7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

[Clarence3815]

Thank you.

 

[Arun Sharma]

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.

Thank you. I use a Saturn 8k but I don't think I regularly acheive that sort of quality.

 

[mickoo]

Thank you. I use a Saturn 8k but I don't think I regularly acheive that sort of quality.

FNG is very detailed but does/can suffer from surface artifacts, it's also quite strong but at the same time brittle if flexed too far, it also has a tendency to shrink over time, typically 8-10 months. There are other resins that are smoother but less defined in detail and others that shrink less.

These are masters for casting so have been post processed, mainly the smoothing of contact tips and the odd artifact but overall they're 90-95% as they came out of the machine.

Both my machines are 8K and for what we(I) use them for any more is rather a waste, I use 12K resin as it's just easier to get hold of from large stockists.

 

[mickoo]

End of week update on the Maunsell S15, mostly getting ducks in a row so I can push on and complete, this stage is always slow visually as most of the work is in the background on sub sections etc.

Some changes to the kit, new 3D cosmetic horn guides (there's brass mechanical ones buried underneath), springs and big fat J hangers as well as an extra etch for the chassis/footplate support assembly under the cab, it's only a little thing but adds a lot visually to that little nook. Narrowed the bogie bolster so the support beams could be separated, spring and dummy axle boxes added.

I also doubled up the frame extension above the front footplate, it allows me to hide the extra rivets added to the outside face and close the large etched gap in the footplate where the plate passes through, i've also added the little hand rails on there as well which were on early period engines.

There's an ashpan, new brake cylinder and support platework plus brake shaft still to come and the sandboxes will be just about done in an hour ready to be fitted.

 

[P A D]

Exquisite work Mick!
You've really elevated soldering to an art form and your CAD and 3D printing skills allow you to lift your builds to a level which is way beyond what the rest of us can achieve.
Cheers,
Peter

 

[mickoo]

Exquisite work Mick!
You've really elevated soldering to an art form and your CAD and 3D printing skills allow you to lift your builds to a level which is way beyond what the rest of us can achieve.
Cheers,
Peter

You give me far too much credit I use as much solder as anyone, more in some cases; the only difference is that it's inside in hidden spaces where possible. Sometimes you have to deviate the build process to achieve it but the end result is less cleaning up outside.

I'm fortunate with the 3D prints in that most of my clients are at ease with the material and the more you do the better your results, I see so many people buying a 3D printer and wailing after the first few attempts that they're not very good; like any tool or craft you need persistence, education (everything I've learnt I've read on dozens of users groups over several years) and a large slice of luck sometimes; being stubborn is also handy trait.

 

[P A D]

You give me far too much credit I use as much solder as anyone, more in some cases; the only difference is that it's inside in hidden spaces where possible. Sometimes you have to deviate the build process to achieve it but the end result is less cleaning up outside.

I think we all try to do that, but you're just better at it!

 

[mickoo]

I think we all try to do that, but you're just better at it!

There's a good reason for that, the more I have to tidy up the less £/hr my rate becomes

 

[mickoo]

Something a little different this week, an auction buy with no carrying truck and quite battered. The kit is still available from CSP and the obvious choice would be some replacement etches and castings, the other alternative is home grown etches but I decided against those and opted for a 3D multimedia truck, mainly to see if it could be done and match the rest of the model.

The inner core has one fixed axle and one rocking axle on a 2 mm NS rod, to stop the bearings rotating but still allow vertical movement I made a bar in the 3D print and filed a flat on the top hat bearing.

The outer frames have rebated lugs to hold the lower angles in place and smaller angle pieces for the horizontal cross brace. The end angles are 3 x 3 mm but I might take 1 mm off the horizontal plate to make it match the sides a bit better.

Packed out with some spacer washers the ride height is fine and easily goes around a 6' curve, time for some primer and then black top coat. Finally I need to get back top sides and touch up all the damage and bare metal from removing the rigging which had been glued into place and set about redoing all that.

 

[mickoo]

Works for me, there comes a point when you have to say enough; despite a good wash the crane paint work was dreadfully tardy and the only way to match the truck was some sympathetic blowing over to freshen up the crane in general.

I probably still need to do some more here and there and the odd touch up on edges etc, ideally it needs the slightest waft of weathering to break up the all black finish. The gears will all get a rub with an HB pencil which is good for representing polished steel and then the rigging (4lb braided fishing line - due tomorrow from your favourite shopping experience....Amazon) will go on and blended in.

I don't have the match truck, so setting the jib height will be best guess, the jib reeving drum does rotate quite freely so fine tuning when all together will be the order of the day.

The table has a tilt toward the rear but the securing screw is stupid tight so that'll have to stay, I'll either destroy the slotted head or shear the head right off if I apply more torque.

I've also just noticed my replacement truck axle box covers have a lip along the bottom, I've no idea why I added the lip but it's easy to file off and blow in tomorrow.

