A.B.S. Workbench
- Thread starter Adrian B.Swain
- Start date
S
SteveO
Guest
Unfortunately, mine is embarrassingly clean...
Adrian B.Swain
Active Member
Hi For those who have never seen the infernal whirling machines, picture 2 shows my original machine (I think,
as the other one looks the same) and picture 3 shows the unloading bench with moulds, scrap box and 4 contents
boxes. Many happy hours have been spent casting parts in the machine and unloading into the boxes. The
hours are much less unpleasant now as the machine is in an insulated room rather than an unheated, draughty,
damp shed. In fact the only consolation originally was the vast increase in value of the alloy once it was turned
into components for kits etc. adrianbs
as the other one looks the same) and picture 3 shows the unloading bench with moulds, scrap box and 4 contents
boxes. Many happy hours have been spent casting parts in the machine and unloading into the boxes. The
hours are much less unpleasant now as the machine is in an insulated room rather than an unheated, draughty,
damp shed. In fact the only consolation originally was the vast increase in value of the alloy once it was turned
into components for kits etc. adrianbs
Attachments
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
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regards, Graham
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
See, you will be ok here.... your sense of humour is shining through.
Adrian B.Swain
Active Member
Confucious he say:-
"The time available for modelling is inversely proportional to the time it takes to find the tool you are looking for !!"
Hence the need for the immaculate workbench !! adrianbs
"The time available for modelling is inversely proportional to the time it takes to find the tool you are looking for !!"
Hence the need for the immaculate workbench !! adrianbs
mth
Western Thunderer
Confucious also say:- "They who have clean desk, has too much spair time on hands or not enuff work to do"
mth
Western Thunderer
More like 'IF I catch them'.............Confucious also says 'they who keep using my name in vain will get smack upside of head when I catch them'
Dog Star
Western Thunderer
Just how long has that Rovex/Triang/Hornby clerestory been hiding in the top right hand corner of the bench?
Adrian B.Swain
Active Member
Adrian say, " Man with tidy desk never make anything, modelling time inversely proprtional to time taken to
make desk tidy.
The Clerestory is a "Cut and add" job from the days when I bought a whole box of bodies and roofs from
Triang to do some conversions. None ever got fully finished but that one is now an 8 Cpt version. It was such
a shame that Triang made a Pseudo "all first"?? with compartment spacing that matched nothing the GW
ever had. A little bit of thought------! The mouldings were actually quite good and then later they made the
corridor stock with NO mouldings at all !! Those were the "Good old days" which Dapol must think we need
to go back to. adrianbs
make desk tidy.
The Clerestory is a "Cut and add" job from the days when I bought a whole box of bodies and roofs from
Triang to do some conversions. None ever got fully finished but that one is now an 8 Cpt version. It was such
a shame that Triang made a Pseudo "all first"?? with compartment spacing that matched nothing the GW
ever had. A little bit of thought------! The mouldings were actually quite good and then later they made the
corridor stock with NO mouldings at all !! Those were the "Good old days" which Dapol must think we need
to go back to. adrianbs
Adrian B.Swain
Active Member
Hi all, The PO wagons on the bench and others are some job lots I bought off ebay very cheap as I have a
psychological problem with starting new models. I find it much easier to get going on a rubbish model and
spend more time sorting it out that starting from scratch. This is partly because it is obvious, on a built model,
what needs doing but on an unbuilt one it is not so clear. The '23 POs are a Slaters and a Parkside in the
process of upgrading. Whilst both are a world away from the Dapol wagons which cannot be upgraded they
do not satisfy me in some areas. As my kits never got issued I have to start somewhere, so by replacing such
items as buffers and brakegear with my parts (often built models have missing bits or are badly assembled)
I can get a better model than either with a lower cost. I personally do not like either manufacturers buffer
bodies, brakegear or coupling hooks so I substitute mine or upgrade those supplied. For the best mass produced
buffer design Lionheart score, even though technically they are not quite accurate, nor possibly the cheapest
way of doing the job. but you can't buy them separately !!
I don't know if other forum readers have trouble with the Slaters bodies bowing inwards which for some
time I assumed was caused by the solvent drying out in the corner joints. Having messed about with a number
of built models with this problem I am beginning to think the floor mouldings are slightly too narrow. I now
build the bodies without gluing the sides to the floor, only the ends. Once everything has set to my satisfaction
and I have rounded off the corner plates I slide strips of Evergreen plastic between floor and curbrail using
10, 15 or 20 thou until a very tight fit is achieved and then apply solvent. This seems to be OK so far so it will
be interesting to see, in the long term, if it works. It has the advantage that if you want to introduce a slight
outward bow, thicker strips can be used in the middle.
