Rob P's Silhouette Cameo Cutter Workbench

[Rob Pulham]

Rob, are we looking at the bottom side from the cutter?

Sorry Phil, I am not quite sure what you mean by bottom side? Do you mean the reverse side to that which was cut?
If so, no it's the cut side but I haven't done anything more than score the rivets (0.8mm circles) on the surface using a blade setting of one and pressure of 33 (which is the maximum). I then turned off the lines that represented the rivets (green lines in my case) and re-cut the lines which needed to be cut through (Red).

 

[BrushType4]

Ok, you understood my question. I don't understand how the rivet representation is raised or is that an optical illusion?

 

[Rob Pulham]

Ok, you understood my question. I don't understand how the rivet representation is raised or is that an optical illusion?

Hi Phil,

It's raised, not by by much, but enough. The effect is caused by the shoulder that's formed as the blade forces it's way through the plastic. On some things such as planking the shoulder can potentially detract from the overall finish but in this case it seems to enhance it.

It's now got a coat of primer on so we shall see whether the rivets have disappeared under the paint - photos tomorrow.

 

[Rob Pulham]

A quick squirt of primer later and the "rivets" are still visible.







It's looking more like I will build an underframe for it by the minute.

 

[Rob Pulham]

In other news I managed to get a squirt of black paint, the transfers and some weathering on the tar tank.

What was interesting having built an lettered a Slaters kit, is that I took the measurements for this from a Skinley drawing. That drawing must relate in some way to the Slaters transfers because unlike the Slaters' kit the transfers went on in one piece without having to make any adjustments to letter spacing to take account of the panel size and layout of the rivets.

My Slaters example took several sessions/hours to get the transfers on whereas these went in in about 15 minutes tops for both sides.

My main reason for building this was to do further experiments with the crackle medium to see if I could reproduce cracked tar runs on the tank. I am pleased with the results so far.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Some time ago I drew up some inserts for Mansell wheels but I never got around to cutting them out. Seeing Peter Beare's (@Spike) recent additions to the backs of Slaters wheels, brought them to mind again.

While at Telford, the tight Yorkshireman instinct made me take advantage of Haywood Railway's offer of two axles of coach wheels inc bearings for £5. 00 - I bought quite a few...

Finding myself in need of some Mansell wheels for some scratch build projects (more of that later) I revisited the drawings to amend them to suit the Haywood wheel dimensions and cut them out from 10thou sheet. Initially I wondered if they would be deep enough and whether I might need a blank spacer but as it turns out they were perfect.

 

[Dog Star]

Some time ago I drew up some inserts for Mansell wheels but I never got around to cutting them out. Seeing Peter Beare's (@Spike) recent additions to the backs of Slaters wheels, brought them to mind again.

As here.

 

[Rob Pulham]

You didn't notice because the picture angle didn't allow it in any case that my GNR 21' OCT being vacuum fitted has a star on the solebar. Initially because I wasn't thinking I followed the drawing and what should be a star is actually a hexagon with the points top and bottom. Discovery of another tool Inkscape had me quickly drawing a 6 pointed star (the tool creates either stars or polygons and a drop down allows you to quickly chose how many points.





Size wise the points of the stars are 2.5mm across

 

[Rob Pulham]

Last weekend saw further progress on the GER OCT and the completion of an LNER A Type container to go on it. - Thanks must go to Jonathan Wealleans for supplying me with the information that allowed me to draw the container ready for cutting.

Containers are the perfect thing for creating with the Cameo. I have also made a start on making up W Irons and springs from my home produced examples. No photos at present until they are finished.











I have also made a start on making up W Irons and springs from my home produced examples. No photos at present until they are finished.

 

[FiftyFourA]

These various scratch builds wouldn't be in S7 would they mate? A little birdy told me you are doing a bit in that scale - will they be shown to the lads at Locomotion n March?

Peter

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Peter,

No they are all in finescale. Although I have done a couple of items in Scale 7 they weren't for me. - Of course the container works in either gauge.

I am more than happy to bring them along in March.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Inspired at the time when Adam built his scratchbuilt Lowmac, I recalled that when buying NER Implement wagons and Lowmac kit's from Jim in the past he packed a couple of extra axlebox/spring castings. With that in mind and wanting to expand the wagon fleet in this direction I ordered and collected another of each kit from Jim at the Keighley show. This gave me a spare set of axlebox/spring castings for each type of wagon.

So when I was ill a couple of weeks or so ago I drew up the parts for an implement wagon to see how it looked.

Then last weekend in between working on the GER OCT and the A Type container (I was a busy boy because I also finished fitting the handrails to the Parkside unfitted van) I assembled it.





