so check back here in another 2 years.
Not quite 2 years.
However work has been stupidly busy but over the last month or so I have managed to get back to the work bench but until now I had nothing really to report. However I've recently cleared one stumbling block so I have ploughed on and got a few photos to post.
The first was the cattle truck - I got the base colours on but then it was how to produce the lining. This is the result of my efforts - this is using humbrol enamel and effectively dry brushing along the edges of the frame work, trying to keep it as light as possible. It's a bit patchy in places and a bit bright so I'm hoping that a little light weathering will tone it down a bit and make it blend in a bit more.
The other problem was the lettering - there are no specific transfers for this wagon so I did find some 2mm letters from Fox transfers so the "CATTLE BOX" is built up from individual letters. It took a lot of poking and prodding with a toothpick to get the alignment right. They are a whisker too large but they do fit in the frame as required so I think that's as good as I can get. I've run out of LNWR transfers so more are on order to get it finished.
Bear in mind that the camera is a cruel mistress at times - especially in this scale - and from a more realistic distance and perspective the lining does seem to improve.
Now the more observant may have noticed the presence of coupling on the wagons now. This is the stumbling block I was referring to - a lot of prevaricating on my part between the seemingly de-rigueur standard dinghams to the delicate AJ's. So
@Simpas may be please to see I have opted for the electra couplings.
This last week or two I decided to make some up to test - I don't really understand my reticence now as they were extremely easy to make and fit and they work extremely well. I bought the jig and made a couple of the little bending tools suggested. So here you can see the jig and tool either side of a batch of bent hooks and droppers.
The wire used is some fine 8thou guitar wire and the jig is used to form the shape of the hook and the dropper. The jig also holds together the two components whilst soldering together. Soldering spring steel is always entertaining but I had seen this oil flux
Soldering oil - Buy now » fohrmann.com recommended. I bought a bottle and it certainly works well, the soldered joints are solid and the solder has flowed into the joint nicely just like soldering nickel-silver.
This is the fitted article with the obligatory penny for scale. The hook is held at a 45 degree angle to the vertical by a little lead weight and rotates in tube (Albion 0.3mm microbore nickel-silver tube) soldered to the wagon. The hook has to be just a whisker to the left of the coupling hook and just under the buffer beam.
From the few I have fitted it doesn't seem overly critical on its position, either vertical height or offset from the coupling hook. All I have fitted so far has been done by the Mk 1 eyeball so show a reasonable variation yet they all couple up correctly so I think they should be quite robust in normal use.
One other issue was blackening of the wire. The online youtube video for the couplings is very useful but all the couplings are quite noticeable being nice shiny spring steel. I want to find a way to blacken the steel - apparently you can buy black guitar strings but I couldn't find any. Other solutions involved boiling it in caustic soda and an oxidising agent at 150C plus which I wasn't that keen on. Eventually I found a suggestion of using Birchwood Aluminium Black solution. This is result which I think works quite well.
So now I have a rake of wagons rather than a collection of individual wagons.
I then realised that the box vans were out numbering the open wagons so I started the next batch. Three etched LNWR chassis and a handful of prints from shapeways I've made a start on these 3 - D1, D2 and D4.
However I realised in my 2mm stocks I was missing split spoke wheels and buffers so just put an order in to the 2mm Assoc No.2 shop for a few bits. So hopefully they'll turn up at some point whilst I finish off the brakes and couplings.