7mm On Heather's workbench - Western royalty

[Heather Kay]

Hi Lee. Thanks for the compliment.

I think it's technique and materials. Having had a nice chat with Warren H about some potential upcoming projects I'd like him to take on, it's a lot to do withe right sort of paint and the application. I'm a died in the wool enamellist, which takes time to dry, even on warm days. With cellulose I don't think the paint remains wet long enough for dust to settle!

 

[Healey Mills]

I'm with you on the subject of enamels..... but I have considered Cellulose which I did use once on my first JLTRT build. I was impressed with them but I can't say they dried fast enough to avoid getting dust particles on prior to sticking into my plastic box, which is then covered by a polyester cover.

Hmm.... perhaps I get lots of bits from the polyester cover thinking about it??? I just want the paint fumes to be able to escape

Cheers
Lee

 

[Sandy Harper]

Hi Heather,
I too have found the problem with bits flying off brass and steel brushes when using them to clean wheels etc.. They stick to your clothes, and even penetrate, which is most annoying.

My solution is to mount the wheel on an axle and spin it up in my mini lathe using a Garryflex block to clean the tread and face. If you don't have access to a lathe a battery operated hand drill is an option. The mini drills that we tend to use, including Dremel, don't have a large enough chuck to accommodate a 3/16 axle. One word of caution though, don't tarry too long with the Garryflex block as heat rapidly builds up in the wheel and, if not checked, could cause the GRP centre to distort.

Enjoying this build.

Kind regards
Sandy

 

[oldravendale]

I wonder if the dust problem could be unintended consequences, which Lee has touched on.

When I was working for a certain large film manufacturer we'd periodically have problems with "hair in the gate" of motion picture cameras. Usually analysis found the particle to be a clothing fibre from the clapper/loader or because the changing bag had not been cleaned, washed or brushed out. Otherwise housekeeping could be impeccable but this one small lack of attention to detail could have serious consequences. In the case of painting our models attention to washing out the seed propagator or whatever you are using to protect the model during drying may pay dividends. Personally I'm cautious about extracts too. Unless the area from which you are extracting air is itself scrupulously clean any particles you disturb in the locality can be picked up in the stream of extract air and flow straight on to your model.

Of course, that's not to say that I never have a problem with grollies. (Lovely word, Heather and so descriptive). However, they are quite rare. My situation now will be different, as I may well use part of the new workshop when spraying, but in the past I regularly used my toolshed with Workmate as my spraying table. However, every time I started work I taped newspaper over the Workmate top and also covered the painting turntable. I also crept around so I did not disturb any of the dust and dirt and did not use extracts - and this was a toolshed used for machining wood so was not exactly sparkling clean. I never sprayed on a windy day as this would stir up the dirt particles. In fact, on a really still day spraying outdoors is a serious option, although you have to watch out for flying insects.

Dunno if that's any help, but a review of unlikely dust generators is worth an hour of thinking time.

Brian

 

[Heather Kay]

^ This.

I think you are spot/hair/grollie on. I think it's time to deploy the vacuum cleaner before my next session.

 

[Sandy Harper]

^ This.

I think you are spot/hair/grollie on. I think it's time to deploy the vacuum cleaner before my next session.

Heather
Make it at least two days before your next session to allow the disturbed dust to settle!

You might also check all your painting paraphernalia, jars, mixing bowls and even your thinners as I found that a bottle I had, and was getting near to the end, had concentrated 'bits' floating in it. Needless to say it was consigned to brush cleaning.

Sandy

 

[Heather Kay]

Thanks Sandy. Although the warm weather ought to be ideal conditions for painting, it's just too warm in the paint shop. I think it'll be a day or two before I power up the compressor again. Meanwhile, out with the cleaning gear!

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

cautious about extracts too. Unless the area from which you are extracting air is itself scrupulously clean any particles you disturb in the locality can be picked up in the stream of extract air and flow straight on to your model.

The ideal painting room would one having a higher air pressure inside than the outside as the flow from high to low pressure will remove any dust particles. However, this is research laboratory territory which have superb air inflow filtration systems and is beyond most individual's means.

