On my Workbench

[Atlantic 3279]

Moral support: I spent a good few hours yesterday investigating and contemplating one of my car's age-related enigmas. Alternator warning light not going out, despite voltmeter showing a good output of 14 or more volts and battery showing no inclination to go flat. Why they have to make car wiring so complex and "indirect" in its purposes I have no idea. Printing the fiendish wiring diagrams in black only, with tiny lettering to indicating wire colours and terminal numbers just adds to the fun. I think I've solved the problem now, after tracing it back to one dodgy connecter and/or fractured core in the associated piece of wire, all (to my relief) in a fairly accessible place. No shakes than goodness, just a sense of relief. I sympathize fully!

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all

I often wish for those olden days when you could do the majority of car servicing at home. None of these computers with many sensors that can fail and cause problems.

Earlswood nob

[Blink Bonny]

So, what have I been up to?

Well, part of it has been discovering and rectifying two heinous bodges on the car. One was a headlamp bulb held in place by a sponge scourer, the other? I despair! The fuel filter had been fitted without either the rubber seal or the metal spacer. Result? Overtightened to the point where the plastic housing cracked and was "repaired" with glue. Small wonder I was getting dirt in the injectors! When I reassembled the old filter housing, the jet of diesel fuel flew 8 feet through the air, clearing the garden gate......

Anyway, to matters of great pith and moment.

To get my hand back in, I have been working on these two:

The 2-6-4T was an impulse buy! It is the old Wills body kit mounted on a Britannia chassis. It was poorly painted in LMS red and had no Walschaerts valve gear. The gear is Hornby 2-6-4T which is on a modified hanger. The body needed to be modified to clear the new gear so I dunked it in Mr Muscle. This was partially successful, detaching the boiler and cab roof. The glue was too new to be affected by the cleaner in many of the lap joints that Wills used but it did allow access to modify the running plate and boiler skirt to allow clearance. The tanks and bunker rear are held firmly in place by some sort of compound that resembles raspberry ripple ice cream! I soldered the boiler and cab roof back on then knocked up some handrails. I'm pleased with the result. Need to straighten a replacement footstep but that's easy enough. I am impressed by the ingenuity that went in to cobbling this together. 9F front pony anyone?

The coaches I have had since my visit to Barrow Hill. These were the intended project to get me back into things but I have hit a snag. HMRS maroon coach lining seems to be unobtainable at the moment so they will have to wait. Before be beaten, I'll paint then carmine and cream. My attempts to paint one coach with a new, decent quality hairy stick was a disaster so that was stripped and sprayed with Rustoleum Balmoral Red. A bit pale for BR maroon so I bought some Claret Wine Rustoleum. However, the use of this does depend on the availability of lining transfers.

So, currently searching out my Atlantic drawings to see is a little idea I have will work.

Watch this space!

Talking of which, since I went over to Windows 10, how do I post pics?

Any computer types out there know?

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Disregard my last comment.

I figured it out.

Where's me hammer?

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Been a while, I know. However.......

My idea for a stiffened card cab for Iron Duke's Atlantic turned out to be a blue chip non starter. The card was, as I expected, easy to cut and form but when the liquid superglue was added, it became possessed by demons! It would not hold its shape, went out of shape after being straightened and also proved to be very brittle after the glue had dried. I wonder, has the ol CA rubbish had to have a formula change? I am looking at a Dublo 4MT converted to a Fairburn that I replaced the card tank overlays on using this method and, despite one of the corners being unsupported, it is not brittle at all and I did that over 10 years ago now.

I have also ruined the card former that I produced using this method! Ah, well, must eat some more Weetabix to get the card for a new one!

The good news is that I have found a supplier of .5 mm brass sheet so waiting for that to arrive.

I've been a busy lad this year, working with the National Trust as a photographer. Voluntary, admittedly, but I do get my expenses and it is a great thing to do, even if I do have to spend one day a month up to my neck in ankle biters! As you may gather, I dislike kids unless I can have some ketchup.......

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

So the car's death rattle is sorted. Except the drive belt is slightly shorter than the old one. Good, old fashioned swearing did not work, nor did brute force.

So got some adjustments to make! Good to tell this bit of the car was designed by a Frenchman, access is rubbish!!!!

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all

0.5mm brass sheet.

What is that for?

Armour plating??

Earlswood nob

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Earlswood Nob, I have discovered the relative lack of bendyness the hard way! Looks like I can make the cab front out of this stuff.

As for the wrapper, shim brass on order.

I'll stand in the corner......

[manna]

G'day Gents

Going back to your use of cardboard, Didn't they use 'Shellac' back in the old days! to harden the cardboard, so that it could be used

manna

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Shim brass has arrived! So will shortly be getting busy with the cab.

As for shellac, not available any more, sadly hence my experiment with superglue. We live and learn. I'm sure superglue has changed it's formula! I made some replacement overlays for that Dublo tank a few years ago and they were and indeed still are fine. So what's happened is beyond this mere hammer man!

Rolling pin and pile of kitchen paper being lined up as we speak.....

[mick b]

Shellac here


http://www.finneyswoodfinishes.co.uk/ad ... polish.php

[teaky]

Is knotting (as used to stop resin bleeding through paintwork) the same as shellac or, at least, an alternative?

[notascoobie]

You can still get Shellac. Try typing "shellac flakes" in ebay search for dry stuff you mix yourself, or "french polish" for liquid (other shopping locations are available). Knotting was traditionally shellac and some still is but substitutes are also used. Hope that helps.

Regards,

Vernon

[Atlantic 3279]

Isn't this place a mine of wonderful information?

[Pebbles]

One of the god things about France is that you can easily get methylated spirit in the Super Market.