 

[Pencarrow]

That's something a bit different from your usual fare Mick. Nice rescue job.

 

[mickoo]

Well that sort of worked better than expected, the original 4lb fishing line was much too thin so went up a bit to 100lb; some good and some bad points with it. It is a good representation of steel rope and forms nicely but it seems to be waxed so you can't glue it to the drum. I ended up making a little hook and soldering that to the drum and then winding the rope on, making sure the mechanical fixing is at the bottom out of sight.

Important rule of thumb, ropes on drums must have a minimum of three turns before lifting a load, something I learned helping the rope guys on container cranes.

The jib drum is quite free to rotate and I didn't really want to fix it in place so jury rigged a simple gear lock, it's a loop of copper wire with the end bent over to engage in the primary gear.

You simply slide the pin out of the gear tooth along the shaft, position the drum where you want but a fraction higher and then slide the lock back in; the gears rotate until the lock pin grips between the teeth and it'll hold the drum in place. It still needs a waft of paint or maybe blackening would be better.

 

[Overseer]

The bogie looks like it has always been there. Maybe a bit better definition than the original kit but doesn't catch the eye at all. The cables look good. If you had another one you could display your customers models like this -


or maybe not. Article published in the Saturday Observer in Brisbane on 8 July 1911, they weren't scared to include technical information.

 

[Big Train James]

Probably a moot point now, but the coating on Fireline braided fishing line will rub off over time, at least for the black color. What's left is something that feels a lot closer to normal thread, and you may be able to successfully glue that. I don't know know how long it would take to rub it down on purpose, but it might be worth a try. I also don't know how other brands of braided line behave, I've only ever used Fireline.

Conversely you could look up a video on the type of knot used to tie line to a fishing reel spool (Google says Arbor knot). It's essentially the same application as the drum on the crane.

 

[mickoo]

Probably a moot point now, but the coating on Fireline braided fishing line will rub off over time, at least for the black color. What's left is something that feels a lot closer to normal thread, and you may be able to successfully glue that. I don't know know how long it would take to rub it down on purpose, but it might be worth a try. I also don't know how other brands of braided line behave, I've only ever used Fireline.

Conversely you could look up a video on the type of knot used to tie line to a fishing reel spool (Google says Arbor knot). It's essentially the same application as the drum on the crane.

Interesting, that'll explain the black finger tips when trying to glue, I thought it might be the paint off the drum whence it came.

Making the end off on the arms at the front I passed the thread through a hole and then clamped together whilst adding a dollop of 5 minute epoxy, as it hardened I rolled in in my fingers to give it a round appearance and taper; enough of the epoxy seems to have soaked into the fibres and it's holding tight now. I'll add a further thin coat over the whole lot just to be sure.

What I should have done is thread the two ends through a small ID thin wall brass tube ferrule, add the glue at the end and slide the ferrule over to represent a fused steel plug often used to bind the ends of a rope that has passed through an object or made into a loop; maybe next time.

I'll certainly do it on the loose end of the hook wire on the underside of the jib.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Well that sort of worked better than expected, the original 4lb fishing line was much too thin so went up a bit to 100lb; some good and some bad points with it. It is a good representation of steel rope and forms nicely but it seems to be waxed so you can't glue it to the drum. I ended up making a little hook and soldering that to the drum and then winding the rope on, making sure the mechanical fixing is at the bottom out of sight.

To represent cable traditionally one would have used black cotton and beeswax to stop fraying. The alternative to the fishing line would be model boat or aircraft rigging. Rigging Thread | Fine Thread for Aircraft and Ship Models

 

[mickoo]

To represent cable traditionally one would have used black cotton and beeswax to stop fraying. The alternative to the fishing line would be model boat or aircraft rigging. Rigging Thread | Fine Thread for Aircraft and Ship Models

They’re all to thin Dave, I’ve got 0.9 mm on and it looks about right, the elastic stuff I think is called Shirring elastic thread and that’s what comes in the kit, there was some left over in the box the crane came with……I left it there.

 

[freelance7]

Well to my eye, looking at the model and what you have done, does look very representative.

Paul

 

[mickoo]

The bogie looks like it has always been there. Maybe a bit better definition than the original kit but doesn't catch the eye at all. The cables look good. If you had another one you could display your customers models like this -
View attachment 246997

or maybe not. Article published in the Saturday Observer in Brisbane on 8 July 1911, they weren't scared to include technical information.

Cheers, that was the challenge, to match what was there and not go over the top.

As for the two cranes, one is enough thank you , though building one yourself is a different matter to repairing someone else's work for several decades ago.

 

[mickoo]

Well to my eye, looking at the model and what you have done, does look very representative.

Paul

I think that's the best that we can hope to achieve, representative, as there doesn't seem to be an exact miniature copy available, all of them have pluses and minuses so it's pretty much personal choice.