7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Finally finished the Princess Coronation rebuild and detailing, it's been on the bench running back and forth so should be nicely set up ready to go.

It'll now go to the DCC man and then back for a waft of weathering before delivery to the client.

It needs a waft with a soft brush to remove the dust accumulated during the rebuild and testing process, but other than that, it's all tickety boo.

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Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Finally finished the Princess Coronation rebuild and detailing, it's been on the bench running back and forth so should be nicely set up ready to go.

It'll now go to the DCC man and then back for a waft of weathering before delivery to the client.

It needs a waft with a soft brush to remove the dust accumulated during the rebuild and testing process, but other than that, it's all tickety boo.

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Super lovely, Mick - looks fantastic.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Right, onward with the next one, a productive afternoon on the MOK Armstrong tender.

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It takes longer to cut the bits out than it does to assemble, I really like the corner castings with the flare, none of this fill the gaps between the brass fingers malarky. The coal space insert seems, or is, too short height wise and left a gap at the top where it joined the tender top.

I know the tender top/sides is correct as it matches the corner posts so it's a bit odd that the insert is too short, I've probably missed something but cannot see what as yet, despite a detailed look at all the tender instructions. It's not a major issue as most of the gaps are covered by other components, the front step wall can be taken off and a new deeper one inserted, a false floor in the bottom will fill the gap around the base.

Other than that, everything else fits immaculately, which is why the coal insert being too short seems a bit odd.

I must confess to not looking forward to forming the flare on those great big sides, the kit provides two spare ones and I suspect I'll be making some more from suitable brass sheet as replacements :eek:

The other big bonus is zero white metal, what a blessing after the last three weeks.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Well, I didn't expect to see this so soon, whilst dropping off the saddle tank and Princess Coronation this was handed back. During trials it had developed a bit of a limp and no longer ran smoothly.

So, back to the workshop and a strip down revealed a few little niggles, the biggest was the steel spring wires used for the pick ups, they were so strong they were jacking up the model, as well as the Slaters axle box springs; the upshot was the rear axle lifting when one of the coupling rods became a little tight. New lighter gauge ones from phosphor bronze wire were the order of the day.

It took a while to find as it ran better with the body on or weights added to the chassis. In addition a bit of crud had got into the axle gear which caused it to tighten up, ironically at the same point the rods did. It took a while to find that little blighter!

It's running much better now but still needs a few more days running non stop to bed it all in.

So, having wrestled with the running it was time for a quick photo shoot for the records, the right side still has the con rod off as the slide bars need a little more cleaning to clear the paint and make it nice and smooth.

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BR Tony

Member
Finally finished the Princess Coronation rebuild and detailing, it's been on the bench running back and forth so should be nicely set up ready to go.

It'll now go to the DCC man and then back for a waft of weathering before delivery to the client.

It needs a waft with a soft brush to remove the dust accumulated during the rebuild and testing process, but other than that, it's all tickety boo.

A stunning result. Looking forward to running her myself.

Tony
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Another weekly update, bit of a 'Texan two step' week really, but progress none the less. I eventually found out why my coal space didn't fit....because I used the wrong parts...in my defence' the supplementary sheet was buried under all the other etch sheets. Plus, there is no mention anywhere in the instructions that there is a supplementary sheet for these parts :rant:

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Those sharp of eye will also notice a little problem with the flared corners, they're brass and lovely castings and work really well, until you come to remove the little nibbles that align with the side sheets on the inside. The upshot is simple, you end up with kit kat wrapper thin material at that joint.

The downside is a patch on the inside under the coal rail posts, not prototypical, but I'm citing rule #1 they're local patches to strengthen the joint and coal rail post. The other solution is to totally remove both sides and start again.

In future I'll remove the nibbles first before soldering in the corner posts and make a butt joint and blend with solder.

One other handy tip, drill the corner posts for the handrail knobs on the bench, the brass is very hard and it'd be a real chore once fitted on the model, I didn't fall foul of that one and pre-drilled before fitting.

