7mm Rob Pulham's Work Bench - Back (again) to the LNER 06 (MOK 8F)
- Thread starter Rob Pulham
- Start date
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Close, I have a friend whom I haven't seen for many years who had the most coppery red hair so I thought that I would that I would paint the fireman after him.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Some time ago when I made the oil can from a few scraps of brass someone asked about a tea billy - well I didn't make one but I discovered by chance a set of castings Here that included one - a bit fiddly to paint and the photo is a very cruel close up.
The castings from Peter Roles are only a fiver and when I sent a cheque off for some they were sent by return of post without waiting for the cheque to clear.
The castings from Peter Roles are only a fiver and when I sent a cheque off for some they were sent by return of post without waiting for the cheque to clear.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Well here's what you have all been waiting for, well perhaps some of you? On second thoughts maybe just Mike.
My first finished attempt (the A3 is still work in progress
) at lined green LNER livery. Done using the combination of Transfers, Bow Pen, Bow Compass, and Peter Spoorer lining pen (Like a Bob Moore but cheaper
). Lot's of experimentation with paint thickness's and a fantastic learning curve. Who would have thought that you could get away with leaving the lid of a can of paint for 2 days let alone that it would make it better to use.....
My first finished attempt (the A3 is still work in progress
) at lined green LNER livery. Done using the combination of Transfers, Bow Pen, Bow Compass, and Peter Spoorer lining pen (Like a Bob Moore but cheaper). Lot's of experimentation with paint thickness's and a fantastic learning curve. Who would have thought that you could get away with leaving the lid of a can of paint for 2 days let alone that it would make it better to use.....
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Good work on the liningthe more you do it the easier it gets ... apparently
It very much reminds me of Ivor the engine
It's true, that and lot's of time and patience - don't start if you haven't the time.....
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
I doubt that Mick had this long a break in mind when he suggested it but I have come back to the A3 and I am determined to get it at least finished to the painting stage (I have done quite a bit on that already).
A couple of weeks ago in between finishing off the bogie van I got this out of the cupboard and started to think seriously about what needed doing to complete it. The first thing was fitting the front bogie I got it and the spring/screw and put it together and discovered the first problem. My lovely home made brake cylinders fouled the bogie and wouldn't allow it to turn at all - a proper Doh!!! moment. Undeterred I unsoldered them and started to cut them back in an effort to get them to sit further back. Several attempts later and there was nothing left
So here we are without any brakes but the chassis runs nice and smoothly and goes around curves as best as I can tell in the limits of my layout boards
During the process one of the front springs can adrift at one side so that needs soldering back at some point.
The next problem that those with a long memory may recall was that when test running I had to rest a pair of pliers on one side of the tender to get it to run. My first thought was that this was down to a bad contact so I drilled a hole in the tender chassis, tapped it 8BA and soldered in a short length of screw (the end off one that I had shortened for something else - I struggle to throw stuff away thinking as now that they will come in useful
). You can just see the mark on top of the tender chassis where I filed the paint off to do this.I then reconnected the tender to the loco and all ran really smoothly. So far so good. however when I fitted the tender body it wouldn't run despite having a much better connection. It did run if I rested a finger on the tender side. Mmmm! I took the tender body off and examined it and realised that with the whitemetal castings that form the corridor connection top the body is top heavy at one side. Because I am using the american method of pick up the weight was lifting the chassis enough to make running intermittent.
My thoughts turned to how I could weight it from the inside of the tender body because any weight put into the tender top under the coal would be central not to one side that I needed.
I then thought about swapping the pick up sides on the loco and tender which would mean that the tender picked up from the side with the most weight and in theory it should solve the problem.
While all this was going through my mind I took the tender body back off and pondered while running the loco and tender chassis up and down my 4 metres of track. I noticed that the rear most wheels didn't always turn so I applied some oil to all the axles and running improved. It was while messing with this that I noticed that without the body on although the tender chassis ran up and down quite smoothly and appeared to pick up okay there was a pronounced rock between the front and rear axles and it was biased away from the pick up side. Closer examination revealed a bent bit of the chassis that looks like it has been dropped. I don't recall dropping it but I must have because no one else touches them.
This is it after a bit of minor straightening with a pair of sooth jawed pliers.
While the tweaking with the pliers hasn't solved the rocking it has made the rear axle run smoothly. So the next task is to strip down the tender chassis and attempt to straighten it. I will try initially without stripping any paint but if that fails it's going to be a back to basics job as I am now determined to get this of the bench once and for all so I can with other things without feeling guilty that it still lurks in the background.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Hi Ian,
That's probably the next step - the two middle axles run in over sized bearings as DJH supply them and when I built it I didn't really know any better. If I find that I have to strip the paint off then I may as well take it apart and do it
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Today's efforts have been very positive.
First I stripped the wheels and axles from the tender chassis and used a couple of 15" or so lengths of 3/16 round bar through the front and rear axle bushes to twist the chassis until it felt better.
