G3 LSWR Open wagon kit

unklian

Western Thunderer
Lovely job Jamie.
That is very nice fine chain you've used on the door retainer pins - where did you get it from, please?
Andy

Try Branchlines, he used to do some nice fine chain that was blackened as well . Usual disclaimer .
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Could I ask some advice please?
I have arranged a load of best Welsh Steam Coal, but at 22.5:1 some of the lumps are rather large. Dripping diluted PVA over the load hasn't secured the larger pieces at all, and I am rather reluctant to drip any more water over the wagon. Could anyone offer a proven method of securing the more recalcitrant pieces please? For instance, has anyone tossed lumps in neat PVA and smeared them into position? Any ideas gratefully received, thank you.
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jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Hmm, having left the wagon overnight, the sheer silliness of enthusiastically dripping well diluted, watery PVA into a wooden wagon has shown itself. The corners have held, but one side, especially, has bowed outwards quite alarmingly.
Wagons did eventually tend to bow outwards but perhaps not to this degree, and almost certainly not by following the vertical curve described by the model's sides.
The wagon was to get a sealing coat of varnish to help weather proof it but the coal load went in before that - but after the sanding sealer had presumably been rubbed down too far.
I'll walk away from it for a day or two, and decide whether it's serendipity or disaster then...
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markjj

Western Thunderer
Try gently squashing it in a G-clamp between some wood strips and leaving it somewhere warm to dry out. Make sure you put something like some polystyrene or hard foam packing under the clamped wood first it might work.
 

Jon Nazareth

Western Thunderer
Jamie
That's a shame, I hope it dries out square or at least reasonably square. Tell me, is that real coal? I need some G3 coal for the bunker of La Belle Alliance.

Jon
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Markjj, thanks for the idea. Unfortunately, I left it in a warm place overnight so it has been cooked into its current shape pretty comprehensively. It could be possible to hack out the coal, wet the inside face and try that, but I don't think I could find the enthusiasm right now to be honest. I'll give it some thought.

Jon, yes it is. A lump of Welsh Steam Coal, wrapped in a rag and attacked with a hammer.

Jamie
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
If you don't mind my saying, the bulge doesn't look too out of place to my mind. As you say, it happened to real wooden wagons. At least it's not bowing inwards, which can often happen in the smaller scales when stock is picked up and handled.
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Heather, I do not mind in the least, thank you.
The following shows it in its worst light. The lower half is nicely vertical where it is supported by large wood blocks on the inside, but the top two planks show the bowing at its worst on the side knees and door. It is certainly different. And annoyingly avoidable.
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unklian

Western Thunderer
I agree with Heather , at least it has warped the 'right' way. Let it dry right out too it may come back more.

Where did you get your lettering from BTW, is it Mr Williams's ?
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
I did agree with Heather that your bulge actually looked rather good, but now I see the last photo I can see what you mean - it has bowed the "ironwork" too. I think you are wise to leave it alone for a while and think about it.

Mike
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Well, thought about it and yesterday morning decided to try doing something about it. Took markjj's good advice and clamped it between two pieces of wood, buffered with hard foam, after first chipping away the coal load locally,thoroughly wetting the inside faces of the affected area, and replacing the coal/ diluted PVA mix.
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36 hours on, and after taking a deep breath, the clamp was removed and the side has set much more acceptably. There is still some outward bowing, but to my eyes it looks much more plausible.
IMG_0001.JPG
Looked at sympathetically, it could now pass as a slightly care worn but still serviceable wagon. The knees still bow out slightly, but they have lost their rather too artistic curve.

Presuming it doesn't sag overnight, just some final touching up to do then weathering to finish.

markjj, thank you.
 

markjj

Western Thunderer
Your welcome Jamie. It's a method I had used many times when I used to play with 16mm steam and made my wagons from wood. I'm glad it's helped yours to
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Damned - thought I might have sold you a replacement wagon kit, or even taken yours as a swap, but I guess that possibility has disappeared now!

Seriously though (yes, I was joking) it looks superb and, in my opinion, better than had it been dead straight.

Mike
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
That is very kind of you, Simon, thank you.
Now the drama is (hopefully) over, a few more points which may be of interest for anyone planning to build one of these.

I used 4mm small handrail knobs, drilled out to o.5mm, to secure the body tiedown rings because it seemed easier than the instructed idea of twisted wire.

I have ordered etched LSWR wagon number plates, but SR modellers can use the plain elliptical plates provided in the kit- the SR turned the plates over and painted their info on the plain face.

Buffer height worked out well with no packing required between axleguard assembly and floor.

I did however, modify the cosmetic leaf springs - firstly thinned in the middle to mate against my modified coil spring register; and second by removing a few leaves to more better represent five- leaf springs which some seemed to have been fitted with.

Williams Models transfers went on very well indeed, helped with liberal washes of Microsol.
The number was chosen as an anonymous rebuilt wagon; I had originally numbered the model to represent a prototype wagon for which photographic evidence exists, but completely missed the fact the photo shows it to have had a different arrangement of bolts on the corner and end stanchions. Once noticed it couldn't be ignored, so the first number had to be scraped off and replaced. Standard advice- choose a photo, the bolt details did seem to differ amongst this series of wagons- they were after all rebuilds using old ironwork.

Axles have been tapered but the G3 'standard' wheels were re-used.

I would definitely recommend coating the wooden parts with sanding sealer before assembly. Gently rubbed down, it helps give a 'scaled' effect to the surface texture and probably gives some protection from scuffing, oil, water (!), etc

The paintwork, in fact the whole wagon, was sprayed with Vallejo Acrylic Matt varnish from a rattle can, which went on well.

The biggest point, however, is that the kit has been jolly good fun. The dramas have been self- inflicted, and a lot of the work I did was unnecessary but simply represented personal preferences.
Fundamentally, it is a very good kit. A good combination of beautifully cut and scribed wood parts coupled with all necessary detailing, and Williams Models standard underframe, coupling and buffing gear. A lot of thought has gone into it.
I will post a picture when it is finally weathered a bit and properly finished, but then that really will be enough about a simple, single, wagon build.
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
Thank you Jon. You asked earlier about how I would paint the exterior but leave the bare wooden interior untouched.
For what it's worth, the interior faces had been pre- stained as described earlier. The outside faces were brush painted with a coat of precision Paints LSWR brown which only seemed available in a matt finish. It did not go well, the finish was very streaky and I was concerned about again struggling with water slide transfers on a matt surface as happened recently with a 1/32 Bulleid van.
Changing tack, I brushed on two coats of Humbrol gloss number 10, which looked a pretty well identical shade of brown.
Transfers went on to this gloss finish rather well, after which the whole thing was sprayed with the Vallejo Acrylic matt varnish. To be honest, the brush painted finish definitely looked a bit streaky even after these two coats, but the varnish magically made the whole thing look much, much better. Underframe was separately sprayed with a dirty black, the two brought together and things like the leaf springs put in place and brush painted.
Hope that helps,
Jamie
 

geoff_nicholls

Western Thunderer
I shall definitely try out that method of making sheet rope rings, I need 24 for my GER wool wagon.
I was going to refer everyone to posts about another Tony Riley inspired kit, a GWR van in gauge 1, but I see you've all been there and liked it already!
 

jamiepage

Western Thunderer
I used Alan Gibson 4mm short hand rail knobs ref. G4M53, purchased on ebay. Others would do no doubt, but these were commendably 'short'.
 
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