7mm On Heather's Workbench - a baby Small Prairie
- Thread starter Heather Kay
- Start date
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
With the chassis reassembled, and if I can stop the crankpin nuts unwinding, I am beginning the final stages of construction. Painting odd little details, and fitting bits and bobs. The final stage will reunite body and chassis, and see the plates go on.
Before that, a quick list is needed to make certain I don’t miss something obvious.
Oh, and I usually fit a crew but the client thinks he has some suitable figures already. So, coal, a set of lamps and some tools need to be made up.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Steadily working through the list.
DJH cast lamps getting a nice coat of red. I did work at the slots a bit but they will never sit right down on the brackets.
Safety valves and bonnet in place. The smokebox handrails weren’t too painful. The twist handles for the water fillers are also in place: they had been left off as long as possible as they’re impossibly fragile and would have succumbed a long time ago otherwise. The brake pipes are also fitted. It’s funny how I always leave making up the screw couplings until the last minute. Actually, no, it’s not funny. I really ought to do those first thing, along with tidying and blackening the wheels!
DJH cast lamps getting a nice coat of red. I did work at the slots a bit but they will never sit right down on the brackets.
Safety valves and bonnet in place. The smokebox handrails weren’t too painful. The twist handles for the water fillers are also in place: they had been left off as long as possible as they’re impossibly fragile and would have succumbed a long time ago otherwise. The brake pipes are also fitted. It’s funny how I always leave making up the screw couplings until the last minute. Actually, no, it’s not funny. I really ought to do those first thing, along with tidying and blackening the wheels!
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Slowly getting there. This part of a build always crawls until … it’s finally done!
(Not quite. Some bits still to do.)
The couplings were finally put together. The main parts are CPL GWR loco, but the hooks have been substituted for ex-JLTRT castings. They have thicker shanks and filled the beam slot better.
Ickle lamps. You can make out tiny clear mushrooms here. They are meant to push in to the lamp fronts. They didn’t fit, obviously because I didn’t think to try them before painting the lamps, so I’ve fallen back on blobs of Kristal Klear.
The couplings have been installed. I also made a tray to go in the bunker so I didn’t have to fill it entirely with either foam or coal. The Best Welsh has been laid in with dabs of PVA, and may get some further attention once dry. Unseen here, I’ve repaired the condenser and added the whistle chains under the roof.
I think that pretty much leaves refitting buffers and attaching the plates, before final reassembly and a session with the official photographer. A job for Sunday, I think.
(Not quite. Some bits still to do.)
The couplings were finally put together. The main parts are CPL GWR loco, but the hooks have been substituted for ex-JLTRT castings. They have thicker shanks and filled the beam slot better.
Ickle lamps. You can make out tiny clear mushrooms here. They are meant to push in to the lamp fronts. They didn’t fit, obviously because I didn’t think to try them before painting the lamps, so I’ve fallen back on blobs of Kristal Klear.
The couplings have been installed. I also made a tray to go in the bunker so I didn’t have to fill it entirely with either foam or coal. The Best Welsh has been laid in with dabs of PVA, and may get some further attention once dry. Unseen here, I’ve repaired the condenser and added the whistle chains under the roof.
I think that pretty much leaves refitting buffers and attaching the plates, before final reassembly and a session with the official photographer. A job for Sunday, I think.
paulc
Western Thunderer
Hi Heather , you have probably been asked before but did you make the tools or are they a commercial item , if so whose are they ? I like the idea with the lamps , i presume it dries clear even being that thick .
This is a nice build turning in to a nice model .
Cheers Paul
This is a nice build turning in to a nice model .
Cheers Paul
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
You’re very kind, thank you.
The tools are commercial items, from either Laurie Griffin or DJH via CPL. They’re not actually hard to make yourself, but I’m just lazy.
The Kristal Klear does dry clear albeit with a slightly milky appearance. It also shrinks, as it’s supposed to, so the lamps are now concave instead of convex. I’ll need to do a second dollop on them when I get home this evening.
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Ooh!
I reckon photo shoot tomorrow. My nerves can’t stand any more!
Heather Kay
Western Thunderer
Right you are, folks! Gallery post is up.
Clickety linky here.
Dust. Perishing dust! I thought I had cleaned the model for the photo shoot, yet there's dust all over it! Perhaps I need new specs.
Clickety linky here.
Dust. Perishing dust! I thought I had cleaned the model for the photo shoot, yet there's dust all over it! Perhaps I need new specs.