Rob Pulham
Western Thunderer
Very nice Scott
Wagon Scratchbuilding
- Thread starter ScottW
- Start date
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
Extremely nice Scott.
JimG
Western Thunderer
Scott,
I'm taking notes since I will have to build a few of these. I hope I can get mine half as good as yours.
The latest edition of "The True Line", the journal of the Caledonian Railway Association, dropped through my letter box this morning and I was reminded that Mike Williams is doing a series on Caledonian Wagons and the episode in this issue deals with the 1900 - 1922 period. It might be helpful to you if you can beg, borrow or steal a copy, or I could get my scanner on the go.
I've also finished off two sets of your NBR "Birdcage" brake ends and I'll send them up with my Caley "W" iron etch to see if it suits. I am just about to redo the artwork to suit the Exactoscale 1.5mm bearings, as well as adjusting the springing fittings, so the one I send will only be for assessment.
Jim.
I'm taking notes since I will have to build a few of these. I hope I can get mine half as good as yours.
The latest edition of "The True Line", the journal of the Caledonian Railway Association, dropped through my letter box this morning and I was reminded that Mike Williams is doing a series on Caledonian Wagons and the episode in this issue deals with the 1900 - 1922 period. It might be helpful to you if you can beg, borrow or steal a copy, or I could get my scanner on the go.
I've also finished off two sets of your NBR "Birdcage" brake ends and I'll send them up with my Caley "W" iron etch to see if it suits. I am just about to redo the artwork to suit the Exactoscale 1.5mm bearings, as well as adjusting the springing fittings, so the one I send will only be for assessment.
Jim.
Wagonman
Western Thunderer
Very nice clean work, Scott. I note your use of temporary spacers to stop the sides bowing in, something I picked up some years back though I can't remember who gave me the idea.
I usually start with the basic body 'box' and add solebars etc to that – end up in the same place at the finish. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Richard
I usually start with the basic body 'box' and add solebars etc to that – end up in the same place at the finish. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Richard
ScottW
Western Thunderer
Thanks for the heads-up Jim. I know a few people who are members of the Caley Ass0ciation I'm sure one of them won't mind me borrowing a copy.
Thanks once again.
I would like to ask, if it's not too much trouble, if you could set the milling machine up and run me off a set of internal sides for the brake third? With your internal sides it makes life a lot easier when it comes to fitting the glazing as it can be done after painting, but before fitting the roof. Before I have made an internal side using the methods described by David Jenkison where a length of glazing was slid into place before fitting the ends. This meant that if I wanted the ends to be secured prior to painting the galazing would also have to be fitted, this then makes painting a little harder.
The platework on the solebars are those extra parts supplied on the etches of the MJT rocking w-irons. The parts are really quite handy things to have, it's a pitty there are no seperate etches with a number of these parts on them. I have used them on other projects and I'm starting to build up a number of MJT etches without any crown plates.
These wagons were started a good number of years ago but progressing no further than the underframe. In future I think I may follow Maurice Hopper's example and build masters for resin casting. Aftr all railway companies produced more than one example of each wagon, it would also save the need for any batch building. There are four of us in the society, that I know of, that are actively modelling the Scottish pre-group scene so I'm sure there would be a market for a casting of a Scottish wagon. But thats for the future.
Regards,
Scott
ScottW
Western Thunderer
I got the idea from Chris Crofts when he wrote his articles on wagon building in the MRJ many years ago.
Regards,
Scott
Wagonman
Western Thunderer
That's probably where I got it from too. He was the source of much wisdom where wagon building was concerned. Still is, come to that!
Cheers
Richard
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
28ten
Guv'nor
It is just depressing when I realised how long ago that was
I remember adding interiors to my Slaters wagons after reading his Inkerman st article
JimG
Western Thunderer
Thanks once again.
No problem - I can knock a pair out next time the machine is running.
They certainly look good and I think I will do some artwork to etch some for my coaches. There's a lot of platework on the four wheelers and I've got ten to do.
I'll be in line for two or three of these minerals.
Jim.
