I decided to solder the back sheet to the rail whilst the rail was still attached to the etch. I clamped the etch between an offcut of thin MDF and a piece of 6mm x 12mm stripwood (64p from B&Q), the stripwood being positioned in such a way that the backsheet sat over the rail ready for soldering (it looks a bit messy in the photo below but cleaned up nicely);
The solder, 188 degree as usual, didn't want to flow into the joint at first despite carefull preparation, I suspect that the heat from the iron leached resin from the wood contaminating the metal. The solution was to tin the rail first then solder the backsheet in place. After making the joint and removing the assembly from the etch I ran the iron carefully along the joint just to tidy up.
To attach the rear sheet to the footplate I again used a short length of stripwood clamped to the footplate to ensure a right angled joint, the clamp then being held in a vice whilst I made the joint;
I feel that half etched lines on the footplate and under the top rail would have made lining up the rear sheet easier.
Handrails were fitted next made from .5mm wire soldered in place. The etched holes in the footplate are on the large side, I would have prefered to use .45mm wire. Personally I think it would have been better if the handrail holes were etched undersized so they could be broached to size.
All of the above done with 188 degree solder.
Studying photos of these locos during their working lives shows that the rear doors were often left open, so that's how I've fitted them. Some locos had handles on the doors, some didn't, and the pattern of handle varied when fitted suggesting local modifications. Something to note if modelling a particular loco. I'm basing this model on Velinheli which didn't appear to have handles, but decent photos of the rear of these locos seem to be scarce.
After fitting the doors I soldered the runners in place, these are delicate 'L' shaped etches that measure .6mm x .3mm. I tinned them on whilst still attached to the main etch, then carefully cut them free and sweated them to the backsheet. I did manage to solder one in place upside down, easily done as they are very fine, however the beauty of soldered construction means that joints are easily undone, cleaned up and re-made.
Doors and runners after cleaning up;
For the doors and runners I used 145 degree solder.
Its getting there;
Next job will be the cab side sheets.
Paul.
As always, the step by step photos are very helpful...I will hopefully be referring back to this in a while. I always felt guilty in some silly way for using blocks of wood and clamps, but I see that a proper engineer does it too, which makes me feel a lot better! Velinhelli is a great choice of prototype, one of my favourites. There's a good 1960's rear view here http://www.flickr.com/photos/train-pix/5547058455/in/set-72157626307752104 in Ron Fisher's collection.
ReplyDeleteIain, I think it was Iain Rice who used to write about using childs wooden building blocks when assembling kits as they were nice and square. I assume he's the proper engineer that you refer to! I only feel silly about using a particular technique if it doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteI did take a small engineers square into B&Q when buying the stripwood just in case!
In hindsight a piece of paper between the etch and MDF (top photo) might have stopped the resin in the MDF from contaminating the joint. But an offcut of tufnol would have been better.
Thanks for the link, interesting to note the extra chains attached to the outer ends of the rear bufferplank. I was unsure about modelling Velinheli to be honest, but its the easiest loco to build from this kit being the loco that the kit is based on. I haven't found a photo of it without the dome (which is a later addition) fitted yet.