under 1 Kg or just over 2 lbs in old money, not sure if that'll be enough, there's a bit of space for more if it's ever needed in the future.

It'll be handed over tomorrow at Reading and Warren might have it out on the table, I also want to give it a quick 2 min run on their test track to make doubly sure it'll go around a six foot curve, if indeed that is their radius. There's a whiff of stiffness at a couple of points going forward but free going backward, so a lube and gentle run in should see it running just fine at the end.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
Inspirational. Thanks for sharing the progress to reach this point. I think there would be few people who could have achieved a model of this standard from what you started with, and even fewer who would get it to completion.

Now which box are those 'difficult' kits that stalled at the second hurdle hiding in? I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel for them. But then, I have one from the same range, unstarted, that I can't find a single etched part that could be used to build a remotely accurate model without alteration - a scratch build will be quicker and easier.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Inspirational. Thanks for sharing the progress to reach this point. I think there would be few people who could have achieved a model of this standard from what you started with, and even fewer who would get it to completion.

Now which box are those 'difficult' kits that stalled at the second hurdle hiding in? I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel for them. But then, I have one from the same range, unstarted, that I can't find a single etched part that could be used to build a remotely accurate model without alteration - a scratch build will be quicker and easier.
That was my biggest mistake, not recognising early enough that I should of simply made replacement etches for the parts.
The only downside to that approach is that you virtually have to build the whole model to find out what needs replacing and once you've done that then you might as well keep and work with what you have :D
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
At one point there was quite a huddle :D

Sadly we were so busy today I didn't get chance to test it on the Reading test track, I'm not overly concerned as it ran well here before it was packed away. It's planned to briefly come back here all (or I'll take the light tent and set up to Bristol and set it up in the hotel) being well, fully painted so I can do some pukka studio photos for my records and Warrens web site.
 
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