7mm The Old Man's Workbench - tales of a rivet side

lnerjp

Western Thunderer
Graham

Are you aware of these 7mm OTA timber wagon Low end by simonbrblue on Shapeways and 7mm OTA timber wagon high end by simonbrblue on Shapeways. I've bought a couple of wagons off this chap, I think he might even be a member here.

The 3D prints are very good, they are accurate, strong and sit square when you fit the wheels, the only negative and it is quite a big negative is the texture of the print. However once the model is weathered and at normal viewing distances you cannot really see the grain.

I have some info on OTA's, I'll scan for you, but there is a lot so make take a little while.

JP
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Are you aware of these 7mm OTA timber wagon Low end by simonbrblue on Shapeways and 7mm OTA timber wagon high end by simonbrblue on Shapeways. The 3D prints are very good, they are accurate, strong and sit square when you fit the wheels, the only negative and it is quite a big negative is the texture of the print.

I have some info on OTA's, I'll scan for you, but there is a lot so make take a little while.
Nice, Jeanpaul. We have not seen the 3D print models before, we shall take a peep. Whatever you have on OTAs shall be appreciated.

regards, Graham
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Now that Spike has a new workshop and the first workbench has been erected (as here) some real railway modelling is possible and the first project is some trackwork for the colliery addition to Scruft's Junction . Colliery? Extension? yes, Scruft's has been extended by 12'... no, there are no photos of the new baseboards as one blank canvas looks just like another blank canvas.

Discussions with Ian Pope (he with F0D through the middle) has produced a suitable track plan with two empties roads, two fulls roads, screens over two roads and a loco shed. Peter has prepared a Templot plan and Chris (@ChrisBr) has shoved timbers so no excuse now. After consulting WTers I have decided to produce the trackwork in "chunks" of up to 4' in length. Printouts of "chunks" of the Templot plan have been stuck to a 6mm ply board using 3M Photomount (the sort which is repositionable) and the track is to be made direct to the plan. Trials have shown that the plan can be removed from the plywood without problem so "track and plan" are going to be stuck to the foam underlay using Copydex.

Here is the start of the journey:-

IMG_2751.jpg

Just how long the workbench is going to remain clean and tidy is uncertain. Peter thinks that we shall start properly and he has acquired some appropriate tea-cup coasters, no prizes for guessing the reason for the chosen coaster picture.
 
Last edited:

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
After another long nap - something of the order of 18 months - this particular Shelf Queen has woken again (Dave @daifly, are you keeping track?)

Taking advice from Adam (@AJC) as to how to proceed with the rivet strips around the upper hopper body an attempt was made to fit the "upright" leg of the T-angle to the sides... start at the mid point on one end, along one side and finish at the mid point of the other end. Sorry, with the best will in the world the result was like a roller coaster across the ends. Much heat, sharp knife blade and lots of patience were required to remove the two parts applied so recently.

Careful study of the sides and ends of the hopper gave the impression that the slots, into which fitted tabs of the upright part of the T-angle, might not be aligned. Queue a flexible ruler, actually strips of the blue decorator's tape. I aligned a strip, slightly longer than the hopper side, with the top of the slots in the side and wrapped the excess tape around each corner. This is shown in the photo below. There are three slots in the side placed, roughly, above the first, third and fifth vertical row of slots.

096.JPG

This step was repeated for the other side of the hopper body.

A length of tape, just about the width of the end, was then fixed to a hopper end with the lower edge of the "end" tape aligned with the lower edges of the "side" tapes. See the next photo of one hopper end.

097.JPG

Oh dear, the slot in the middle of the hopper end is below the tape... the same result with the other end of the hopper, see here.

095.JPG

Now that I had an idea as to what was afoot I could look deeper into the matter... a digital vernier caliper revealed that the slots in the ends were further from the top of the end plates than the slots in the sides were from the top of the side plates.


The top of the end slots has been moved up to the line of the tape... and the T-angle that runs around the hopper body has been assmbled again. I think that the second attempt has been successful and photos shall be posted here after the hopper has been washed and cleaned up.


What is important to say here is that the construction of these hoppers (yes, there is more than one kit) is the work of myself and my Son, Peter. I take parts from the etch and remove cusps, Peter does the soldering and then I wash and clean up.

regards, Graham
 
Last edited:

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
As I said yesterday, here are some photos of the hopper after cleaning up of the rivet angles around the hopper body. First the hopper side with the door at the bottom, in addition to the rivet strips around the top of the hopper I have started to add the overlays for the door hinges.
002.JPG

Now the hopper side that does not have a door.
001.JPG

Here is one end of the hopper... a comparison with the photo of the other end shows that the hopper cross-section is assymetric. There are three rows of rivets around the top of the body with a fourth, plain, strip for the "T-angle" - and there is a joint in each of those pieces (at the vertical centreline of the end).
004.JPG


And finally the second end.
003.JPG

Roughly, what is shown in these photos is two days work, made up as:-

* 2 hours to remove parts from the etch and clean up the cusps;
* 8 hours to affix the T-angle vertical leg and the associated rivet strips;
* 5 hours to clean up after soldering.

I am really pleased with these hopper bodies which were assembled by Peter.

Thoughts and suggestions:-

* the top corners of the body are vunerable (to bending) when cleaning up, if I make another kit then soldering a sacrificial piece of etch on the top of each corner seems a good idea (aka the body construction of the BR B16T mineral wagon);

* the construction sequence given in the instructions leads to four tabs per side located along the inner bottom edge of the hopper and difficult to remove (space restriction), if I make another kit then I shall attach the relevant strips (parts 61 and 63) to the respective hopper sides before assembling the sides and ends into the basic hopper.

Plenty more rivet(ting) stories to come.

regards, Graham
 
Last edited:
Top