7mm On Heather's Workbench - 37 Varieties

[oldravendale]

Michael - That's a really useful tool.

Would you kindly give us a bit more detail with pics if possible about how you build up this sanding pad? I don't even know what a model aircraft clevis looks like, let alone where to buy one.

Brian

 

[michael mott]

Brian have a look at these different types I used a solid one. I will hunt down the other pictures of the tool I made.

Michael

 

[michael mott]

I am going to post a few pictures on my bench so as not to hijack Heather's thread.

Michael

 

[BrushType4]

A slow start to the the week. On Monday, I had some new storage drawers delivered. As they were flat pack I needed somewhere flat to unpack them and put them together. Clear, flat areas are at a premium in this house, so I had to clear the bench to make room.

Tuesday, well, I didn’t sleep at all well the night before. I was suffering a proper case of the Muttleys, so I pottered about trying to keep myself busy. We also popped out to visit a small charitable thing we support in our own little way, which sort of helped lift my mood a bit.

So, today, I heaved at the bootstraps, found some loins to gird, and set to.

View attachment 155930

The boiler room roof strips were dealt with. They didn’t take as long as I’d feared. I’ll leave the flue and safety valves alone. The steps on the sides were blocked in and filler slathered all over. When that’s hardened, I’ll get in there with sanding sticks and other implements.

View attachment 155931

The etched windscreen surrounds were carefully prised off, cleaned up, and refitted the other way up.

So, that’s done. Time to make more mess and clean up the sides. I suspect I’ll need to deploy the paint booth soon to get some primer on the shell to see what damage needs repairing. I am building up, still, to working on the bogies. I want to add the various brake lines, but I hope that won’t take too long.

I tell you, engine picking on kettles is nothing to diseasels.

Heather, I think the window frames look a lot better now you've refitted them. This loco is going to be handsome when its done.

 

[Brian Daniels]

One thing you can do on the bogie is remove the moulded on speedo wire and replace with a piece of wire.

 

[Ressaldar]

my 'take' on the speedo cable and brake lines was to use single strand telephone wire





December 2008

regards

Mike

 

[Heather Kay]

I'm still here. Been a bit distracted by Life again. Bogies! The cross beams came from the Heljan upgrade set. I’ve stuck them into one side because the sides won’t go back on the bogie chassis if you join them together. I’m clever like that. The brake cylinders were carefully removed and stored in the tub. They’ve had the pipe run holes drilled out and can go back on shortly. All the moulded pipe runs have been shaved off, as have the axlebox cover plate detail. The latter will be replaced by the PE covers with the Timken branding, and the pipework by the copper wire. I’m using the Heljan speedo unit, mainly because it’s not that bad and actually fits.

I wanted to reproduce the railguards on the outer ends of the bogies, but I can’t actually find a strong way to attach them to the bogie ends. I want to also represent the brake hanger cross bars at the ends, but that might prove a bit fiddly. There should also be a pair of sanding pipes at the ends. Like the railguards, there's no easy and strong location point, so the thinking cap is getting a workout today.

Onwards!

 

[Heather Kay]

It’s never clear from all the photo picking I’ve done, mainly because you have to understand the modifications done to locos during their 60-year lifespan. Anyway, this is my interpretation of the brake pipework and speedo cabling. Now, it strikes me Heljan erroneously moulded the looping speedometer cabling on all the sides, so the remaining three sides should be fairly plain sailing. Finney7 etched pipe clips came in handy for the run along the top of the bogie frame.

 

[Heather Kay]

All done. Now to think about those naughty origami steps.

I am still trying to work out a way to make four rail guards. They probably would attach quite firmly to the end beams, but they bend in all sorts of funky directions. Someone tell me that PHD produces them on an etch, please!

 

[Brian Daniels]

Nice job with the pipework but I hope those end cross beams are not glued in as they should dip down not out like they appear on yours.

 

[Compton castle]

I detailed up a 37 a few years back and as well as the PHD set added some bits from
MM1.

 

[Heather Kay]

I hope those end cross beams are not glued in as they should dip down not out like they appear on yours

Ah, the joys of no instructions! They are glued, but they don’t fit any other way. The slots in the bogie frames are horizontal. *shrug*

I will revisit them. Lost in the gloom, though, I’m not sure it’ll matter.

 

[Heather Kay]

The end beams came off. Inevitably the pegs broke, so I’ve arranged for them to be pinned in place with brass wire.

First thing yesterday I had my biannual visit to the teeth botherers. After the usual telling-off by the sadist hygienist, and being poked about by the chief botherer, the old Hampsteads were given a clean bill of health for another six months. My bank balance is in rehab.



