7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

[Dave Holt]

Fascinating to see the MOK MN prints as I'm really looking forward to receiving my kit in due course.
I'm able to identify most of the parts shown, the six lamps on the front of the loco, smokebox mounted sand boxes(?), brake ejector, brake train pipe with ATC brake valve/isolator, but what on earth is the large barrel shaped object on the RHS?
Dave.

 

[mickoo]

I've been putting this off for some time, quite a lot of time to be honest as I knew it'd be a massive time soak, I didn't expect it to be nearly three days though.

Adding fillets to cast wheels (or any wheels) was always going to be a nightmare, no two wheels are exactly the same so you're almost making bespoke fillets between each spoke. I did consider etched pieces dropped in, but glad I didn't, as it took 13 attempts to get the 3D printed ones to fit the majority of gaps with one common design.

I'm not overly happy with the big step between the tyre face and spoke rim, these have been turned to S7 and I'm sure it's all been taken off the back to obtain the correct thickness, at least 0.5 should have been taken off the front to bring the tyre face closer to the spokes and then the rest taken off the rear.

But there's nothing I can do about that now and packing out the balance weights will look equally as bad, one of those cases where you sadly have to pick the least worst option and live with it.

There's a couple of little niggles left to clean up once the paint has fully hardened and I've just noticed that cast blow hole in the top wheel by the crank pin so that'll have to be sorted.

 

[mickoo]

Fascinating to see the MOK MN prints as I'm really looking forward to receiving my kit in due course.
I'm able to identify most of the parts shown, the six lamps on the front of the loco, smokebox mounted sand boxes(?), brake ejector, brake train pipe with ATC brake valve/isolator, but what on earth is the large barrel shaped object on the RHS?
Dave.

Dave,

I'm not 100% sure but reasonably confident hat barrel shaped object is Dave Sharps rocking axle wheel bearing trunnion type thingy, the larger holes each side are for the axle and the two holes top and bottom are for support shafts to allow the casting to rotate. This is the second rendition with enlarged clearance to allow for the split axle tapered pin to rotate freely.

 

[Pencarrow]

I've been putting this off for some time, quite a lot of time to be honest as I knew it'd be a massive time soak, I didn't expect it to be nearly three days though.

Adding fillets to cast wheels (or any wheels) was always going to be a nightmare, no two wheels are exactly the same so you're almost making bespoke fillets between each spoke. I did consider etched pieces dropped in, but glad I didn't, as it took 13 attempts to get the 3D printed ones to fit the majority of gaps with one common design.

I'm not overly happy with the big step between the tyre face and spoke rim, these have been turned to S7 and I'm sure it's all been taken off the back to obtain the correct thickness, at least 0.5 should have been taken off the front to bring the tyre face closer to the spokes and then the rest taken off the rear.

But there's nothing I can do about that now and packing out the balance weights will look equally as bad, one of those cases where you sadly have to pick the least worst option and live with it.

There's a couple of little niggles left to clean up once the paint has fully hardened and I've just noticed that cast blow hole in the top wheel by the crank pin so that'll have to be sorted.

View attachment 245653

Now that's dedication and persistence!

 

[mickoo]

Now that's dedication and persistence!

Stubbornness more like

 

[mickoo]

Last week it was the Urie S15 chassis etches work up and this week as the finalisation and sending to PPD for etching, I like to leave etch sheets for a few days and then go back and you often see mistakes in the fill or bend lines.

The rest of the week was time to start the Gladiator Maunsell S15; I've not built a Northstar kit before and so far it all goes together tickety boo, there are of course (there always is) some bits I wanted to change.

The ash pan is a simple overlay behind the opening in the frames so that'll get a new 3D ash pan that pokes below the frames as well. The brake cylinder sheet work is too narrow and slightly the wrong profile so I'll cut new ones of those and add ther chunky 3D vacuum cylinder down there. There are no front sand boxes but I already have those in 3D from another project.

The laminated etched springs and J hangers had to go as well, replaced by new 3D ones with built in horn guides and axle boxes.

The bogie threw me for a while, the instructions said to place a spacer between the two equalising beams, which I did horizontally which placed the beams 2.5 mm apart. It was only when I tried to add the wheels that I realised it should have been fitted vertically so the gap was 0.5 mm.

That's all good and well but then you can't add the spring or support pad or decent sized axle boxes to bulk it all out. The upshot was to dismantle the bogie, reduce the width of the middle bolster by 2 mm to a more correct size and cut 'n' shut it all back up.

I still need to add the axle boxes and springs and a few other gubbins to bulk the bogie out more like the real deal.

 

[mickoo]

Another post paint (Warren Haywood) pre assembly to make sure everything fits and there's a still a free rolling chassis.

Finney7 curved frame Bulldog with a few tweaks, but pretty much an out of the box build.

