Billy pegs.

My wife took to buying second hand furniture earlier this year, including some Ikea Billy bookcases and the matching Gnedby cd/dvd towers, 3 of each. After a long drive around Derbyshire and Staffordshire picking up various bookcases from different addresses we had the pleasure of unloading the van and sorting out what we had. Only one of 6 units was un-assembled, so I didn't have the pleasure of putting the units together, which I enjoy. Once everything was sorted and together we noticed that there were some shelf pegs missing, whether they got lost on route or weren't handed over I don't know. So I made some;

I made the 8 replacements from brass. An easy job, although tedious. When I worked as a turner I never used to like making more than two of anything, production work bored me.

So there we have it, everyone needs a lathe!

Paul.

Another Dock Shunter refurbished

Another Tri-ang Dock Shunter recently came my way via eBay, this time a yellow Transcontinental version sold as a non-runner. Here's how it looked when it arrived;

It came to me quite dirty, with a stain on the bonnet top.

The chassis was filthy, those wheels were caked in crud;

With power applied directly to the chassis and pick-ups the motor sprang into life, so I stripped it completely down and cleaned it up. New wheelsets were made as before, and a new bulb fitted (a Dock Shunter without its headlight is like a lemon meringue without the meringue). Re-assembly was, for a change, straightforward, and after a drop of oil on the bearings and a smear of Carr's Micro Grease on the gears and it could be tested. Pleasingly it worked well from the start.

Here's the chassis after re-assembly;

And showing the new wheels;

I scrubbed the body under the tap with soap and water;

Its come up pretty well, but the stain still shows on the bonnet top.

I'm quite pleased with this loco, and I have a particular use for it...

Paul.

The Christmas trainset.

Just after last Christmas I bought a Hornby 'Santa Express' trainset from Hobbycraft, for the sum of £25. This was when I staying at my Mum's, and due to space constraints in my wife's car there it stayed. The intention was to pick it up in during our next visit, but due to Covid that visit has yet to happen. The plan was to use it as intended, a small oval circling the Christmas tree. After much thought I decided to use Kato Unitrack rather then the Hornby track included in the set, and that decision meant that I could go ahead and build my Christmas layout without the set as I have a controller and stock anyway.

Kato Unitrack was chosen as wanted track that is easy to take apart (it just clips together), durable (no fishplates) and looks pretty good as its on a ballasted base. I didn't want the track to be fixed in place as the board will sit in the loft for most of the year, probably buried under a pile of stuff.

I started by making a bottom board. This has a cut-out that fits around the top of the coffee table that our tree sits on. On top of this is another board, which is 10mm bigger all round than my oval of track. As this thing will be heavy I used a tank cutter to drill lots of lightening holes. These two boards are made from scrap MDF packaging obtained from work, and were glued and screwed together. On the top I cut another board, which is the same size as the inside of the oval of track, from 4mm MDF. This was in fact made from 3 pieces and was glued and pinned in place. Before I fixed it down I drilled 4 holes in the top, into which locate the legs of the tree stand. Once all of the boards were fixed together I used the tank cutter and my jigsaw to cut a slot on what would be the rear of the board, this so that the wire for the fairy lights can pass through without interfering with the track and to double as a carrying handle.

Having the upper board cut to suit the inside of the oval means that it holds the track in position without recourse to nails, pins or glue.

The materials for this were free, as has been said the main two boards were made from scrap packaging and the 4mm MDF top was leftover from another project, the only purchase being a tube of wood filler. I painted it with white primer, which again we had laying around the house.

The light-up buildings have been acquired over the past couple of years, from The Works and Aldi. A few old die-cast vehicles sit around, so far there are two Landrovers (Matchbox and Husky) and two split screen VW vans (both Matchbox, to different scales). Which says a lot about my interest in cars!

For the trains themselves, 4 wheeled locos suit the setting best. So there are Dock Shunters and a couple of the 'industrial' 0-4-0s that Triang/Hornby produced. Of the latter the shiny-domed '25550' version both looks and runs the best, an ideal Christmas trainset loco. As for rolling stock Hornby's annual Christmas wagons are fun, and judging by eBay prices a sound investment, and a Callard & Bowser butterscotch van fits right in.

This will I know divide opinion, some will love it and others will not, but I don't care. I can sit beside the tree, with the stove blazing away, watching a train chase its tail, completely relaxed. Perhaps with a glass of something strong and a mince pie. A Very Merry Christmas!

Paul.