I had created some nice neat brass railguards. With a bit of channel attached, they could clip, more or less, on to the cross beams. The guards are not exactly right, but better than nothing at all. As is usual, despite measuring things, they ended up a bit short, but that isn’t bothering me yet. As you can, though, they do foul the possibility of any brake cross shafts I might have been entertaining.

With that resolved, I suppose I should not put off the step origami any longer. I may be a while.

 

[Heather Kay]

One down, three to go.



Not actually attached as yet, this is to see how it all fits so I can try and fit the teeny-tiny struts. The lower step assembly works well, but the top step is a bit more troublesome. You can see a right-angle bracket on the left that fouls the brake mech slot. In fact, the whole step obstructs the cylinder mech. I checked against the other side bogie, and it’s the same problem. I think a little creative adjustment may be required.

I particularly enjoyed the design gotcha, where the lower steps are the wrong hand - if etched line folds are as instructed. I guess it’s meant to see if you’re paying attention.

 

[Heather Kay]

Every step installation on the real thing seems to be slightly different, so I’m calling this a win. A bit of material has been removed from the upper left step to clear the brake mech, but the whole thing is different to the drawing layout. Hey-ho. For the next set, I’ll remove the excess before I start folding, and make sure the top step is folded more neatly so it slots into the bogie frame better.

Either way, a proper old fiddle. I’ve constructed easier 1/72nd scale aircraft PE upgrade sets!

 

[Heather Kay]

I finished the other three bogie steps over the weekend, in fairly short order now I had worked out the foibles on the first one.

Today, I felt it was time to reunite the bogies with the chassis, firstly to check clearances, and secondly to help with aligning and fitting the sanding pipework.



Plonking the body shell on shows the extent of works. One or two jobs still to do, like the dominos in the head code boxes, and blanking sheets behind the radiator grilles. I find I’m also short of one diamond plate cab step. I have a cunning plan for solving that, when I get round to it.




It’s always a bit difficult getting clear images against the bright window.



Find I am rather dischuffed with my railguards. They’re an awfully long way from the rails, and barely show at all.

As hacking about and sticking work draws to an end, I am planning how to go about painting. First will be a coat of primer to get everything the same colour. That should show any flaws that need working on. I think I may reach that stage a bit later this week.

 

[Heather Kay]

Not having a good day, so thank goodness it’s nearly over.

I amended the railguards by the simple expedient of adding some brass angle to extend them. With that done, I turned to the sanding gear.



I bought in aftermarket cast brass replacements. They don’t like to bend, as you can see. I’m afraid I’m junking these for things I will have to make myself. Disappointing, because I thought these would make the job easier.

One thing, test fitting a pipe (while getting a shape nearly right before it snapped) showed that it would be almost impossible to get the delivery end anywhere near the railhead and wheel without fouling several sticking out parts on the bogies. This is going to need to considered when scratchbuilding them. The real thing is obviously easier to deal with, where model bogies can tend to wave about rather wildly - especially during crane shunting manoeuvres or getting models out of boxes - risking pinging pipework away to the carpet monster's benefit.

So, roll on tomorrow.

 

[Heather Kay]

Solutions arise at all hours. I left the sandpipe problem festering and made up simple representations of fuel filler pipes. Just short lengths of copper tube I had in stock, with slightly larger diameter tube soldered on the end, with a quick bend here and there, stuck to a styrene block.



You can just see them on the right of the tank block. This image also shows the awful bodgery I did to narrow the tanks. You can also now see sanding pipes.



There are compromises, but I fear they are somewhat inevitable. For instance, the sanding pipe connections should stand away from the tank sides as they are attached to the sandbox in the bodywork, but it was expedient to glue the castings to the tank. I repurposed the cast parts by snipping off and tidying up where the hose had snapped away, then drilling a short way into the end to take a length of brass wire. Wire will be more resilient to knocks, and proved reasonably easy to form to the right shape. I say "right shape". What I mean is a shape that gets the end of the wire close to and in line with wheels without also fouling the various details at the end of the bogie frames. Compromises, like I say.

Now I need to make pipework for the ends.

 

[Eastsidepilot]

............. They don’t like to bend, as you can see. I’m afraid I’m junking these for things I will have to make myself. Disappointing, because I thought these would make the job easier..............

A bit of heat with a micro flame may help with bending.

Col.

 

[Heather Kay]

A bit of heat with a micro flame may help with bending.

Col.

I did try that. Made no difference. I think the particular batch of alloy's crystalline structure wasn’t happy with bending.