7mm BR Diesels

[Steph Dale]

Ok, dumb question time!!!!

Do epoxy type adhesives (Devcon) create/ cause blooming on glazing?

Cheers
Lee

No.
You may even be able to clean up (acetone - nail varnish remover) without damaging the glazing/painting either (depends what it is).
There are some very good 'crystal' grade epoxies about these days that are literally glass-clear.

FWIW I use diluted Microscale Kristal Klear to fix glazing. A small drop of detergent cuts the surface tension.
So;
1. Put window in hole (slightly tight fit may be preferrable)
2. Run in diluted KK on a brush
3. Allow to dry
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the edge of the glazing disappears

It has the advantage that it's a synch to clean up as it's water based.

Steph

 

[Healey Mills]

Hi Steph,

Thank you for your reply, most informative - as always

I'm not planning (at the moment) on using epoxy to stick windows in. I intend to use it to fix the lead into the locos I have to boost their weight as they are a tad 'light'.

Your comments are helpful though and I shall perhaps look at your method for sticking windows in as I'm not that inspired by the Delux Materials No-blooming Cyano to be honest. I'd previously used their Glue n Glaze and that worked well but took for ever to do a loco

Cheers
Lee

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Hi Lee
I haven't found the new anti blooming glue very gluey either
I think I will go back to the glue & glaze. Like you say it takes a while to get all the glazing done....but at least it stays put!

 

[Healey Mills]

Onwards with 40126 now. Managed to get the underframe details painted and the Res. air cylinders put in place with the associated pipe work:



I have to admit I really like Heather Kay method of painting the underframe... add some brown muck to the black paint and then spray The frame itself will have more 'dirt' added along with the bogie side frames tomorrow as I make a start on getting it weathered.

In a bid to experiment with getting a nice weathered blue finish to locos I have a class 33 body which I use as a test bed, this was stripped this evening (using Fairy Power Spray) after it had undergone many tests of painting/ spraying, decal finishing and some weathering techniques. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a coat of etch primer on it and then some banger blue at the weekend to try out some methods of getting that worn and faded blue. I'm sure it's not as simple as spraying RM weathered banger blue?? I've tried a couple of techniques/ ideas already but nothing that I'm happy with.... I'm sure there is someone on here that has already covered this ground but I cannot find anything (following a search) that indicates a 'How to guide'.

Cheers
Lee

 

[richard carr]

Lee

My preferred method for a lighter blue, is to put a little and I mean little bit of white or pale grey paint approximately where you want to lighten it, then quickly remove it with a cotton wool bud, you won't be able to remove it all, don't use thinners to remove it and don't use thinned white paint use neat humbrol or phoenix.

You could also use a lighter blue if you wanted.

Richard

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

add some brown muck to the black paint and then spray

This is how I prepare my underframe paint colour.

try out some methods of getting that worn and faded blue. I'm sure it's not as simple as spraying RM weathered banger blue?? I've tried a couple of techniques/ ideas already but nothing that I'm happy with.... I'm sure there is someone on here that has already covered this ground but I cannot find anything (following a search) that indicates a 'How to guide'.

In addition to Richard's comments (posted whilst I was typing this), if you want to experiment first I would try mixing a lighter blue with the banger blue. If you have the volumes of banger blue then decant for example 10ml into a pot then add the lighter blue in, say, 1ml increments. At each stage taking a brush full out and painting it on a prepared undercoat. This way you will be able to compare swatches to see which ratio gives you the desired effect.

Another solution is to add a drop of matt white or light grey or light blue to a satin varnish and use this as the final coat before weathering.

If you haven't tried already - search for wargaming painting techniques or tap up members of a local wargaming club if there's one nearby. I'm a member of my local wargaming club and it's there where I've picked up some of my painting techniques.

 

[Healey Mills]

Lee

My preferred method for a lighter blue, is to put a little and I mean little bit of white or pale grey paint approximately where you want to lighten it, then quickly remove it with a cotton wool bud, you won't be able to remove it all, don't use thinners to remove it and don't use thinned white paint use neat humbrol or phoenix.

You could also use a lighter blue if you wanted.

Richard

Hi Richard,

Thank you for this gem... I had tried this before but the results I obtained were more reminiscent of 'water stain' streaks. Perhaps my method was wrong, but they do sound similar to what you have highlighted here.

