1/32 scale LNER D114 BTK

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

I'm taking some time off from my 7mm scale commitments to build a laser-cut (mostly) 1/32 LNER 4 compartment BTK to diagram 114. The kit is from KA lasercraft, and is well thought out and pretty comprehensive, including underframe, bogies and wheels. I'll go through the components in more detail as I come to use them. It's a very new kit - there are no D114 instructions available, but there is plenty of information on the web-site to assist.

The first thing I did was to start on the body. You are supposed to dry fit everything together, including the sides before gluing anything. Not a chance if you want to retain sanity. It's a 3-hand job even so. I reckoned that the kit was so accurately cut that it could be built up in stages with the sides attached last. This belief was well-founded, but more anon. I started by gluing the 3 pieces forming the corridor together, and then dry fitted the corridor, compartment partitions, flat roof former and roof bar together. Once these all self-locked, I glued the compatments to the floor and just worked round with dabs of superglue. It ended up all square and flat. The corridor doors were added last using wood glue.

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I generally don't like using wood for coaching stock, but in this case, I see it as a bonus due to the nature of the real thing. If I can keep it clean enough, I hope to finish it in post-war varnished and slightly tired teak when I can use the grain (which is all in the right direction) to advantage.

Richard
 
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Dikitriki

Flying Squad
I rather like the look of that..

I'm keen to see how the kit gets round the bow ended roof join..

JB.

Traditionally:)

It's planked over ribs, rather like a ship's hull. I have to get the sides and ends on first, but the roof looks to be as well-designed as the rest of it, with 2 dowels running through the formers to keep everything in line. It's then sanded and covered with some sort of iron-on material. It is removable.

That's the theory. I'm sticking beading to the lower sides at the moment.

R
 

Rob Pulham

Western Thunderer
Oh Yes, I will be watching this with interest Richard.

I must resist, I must resist, I must resist, I must resist, I must resist, I must......:confused::confused::))
 

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
I must admit after the plasticard CCT I've gone off any material other than brass or injection moulded plastic for coaches, so it will be good to see how the adhesive lasts.

JB.
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
I must admit after the plasticard CCT I've gone off any material other than brass or injection moulded plastic for coaches, so it will be good to see how the adhesive lasts.

JB.
JB,
It's just a case of picking the right adhesive, styrene sheet works fine providing you don't try and laminate with a solvent.
If I were building this kit I think I'd probably use aliphatic resin. Having recently used it to repair a turntable plinth and a couple of pairs of speaker cabinets it's absolutely wonderful for jobs like this.
Steph
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

I'm using a mix of glues. The superglue was used only where there was a tight fit between parts - tab and slot - where the parts were already together. That was the work on the interior. I am indeed using an aliphatic resin - Titebond original wood glue - to glue, for example, the beading on the lower sides, and indeed, the doors on the compartments earlier.

The last couple of days has seen work on one of the sides.

This is how they come:

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A 4-part laminate with the top beading in place, a step in the sides for the brake compartment, and with the curves of the side pre-formed in a jig. A darned good start by anyone's measure. It's not perfect, and I have had correspondence with Kevin Almond (the KA of KA Lasercraft) about it. The problem is that the curve of the lower side extends into the window area, whereas the whole of the window, including all the top beading should be perfectly flat. It can't be corrected and I can live with the imperfection. One big plus is that recesses are designed in for all the windows, including the corridor so that glazing strips can be dropped in from above.

Moving on to the other side, the lower beading is the first thing to fit, and care is needed to ensure it's all parallel and vertical as necessary. The beading is laser cut in sections - very accurately - so they can be glued in one-by one. I started with the doors as references and filled in the gaps.

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The Titebond grips immediately, and the wood is flexible enough that it doesn't spring round the curve. Any excess was taken off immediately and the side was given a soft fibre-glass rub down this morning. You have to be pretty careful as the top surface of the wood is very thin indeed, and you don't want to remove the grain.

Great fun!

Richard
 

Scale7JB

Western Thunderer
Very impressive.

I had a look at the built examples on the website and saw that the beading is quite square. I wondered if you might use some half round plasticard instead to represent the original a little more accurately. Maybe for a future version.

JB.
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Very impressive.

I had a look at the built examples on the website and saw that the beading is quite square. I wondered if you might use some half round plasticard instead to represent the original a little more accurately. Maybe for a future version.

JB.

Hi JB,

I didn't think of half-round plasticard, especially as I want to varnish rather than paint the wood. I propose removing the arris on the bottom beading which should make it look better, and the lining will help too. I had to wait until it was stuck in place as the beading was far too flexible to round uniformly off the model.

R
 

Jon Nazareth

Western Thunderer
Steph
Are you suggesting using aliphatic resin to glue/laminate plasticard? I have a horsebox kit (unstarted) that is made up from layers of plasticard glued together but, I believe, someone on WT said that a solvent wouldn't work as the layers would bulge from trapped air.

Jon
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
Steph
Are you suggesting using aliphatic resin to glue/laminate plasticard? I have a horsebox kit (unstarted) that is made up from layers of plasticard glued together but, I believe, someone on WT said that a solvent wouldn't work as the layers would bulge from trapped air.

Jon
No, Jon, sorry for not being clear - aliphatic resin is good for woodwork such as the vehicle Richard is building in this thread.

To laminate plastic (and as was suggested to both @Scale7JB and @oldravendale for their respective plasticard builds) I'd use a solvent-free impact adhesive. The trick is to slightly key the joining surface (just matt it off) and then use a thin layer of the adhesive to both surfaces. The best thing to apply it seems to be a foam 'brush' (rather than a bristle one). Leave it to dry completely before making the join. You can mask off areas you want to protect from glue if you need to, as long as you remove the tape immediately after applying the adhesive.

An alternative might be to use a cyano-acrylate (which I've done a couple of times); either a slow curing 'laminating' adhesive applied before joining or ultra-thin applied after assembling the parts.

A combination of the two works well - solvent free impact adhesive to make the laminated assemblies (sides/ends/roof) and then use cyano- to assemble them together.

Steph
 

Steph Dale

Western Thunderer
I think the one I've used most recently is actually Evo-stick. It's in a red or blue can (depending on whether you want instant grab or time-bond, I think), but has a green label saying 'solvent free'.

There are some horror stories with its use where people have used it like the regular solvent based stuff; there is a change in technique required for it to be successful. Unlike the original it won't harden off if the lamination is made before the glue is completely dry.

There will be more on this in due course as I'd like to do a '36 stock Maunsell open third, the flush windows mean an outer lamination of 10thou" or thinner styrene.

Steph
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi,

I've been working on the other side. I've got all the beading on - I worked out how to round it off the model, I held it on a cutting board with some scrap wood so that only the bit I was rounding was visible. It was still tricky on the longer lengths, but easier than doing it once attached to the side. I have also added the drop lights and door vents. I don't appear to have a guard's ducket, but I have contacted Kevin Almond about that. Apart from the ducket, I just need to add the door hinges from scrap wood and I can start to varnish the sides.

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Richard
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
I was able to ride in BTK 3669 last July, photos taken of the interior, might they be of interest Richard?
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
I was able to ride in BTK 3669 last July, photos taken of the interior, might they be of interest Richard?

Thank you Graham, they most certainly would be. I had started doing some internet searching, but good interior pics seem rare.

Richard
 
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