TFW’s workshop

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
I haven’t clocked the hours on this one David. The boiler was made (turned and silver soldered) in February 2011. Work didn’t really start, however, until October 2015 when I took partial retirement. It has basically been worked on in the winter months since then.

The rest of my spare/modelling time is working on CF projects, but also over the summer months a Morgan and 1/3rd scale Burrell Scenic Showmans. I’ll post some pictures of these if interested.

Tim
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
I turned up the whistle from my first wife’s original engagement ring. The feed pipe is 0.3mm diameter
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After removing from the collet, the vertical mouth was gashed in with a slitting file.
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Finally the whistle was Araldited into the smoke box. There will be a little bit of clean-up of the adhesive needed after it has set.
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Tim
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
The whistle now cleaned up and looks better without a clag of Araldite.
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I also made the Flaman speedometer bracket and drive this evening. The A frame was made from nickel silver strip and a piece of brass tube: the whole assembly was silver soldered for strength and to make it easy to attach to the running plate with soft solder. The drive shaft is 0.3mm pivot steel, located in the ashpan support and also under the cab. It gives a good deal of stiffness to the assembly.
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Afraid I bottled out of putting the return crank on the rear crank pin. The ashpan linkage is next - that will be a bit tricky to insinuate around the speedometer drive.

Tim
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Tim,

Apologies if this has been discussed earlier, but what do you use to aid your vision? Big magnifier, loupe, headband goggles? Or are you lucky enough not to need artificial aids?

Thanks
Simon
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
Twenty years ago I could make 2mm scale models without loupes, Simon. For many years I have used surgical telescopes. The set that I use currently are 2.8 magnification, are about ten years old and made by a Finnish company, Merident Optergo. They have very flat and linear optics, are adjustable for working range, can be flipped up out of the way and are much enhanced by the co-axial LED light. A good set of surgical telescopes and LED light will cost well north of £1K, often nearer £2K - especially for loupes that are mounted through the lenses (these give a larger field of view, but cannot be moved out of the way).
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There are however many cheap (Chinese) copies available on the internet, some of which might be quite good. My students often buy them and indeed a couple have set up businesses importing them.

Tim
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Thanks Tim,

very informative - I'm guessing that around 2.5 mag and 400+ mm working distance is probably the target?

but equally, the £30 ones on ebay don't cut the mustard then...?

If your students are able to point out, or indeed supply, the better ones, that would be very welcome! I've pretty much recovered from a cataract op and, whilst things are much better, I don't think I have the vision I had ten years back, and as the nice lady says, "every little helps".

thanks again
Simon
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
I thought that the ashpan linkage would be simpler if it was made out of a single piece of nickel silver, so I bent up a strip of 20thou nickel silver. The bend needed annealing to prevent work hardening and fracture.
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Inside this shape was a linkage trying to get out after some filing. It’s beginning to take shape.
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After a bit more work the forked joint at he pivot was filed in to the thick N/S and the rear pivot bent into place.
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It was then bent again towards the Cartazzi extension frames to gain support at that end.
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The frames were notched to take the inward extension piece and, with it soldered both ends, it is nice and sturdy.
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It clears the speedo drive, just, which is good because otherwise the sparks would fly!
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So, six years to the day from starting, Lord President is complete and ready for the paintshops. Most of the work has been undertaken in the last two and half years and written up in the 2mm section on RM Web and more recently here. I’ll probably check it out in the next few weeks on the MRC test track and maybe start painting after the Missendon Abbey weekend. So not so many posts for a while....Hope you’ve enjoyed it, as much as I have.
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Tim
 
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Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
Prior to painting, the P2 was grit blasted with 27um alumina at 2 bar pressure using a commercial dental laboratory device. This can be quite gentle and was obviously used very carefully on the white metal. The handrails were removed before blasting and the polished gold whistle protected by some soft liquid masking film. The airbraded surface gives a good key for painting.
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Here we have the first introduction of the P2 to the airbrush. Red oxide ‘cellulose’ primer from a rattle can dispensed via the air brush. A few blemishes to sort out, but better than I expected - although matt colours are very forgiving of course.
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My Doncaster Apple Green cellulose was last disturbed 15 years ago when the 8’ single was painted: it had become very thick, on opening yesterday. Re-constituting it with thinners and lots of stirring has slightly improved it, but for sure it will need filtering through some stockings.

Tim
 
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This will get Ken excited!

