Finescale - of a sort?!

[Peter Insole]

Thanks John and Tim for the tips. You are both absolutely right, and I fear therefore quite a bit of work still has to be done!

In retrospect, it probably would have been a good idea to have used some of that wood sealer/hardener on the unknown timber before going any further, but it is too late now it has several coats of primer all over. It is difficult to describe, but the frustrating issue is not so much filling the grain and little gaps between the strips, but the variable "softness" of the wood that is causing a problem. Despite how careful I am when sanding, a slight corrugation effect on the curve appears, and some of the diligently applied filler (especially that between two "fluffy" strips) comes adrift too.

Choosing the appropriate grade of abrasive is probably the answer - if only I knew what that was !!

Anyhow, I am not ready to face defeat quite yet, and will carry on, though I'm afraid that in the process, the atmosphere back here in the works may become a bit more toxic before the job is done?!

Pete.

 

[Tim Watson]

I wonder if a coat of runny cyanoacrylate adhesive would impregnate the surface and make it easier to get a consistent surface. Make sure you do it with plenty of ventilation as it might get quite hot and ‘fumy’. Wise to try it on a scrap piece first.

Tim

 

[SimonT]

I wonder if a tin of wood hardener or a can of sanding sealer might be worth pursuing.
Chestnut Acrylic Sanding Sealer

Simon

 

[Peter Insole]

Stand by, I am about to declare...

Victory !!!

Well, a partial one anyway ?!

It was not just a case of sheer, dogged persistence, but thanks also to Tim Watson's tip; the sparing use of a little cyano here and there on the most troublesome bits appears to have done the trick.

The first coat of thickly daubed matt black enamel, acting not only as an undercoat, but a final revealer and filler looks oddly patchy in today's pictures;



There are some even stranger reflections coming off the tank in the views of the other side, but there are still areas where the freshly applied paint has not quite gone off yet !

Close inspection reveals that the surface is actually quite consistently smooth - and should hopefully be even better following further cyano treatment of a few remaining tiny niggles, and then finishing off with another very light sanding ?!



By the way; I deliberately worked the paint into the grain with rather random, but mostly diagonal strokes. The final coats of gloss and varnish will be applied using proper horizontal and vertical brushing,

The tank will have to remain in this matt condition for a short while longer, as I am still awaiting delivery of a couple of bags of new "rivets", plus I have not yet sought out a source for another large tin of that lovely Humbrol gloss black enamel!

Meanwhile, I can be getting on with the tank filler neck and cap, as well as the bottom fittings.

Pete.

PS. Sorry SimonT, almost forgot to thank you for your tip too. I will bear it mind for possible use in the carriage workshops !!

 

[Heather Kay]

have not yet sought out a source for another large tin of that lovely Humbrol gloss black enamel!

It is currently available on the Humbrol web site shop, both 50ml and 125ml tins, assuming you’re not averse to online shopping for paint.

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks Heather. I'll try my local shop again - though there seem to be shortages of all sorts these days?!

I'm afraid that in truth, I do really mind about ordering online, but have to admit that constantly trying to swim against the tide is rather a waste of energy !!

Believe it or not, I salve my conscience by asking one of my sons to do it on my behalf - and hand them the old fashioned cash instead !!

There's no fool like (this) old fool... eh?!

Pete.

 

[oldravendale]

Bless you, my son.

You are utterly bonkers but in the nicest possible way. I really wish I had your creativity.

With love - but not in the biblical sense.

Brian

 

[Peter Insole]

Oh Brian, I really don't mind being called bonkers , well most of the time anyway - it is after all perfectly true. My tendency to drive everyone else around me to distraction is a problem though !!

"Putting a size nine in it" is another issue: I recall an incident in an art class a few years ago, where I was blathering on to large group of delightful, mature ladies, about some matters relating to age.

"Hey, hold on Pete," came a slightly indignant cry; "you're the youngest person in the room you know!"

I quickly realised that I just could not think of any philosophical retort, so all I could manage was to say the first thing that came into my head... and with what I hoped was a sincere tone I replied;

"Ah, yes, that may indeed be so... but I'm old enough to know better!"

I was a little surprised by the nodding and murmurs of agreement from one and all, so paused for a few moments before continuing;

"If anyone knows what I meant by that, please tell me... as I haven't got a clue" !!

Much hilarity there followed.

Happy times!

Pete.

 

[Richard Insole]

Fwah.. what a sexy little beasty!

Sorry I haven't kept up with the last couple of posts! It looks like she has kept you on your toes there. I must say though, a fine bit of whittling if I do say so.

Photos can do an injustice showing discrepancies with light and shadows that the naked eye would otherwise not see. That said, I think you have done a bloomin' marvelous job of their curves. If there is one thing that I can attest to, is that in the end, you can make a masterpiece out of otherwise unseemingly ordinary objects. Sometimes they like to test us on the way like drill bits that just want to snap for no reason, batteries in drills that just die halfway through a critical moment, and a whole plethora of situations that ultimately make it a 'sodding thing'. It's all part of the journey to satisfaction at the end.

Yes, I think we should all go to our local spot. It is terribly important to support a local business. It is difficult (especially in these trying times of shortages) to not buy stuff online. It is terribly convenient after all. As you say, it is difficult to swim against the tide, when there is a lot of things available at your fingertips, and all in the comfort of your armchair. The carriage shop will be needing some of the filler primers, amongst other things, perhaps a trip over to our local spot is terribly needed. I never really need that much of an excuse anyway, to spend some much-needed time with you and to have a rummage through a shop of many wonders! Let's set a date!

As always... some truly 'tree'mendous work here dad!

...Truly inspiring!!

