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.

A lamp housing for a GVT coach.

 I was recently asked if I could turn a lamp housing for an N Brass Models Glyn Valley Tramway coach, in fact the same kit that I attempted some years ago. There's nothing supplied with the kit, and photos and information of this early coach are scarce. Will, who was building the kit, provided a drawing to work to based on some poor quality photos. Neither of us were happy with the result so Will revised his drawing. Again the results weren't quite right. At the third attempt we came up with something that we were happy with, and this is the result;

This was of course turned from brass on my trusty Unimat 3. The gently curved top was formed using a graver and my watchmaker's tool rest. To form the base to suit the roof curvature I first roughed out the bottom with a half-round Swiss file, then finished by drawing the base back and forth along a piece of wet & dry held on a roll of brown parcel tape, which was a rough match to the roof curve.

Here's another side-on view;

A simple enough job, the only complication was working out the size. It may or may not be accurate, so it's a case of if it looks right then it is right. Now all I need to do is send it to Will, and turn another for myself.

Paul.

And another 03 chimney.

 After publishing my last post concerning making an 03 chimney in N gauge I was asked if I could make another in 4mm scale. So I did;

It's a pretty simple part to make (I've made one before in 4mm), but care (and a specially ground tool) is needed to turn the top recess and setting the correct angle to turn the taper requires a bit of trial and error. 

By the way, that's a pair of surgical forceps holding the part in the photo above, acquired from a local seller who cleans out stock from Sheffield factories. Very useful, not only for modelling but also for threading up sewing machines.

Paul.

Another class 03 chimney, this time in N.

 A while back I turned a chimney for a 4mm scale class 03 diesel shunter for a friend. Recently the same friend wanted another, but this time in N gauge. I still had the drawing that he supplied last time, so it was simply a matter of producing another but to half the size. 

Being half the size brought a few problems, the rim around the top is fine enough in 4mm but almost too fine in 2mm, it is there though! And the recess in the chimney top was again easy enough in 4mm, but in 2mm I needed a different approach. To get the recess right the part is in two pieces, the main body was first turned and then the recess added into the top using a 2mm slot drill. I then drilled the body 1mm through then parted it off. I used a short length of 1mm dia. tube for the centre, which was cut overlength to provide a locating spigot in the base.

I'm quite pleased with this.

Paul.

Peckett Chimney

 Another commission from my friend Ben, this time a chimney for a scratchbuilt 009 Sena Sugar Estates Peckett 0-6-0ST. This was turned from brass using my Unimat 3.

One of the nice things about this job is that the part is finished ready to sit on the loco rather than to be used as a casting pattern, which means that I can make the top lip and flange a little finer. Its also hollow as Ben didn't want a locating peg underneath.

I'm quite pleased with this, and I'm looking forward to seeing it fitted. 

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.

7mm scale Heywood dome

Another commission, this time a dome for a 7mm scale Heywood loco;

Turned from brass and polished with Brasso. Dome's are a lot of work, the flange shape where it curves around the boiler needs to be filed and polished by hand. But the results are worth the effort.

Paul.

Class 03 chimney.

A recent commission;

Its a turned brass chimney for a 4mm scale class 03 diesel shunter.

A nice little job which was done on my Unimat 3. The rim around the top is very fine, and to get the subtle shape I initially left a ring around the top, which was then shaped with a graver used with my watchmakers tool rest. I couldn't find a decent drawing of an 03, and photos don't show the rim very clearly, so I used a sketch provided by the customer drawn with measurements taken from another model.

The chimney was made in a single set-up, with the top of the chimney being the end of the bar. The locating peg at the bottom was turned with a square ended grooving tool as the last operation before parting off.

After a quick polish with Brasso it was ready to be sent to its owner. I'm quite pleased with it.

Paul.