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
After filling a couple of silver solder porosities in the Wooten firebox and a very light rub down, the P2 has had a second coat of primer. The photo picks up two witness marks filed in to the top of the boiler cladding to show where the boiler bands will go. On a conventional round boiler, I turn very minimal grooves to achieve the same result.
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This will again be rubbed down with very fine abrasive paper before the apple green is sprayed.
My tin of green had become very gloopy.
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It was therefore strained through a nylon stocking into a glass jar.
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Looking at the sediment that had accrued, there was no way that was going to go through a deVilbiss air brush and give a decent finish. Time will tell if it’s been successful. I often strain paint in the big scale stuff that I do: it’s surprising what comes out sometimes.

Tim
 
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Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
Well the paint filtering worked well. After a careful rub down of the primer, a first light ‘tack’ coat of apple green was sprayed onto the tender. This was left to dry off for a few moments (don’t forget that cellulose paints dry very quickly).
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A large volume of cellulose was then applied so as to give a ‘wet’ surface. Paint runs are less likely to occur because the ‘tack coat’ will ‘hold’ the paint.
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If there are any blemishes then the new paint surface can be flooded with another heavy spray coat of thinners that will soften and then flatten the surface. There was, indeed, a hiccup in spraying the engine and so this flooding technique was applied here.
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By it’s streamlined nature, the P2 is quite easy to spray because there aren’t many awkward corners to catch overspray. After a day under the lamp, both tender and engine were rubbed down again to give a smooth finish before the last top coat.
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The blue leatherette mat is useful for supporting the model whilst working on it, being slightly compliant and not damaging the paint. The lack of a securing bolt for the mud hole doors is a great advantage at this stage, when rubbing down the firebox area. We’re back to the brown in some areas, where the paint thickness allows a better finish to be achieved.
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The final top coat has come out OK and will be improved by gentle T-cutting when hard. The final photo shows the disposable plastic pipettes that I use for dispensing the thinners (non-blooming) and the paint. The two are actually mixed in the spray cup. The air brush is run through with thinners alone quite often to keep it clean and flowing nicely.
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The problem I have is that the last painting and lining I did was on a 3/4 ton model, so this is quite a steep learning curve! Many of the above techniques are well explained in Ian Rathbone’s excellent book on painting and lining.

Tim
 

adrian

Flying Squad
Well the paint filtering worked well. After a careful rub down of the primer, a first light ‘tack’ coat of apple green was sprayed onto the tender. This was left to dry off for a few moments (don’t forget that cellulose paints dry very quickly).
Thanks for posting - I've used cellulose paints on all my (limited!) 2mmFs models and do think the fine coat and thin overspray of well thinned top coat is well worth the effort.

Just one query, I'm just curious what are you using for the support structure for painting? Is the tender and loco just resting on that wire frame? or is it attached in some way?
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
It’s a Tamiya Spray-Work Painting Stand Set #74522. In other words a small up-market lazy Susan. The engine and tender are just perched ones they are small, but heavy, although the clips could be used to hold things more positively. Very useful bit of kit, should have got one years ago.

Tim
 
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oldravendale

Western Thunderer
I can well understand the use of that, Tim. It'd save balancing things on blocks of wood or hanging from wires in the garage. Just one question - would the wire frame be big enough to carry a 7mm model? Scaling up from your P2 it looks as though it'd be too small for anything much bigger.

Brian
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
The whole kit comes with a much bigger device that would easily take larger scale stuff, Brian. I think it’s intended for their 1/35 kits and RC cars.

Tim
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
That's very helpful, Tim. I'll look out for one at Kettering (if I can slide there).

(I recognise that they'll be less expensive on line, but if we don't support our specialist suppliers they'll fade away).

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Just for info - Squires will supply for £18.99. Least expensive I can find on line is £16.92 including free shipping from the US. I reckon it's worth the extra couple of quid to do my little bit to help keep a specialist modelers supplier from doing a Maplins. Additionally I'll be able to examine it before purchase.

B
 

SimonT

Western Thunderer
Brian, I've used one for 5 years or so. Excellent and my wire one last supported the Hall during painting, so it can take some size.
Simon
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
my wire one last supported the Hall during painting, so it can take some size.

Just one question - would the wire frame be big enough to carry a 7mm model? Scaling up from your P2 it looks as though it'd be too small for anything much bigger.

Failing that bend up some wire coat hangers - just make sure you don't use them as the radio aerial for the car afterwards ;).
 
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