006 mine tub - version 2

 Even though I was quite happy with my first 006 mine tub I felt that the design could be improved, mainly by rounding off the edges where the floor and sides meet. To do this I cut a former from wood and rounded the corners with a file, using a radius gauge to check that I had an even radius on both sides. I then bent a piece of brass sheet around the block;

I made the block to the depth that I wanted the waggon body but slightly overlength. The brass sheet was cut to the exact size that I needed. Here's the block with the body wrapped around it;

The ends are made from scrap etch soldered in place, one end had lettering etched into it;

The rest of the body was built and finished as per my first tub and the chassis follows that of my flat;

It is 25mm long, with a body measuring 19mm x 12.7mm x 10mm high, so it's slightly narrower than my previous effort.

Here it is in the company of my first tub and a 009 N-Brass tub;

And, to show how small it really is, sitting on a shiny penny;

Filling the etched writing on the end was a pain, and I didn't quite disguise it all, but the result is that one end looks slightly corroded and battered. Apart from that I'm rather pleased with this, the rounded edges add character and the proportions please my eye (even if the thing is probably quite large for a mine tub).

Paul.

Another lamp housing

 Another commission job came my way recently, for another coach lamp housing. The customer sent me a mock-up that he'd made, and my job was to make a brass copy. Easily done, here's the mock-up and the new part;

As this is again destined for a GVT coach I trial fitted it to my N-Brass coach;

Now I really must make one for myself.

Paul.

Unimat 3 ER11 tailstock ram

 First of all I should explain that a tailstock ram is the spindle inside the tailstock that holds any chuck, centre etc. that is being used. On larger lathes these have a tapered bore that chucks, drills, centres etc, slide into and are held fast, on smaller machines such as Unimats they are often threaded. 

I tend to use an ER16 collet chuck in the tailstock when drilling as I find collets to be more accurate than a drill chuck for holding small (<2mm) drills. However, there are times when I want to use my ER16 collet chuck in the headstock rather than the ER25 that I usually use and still be able to drill small holes. So, I've bought myself a replacement tailstock ram, made by GG Tools in Germany and sold through eBay. This is designed to hold ER11 collets, and at the same time I bought a set as part of the package;

The spanner I bought separately, from Chronos, as I didn't have a spare 17mm knocking around.

Here's the new ram, on the right, alongside the original;

And with a 1mm collet fitted;

Fitted to the lathe;

One peculiar aspect of the design is that the threaded nut is M14 x 1mm, which is non-standard for ER11. This does mean that any Unimat 3 chuck can be screwed onto the ram with the nut removed, as seen below;

The above two photos show just how compact the ER11 chuck is.

Another useful accessory which will see a great deal of use.

Paul.

Aerograph nozzle washer

The rubber nozzle washer (which sits behind the nozzle/tip and keeps the paint and air separate before it's mixed) on my Aerograph Super 63 looked to be worn. My Super 93 came with a PTFE washer, and a bit of research online suggested that PTFE was a better choice of material being resistant to solvents. However, availablity of these is a bit hit and miss, and as had some PTFE bar in stock I turned my own.

It can be seen in the photo below, the white washer sitting below the black rubber one it replaced;

It measures 4mm x 1.08mm wide drilled 2.2mm, and does the job quite well enough.

Paul.

006 mine tub

 As my 006 pizza has a mining theme I need suitable mine tubs to run on it. This waggon is a possible prototype for a small rake. Again the basic build is based on my flat, but this time the waggon is 1mm shorter, with a body measuring 19mm x 14mm x 9mm.

Scrap etch has again been used for the bodywork, with the floor and sides folded from one piece. The ends were made oversize so they could be filed to size once soldered in place, far easier than making them an exact fit;

I wanted a rivetted strip around the top, like on my N Brass tubs, and for those I used some ancient Kenline embossed wagon strapping that a friend gave me many years ago (thanks Mark);

I cut each strip overlength and trimmed to size once they'd been cyano'd in place.

Here's the pack of strapping; 

Note the price!

As per my other 006 waggons I've used Vallejo black grey as a topcoat with a coat of Vallejo varnish for protection;

Here it is lined up with my other scratchbuilt 006 waggons;

By using the same basic design and finishing them off with the same black grey paint and hand lettering I hope to build a rake of waggons than look like they have all come from the same small workshop. Which, in reality, they have.

Paul.

006 pit prop waggon

I wanted a pit prop waggon, based on my flat, using offcuts of code 40 rail as the stakes. There's no prototype for this waggon, it's based on how I'd imagine a small basic workshop would do the job.

