The first job was to shape the knob. I held a short length of .7mm brass rod in a collet and attacked the end wth a triangular needle file to make a rounded shape;
Please note that bare brass is a pig to photograph! Click on the photo for a larger image.
I then filed the end of a length of 4mm dia. brass bar to suit the saddletank, then turned the end down to 3.6mm dia. by .5mm long. A .6mm dia. hole was drilled in the end, which was then gently countersunk, and the filler parted off to .8mm long;
The two parts could then be soldered together after opening the hole out with a broach until the .7mm rod just fitted, the solder sitting in the countersink;
On the left can be seen my first attempt, which I decided was just too fine. The lower flange section was turned down to 3.75mm dia., and I felt that whilst it looked good close up the lip of the cap would disappear under my usual rubbish paintwork. Here's the final cap in place, with the supplied casting sitting in place of the dome;
I know that some would view the above as a complete waste of time, especially as the rounded knob is hardly noticable at 'normal viewing distance' (whatever that is) and that there's a perfectly acceptable casting supplied, but its been another enjoyable exercise which I've learnt from. And that to me is the whole point.
Paul.
Definitely not a complete waste of time. Looking at photos of the prototype the rounded nature is quite obvious and not well captured by the cast part.
ReplyDeleteNow that is a clever idea and one I can "borrow" without the need for any special equipment!
DeleteAs far as modelling goes, I don't think that anything we do is a waste of time as long as we enjoy what we do and learn from the experience.
DeleteOn the filler, it would I think be quite difficult to cast and retain the rounded shape, and the pattern would of course be more expensive to make.
Another approach, as used by James Hilton, is to simple glue a single piece of 'Liquid Lead' on top of a flat lid, the lead shot (mine came from Eileen's) measuring .8mm.
Now the replies are out of order - ho hum. I blame Blogger and its lack of a comment editing function...
DeleteHe's a clever lad that James, good at finding simple solutions and getting things done.
I would agree, that it is all worthwhile...it will make for a more accurate model and give you much more satisfaction. I suspect this is going to be a masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that it will be anything approaching a masterpiece Iain, I've yet to paint it, which is where things usually go wrong!
Delete'Satisfaction' - a good word to use regarding modelling, a better description of the pleasure to be had from this hobby than the much used word 'fun'.
That is looking lovely Paul, there is an awful lot of satisfaction to be gained by making such little details yourself, its certainly not a waste of time!
ReplyDeleteThanks Geoff. Your right, making these odd little details, and seeing the difference they make, is very satisfying.
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