Tri-ang Battle Space Satellite Launching Car

Many years ago, when I was 4 years old, I was taken to a Beales department store in Bournemouth to see Father Christmas. Whilst sat on his knee I was allowed to choose a toy, and being a 4 year old railway enthusiast I chose a wagon. But not just any old wagon, this was a Tri-ang satellite launcher from their Battle Space range. It saw plenty of use on my grandparents carpet, and I remember my Grandfather (who is wholly to blame for my love of railways and had an extensive collection) repairing the satellite with a tube of glue. Time passed and it went the way of many such toys, although never forgotten. Recently however I've started looking for a replacement. A couple of wagons minus their satellites found their way to me before this arrived in the post;

As can be seen the box insert is missing. But, not only is the satellite present but also a couple of Commandos and the trip switch;

Here's the satellite in place on the wagon;

The mechanism is simple to use. Move the side lever to 90 degrees and wind up the black knurled knob on the wagon deck. Place the satellite onto the winder, noting how the 'claws' on the winder engage inside the satellite. Place the trip switch alongside the track (it slots into the track) and put the lever in the up position. Run the wagon, cab first, past the trip switch and watch the satellite fly into the air! (Or just use your finger.)

The condition of the wagon is reasonable, however the deck is bowed and the chimney is missing. So it might get swapped for one of my others.

The two commandos;

Crude, badly painted, made in Hong Kong (the rest is British).

This is of course an exercise in nostalgia, but it has led to an interest in Tri-ang's fascinating operating models, which is no bad thing.

Paul.

Military Wheels Lublin-51 - cab assembled, wheels attached, and a problem encountered.

Once I made up a new gearlever to replace the one lost (made is perhaps too strong a word, I just cut a length of styrene rod to suit) I glued the upper and lower parts of the cab together;

I used an elastic band to hold them whilst the glue set, which has left some marks that I need to remove. Ho hum.

Attaching the wheels was the next job, easy enough until I fitted the spare. This sits between the chassis members and the load bed, but is actually too wide for the space provided so there was a gap between the bed and the chassis when the wheel was fitted. The solution was to file down the top of the spare wheel and carve away part of the underside of the bed, as seen below;

Now the bed sits as it should;

Its getting there.

I bought, for a modest fee via eBay, a Czech magazine from a partwork on East European vehicles featuring the Lublin-51. I was hoping that it would include a decent photo of the rear end showing the light arrangement, but in that I was disappointed. There was however a decent photo of some hardworking Polish citizens fitting the wheels onto a wooden cabbed example;

The next jobs will be to touch up the paint on the spare wheel and load bed where I've filed and carved, make up a rear view mirror for the drivers side, and weather the chassis before final assembly.

Paul.

Military Wheels Lublin-51 - painting the cab, decals and glazing.

Sometimes I do things in the wrong order...

I primed the cab with Vallejo grey surface primer, but not before I removed the raised circle on the drivers (left hand) side of the cab, and drilled a hole for and fitted the petrol filler. Then the cab could be sprayed with Vallejo 890 Refractive Green. This was followed by a coat of Vallejo gloss varnish along with the load bed sides and rear, ready for the decals to be applied. I had a few problems with the decals, probably my own fault, luckily only the large rear decal shows slight damage. That one, along with the drivers cab side and the front numberplate came apart when being slid off the backing sheet, but with patience and prodding I managed to align the separated parts. Another coat of gloss sealed them in place, and helped to hide the carrier film although it can be seen on the load bed where the decals haven't settled into the planking. I used Carrs Decalfix, but I think that I shall invest in a better setting solution.

Driver's side, this decal gave me trouble;

As did the numberplate, which separated into about five pieces, the smallest piece being less than a millimetre long;

The load bed rear, note the damage to the 'U' and how the decal sits on rather than in the gaps in the planks;

Luckily the decals on the passenger door and bed sides slid into place without issue;

After giving the cab and load bed a couple of coats of Vallejo matt varnish I turned my attention to the glazing. This is a job that I dislike, so I usually put it off until after painting. This was a mistake.

I used the front windscreen that came with the kit, but rather than fitting it from the inside as intended I filed down the outer lip so that it could be fitted flush into the cab, improving the fit and look of the windscreen. The side and rear windows weren't used as they were a poor fit, instead I made up 5 new panels from 1mm acrylic(?) sheet. This meant that I could make the glazing flush fitting like the windscreen. To reduce the 'prismatic' effect that you get when using quite thick glazing material the edges were painted body colour before fitting, and the windscreen surround was painted black. All that fitting meant that the cab needed a lot of handling, which despite careful handling wore away the paint in several places, most noticeably on the rear of the cab roof;

So I had to carefully mask off the cab door decals and touch up those areas that needed it, a perfect job for my Aerograph, which was also used for varnishing. In future I must remember to sort out the glazing before painting the cab, even if it is to be fitted afterwards.

With the glazing fitted;

The windscreen fit isn't brilliant, but it will do. The 'screens fold outwards on the prototype.

A drop of Johnson's Kleer sealed the glazing in place.