To bend the rail into an inverted U I first cut part way through the rail with a razor saw then opened out the cuts to a V shape with a square needle file. The rail could then be bent through 90 degrees and the bend reinforced with solder. Two cradles were made, which were in turn soldered to a brass base, a rare outing for my little-used RSU;

All parts were pre-tinned using a conventional iron. The tinfoil is there to keep flux away from the brass sheet that I use as a base plate. I like my RSU, but I don't believe it to be the be-all-and-end-all for soldering. However, using the probe to hold parts in place whilst the heat is applied is useful at times.

I blackened the bodywork (Birchwood Casey Brass Black) before mating body and chassis together with epoxy;

A coat of red oxide Hycote primer followed;

Finished off with Vallejo black grey followed by Vallejo matt varnish;

Note that the stanchions aren't straight. When I made them I didn't quite get them square, so I left them a bit wonky as in use they'd get knocked about and bent being made from light rail. All well and good but...

This build has been, shall we say, awkward. Once I'd glued the body and chassis together (which took three attempts as the epoxy just wouldn't bond) I kept knocking the thing about, it ended up on the floor several times and in fact ended up getting trodden on. This bent the uprights even more, and on straightening then one whole cradle broke off. So, I cleaned it up and re-soldered it into place again using my RSU with a crocodile clip on the waggon's brass floor. This took a few attempts to get right and I ended up partially melting the floor into the plastic chassis (this was before the wheels were fitted). A little work with a scalpel and there's no sign of anything amiss, apart from the stanchions being a little wonkier than when I started. If I wasn't numbering my stock in the order that I'm building it this would be number 13 rather than number 5...

It's easy when reading peoples write-ups, whether on paper, blog or forum post, to get the impression that everything goes smoothly and mistakes do not happen. This isn't the reality, mistakes are made but most are so small that we put them right then put them out of our mind and don't bother to mention them. Maybe we should, if only to remind ourselves that we're not infallible and to keep our egos in check.

Paul.

006 long load waggon

 On my last visit to the Steeple Grange Light Railway I noticed this waggon;

It was modified from a mine tub for carrying long or heavy items underground. I decided to use it as inspiration for a 006 waggon, using the same basic design and dimensions as my flat waggon.

The body was made from 3 pieces of scrap etch with the floor and end made from one piece folded up;

As the body is longer than the chassis at the open end there's only a coupling, a link, so the waggon has to be at the end of a train.

Apart from the body the build follows that of the flat waggon, including the paint (Vallejo 862 black grey) and numbering, applied with a mapping pen;

I used my new Super 63 for the paint and the finishing coat of varnish. 

Proportionally the waggon seems bigger than its inspiration, and because of that I don't count it among my better efforts, perhaps I should have gone back to Steeple Grange with a tape measure before starting. However, it does match my flat which is important as I'm trying to build a small fleet of similar size.

Paul.

Wills Finecast Illustrated Modellers Guide

 This little booklet is all about using and modifying the famous Will Scenic Series of kits. It's illustrated by Iain Rice (although I'm not sure if he wrote it), interestingly it pre-dates his Wild Swan book on the subject by 6 years. It may come as a surprise that the booklet dates back to 1982, and is a reminder that the Scenic Series has been around a lot longer than we think! I have a feeling that Rice had a hand in designing the range although I can't be certain.

My copy cost me one pound back in 1983, and I know the date as there's a price list included dated March1983. Back then the Station Garage was priced at £2.30, and I remember building one at the time.

As you can imagine the booklet is full of Rice's wonderful drawings;

And of course light railways figure in his work;

There's even a Buckjumper creeping into one of the drawings.

This little 20 page booklet has been an inspiration to me over the years, even though I haven't built a Wills kit in many a year. Emphasis is on modifying, grouping, and bedding buildings in, all of course still relevant today. I've always been a fan of the Scenic Series, yes they are a cliche nowadays but that's down to the success of the range, which have always featured interesting subjects and sold at pocket money prices. In fact I have a plan for a simple layout that mainly draws on the series.

If you see a copy I'd certainly recommend snapping it up.

Paul.

Mining remains around Buxton - back to Orchard Common

 Last time I looked at Orchard Common I did note a couple of areas of lighter vegetation which could have been possible mine shafts, but I didn't see any concrete marker pillars and as they were next to an old quarry working I ignored them. However, on studying my OS map whilst writing my previous blog post I did spot a couple of round marks that looked like shafts next to the quarry. I recently passed that way again and decided to take a closer look.