... In addition to Richard's comments (posted whilst I was typing this), if you want to experiment first I would try mixing a lighter blue with the banger blue. If you have the volumes of banger blue then decant for example 10ml into a pot then add the lighter blue in, say, 1ml increments. At each stage taking a brush full out and painting it on a prepared undercoat. This way you will be able to compare swatches to see which ratio gives you the desired effect.

Another solution is to add a drop of matt white or light grey or light blue to a satin varnish and use this as the final coat before weathering.

If you haven't tried already - search for wargaming painting techniques or tap up members of a local wargaming club if there's one nearby. I'm a member of my local wargaming club and it's there where I've picked up some of my painting techniques.

Hi Dave,

Thank you. I think this will be by next experiment.... perhaps with white in gloss varnish pre and post numbering. It is something I have tried before but the results looked more like the varnish had bloomed more than creating a faded blue... or perhaps using faded blue in gloss varnish prior to the decals might be another good solution.

I need to get this trick nailed as I can't keep building pristine banger blue 40's I've even thought of making the last coat of sprayed blue a faded version and quite thin in it's mix, but this I need to try.

Thank you ever so much Richard and Dave for your help.

Cheers
Lee

 

[40126]

Hi Lee

Have you taken any pics of the 'experimenting' on the 33 ?

Steve

 

[Healey Mills]

Hi Lee

Have you taken any pics of the 'experimenting' on the 33 ?

Steve

Hi Steve,

The only pictures I have (I think) are those I took when I was experimenting with the coatings on top of Railtech Transfers. I don't have any of the weathering stuff I'm afraid.

Cheers
Lee

 

[Healey Mills]

After today's efforts I don't have any interesting pictures I'm afraid. Most of the work was weathering the bogies and underfame of 126 and a waft of dirt over the buffer beam of 060. Whilst I wait for some IPA to turn up so that I can completely remove all the paint from my test cl 33, I have been faffing about with improving (well trying to) the vac pipes on the JLTRT class 40's.

At present the vac pipes are cast white metal which are not 100% accurate, rather crude if any thing else. On the actual loco these pipes are part metal and part 'braided material' pipes. I'm not sure what the later part is made of but having obtained some fibreglass braided pipe at 2.3mm dia I figured I'd give this a go:



The whitemetal part is an old casting I had left-over (that was mis-formed). After cutting the braided hose I noticed how it was quick to frey so I initially applied some very runny super glue to one small section, then cut with scissors to give a nice clean cut with no freyed end. The metal pipe was then joined to the braided hose with a bit of super glue.

In situ, you can now perhaps see which part it is on the loco:




During the test I sprayed the hose to see if it would take the paint.... it did!! I think I just need to make these a little longer and insert a piece of wire of similar internal diameter to the hose to stop it from forming a kink.

Not sure if this is a suitable option yet, but it's marginally closer to the 'real thing'.

Cheers
Lee

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Lee,
That looks a good bit easier than winding thin brass wire around to simulate reinforced hose which I have been doing in the last couple of weeks

 

[Healey Mills]

Hi Lee,
That looks a good bit easier than winding thin brass wire around to simulate reinforced hose which I have been doing in the last couple of weeks

Hi Rob,

I don't envy you that task. These were bought from here:

1.5mm Braided Hose Sleeving - Glass Fibre (1m) | Prime-Miniatures

I'm still not sure whether this stuff affords a solution yet until I have one completely done and looked at it on the loco.

Cheers
Lee

 

[Stoke5D]

Not sure if this is a suitable option yet, but it's marginally closer to the 'real thing'.

Isn't that the steam heat line? In which case, don't forget you will need to show the lagging on the pipe either side of the flexible hose section.

Any vacuum hose is always reinforced by wire to prevent it collapsing of course, so for vacuum flexible connections you will need to represent the concertina effect.

All good stuff.


Andrew

 

[mickoo]

Lee,

Little trick for you on the bogies, gently dry brush some gunmetal paint onto the raised parts of the step treads and leading edge, gives them that shiny worn look.

Do it more in the middle of the step and less at the outer and back edges to give it the effect of people using the middle of the step more.

No matter how dirty an engine got, the step treads were nearly always clean where the boots rubbed the dirt off.

The braided hose works for me

MD

 

[Healey Mills]

Isn't that the steam heat line? ...

Hi Andrew,

Hmm... good question. I'll do a bit more research but I don't 'think' they are steam heat pipes.

