Sad news, condolences, losing a parent at any age is difficult, modelling is so therapeutic, an escapisim to enjoy away from the traumas of the real world, Jim.
Matt you have some lovely models there but firstly may I offer my condolences on the loss pf your father, it must have been a very difficult time for you and your family. Its good to see you back and up again using your modeling skills to great effect, you are a maker who chases after detail and realism in modeling and that certainly shows through in your work... you are an inspiration for others if I may say. Take care and glad to see you here again. Yorkie
Hi Matt Sorry to hear of your loss, and our thoughts are with you. Take care and as others have said it's good to see you back, and getting enjoyment from your modelling. Paul
Thank you for the comments - it's appreciated. I've never been good or confident with soldering, but over the last 12 months I've been talking any opportunity to practice. I've finally taken the plunge with an etched kit - this is a BR 1/024 Palbrick. All I can say is - so far so good! Matt
Thanks for the comments again - I have to admit that the soldering is going better than expected! I've made rapid progress today - the benefits of a few undisturbed hours at the bench while the ladies were elsewhere. The first puzzle of the day was how to solder up the triangular end parts. After some head scratching, I came up with a primitive jig. And, after bringing all the parts together, I suddenly have something that looks like a Palbrick. Brake gear next! Matt
Looking very good indeed Matt... and a primative jig or not that's the way many small parts can be held together for soldering, so this wagon is coming on a treat. The art of soldering is a strange beast and requires patience in discovering what works best for a particular job, you're doing great and this is not the easiest wagon shape to tackle as a starter. One solder tip I use when joining small parts to make a clean connection without solder staining is to tin the back of one part to be fixed to onto another surface, flux then grip the part in place and then apply heat from the iron on the back of the larger surface piece where the small part is attached, the heat will sweat the joint together without making a nasty mess. I'll show you what I mean soon once I get back after Christmas to continue soldering an LMS Period 2 coach kit.
I don't really like Xmas at the best of times, and I certainly don't like being surrounded by SWMBO's family, so took the opportunity to do some soldering instead! Happy Christmas to you all! Matt
Hi Matt, that is so good, I don't think I'll bother to dig out some metal kits I have had for decades, couldn't do them justice now, would you have time to write a bit about your techniques? I read the other day that possibly 1 in 3 men escape to the shed to avoid family, I'm lucky, my Italian wife's family are all in Italy, and mine is so small, what's left of it, so it will be just the three of us, and this year it will be a day late as our son is volunteering for the charity Shelter on Christmas day, there's some hope for the next generation, away from the bad press the minority deserve, but the majority don't. I hope santa keeps you well stocked with solder, and may your bit never wear out, a seasons soldering to you, Jim
Annoys me the way the media make todays young generation look like a lot of anarchic morons. My youngest son, a plumber, spent this morning repairing an old chaps toilet, no charge.
My wife's family are nice enough, just not very respectful of boundaries and treat the house like a hotel. I was brought up to be respectful of other people's houses and routines so always find their company exhausting! @Jim Freight - not sure I have much wisdom to offer when it comes to soldering, I'm a novice myself and suspect there's some beginners luck here too - but am happy to answer any queries or questions about this or my modelling in general. Have a good Xmas all Matt
Just talk us through what you did. We all have to learn and looking at your results, you have turned out something very well finished. I’ve been soldering since before I left school (I was probably the only one who knew how to solder in electronic class, and without meaning to sound sexist, showed a few of the girls how to make less of a hash of it)... but even I can’t solder as well as you have there Matt! Simply brilliant (why do I hear Dr Who when I type that??) What you using wattage wise and what solder and flux? Merry Christmas Andy
I was struggling along with a bog standard (and very basic) iron - akin to painting a model with a paint roller! So, after some research, I bought a 65W iron from DCC Concepts and am currently also using their 145 detail solder. Seems to work! Matt
That sounds very compact, as opposed to having a temperature controlled base station, could you post a link to it, I'm sure other members would be interested too, Jim
Hi Jim, it's this one: https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/temperature-controlled-65w-soldering-iron/ Matt