A quick look around revealed two markers on the ground. This is the southerly one, hiding behind reeds;

There's a circle of raised ground next to the shaft, waste brought up from sinking the pit was often used to build a raised area partly for a horse gin and partly to try and protect the pit from flooding.

The second marker is close by;

This one is a little harder to spot.

A close-up of the marker;

And, looking back at the first shaft from a higher vantage point;

The raised ground can be seen in the middle of the frame.

These two can be found at SK 0240 6940, and sit between the 3rd and 4th pits in my previous post.

Interestingly I've only seen those marker pillars on Orchard Common so far, I've not seen any on Axe Edge.

More info on markers and remains here.

Whilst taking these photos a curlew flew around calling out, a sight and sound that I never tire of.

Paul.

Aerograph Super 63 airbrush

 Ever since I bought my slot-head Aerograph I've been keeping half an eye out for another with a larger paint reservoir. Eventually I won a boxed Super 63 for £21 on eBay;

I'm unsure of the age, but condition is generally good although the chrome is faded.

There's a cam inside, controlled by a ring behind the lever, which allows you to set the lever position and therefore the spray pattern, something that I can't see me using;

My first job, after fitting a quick release coupling, was to remove the tip and needle for inpection, both had what looked like ink residue on them. Next I filled it with neat screenwash and tried it out. I used screenwash as that's what I use to clean my 'brushes after use. This allowed me to check the spray pattern, which looked ok (my Super 93 had a worn tip which showed up at this stage). My only concern was the air valve which seemed a bit stiff and lacked sensitivity.

Nozzle and needle are interchangeable with my Super 93. The innards however are very different;

As can be seen I stripped mine down for a clean and just to see how it goes together. I'm not going into any detail about this, simply because it's a pain to put back together again so I wouldn't recommend doing it! All I will say is make sure the lever is pulled back on re-assembly and dig out your self-closing tweezers.

Once it was back in one piece I mixed up some Vallejo black and had a play;

I think my mix was a bit too thick, and I need to have a play with air pressure. This 'brush has a very fine tip (nozzle), about .18mm I think, so it will I feel be less tolerant than my other 'brushes where paint and pressure are concerned.

So far I'm pleased with it. Stripping it down might have been a pain but to me it was worth the effort as I have adjusted the air valve which now has a nicer feel. If I ever need to strip it again I'll probably leave the cam assembly off.

Paul.

Another Narrow Planet/6point5 R.A.R. gunpowder van

There were two versions of this kit (it seems to be discontinued now), to both 9mm and a 6.5mm gauges. I've previously built the 009 version, and now it's the turn of the 6point5 variant.

Originally the body was built using a printed shell with etched nickel silver inserts, however this was I believe quite costly to produce so later kits had a cast resin body. Both versions use a printed chassis. This build uses the cast body.

The kit comprises of the cast body, printed chassis, 6,5mm gauge wheels and tiny neothingyum magnets for couplings. Here's the body and chassis cyano'd together;

Note the coupling pin, I'm using link and pin couplings again. I've also filled in the holes in the end of the frames provided for coupling magnets.

The 6.5mm gauge chassis is, as you'd expect, narrower than the 9mm gauge version;

As I'm using 6mm gauge I've turned my own wheels, to 5.6mm dia., seen below next to the supplied 4mm dia. wheels;

The supplied wheels are really too small for the prototype, but with them fitted the coupling height matches Busch Feldbahn stock. My 5.6mm wheels bring the coupling height up to my preferred 6mm, and are closer to the prototype's diameter.

Painting started with a coat of Hycote red oxide primer, decanted from the rattlecan and applied with my Badger 200NH. The main body colour is Vallejo 70.982 Cavalry Brown with Vallejo 70.862 Black Grey used for the roof and chassis, the body being sprayed and the chassis brushed. As usual the number was done with a mapping pen and white ink. Vallejo matt varnish finishes the job off.

Alongside my 009 version;

And all of my 006 stock so far;

Another enjoyable build, and I'll be looking out for another unbuilt kit.

Paul.

Big-Big tippers

 To go with my Big-Big Ruston, 3 matching skips;

They've been taken apart and cleaned under the tap, which is as far as I'll go with them.

The dark green skip has some body damage;

But I'm not going to worry.

Here they are coupled to my Ruston;

One day I'll sort out some track and actually run them!

Paul.