I tried in the front and rear axles but it still didn't sit square on my pane of glass so a little more tweaking was in order. Once I was satisfied I tried the tender chassis behind the loco just with the front and rear axles fitted. All ran smoothly so I loosely fitted the tender top. Astonishingly it moved under it's own power without hiccup although the loco wheels did slip a bit. I popped a lump of lead sheet across the front of the frames to stop this during testing.
The next step was to fit the two middle axles and try again with the tender top loosely fitted. It ran even better.
Lastly I bit the bullet and fastened the tender top and on thankfully it seems that is one problem solved.
I was so elated that I took a video which I will post as soon as the camera battery charges.
Next up I tried the boiler/footplate on and discovered that it wouldn't fit over the Maxon motor. Out with the mini drill and a drum sander which made short work of it. I still need a little fine tuning then I hope to have her running with the boiler in place.
First I stripped the wheels and axles from the tender chassis and used a couple of 15" or so lengths of 3/16 round bar through the front and rear axle bushes to twist the chassis until it felt better.
I tried in the front and rear axles but it still didn't sit square on my pane of glass so a little more tweaking was in order. Once I was satisfied I tried the tender chassis behind the loco just with the front and rear axles fitted. All ran smoothly so I loosely fitted the tender top. Astonishingly it moved under it's own power without hiccup although the loco wheels did slip a bit. I popped a lump of lead sheet across the front of the frames to stop this during testing.
The next step was to fit the two middle axles and try again with the tender top loosely fitted. It ran even better.
Lastly I bit the bullet and fastened the tender top and on thankfully it seems that is one problem solved.
I was so elated that I took a video which I will post as soon as the camera battery charges.
Next up I tried the boiler/footplate on and discovered that it wouldn't fit over the Maxon motor. Out with the mini drill and a drum sander which made short work of it. I still need a little fine tuning then I hope to have her running with the boiler in place.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
I managed to get the video of the tender running post straightening off the camera
You will have to excuse the dodgy sound track
The radio was on in the background and all the clicks and clunks were the controller changing direction
You will have to excuse the dodgy sound track
The radio was on in the background and all the clicks and clunks were the controller changing direction
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
I took another video last night this time with the boiler and cab resting in place - it's starting to look like an A3 now.
I am not sure how much more I will get done to it this week as I have an interview next week that I need to prepare for.
I am not sure how much more I will get done to it this week as I have an interview next week that I need to prepare for.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Not much has been happening on the workbench of late due to DIY/Gardening and general lack of Mojo :0(
One of this things that has been done is one of those things that I was dreading and which when I finally plucked up the courage to have a go at it went very smoothly and easily.
What I was dreading was soldering the two pieces together in between the whitemetal fingers.
How I achieved it was:
I fastened both arms to the links to the rods together with the 16ba nut and bolt provided. The ends of each are half thickness to create a lap joint. I then bolted one end to the frame spacer and held the two half lapped ends together with a pair of cranked locking tweezers.
Next using a tip that I picked up on one of Richard Lambert’s threads I cut some strips of kitchen paper and folded them so that they would fit down either side of the area to be soldered and wet them with a pipette after using tweezers to position them. Once the whitemetal at both sides was suitably protected, flux was applied to the joint; a quick in and out with the soldering iron tinned with 145 degree solder and the job was done.
Hopefully the 3 photos show the various positions as the valve gear moves.
One of this things that has been done is one of those things that I was dreading and which when I finally plucked up the courage to have a go at it went very smoothly and easily.
What I was dreading was soldering the two pieces together in between the whitemetal fingers.
How I achieved it was:
I fastened both arms to the links to the rods together with the 16ba nut and bolt provided. The ends of each are half thickness to create a lap joint. I then bolted one end to the frame spacer and held the two half lapped ends together with a pair of cranked locking tweezers.
Next using a tip that I picked up on one of Richard Lambert’s threads I cut some strips of kitchen paper and folded them so that they would fit down either side of the area to be soldered and wet them with a pipette after using tweezers to position them. Once the whitemetal at both sides was suitably protected, flux was applied to the joint; a quick in and out with the soldering iron tinned with 145 degree solder and the job was done.
Hopefully the 3 photos show the various positions as the valve gear moves.
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
While I have been pottering about with the A3 and F8 Chris has slowly but surely weathering the J63
I took it along for a run on Asenby St Peter at Telfrod and while it really looks the part the plunger pickups are still not right - it runs fine forward but very intermittently in reverse
Here are a few shots of the super weathering job.
The shiny mark on the last two photos by the cab door is a drop of water - no idea where it came from but it's gone now
I took it along for a run on Asenby St Peter at Telfrod and while it really looks the part the plunger pickups are still not right - it runs fine forward but very intermittently in reverse
Here are a few shots of the super weathering job.
The shiny mark on the last two photos by the cab door is a drop of water - no idea where it came from but it's gone now
Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Great weathering.
That drop of water got onto the loco on RMWeb too.......
Any chance of a step-by-step on how to weather to that standard?
Thanks
I have asked but Chris struggles to put it into words.