Nick Dunhill's 7mm W (A6) or Whitby Tank Workbench

[Nick Dunhill]

.....I finally finished adding all the runs of angle and strip for under the chassis. They are present on the prototype to support the footplate on the chassis and to strengthen the buffer beams. Oddly the rear coupling hook is attached to a substantial drag beam, but no such structure exists for the front coupling, the buffer beam transmitting most of the weight of the train. Clearly the NER turned their Whitby tanks a lot!

Next I moved on to the section of the chassis above the footplate. The two etches to be laminated don't match, but again an easy fix. The outer portions are correct, the half moons for the splashers are in the wrong place on the inner etch.

Here's what I did. First make a cut through the inner lamination, the one with the rebate . I did it near to the front of the front 'moon.'

Then solder the rear portion of the inner etch to the outer etch aligning the half moons.

Then I cut off the bit hanging over the end and soldered it to the front.

It's all self explanatory looking at the pics. Then solder the front of the inner etch to the outer etch and make good....phew. Easier than it looks honest.

Will attach chassis sections next.....

 

[Brian McKenzie]

Love the build Nick, but the newspaper background can be a bit disconcerting
-Brian

 

[Martin Field]

Nick, how can you work cleanly with all that curled up, torn and generally mucky newspaper on the desk? It would drive me mad! It also could hide small parts that roll under the curly bits.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Brian/Martin. I can't disagree, and I have sometimes lost parts and tools between the leaves. The paper is the Sheffield Star and does show reminders of past Owls glory though. (Come on Blunties I'm bowling underarm here!)

 

[Nick Dunhill]

....so I have attached the cut and shut upper chassis sections.

Some hidden pipework next as a bit of light relief from all the sheet fabrication and making good!.......

 

[unklian]

Nick, how can you work cleanly with all that curled up, torn and generally mucky newspaper on the desk? It would drive me mad! It also could hide small parts that roll under the curly bits.

It's all an elaborate front his workshop really looks like this ...

How else would he get such clean, straight and perfect results ? !!

 

[Martin Field]

Haha! Looks like my kitchen after I swabbed it this morning.

Nick, I assume they are sporting references, since they men nothing to me, so we'll leave it at that. But I'm equally made to cringe by that ancient piece of wood with the 4 nails in the corners. BUT...it doesn't stop you doing very clean, crisp work AND it's a mark of character I reckon.
It's entirely your affair of course, but enquiring minds still need to know.

 

[JimG]

But I'm equally made to cringe by that ancient piece of wood with the 4 nails in the corners.

I thought everyone had a battered bit of wood with umpteen holes drilled in it, numerous burnt areas from soldering, etc., etc.

Jim.

 

[mickoo]

I thought everyone had a battered bit of wood with umpteen holes drilled in it, numerous burnt areas from soldering, etc., etc.

Jim.

Absolutely, no bench is complete until you've acquired you're own battered piece of wood

 

[adrian]

Absolutely, no bench is complete until you've acquired you're own battered piece of wood

Definitely - perhaps we need a show and tell gallery.

A couple of nails are essential so when you are sweating two etched components together you can push them against the nails to ensure that one edge of the two components are aligned.

 

[Overseer]

Absolutely, no bench is complete until you've acquired you're own battered piece of wood

Only one? I seem to have a collection of them, some of them get smaller and smaller as bits are cut off to suit the current project. Odd patterns of nails feature on some - very useful as low tech jigs but can be painful when you lean on them.

Too tidy a workbench can mean lack of productivity, but so can too much clutter. There is an ideal balance somewhere in between which will be different for everyone. It also depends what you are making at the time.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

There is a ideal balance somewhere in between

Obviously the clear 2 square inches.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Well to satisfy the enquiring minds as I remember the bits of 1 x 2 have nails bashed through them to support stuff being sprayed when I used to do that. (I stopped painting my models when I realised that Warren H made them look much, much better than I could.) Interestingly (or not) the bits of wood became important saw horses on my grubby workbench, and the nails support the bits of brass being cut with a piercing saw. If you lean the workpiece against a nail as you saw it doesn't move and saves a fortune in saw blades. Of course I could buy a vice but I'm not paid enough so scruffy bits of the Sheffield Star and fire wood are what I work with. No CNC in a clean room here.......

 

[Heather Kay]

<hijack>



My wood pile. The oldest piece is currently the small one on top with the V notch. I think it's nigh on 30 years old.

None of the chunks has any nails, so I think I need to up my game!

</hijack>

 

[Nick Dunhill]

What on earth do you do with broken clothes pegs Heather?

 

[Heather Kay]

Holding things down, or wedging things, while soldering and gluing. The thin wedge end can be very handy for gently prising tight Slater's wheels off their axles, too.

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Ahhh...

 

[Martin Field]

I suppose the edge of the bench is my block of wood. And as I've had a good few benches all the digs, knocks, holes and burns are spread over a number of edges, but these day they're hidden by cutting mats. I don't know where they come from, these Edding things, I've never bought one, but seem to have acquired them.
As for not having a vice, ...I don't see how you can make models without one, but then that depends what sort of models you make. Having spent years cutting at least 1/16th" brass for car masters, a vice was essential. I have never paid more than 7 quid for one, so if you're not paid that much perhaps a job in McDonalds is the answer! I tend to either break or wear them out as I use the top surface as a guide to filing straight lines. In the out door shed I have a swiveller too which can be handy. That's where I do the silver soldering and have torch, bottle and hearth. The latter being the innards of a Super Sur propane heater. My equivalent of the block with nails, in that the Super Sur hearth is full of holes into which bits of piano wire can be pushed as jiggery.
One small broken piece of said hearth serves to be put on the vice as an indoor flame hearth for use with the micro flame torch for soft soldering and micro silver soldering, such as the master for a 7mm scale Triumph Model H motorbike.

It's good seeing to what extent people are making do and mending, so to speak, but how anyone can spend a fortune on a kit then claim to have insufficient to buy a basic and essential tool defeats me <G>

 

[Nick Dunhill]

Well Martin it was all a metaphor for clients not paying enough. I have all the tools I need for building this type of stuff in O gauge. The only machine I have is a pedestal drill, but never found the need for a mill or laithe. I use my mates on the odd occasion I need to. I think my work just about passes muster.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

(don't like screw heads on view!)

So you have been to Keighley on a Friday night - I'll have to desist then....