John Baker
Western Thunderer
Your work is amazing! Quite superb fidelity, and eye for detail.
Tom Mallard’s Workbench L&B in 7mm scale, CR 828 in 7mm, GWR Saints in 4mm
- Thread starter Tom Mallard
- Start date
michael mott
Western Thunderer
Absolutely beautiful work Tom, the motion work is like a bit of watchmaking.
Michael
Michael
Tom Mallard
Western Thunderer
Well there we go, the rest of the brake gear construction more or less done with a few other bits and bobs starting to appear.
There are more profile milled parts such as the bellcranks, links, stirrups and rod, with a screwthread that makes use of numerous underhand techniques for the benefit of its appearance. The vacuum cylinders are fabricated from a turned body with layers of profile machined flanges, a strip of brass soldered into a machined groove on the back and some little profile milled parts for the ball valve housing underneath. The vacuum tanks are turned from solid to keep them cylindrical (no suitable diameter brass bar in stock so free machining phosphor bronze used). The knock on to this decision was all subsequent details were awkward to attach, even with an RSU.
Best regards
Tom
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Mike Garwood
Western Thunderer
Staggering work Tom, simply staggering!
Tom Mallard
Western Thunderer
Thankyou once again for the feedback. It is lonely here, up in my tower where the only view is of dark clouds and crows circling. Even in summer.
At the other end (of the model)... Cowcatchers aren't often seen in these parts, but crop up a lot on narrow gauge stuff like Lynton & Barnstaple Manning Wardles. Lots of bending and twisting withour much margin for error, and plenty of extra stud/nut details meant these have taken quite a while. I made three pairs using an improvised jig that set the datum for the bottom edge and holes for pins to hold the upright pieces through their bolt holes.
This front buffer beam belongs to EXE, known only by the arrangment of rivets on the footplate. YEO will have a different rivet arrangement, and TAW - being modelled over 10 years younger - will have none. The fasteners holding the cowcatcher on will vary a bit too, and I think be different again on the rear cowcatchers.
I finally finished off the handhold for the bogie pivot lubrication access cover. Just a piece of wire countersunk into the back of the footplate backed with a pocket formed from little etched pieces.
I am a little giddy this time round as I see a positive shift towards completion.
Best regards
Tom
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michael mott
Western Thunderer
Remind me again that this is 7mm scale…..
Amazing work Tom.
Michael
Amazing work Tom.
Michael
Tom Mallard
Western Thunderer
There's still time - I will keep my fingers crossed for you.
Tom Mallard
Western Thunderer
Getting there. Cowcatchers fitted front and rear, smokebox door with its subtly dished profile and elegant hinge straps, bunker sheeting on. I think apart from the vacuum pipes and carriage warming pipe, the larger tasks are done now. Hopefully.
Best regards
Tom
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michael mott
Western Thunderer
What AdeMoore said!!
Michael
Michael
Tom Mallard
Western Thunderer
Thanks very much!
Please don't be intimidated, I'm just someone who tries to make what he sees, so quite harmless really... I make all the bolt and nut details myself - they are all cosmetic, so nothing functional. That really would be unnecessarily daft.
Where possible I use brass 1/16" rod, and machine the flats in both ends of a short section using a dividing attachment. I usually make enough hex section per end to make 2 parts, any more than this and the smallest sizes aren't stiff enough to cope with turning. Then the part is turned with a spigot for mounting in a drilled hole. Its the same for the nut details but with a bit left protruding to represent the end of the stud or thread. Rivets are embossed as required using a Reynalds embossing tool.
Tom
Andrew kent
New Member
It is all very clean. Are you a resistance solderer? Or are you good at scraping off.?
And it is all 'clean of line'. You are skilled.
And it is all 'clean of line'. You are skilled.
Tom Mallard
Western Thunderer
Hi Andrew,
I don't often use a resistance soldering unit. I use it when I want heat applied extremely locally, or when the part being attached is to something which acts as a significant heat sink i.e. thicker material. So pre-tinned lamp irons are attached using an RSU, for example. I suppose for my purposes it's mostly applicable to small details, though I do occasionally use it to help supply enough heat for solder to flow fully through long thin joints that have been tacked together with a regular soldering iron. Beware arcing though, as this will damage the surface very easily.
Most of the platework is soldered using a temperature controlled 50 watt soldering iron so I can wind the tip temperature up or down depending on the melting point of the solder. I will use the surface tension between the tinned tip of the iron and the solder to pick up a bit of solder before moving to the joint being soldered. I don't normally cut it into pieces unless I intend to use a gas torch to melt it.
I prefer to have robust joints with good flow of the solder prioritised above keeping solder to a minimum. There is still plenty of cleaning up done with glass fibre scratch brush, abrasive pads, emery paper and a brass (it shouldn't leave marks) chisel tip used to scrape solder from corners but this is minimised where possible by using an appropriate amount of solder and plenty of (liquid) flux to help it flash through the joint. I doubt it matters much which liquid flux it is - model makers phosphoric acid (Carrs and others) or citric acid types should both work. Plus, the model is carefully washed regulalarly to remove residues, abrasive particles and so on.
All of this comes with practise and experience, so apologies if I am skating over bits of this.
Best regards
Tom
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Andrew kent
New Member
Thank you for the full reply. I always seem to leave a fair amount of bruising/witness marks. Brass scraper - harder than solder, softer than the metal. good idea.
Thanks
Andrew
Thanks
Andrew