No worries mate, it's my first time using low melt on white metal and brass, I know the theory, just never put into practice Pete.
I've got round to taking a photo of the rear bunker wall with the handbrake installed. A bit of fettling to do before installing it. Pete.
Some more detail made and fitted, the kit came with white metal cast sand boxes, but no fittings, operating rods, hand rails etc so I had to make my own. And loosely placed on the footplate. I've also had to make my own lamp irons as there were none in the kit. I managed to find some narrow nickel silver strip and using the etches from my other kit as a pattern I knocked up these. Front. And rear. I also made a start on the cab roof by punching out the rivets with my new riveter and soldering on the rainstrips made from the same nickel silver strip I made my lamp irons from. I hope I don't need any more 'cos for the life of me I can't remember where I got it from. I still need to clean up the excess solder but I reckon it won't be long before I will be getting the paint out! Cheers, Pete.
Me too Rob, it would have been nice to have the detail parts included with the kit but I have enjoyed making my own, at least I can boast about them if anyone is daft enough to ask Cheers, Pete.
There is always that extra level of satisfaction over and above the build, that adding your home brewed details gives. I love it!
Another session in the shed today resulted getting the cab roof vent cut out and the slides for the sliding vent, I also fitted the vac pipes, not very impressed as the white metal castings seem very soft and flimsy, also the dummy connecting pipe down the footplate/solebar, I have taken a photo of it but I'm not sure if it shows up well. That's all for now folks! Cheers, Pete.
It's really coming together now Pete. I just noticed the ring of copper behind the smokebox By coincidence I was just musing this morning on how I would go about turning such things in future.
I think in future I will try and source some quarter round beading for the smoke box ring. I have some half round that Eileen sells, perhaps she does the quarter. Cheers, Pete.
Hi Rob These would make good subjects for your resin castings, several diameters to suit your various boilers. Paul
Hi Paul, The only problem would be, for the locos that I build for myself they would need to be polished brass. It is something to think about though. The second lot of axleboxes and springs were much improved over the first. - I used a cocktail stick to broddle about and burst the fine bubbles at the bottom of the moulds
Not quite, it's still a work in progress but progress is at a snails pace. The problem is too many projects and not enough time Pete.
I'm the same. Do you know what happened about buying Steve Beattie's kits, plus the new Class 26 & 27 kits?
To be honest, no mate. Things went very quiet after Toto took on the manufacturing side and then Toto became very busy with his own day to day life and modelling took a back seat. I think Steve Beattie still produces 7mm road vehicles but I couldn't say for sure. Pete.
I forgot to say before but I'm building a J67 goods loco but I'm stuck on a couple things. First and biggest problem are the wheels, I need 15 spoke unbalanced and Slaters don't do them, they only do the passenger loco 10 spoke wheels. I also need a set of round buffers like yours. Where did you get them? I don't know if you're aware, but there's an inspection hatch just in front of the smokebox on the footplate. I put a set of fake hinges on mine but I don't know if there's meant to be a handle to pull it up to get access to the cylinders under it.
I can't help you with the wheels mate and the buffers, if I remember right, came with the kit. I don't think there's any mention in the kits instructions, (which, to be fair were missing and I'm using the Connoisseur models for guidance) of a hatch below the smoke box, I will have to look at some photos! thanks for the heads up. Pete