On my Workbench

This forum is for the discussion of railway modelling of the LNER and its constituent companies.

Moderators: 52D, Tom F, Rlangham, Atlantic 3279, Blink Bonny, Saint Johnstoun, richard

User avatar
Autocar Publicity
NER C7 4-4-2
Posts: 847
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Returning to the fold.....

Post by Autocar Publicity »

And of course there's the perennial problem of the wallet...
Iron Duke
GER D14 4-4-0 'Claud Hamilton'
Posts: 374
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:30 pm
Location: Twixt Grantham & Lincoln

Re: Returning to the fold.....

Post by Iron Duke »

Thanks for the update with my Atlantic Blink Bonny.
Even though it has taken what must be over 4 years to get to this stage Blink Bonny ( :wink: ) I must say that am at last hopeful that my completed C1 loco will very soon leave it's temporary home in the West Midlands and return to its home shed. I will then post some pics of my own, showing the loco running on a very nice layout on the ECML...
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Returning to the fold.....

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

Looking forward to them but more immediately to the arrival of the postie, weighed down by 8BA nuts, bolts and washers and some solder.

Still, need to finish file the blanks and fit at least the cab front.

Incidentally I bought some cheap (£1.50) large scissors from Wilko and they are fantastic! They cut the .25mm brass I am using without even leaving a cusp like tinsnips do. Bargain!!!!!!!!
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Returning to the fold.....

Post by Blink Bonny »

Hello, folks.

Mrs BB here. Guess who has been assaulted by his Wallet again? Idiot, I keep telling him not to annoy it by spending money. Bad enough having to beat off the Press with my copy of Family Tree Magazine......
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

I had a complaint from our postie today regarding some heavy, lumpy parcels he delivered today. I just did not have the heart to tell him a similiarly large parcel is also coming here.

Essential supplies for the Atlantic and a couple of other projects. Just waiting for the low melt and nuts to arrive now......
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
manna
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3790
Joined: Sun May 24, 2009 12:56 am
Location: All over Australia

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by manna »

G'day Gents

Looking forward to this build.

manna
EDGWARE GN, Steam in the Suburbs.
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

The other package arrived today so will get busy tomorrow.

Already put the rear body fixing in place.

Postman is threatening to go on sick leave.....
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

Tangible progress, at last!
The brass ready to be cut
The brass ready to be cut
I simply placed the card templates onto the sheet brass and sprayed over them lightly with matt black aerosol. Why? Well I had a new tin, barely used and all that......
Partly cut out.
Partly cut out.
And here are the parts. In a session today, I cut the basic shapes out, bent the cab wrapper and one side of the spectacle plate. Then the shakes set in badly so that's it for today. Making a mess is not an option. You can also see the surviving cab section in this pic, used as a pattern for the new one.

Hopefully more tomorrow.....
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
Iron Duke
GER D14 4-4-0 'Claud Hamilton'
Posts: 374
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:30 pm
Location: Twixt Grantham & Lincoln

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Iron Duke »

Thanks for posting those images of your progress with my Atlantic BB.
I look forward to watching things develop on this over the coming weeks!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

Work continues albeit slowly.

Got the cab soldered up and the beading soldered on. This was not helped by using a low powered iron......

Now starting the long process so innocently labelled "cleaning up."

Better if y'all avoid Wolverhampton tomorrow, I'll be buying a bigger iron.....

:mrgreen:
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

Now in recovery following a vicious attack by the Wallet! I only survived because I spent £19 on a Draper 40 watt temperature controlled solder station rather around £25 on a non temperature controlled iron and a stand! Just waiting for this to arrive then I can crack on.

This was after I saw I was trying to solder sheet brass with an 18 watt iron. Now I know that Antex irons are good but they are not miracle workers.....
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!!!

The bruises are fading and the new toy has been tried out. A decent, nuclear iron makes soldering the bits dead easy!

Anyway, this is progress thus far. The cab is complete and just awaiting it's backhead and handrails. The spectacle shapes were formed with a combination of drilling and filing. They have the correct bar defining the lower section. The beading is 5mm brass wire and I am not doing that again! Easy enough to form and shape the problem starts with the cleaning up process! I have left a tinning layer on the brass which is why it looks silver rather than brass. In the background the reassembled tender body is visible. It went back together better than when I assembled it 1st time around.

The front frames have been cut and filed from some sheet brass and fixed using the chassis screws. The cylinders are from a Comet compound and use their crossheads and slidebars. I have now discovered that I am plumb out of pins and no way am I braving Storm Doris!
Atlantic.JPG
After trying to extract the car from the drive this morning, I never got as far as waking up the horses. The wind is blowing the gates from their stops and I do not fancy the idea of "modifying" the bodyshell.
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

Not much to report at the moment. Shakes bad and plenty of photo work at the moment, not a good combination but then that is why some genius invented the tripod!
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!!!

Feels like the Hunting of the Snark right now. Let me explain....

My new cab and frame extensions have all worked well. The Comet cylinders are loosely fitted on the frames, Comet cross heads fettled and sliding properly. Then I found I needed 1mm extra clearance to prevent the crankpin clouting the back of the cross head a four penny one! So file down the crankpin bush? Maybe but I'd already been at that with files and I only had 1/2 mm to go at.

So I thought about widening the cylinders. Them remembered my 1st ever loco that I did this to. Despite using brass angle and aligning everything up on graph paper, the finished loco managed one circuit of the club layout before disintegrating spectacularly. So that's a non-starter.

I would have thought etched slidebars with a nice lost wax crosshead would have been thinner overall than the huge lumps of nickel silver bar (ingot?) provided by K's. However, all is not lost. The white metal cross heads may give sufficient clearance.

Oh, and I spent 2 hours trying to chase down a feed fault on Mole End. Only to find it was a return fault. 5 minutes and all was well!
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
User avatar
Blink Bonny
LNER A4 4-6-2 'Streak'
Posts: 3946
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: The Midlands
Contact:

Re: Back to the work bench. Finally!!!!!

Post by Blink Bonny »

Ay up!

That was a productive morning, even if it was accompanied by much foul language.

The sun is out, God is a Yorkshireman and all that so the Atlantic hit my workbench along with a magnifying glass. At this point I realised what an utter jackass I have been!

Problem 1: crossheads not sliding correctly

Solution: remove blobs of solder from top slidebars on both sides.

Problem 2: lack of clearance

Solution: file a little off the rear of the Comet crosshead, open the slot out a touch for a bit of extra clearance
then file the small end of the connecting rod to fit.

The swearing came from fitting the crossheads to the connecting rods. I had my supply of brass dressmaker's pins to hand but found that they were small enough to pass through both rod and crosshead unimpeded. The solution was some 16BA nuts and bolts and that is when the swearing started! However, some basic bending of the con rods and clearance is adequate - about 1/2 mm which is oodles!

So, just got the pickups to reattach and she's ready for test runs. She is already an outside cylinder 0-4-0!
If I ain't here, I'm in Bilston, scoffing decent chips at last!!!!
Post Reply