The fall plate isn't the best design and as predicted got damaged during transportation, it needs to be repaired and refitted, I'll add a close grain veneer ply (or scribed 5 thou Plasticard) floor as well before the backhead goes in.

Window beading and frames need fitting as well as glazing, safety valves too, new turned whistles to be fitted to the pipe stubs and crank pin nuts to replace the screws.

I've polished the cranks but I think they'll look much better blackened and burnished to look like steel, same for the dummy outside axle boxes yet to be fitted.

Half of the inside motion is in (crank and connecting rods/crossheads etc) but the eccentrics and expansion links are still all in progress being adapted from MOK cast parts to fit.

 

[simond]

Looks good, Mick,

what do you use for glazing? And how do you stick it in place?

cheers
Simon.

 

[mickoo]

Looks good, Mick,

what do you use for glazing? And how do you stick it in place?

cheers
Simon.

Bog standard glazing material and canopy glue.

 

[simond]

Canopy glue, check.

bog standard glazing? Our bog is double glazed…. How thick?

I’ve got some lovely glass-clear plastic glazing, but it seems a bit too thick for locos, it’s fine in coaches etc where you can’t see the other side, but I was hoping for something say half a mm or less. Any ideas?

 

[Dan Randall]

Canopy glue, check.

bog standard glazing? Our bog is double glazed…. How thick?

I’ve got some lovely glass-clear plastic glazing, but it seems a bit too thick for locos, it’s fine in coaches etc where you can’t see the other side, but I was hoping for something say half a mm or less. Any ideas?

Simon, how about Overhead Projector Film? That’s probably not much thicker than a sheet of paper?

Edit: Just Googled it….



Regards

Dan

 

[mickoo]

Canopy glue, check.

bog standard glazing? Our bog is double glazed…. How thick?

I’ve got some lovely glass-clear plastic glazing, but it seems a bit too thick for locos, it’s fine in coaches etc where you can’t see the other side, but I was hoping for something say half a mm or less. Any ideas?

I dunno, I just bought an A4 sheet of it years ago at a show, just glazing material it was called. I'd no idea there was anything different or alternatives, it's just glazing material and it's 0.2 mm thick.

 

[simond]

Thanks both!

cheers
S

 

[mickoo]

Google 'clear plasticard sheet 10 thou', loads of suppliers.

 

[mickoo]

Bouncing back to the Urie S15 for a few hours, the chassis etches arrived today, first pass and everything seems to be in order, a test build will be the real proof in the next few days all being well.

 

[Clarence3815]

Mick, when you laying out parts on a sheet for etching do you do it all by eye or is there a programme you use to make best use of the sheet size?

 

[mickoo]

Mick, when you laying out parts on a sheet for etching do you do it all by eye or is there a programme you use to make best use of the sheet size?

All by eye, I’m gifted (or possibly cursed because with every gift there’s always a darker anti gift) in that I see shapes easily and how to manipulate them which is why I’m good at puzzles with lots of sky

But I’ve watched and tutored others who struggle and get frustrated. It’s a standing joke in our family that my brother has ten thumbs and would struggle with a four piece jigsaw, yet he is gifted in other traits that I seriously lack.

Etch work for me is a joy and pleasure, unraveling 3D shapes into 2D parts comes easily and naturally, as does laying out the sheet to maximize space.

 

[Arun Sharma]

Mick - Ref the picture at #3440 of MN castings - Can I ask what printer and which resin was used for those prints?

 

[mickoo]

Mick - Ref the picture at #3440 of MN castings - Can I ask what printer and which resin was used for those prints?

Just a pair (third stood down waiting for repair) of clunky old Saturn 2 (sadly it no longer appears to be in production, I should have bought a couple of spares to future proof when I had the chance) and Siraya Tech Fast Navy Grey, in this instance the 12K version.

I'm pretty much wedded to the stuff, it has its faults but overall it's pretty bomb proof once you have your settings dialled in. I've seen other peoples results with different resins and they look better in many respects but then appear to suffer in others and I've got a couple of bottles of those to try at some point.

You never really know if the issues are down to the resin or down to that person's machine or their settings until you try it for yourself, problem is, it can take quite some time to dial a new resin in.

 

[Clarence3815]

All by eye, I’m gifted (or possibly cursed because with every gift there’s always a darker anti gift) in that I see shapes easily and how to manipulate them which is why I’m good at puzzles with lots of sky

But I’ve watched and tutored others who struggle and get frustrated. It’s a standing joke in our family that my brother has ten thumbs and would struggle with a four piece jigsaw, yet he is gifted in other traits that I seriously lack.

Etch work for me is a joy and pleasure, unraveling 3D shapes into 2D parts comes easily and naturally, as does laying out the sheet to maximize space.