If I have to paint models during the winter months and as I exclusively use acrylic paints, I set up my spray booth in the bathroom as this has the least amount of soft furnishings for dust to be kicked up from. I also ensure as much electrical equipment remains outside the bathroom for safety.

In fact, on a really still day spraying outdoors is a serious option, although you have to watch out for flying insects.

An overcast still day is best. If it's too hot the paint will either be dry before it hits the model or will dry/bake upon impact. Early morning is good time as there are fewer flying insects!

 

[JimG]

When I was working for a certain large film manufacturer we'd periodically have problems with "hair in the gate" of motion picture cameras. Usually analysis found the particle to be a clothing fibre from the clapper/loader or because the changing bag had not been cleaned, washed or brushed out. Otherwise housekeeping could be impeccable but this one small lack of attention to detail could have serious consequences. In the case of painting our models attention to washing out the seed propagator or whatever you are using to protect the model during drying may pay dividends. Personally I'm cautious about extracts too. Unless the area from which you are extracting air is itself scrupulously clean any particles you disturb in the locality can be picked up in the stream of extract air and flow straight on to your model.

Brian,

That brings back a lot of (not very good) memories when a rushes session could be ruined by hairs in the gate on important shots.

But from another area of film post production - in telecine where film images were transferred to electronic media - the major enemy was sparkle (dust) and in some telecine areas I knew, the ventilation was not extraction, but the other way round so that there was a pressure build up in the area which meant that dust tended to be expelled from the area. I'm not quite sure how this might be achieved in our model paint shops since the source of air would have to be extremely well filtered to ensure that it wasn't introducing dust to the drying area.

Jim.

 

[Heather Kay]

Western Princess has been sat at the back of the bench for a while now. This is probably a good thing as its ensured the paint has dried nice and hard.

After a morning out and about doing domestic chores, I decided the afternoon was a good time to finally make a start on the train heating boiler. You can't see much through the windows, but you can see something.



I had a little pill bottle which seemed about the right diameter. I spent quite a while digging pictures of the type of horizontal boiler out of the interwebs, and then attempting to work out the scale of the thing. The best I could do was guesstimate from an adjacent wooden pallet. This told me the bottle was probably a little wide, but not disastrously so.



After a bit of hacking about and some work with an Olfa circle cutter, I reached this stage. Then I tried it in the loco, and found, of course, it was way too wide to fit! I'd also forgotten to factor in the bolt lumps inside the body…



Anyway, I disassembled things, chopped it back and hacked it about to clear the bolts. Here is what I've ended up with. There's enough there to make it look about right. The block on the left is the exhaust flue. The pipework is purely notional.



A blast of primer later, and some paintwork and I shall attempt to fit it into the body. It can't, sadly, be fitted to the chassis first because of the bolt problem mentioned earlier.

The rest of the body is about ready for the roof panels to be painted. Then I can do handrails, final detail parts, the transfers and plates, final varnish and assembly.

 

[Heather Kay]

I finally plucked up the courage to sort out some further details on the loco.



First, the filler and maintenance mouldings that sit behind the holes in the skirts got a dab of paint.



Then they were stuck in place and the reverse sanded down so things still cleared the floor moulding.



I masked off the main roof panels and brush painted Humbrol 32 Dark Grey on them. Then I tackled the handrails.

I tackled the main handrail by kinking a bit of NS wire for the centre of the nose. On the bench, I soldered a short length of wire in the kink for the centre support. Using short length of spare wire in one of the outer holes to act as a guide, I put the handrail in the centre, ran a pair of small flat nose pliers up to the guide wire, and carefully removed the handrail while it was so gripped. Forming the end bend pretty much always hit the exact spot, so apart from the central support solder joint breaking a couple of times, the handrails were formed reasonably quickly.

The door grab rails are a little more fiddly. The location holes are drilled out, but you can't do that at the correct angle because of the pin chuck getting in the way. I got a fairly shallow hole drilled top and bottom, but found the handrail needed a tiny bend - I chose the bottom - so it would slip into one hole, and slide down far enough in the handrail recess so the top could be gently guided home. I didn't manage to damage the paintwork, so once this task was completed, I gave up while I was ahead!