Rich

 

[class27]

This is the ART of model-making at its best. This is always the first thread I look for on here.

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks Rich and Class27! I am glad you are enjoying it.

I was ruefully ruminating on the subject of art only the other day - or rather, the lack of it coming off my drawing board anyway. Perhaps I can take some comfort from the thought that the little engine is maybe a piece of rather complex, three dimensional and tactile artwork after all?!

Talking of dimensions; I had no idea that it was possible to obtain upholstery nails with tiny 6mm heads. I do not recall any such things coming to light when I was searching online a short while ago for the the more common, 10mm variety. Mind you, as it turned out, only a handful of suppliers seemed to be advertising, and only one actually had any in stock!

I was informed that my order would not arrive before the following Thursday, but the postie delivered them on Tuesday instead !!



Hurrah!

They are just the right scale size and pretty much a perfect shape into the bargain.



The paper template worked really nicely for the tricky rivet spacing on the curvy front plates, but strangely, long straight strips marked out for the sides proved to be problematic !!

Got there in the end though...



What got to me was that, according to photographs, not only did the number of rivets differ on the eight locos built, but the offset spacing between their centres on the front and sides were also somewhat variable!

I have to accept that the pattern may not perfectly represent any particular locomotive, but feel that the general appearance is quite satisfying.



Unfortunately, while none of the original G/A's show any of the tank rivets, and at the same time the surviving drawings only vaguely hint at the internal structures, I have not so far found any photographs of sufficiently high resolution available that were taken from anything other than normal viewing angles. Studying our own shots of "Wren" taken at the NRM were of little use on this particular subject either - as the original saddle tank had obviously rotted beyond redemption and been replaced with a very crudely done, all welded affair, way back in 1953 !!

Rivet detail on the topsides will therefore have to remain rather conjectural I'm afraid ?!



There is evidence in some old side views that show a line of six rivets heading forward from the rear corners towards the bottom lip of the dome cover though. That line marks the U shaped cut-out in the tank for the dome proper, and therefore would have continued, concealed under the said lip.

Having to tackle that enormous, and splendid looking dome is getting frightfully close now !!

Pete.

 

[michael mott]

Oh My what a wonderful job you are doing! I also love the fact that you are using products meant for totally different purposes to get the perfect look.
riveting images for sure
Michael

 

[Ressaldar]

Hi Pete,

great work, you are obviously now going to be in great demand for upholstery renovations - only as a side line of course.

regards

Mike

 

[Tim Watson]

Spot-on!

Tim

 

[Peter Insole]

Thank you Michael, Mike and Tim! I think I will pass on the idea of taking up furnishing. Those little nails are awfully sharp, and I failed to mention just how many times I managed to puncture myself before completing the task. There is also at least one of those nails "out there somewhere", just waiting to snare and stab me at any time in the future!!

Fortunately, for me anyway, pain is soon forgotten where there is gain. When my obsession for discovering alternative uses for materials appear to actually bear fruit, the degree of satisfaction felt can sometimes reach the point of pure joy!

I always end up hurting myself though, so the process has to be repeated, again and again.

There is perhaps a term for that, but I don't like to admit that the word "disorder" might apply ?!

Pete.

 

[Tom Insole]

I've got to say dad, That's pretty riveting stuff!!

I'm sorry I couldn't help that one. It's amazing what a few rivets can do to make something go from what was already looking pretty realistic to even harder to tell it's a model! Some clever photography could fool a lot of people... I'll show an example of someone I follow on the interwebs that does it with model cars.


The car in question very cleverly placed...

and how this very clever young lad stages them! His 'Mom' does all the posting for him as he's autistic but by golly what a bright spark he is!
Really got the eye for it.

At some point we WILL have to find a suiting location to pose something like it

 

[Peter Insole]

The engine has been out in the daylight over the last couple of days, but I'm afraid that the location is still only a scruffy building site!

Due to previous work commitments, Rich had not been able to get his hands on the regulator of the fully powered up loco, but with a few days off happily coinciding with some nice weather, a treat on the test track was an opportunity not to miss:



We had one of those typical moments though:

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to take the engine, plus some of the portable track to the private, seven and a quarter inch gauge, Bumpstead End Railway. It performed faultlessly, running up and down the length of the engine shed, and my host was so impressed with it that he offered to lay an additional rail down the yard, so that I "can have a decent run for next time!"

Back at home, and at last it was Rich's turn to have a go! He sat down, drove the engine forward a few feet, moved the reverser to back gear and... nothing happened !!

Two "would be" engineers, kneeling in the ballast, with various bits of the loco scattered around, scratched our heads after trying each and every wiring connection, and then after replacing and crimping in some new terminals, we despondently decided that the reversing switch had failed. I unbolted and removed the whole lever and quadrant plate, then had a silly thought... reconnected the battery, took a slight risk and reached inside the boiler to flick the live switch over by hand:

Bingo! It was working just fine !!

I hadn't noticed when taking it apart, but the nut on the reversing lever pivot pin had not been properly done up, allowing the "rocker" yoke to become misaligned with the switch.

As you all can see; Rich got his ride in the end...



Two very happy, and invigorated chappies, now even more determined than ever to get the track extended further down the garden, especially while the reasonable weather holds !!

Pete.

 

[Simon]

What a fantastic family achievement.

An exquisite looking creation to boot - anyone would think it was real!

It is a joy to read this thread, one of the best bits of the Internet around, thank you for taking the time to share your journey with us all.

Simon

 

[GrahamMc]

anyone would think it was real!

And when you've finished it and added the sound and steam effects you're going to fool quite a few! Wonderful stuff.

 

[Peter Insole]

Thank you so much Simon and GrahamMc, I don't know what to say!

Pete.