I didn't get any further with it because I had left the relevant volume of Tatlow at home in Wakefield..... Which seems to be the story of my life just now - I hadn't been able to assemble the container the weekend before due to leaving the information at home.

 

[Dave Bowden]

You didn't notice because the picture angle didn't allow it in any case that my GNR 21' OCT being vacuum fitted has a star on the solebar. Initially because I wasn't thinking I followed the drawing and what should be a star is actually a hexagon with the points top and bottom. Discovery of another tool Inkscape had me quickly drawing a 6 pointed star (the tool creates either stars or polygons and a drop down allows you to quickly chose how many points.





Size wise the points of the stars are 2.5mm across

Hi Rob

I've discovered Inkscape as well and I've produced the drawing for my G1 V18 Box Van with it, it took a bit of getting use to, I intend to use the drawings as instructions in the kits I may be able to sell!

Dave

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Rob

I've discovered Inkscape as well and I've produced the drawing for my G1 V18 Box Van with it, it took a bit of getting use to, I intend to use the drawings as instructions in the kits I may be able to sell!

Dave

Hi Dave,

I must admit it's the only drawing package that I have managed to get to grips with. I have a copy of TurboCad and I have also tried AutoCAD and Draftsight in the past without getting the hang of them.

If I am honest with myself I suspect that part of that success is due to having a goal in learning to use it which I didn't have before getting the Cameo.

 

[Dave Bowden]

Hi Dave,

I must admit it's the only drawing package that I have managed to get to grips with. I have a copy of TurboCad and I have also tried AutoCAD and Draftsight in the past without getting the hang of them.

If I am honest with myself I suspect that part of that success is due to having a goal in learning to use it which I didn't have before getting the Cameo.

Hi Rob
You passed the interest on to John Hobden of the kloggies, of whom I'm a member and see him every Tuesday night at a local social club. He has now bought one of the Cameo cutter devices as well.

Dave

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Dave,

That's excellent, I will have to ask him how he's getting on with it when I see him next.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Another of my last week's endeavours was to make up and underframe for the tar tank.

My spares box yielded axle boxes/ springs and brakes while the "cameo" spares box yielded W Irons and Crown plates. I will need to cut more of the other washer plates for the solebars but since I already have an assortment drawn for other wagons that should be a simple matter.





One thing that I did notice when checking my drawing for making up the underframe is that this wagon has a 10' wheel base whereas the Slaters version has either 9' or 9' 6". Which will account for the the differing overall length and the reason that the transfers fit without adjustment.

It makes you wonder whether Slaters (like other manufacturers) developed the kit around reusing some existing underframe parts in their range and then adjusted the tank length to fit. But subsequently someone else developed the transfers around the longer wheel based drawing.

I can see lot's of sound business reasons for doing this.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Over on RMweb Mike Trice was asking how many vehicles I had done to date and wondered if the Cameo had paid for itself.

I had a bit of a count up and to date I have cut and built

4 NBR Jubilee Vans

1 NBR yeast van - Sides cut and laminated but needs assembling.

1 Diag 39B NBR Van

1 Diag 40B NBR van - this is still under construction and hasn't featured on here yet.

2 NBR bogie CCT the second is cut out and laminated ready to be made up.

1 NER CCT - Still needs final details

1 NER Bogie CCT - parts cut and laminated but still needs assembling

1 NER G1 van - still at the "body only" stage of assembly

1 NER horizontal -planked G2 Van - still needs final details.

1 rectangular tar tank - I built the underframe for it on Thursday.

2 x 21' GNR Open Carriage trucks - not strictly silhouette cut, but all the details were.

1 x 18' GNR Open Carriage truck - not strictly silhouette cut but, all the details were.

1 NER 6 wheeled Open Carriage truck - not strictly silhouette cut, but all the details were.

1 GER Open Carriage truck.

1 NER Implement Wagon

1 GNOS Vacuum Cleaner wagon

All in all a busy year, so yes I think that it has paid for itself.

 

[Rob Pulham]

I had thought that I had brought everything up to date as to my Christmas progress but I had forgotten the NER Implement wagon until I spoke to Graham this morning.

When I began to do more work on it I realised that I had stuck the wrong axlebox/spring castings on, in my haste I had taken those from the Lowmac kit not the IMP. Fortunately I had stuck them on with Rocket Gel Superglue and I managed to prise them of without causing any damage to either the wagon or the castings.

This is where it's got to so far.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Another one rolled off the bench today, just for those who thought that I had forsaken the Cameo.

The tar tank now has all it's underpinnings and just needs weathering to complete.

I am particularly pleased with how this one turned out because it was really just an experiment that wasn't meant to go further than seeing if I could make the riveted tank. Which in turn was a trial for creating cracked tar spillage....