ScottW
Western Thunderer
They certainly look good and I think I will do some artwork to etch some for my coaches. There's a lot of platework on the four wheelers and I've got ten to do.
I'd certainly be interested in an etch, or two, if you can be persuaded in producing a batch.
I think this sort of thing would be good for the S-Scale Society stores to hold. I bought a similar etch in 4mm from Mainly Trains before moving up to S-Scale.
I wonder if they would be willing to produce a batch in S?
Regards,
Scott
S
Simon Dunkley
Guest
Measure them up first, Scott: many "4mm scale" items are a bit oversize, sometimes by as much as 19%...
And sometimes, using a 4mm item makes the modelling look a bit more refined - better an undersized small detail than an oversized one.
Some of these items do appear on various w-iron etchings, although not all, and not all in one place.
ScottW
Western Thunderer
I agree some 4mm items are suitable for S, unfortunately having measured the parts on the etch they are too small for S.
In my experience it's more the 4mm parts produced a number of years ago that are more likly to be suitable for S-Scale. I think standards these days are far better with manufactures producing more accurate parts. One item that springs to mind is Dave Franks' 4mm wagon buffers, these would certainly look out of place on an S-Scale wagon.
Regards,
Scott
JimG
Western Thunderer
I'd certainly be interested in an etch, or two, if you can be persuaded in producing a batch.
I think this sort of thing would be good for the S-Scale Society stores to hold. I bought a similar etch in 4mm from Mainly Trains before moving up to S-Scale.
I've just done a bit of messing around this afternoon and produced these
These are milled from 20thou Plastikard and are scale plates for a large Caledonian van taken from a Werrett drawing. The top one has square heads, the bottom one has round heads and for Simon Dunkley, the middle one has hex nuts on bolt ends.
But in this picture you can hardly tell the difference. Here's a closer one of the round head
And the square head
And Simon's hex head
The edges are a wee bit ragged, probably due to me using a 1mm cutter that has done a lot of work recently and is probably a bit past its prime. I think I've also got a small problem with the glue from the Letraset double-sided tape and I might have another go with the Seklema Multimatt since I can probably find enough of a flat spot to do this small work. You can see the finished mess after cutting at the left in the top picture and it isn't easy to dig small, delicate pieces out of it.
Jim.
JimG
Western Thunderer
Scott,
On my PC monitor, the close ups are about 20x actual size. I think I will have another go and use slightly different tooling. I tried to compromise with one cutter at 1mm diameter so that all the surfacing was done in a reasonable time. I think I will opt for two cutters, with the 1mm diameter one still doing the surfacing, but a 0.5mm one at higher speed doing the bolt/nut detail. But I would really be doing the bolt/nut detail because I could. I just can't see the detail by eye - even with my Optivisor , and the actual shapes only became apparent when I did the macro shot at 12 megapixels and enlarged the individual parts.
[Side Note] Third sides finished last night - should be in the post on Monday.
Jim.
Knowing the size of these components, and that they have been produced from Plasticard, it's impresive to see just what your CNC miller is capable of Jim.
On my PC monitor, the close ups are about 20x actual size.
I think I will have another go and use slightly different tooling. I tried to compromise with one cutter at 1mm diameter so that all the surfacing was done in a reasonable time. I think I will opt for two cutters, with the 1mm diameter one still doing the surfacing, but a 0.5mm one at higher speed doing the bolt/nut detail. But I would really be doing the bolt/nut detail because I could. I just can't see the detail by eye - even with my Optivisor , and the actual shapes only became apparent when I did the macro shot at 12 megapixels and enlarged the individual parts.[Side Note] Third sides finished last night - should be in the post on Monday.
Jim.
S
Simon Dunkley
Guest
Nice stuff, Jim.
Square nuts, surely?
I am confused: I would use hex nuts on a BR wagon, but did any have wooden solebars requiring washer plates?
Square nuts, surely?
That is something you should take up with the SSMRS Committee, then, or have them produced as a private commission.
ScottW
Western Thunderer
I had thought about making some enquires but decided to leave for now, I really need to clear the decks a bit first.
Regards,
Scott