 

[SimonT]

Heather,
the trick with the handrails is to make your own thin wall brass tube extensions on the drills; just crimp the tube onto the drill bits. I don't bother with chuck and just spin the tube in my fingers. I have a pair which get use d for things other than JLTRT diesels.
Simon

 

[Heather Kay]

Faltering steps to completion.



The transfers are done. Waiting on a paint shop slot to get some satin varnish on everything.



Railtec headcode transfers done. They're drying before I back them in black.



The final major assembly job was putting these together. After varnish, it'll be sticking the body windows in, wedging the boiler in place in the body shell, fitting the drawbar details and affixing the plates.

 

[Heather Kay]

Ooh, 'ello! I'll let it air for a while before attempt in further detail work. Exciting.

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

To keep dust down whilst spraying I often use a fine mist sprayer to very slightly damp down the area around and inside the 'spray booth'. This is an old large cardboard box set up on the work bench in which the model is placed for spraying.
Tim

 

[Heather Kay]

To keep dust down whilst spraying I often use a fine mist sprayer to very slightly damp down the area around and inside the 'spray booth'. This is an old large cardboard box set up on the work bench in which the model is placed for spraying.
Tim

Good tip. I shall acquire a mister.

I was a little worried about some obvious swirl marks from previous paint fixing sessions. I'm happy to say a couple of coats of varnish have covered things nicely.



I think that leaves windscreen wipers and, um, oh yes! Plates. Blimey! Very nearly ready for official portraits and delivery!

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

To keep dust down whilst spraying I often use a fine mist sprayer to very slightly damp down the area around and inside the 'spray booth'. This is an old large cardboard box set up on the work bench in which the model is placed for spraying.
Tim

I remember well my first major spraying job with my first airbrush, a Badger powered by a car tyre and foot pump. I had been told that the best way to lay the dust was to boil the kettle with the lid off and let the steam take the dust out of the air and settle it. This I did along with a bit of newspaper on the work surfaces, I was using the kitchen, just in case there was any overspray.

The rake of 5 coach bodies, 4mm scale, duly got a coat of Midland red and placed under shoeboxes to dry overnight. The paint finish was very good but when I lifted the newspapers everything in the kitchen had a faint pinky tinge! My then fairly new wife was not best pleased and there were still pink bits when we sold the house a few years later. However no lasting damage was done, still got same wife some 40+ years on, and I have my own spraying area out the back.

Ian.

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

Ian, that reminds that about a year after getting married I was building some wagons on the dining table, French polished but with a cloth over the surface to protect it. I proceeded to knock over a small bottle of acetone I was using. I lifted the cloth to mop it up but not before the acetone had lifted a huge area offence polish . Still married 42 years later but the table went years ago.
Tim

 

[Ian@StEnochs]

Tim,
Similar patch on our dining room table from something I spilt but don't remember what. I have been given my own tablecloth to protect and prevent me causing more damage. I now have my own workshop next to the dining room but an extra work surface for laying drawings and bits out is very useful.
Ian.

 

[Heather Kay]

And with a flourish, taking care not to sideswipe the model with anything sharp or to spill something, this model is done!



The plates were attached using a dab of Kristal Klear (PVA in other words) so any squidges can be carefully cleaned up with a damp brush. I almost forgot the route availability circle under the number plate.



Another task I hadn't been looking forward to was fitting the engines. Using black styrene sheet, I blocked in the floor openings. I stuck some Evergeen blocks to the sheet which fit into the trimmed down sumps on the engines. A little working out was needed to align the engines with the windows as nearly properly as possible, yet still allow room for the boiler concoction which had to be fitted up inside the body itself.



Looking okay. The bare resin parts were given a coat of matt black, though to be honest with the body in place you can't see it. After I had found a method securing the boiler in place, time to attempt a coming together.

A big sigh of relief when nothing jammed, so in went the bolts. Final fitting is the speedo, which will probably fall off again as I neglected to fix the bogies in place. They still swing - at least as far as the skirts will allow - otherwise I wouldn't be able to fit the screws under the cab. We will have to see how the speedo fares, I guess.



You can just make out the boiler concoction in the darkness.

Official portraits later today, then to arrange to get it to the client. I shall ponder on my thoughts and feelings on this build and make another post at some stage.