And another page from the manual;

Just so you know where everything sits...

The next jobs will be making a new gear lever to replace the one that I lost, glueing in the dashboard and steering wheel, then assembling the cab.

Paul.

A quick and simple photoplank. With the emphasis on simple. And quick.

My modelling will soon going off in a different direction as I'm about to start messing about with 1:72 scale aircraft. I want something other than a piece of card to photograph them on, so I've knocked up this;

Thinking along the lines of a well kept grass airfield I bought an off-cut of 'summer meadow' grass mat from t'bay, and glued it onto a piece of MDF which was painted black. Total cost was not-a-lot, the only bought item being the grass as everything else was taking up room in the house.

I've kept it super simple deliberately, so that the focus is on the model and not the setting, although I should really find a piece of blue card to use as a background rather than the neighbour's rubble wall.

(The lorry is for display purposes only and does not come with the photo-plank. So there.)

Paul.

Paasche model H airbrush

'Tatty but useable' read the description in its entirety. And for less than a tenner I became the owner of a Paasche 'H' airbrush, along with a matching hose (since given away). The finger button for the air valve was missing, as was anything to hold paint.

Its a single action brush, like my recently aquired Badger 200NH, but unlike the Badger its external mix. Most Paasche 'brushes have the rear part of the handle made of plastic, on this one the rear is plated brass like the main body, which I feel makes for nicer balance.

Tatty it was, and quite dirty. First of all I fitted a quick disconnect coupling (a rather smart Harder and Steenbeck job) and blew some air through it, which proved that the air valve was working as it should. Then with a Badger colour cup fitted I sprayed some screenwash, playing with the paint flow adjuster, which also worked as it should. However the end of the tip (the conical part that fits over the needle and is moved back and forth to regulate the paint flow) was damaged and needed replacing. The entire colour adjuster can be removed by loosening a set screw and sliding the needle assembly out of the body. Which would have worked if the needle wasn't stuck fast, refusing to budge even when held tight in pliers. So, I sawed the needle in half and drifted the stuck part out with a hammer and a suitable length of steel. Strong-arm tactics in airbrush repair... Then I stripped out the air valve and set to the body with Brasso whilst it was in pieces. The finish isn't perfect, but now it looks like a tool that someone uses rather than one that's been abandoned in the back of the shed.

Here's the remains of the needle still stuck in the body;

And removed;

Air valve stripped down;

I bought a new needle/tip assembly. This wasn't a problem, spares are easy to find and I planned to replace them anyway. Here's the old and new ones;

And complete again;

Also fitted is a new finger button (I planned to turn one but the replacements are so cheap it wasn't worth the effort of making my own), and a colour cup;

Again, I've had the pleasure of making good an old and neglected tool.

Paul.

Turning a dome for a 009 Peckett saddle tank.

My friend Ben (who sold me my Unimat SL) recently got in touch asking if I could turn a dome for him. He was scratchbuilding a model of 'Oakhill', a 2'3" gauge Peckett used by the Oakhill Brewery to transport raw materials in and finished product out between their brewery in Oakhill in Somerset and Binegar station on the Somerset & Dorset Railway. Ben is a decent guy and a very talented modeller who I'm only too pleased to help out.

The dome is quite unusual being shaped like a normal loco dome with a plate balanced atop, with a hole in the top as the safety valves are enclosed within. This made it an interesting job...

I started in my usual way forming the bottom diameter by mounting a flycutter in the chuck and holding the bar in the toolholder, making sure that the middle of the bar was on centreline;

Then the bar could be held in a collet whilst the flange and main diameter were turned to size, using a forming tool to start off the flange profile. There's a step on the top of the dome where I will mount the separate 'plate', turned with a grooving tool. The bottom was drilled and reamed 2mm for mounting on a length of silver steel rod, and the top drilled through 1.5mm for the 'plate' to locate onto;

Filing the flange to shape is always tricky, a decent smooth needle file, some fine wet & dry and an Optivisor are the tools used along with some Brasso to polish and a fair amount of patience;

In the photo below the left side has been profiled whilst the right side is awaiting attention;

Once the flange is formed the dome was Loctited onto a length of silver steel, and the top profiled using a graver and my watchmakers tool rest, finally being polished with wet & dry and more Brasso;

The 'plate' was turned from brass and had a spigot turned onto its underside which locates in the dome top;

I thinned down the edges with a needle file and a rubbing stick. After parting off I held the bottom spigot in a watchmakers collet and drilled out the top partway using a slot drill;

It could then be glued in place using 24 hour Araldite. A couple of days later the dome was mounted back in the lathe for a final polish;

And the finished item;

This has been quite a satisfying job, I've learn't from it and am pleased with the result. I know than Ben is as well, a nice finishing touch to another of his superb scratchbuilds.

Paul.