Another tip, buy some half round 1.0 mm brass beading, you need at least a working 900-950 mm for the tender, the kit supplies 600. I was lucky and already had some, but it's of the softer NuGold variety so may not stand up to the coal rail rigors too well, hence it'll go on last. If it doesn't fair well then I'll have to obtain some harder half round in due course.

The springs, shackles and pull rods are also all done, but need to be fitted after painting, so they're tucked away safely in a little bag ready. I might try and fit them for the final completed photos, but suspect they'll just drop out without some form of adhesive to hold them in place.

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mickoo

Western Thunderer
Another weekly update, little bit better progress than last week which results in the tender being finished.

Couple of solder stains and a general clean before boxing it up and getting to grips with the engine.

Good old Slaters wheels, axles rusting already, only been out of the pack two days :p

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P A D

Western Thunderer
Hi Mick
Super build as always. The plumbing to the brake and heating pipes looks nice and is something you don't see very often.

I can see what I can only describe as faint water marks on the tender side and I'm convinced it come from either the Cilit Bang, Viakal or whatever chemical has been used in the wet cleaning. The only way to avoid it would be to be rinse in running water until you empty the reservoir, as although the concentrated product is great for cleaning the metal when wet, it only needs parts per million to dry on for it to develop those bloody marks. It's even worse on brass and I dread to think what the D11 tender will look like tomorrow when I get back to the bench.

Cheers,
Peter
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
No cillit bang or any other chemicals other than fairy liquid and hand soap and it still gets tarnished. So long as its smooth I tend not to clean anymore, it just wastes so much time. The problem seems to be exaggerated as soon as you mechanically clean the surface, from there on in it's just downhill.

I've also found that once you get a stain its almost impossible to remove, even with mechanical cleaning.

The pipework is nice and adds another level of detail, it really does need adding as it's totally visible when viewed low down.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
No cillit bang or any other chemicals other than fairy liquid and hand soap and it still gets tarnished. So long as its smooth I tend not to clean anymore, it just wastes so much time. The problem seems to be exaggerated as soon as you mechanically clean the surface, from there on in it's just downhill.

I've also found that once you get a stain its almost impossible to remove, even with mechanical cleaning.

The pipework is nice and adds another level of detail, it really does need adding as it's totally visible when viewed low down.
Isn't it just a bit of limescale? You live in the part of the UK with the hardest water. If you used rain water or distilled water for washing it wouldn't leave the marks. But I don't think it really matters, it looks lovely anyway.
 

paulc

Western Thunderer
Can i ask what the facination with cleaning is ? Surely as long as your flux residue is washed off thats all that needs to happen . If of course the model is going to remain in its raw state and never be painted then i understand but most will be painted so isn't it just a waste of good modelling time ?
I will now withdraw to a dark corner where the bricks cant hit me .
 
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mickoo

Western Thunderer
Can i ask what the facination with cleaning is ? Surely as long as your flux residue is washed off thats all that needs to happen . If of course the model is going to remain in its raw state and never be painted then i understand but most will be painted so isn't it just a waste of good modelling time ?
I will now withdraw to a dark corner where the bricks cant hit me .
Generally there isn't and this hasn't been cleaned other than to wash off the flux and make sure all the joints are solder free (outside of the joint).

MOK kits are very good with their hidden tabs and frankly there is very little solder to clean up on the visual surfaces anyway.

The only models I keep really clean for the duration of the build, are ones where photographs are needed for the instruction documents or press photos; in which case dirty or solder stained work is simply not acceptable (as far as is reasonably practicable).

Regarding commercial work, it's amazing how many customers respond positively to a clean model, even when they know it's going to be painted, it gives them the confidence that it's been made well and is all good and solid. It is also one of the few ways a commercial builder can demonstrate his build skill set. It keeps customers coming back and attracts new ones, which is important for me as in the near future this will be my main income if everything goes to plan.

That does not mean to say models that are not clean are not good, far from it, as already noted, once painted who knows. It can be an emotive, personal or subjective view, but there is no holy mantra that models have to be cleaned to within and inch of their demise, it's whatever you're comfortable with.
 
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