I also use a 0.020" (0.5mm)drill in a pin chuck to make the lower "Eyes" in the brakeshoes if I retain
the plastic items and reshape the shoes slightly to match the drawings. The Safety loops are often broken
or missing on S/H wagons so mine go in instead. None of the plastic moulded loops for wood underframe
wagons are quite correct because, just below solebar level, the real strip is twisted through 90 degrees on
both legs so that it can be bolted flat to the chassis cross member. To do this on an injection moulding is
technically very very difficult but in whitemetal is no problem at all as the rubber moulds automatically
follow the pattern shape when they are curing.
I do wish modellers would try to get their brakegear assembled correctly so that it would, in real life,
have some chance of working. About half the models I buy or see have 1 or more major howlers.
Having done so much research into brakegear, when making kit patterns, it has become a bit of an
obsession to have correct brakes, hence my comments about the appalling Dapol attempts. I have had
to be very careful with my castings as they cannot be adjusted in most cases to suit the wheels available.
This means that because some wheels are not quite the same diameter as others, wheel clearance has
had to be slightly compromised.
My first wagons in 7mm came out when the only wheels available were Romford style, turned and
stamped, and were 21mm Dia. which, in my opinion is the size all 7mm wagon wheels should be, it is not
incorrect but is the size of a partly worn wheel. This means that giving brakeshoes adequate clearance
still allows them to be in the correct position with the hangers angled correctly etc. It also means the
overall wheel appearance including the oversize flanges is about the same as a full diameter real wheel.
Unfortunately this has not happened so other minor compromises are necessary instead.
Questions from the audience will now be taken. Wake up at the back there!! adrianbs
psychological problem with starting new models. I find it much easier to get going on a rubbish model and
spend more time sorting it out that starting from scratch. This is partly because it is obvious, on a built model,
what needs doing but on an unbuilt one it is not so clear. The '23 POs are a Slaters and a Parkside in the
process of upgrading. Whilst both are a world away from the Dapol wagons which cannot be upgraded they
do not satisfy me in some areas. As my kits never got issued I have to start somewhere, so by replacing such
items as buffers and brakegear with my parts (often built models have missing bits or are badly assembled)
I can get a better model than either with a lower cost. I personally do not like either manufacturers buffer
bodies, brakegear or coupling hooks so I substitute mine or upgrade those supplied. For the best mass produced
buffer design Lionheart score, even though technically they are not quite accurate, nor possibly the cheapest
way of doing the job. but you can't buy them separately !!
I don't know if other forum readers have trouble with the Slaters bodies bowing inwards which for some
time I assumed was caused by the solvent drying out in the corner joints. Having messed about with a number
of built models with this problem I am beginning to think the floor mouldings are slightly too narrow. I now
build the bodies without gluing the sides to the floor, only the ends. Once everything has set to my satisfaction
and I have rounded off the corner plates I slide strips of Evergreen plastic between floor and curbrail using
10, 15 or 20 thou until a very tight fit is achieved and then apply solvent. This seems to be OK so far so it will
be interesting to see, in the long term, if it works. It has the advantage that if you want to introduce a slight
outward bow, thicker strips can be used in the middle.
I also use a 0.020" (0.5mm)drill in a pin chuck to make the lower "Eyes" in the brakeshoes if I retain
the plastic items and reshape the shoes slightly to match the drawings. The Safety loops are often broken
or missing on S/H wagons so mine go in instead. None of the plastic moulded loops for wood underframe
wagons are quite correct because, just below solebar level, the real strip is twisted through 90 degrees on
both legs so that it can be bolted flat to the chassis cross member. To do this on an injection moulding is
technically very very difficult but in whitemetal is no problem at all as the rubber moulds automatically
follow the pattern shape when they are curing.
I do wish modellers would try to get their brakegear assembled correctly so that it would, in real life,
have some chance of working. About half the models I buy or see have 1 or more major howlers.
Having done so much research into brakegear, when making kit patterns, it has become a bit of an
obsession to have correct brakes, hence my comments about the appalling Dapol attempts. I have had
to be very careful with my castings as they cannot be adjusted in most cases to suit the wheels available.
This means that because some wheels are not quite the same diameter as others, wheel clearance has
had to be slightly compromised.
My first wagons in 7mm came out when the only wheels available were Romford style, turned and
stamped, and were 21mm Dia. which, in my opinion is the size all 7mm wagon wheels should be, it is not
incorrect but is the size of a partly worn wheel. This means that giving brakeshoes adequate clearance
still allows them to be in the correct position with the hangers angled correctly etc. It also means the
overall wheel appearance including the oversize flanges is about the same as a full diameter real wheel.
Unfortunately this has not happened so other minor compromises are necessary instead.
Questions from the audience will now be taken. Wake up at the back there!! adrianbs
S
SteveO
Guest
[Hand up]
I have a few questions: Do you run your wagons on a layout? If you do, how big is it? Did you make your own track? Do you use any form of compensation or springing?
I have a few questions: Do you run your wagons on a layout? If you do, how big is it? Did you make your own track? Do you use any form of compensation or springing?
A manufacturer with a layout!?!