Lee,

Little trick for you on the bogies, gently dry brush some gunmetal paint onto the raised parts of the step treads and leading edge, gives them that shiny worn look.

Do it more in the middle of the step and less at the outer and back edges to give it the effect of people using the middle of the step more.

No matter how dirty an engine got, the step treads were nearly always clean where the boots rubbed the dirt off.

The braided hose works for me

MD

Hi Mick,

Thanks for your tip... I've done that all the other 40's previously. The photo I took with the experimental hose was of the bogie with second stage weathering.

Anyway, I've managed to get the other weathering stages done today along with the boiler water tank.... I think the tank needs a little more oil on it though. Here's where I'm at (sorry about the poor piccies):


Bufferbeam No 1 end


Bufferbeam No 2 end

I need to add the chains and permanently fix the buffers, but overall it's coming along albeit slowly.


Side view

Still lots more to do on the loco body, primarily the lighter blue nose tops and the darker blue over the damage on no 2 end cab side.

Cheers
Lee

 

[mickoo]

Re hoses, the one on the drivers side is the steam heat pipe and should be braided, the one on the firemans (second man) side is the vacuum hose and is ribbed.

There is a nice high angle shot of a bogie ex works in MLI 179 page 15 that shows clearly the pipe runs across the top of the bogie.

One thing never modeled are the splashers over the driving wheels, they are quite visible from low angles jutting above the bogie side frame.



An early etch project, must get back to this at some point.

Mick D

 

[Healey Mills]

Re hoses, the one on the drivers side is the steam heat pipe and should be braided, the one on the firemans (second man) side is the vacuum hose and is ribbed.

One thing never modeled are the splashers over the driving wheels, they are quite visible from low angles jutting above the bogie side frame.

Everyday is a school day



Secondmans side

zooming in:



then the drivers side:



What would we do without you Mick!!!

Looks like tomorrow is going to be spent removing the old and inaccurate bogie pipework but I think I'll be omitting the splashers though

Cheers
Lee

 

[Healey Mills]

After a mornings work, the half-time scores....

After Mick had pointed out the faded blue nose tops to these locos (something I'd never noticed before in photo's or on the real thing - but once you do it seems to draw my attention now!!), I thought I'd have a go at replicating this. Well, erm... masking the loco, I'm a bit new to this and it's not something I profess to be good at. My first few attempts with the narrowest Tamiya tape were not good Last attempt was with some 0.75mm tape which was used to get the curve, then use the Tamiya stuff:



With the curve beneath the windows done it just left the actual nose top area to do:



Thinking about any over-spray I elected to add some surplus Frog Tape (this stuff is rubbish by the way):



Having now reached the point of paranoia about over-spray (I'm sure many would have stopped adding tape ages ago - no sniggering at the back there!!):


Good grief, it's a good job I don't do this for a living.... I wouldn't make much money and I'd need shares in Tamiya!!

Anyway, cutting to the chase, after a bit of faded blue later, the preliminary results are ok:


(Where do those bl**dy bits come from????)

I'm hoping to get the side (darker blue) done too today but for the moment the loco is drying - not wanting to push my luck too far.

In the meantime I weighed 40060 and it came out at exactly 1.25kgs. I have had a look on t'internet before to see if there is any guidance about loco weights (I know the O gauge Guild has some guidelines for wagons) but I have never found any for locos. Does anyone know what the maximum or minimum weights O gauge locos should be, or any guidelines at all with relation to loco axle numbers/ tractive force? I guess there must be a maximum based on the motors/ current available??

Failing this, I think I shall stick weight along the inside loco body and any extra can be temporarily fixed on the bed of the loco frame so I can add/ remove as necessary whenever I can get to run these.

Cheers
Lee

 

[mickoo]

looking good

For tape, try Scotch 1" wide masking tape from B&Q or other wholesalers, it's what the professional decorators use, not overly cheap but it's a shame so save a £ here and there on masking tape and mess up a £500 model

MD

 

[Healey Mills]

looking good

For tape, try Scotch 1" wide masking tape from B&Q or other wholesalers, it's what the professional decorators use, not overly cheap but it's a shame so save a £ here and there on masking tape and mess up a £500 model

MD

Thanks Mick.

The Frog Tape isn't that expensive (and won't be buying anymore) but is was recommended by a fellow modeler. I wouldn't use it for anything other than large scale masking... certainly not for detail stuff, I do prefer the Tamiya stuff for that.

Cheers
Lee