7mm The Old Man's Workbench - tales of a rivet side

martin_wynne

Western Thunderer
On the off-chance you know...... are you aware of any 200gsm plus A3 paper/matt photo paper that is self-adhesive?

Hi Richard,

Sorry no. Several places have such matt photo paper in A4 but I don't know to any A3 self-adhesive.

I did find this site: http://www.fredaldous.co.uk/art-shop/paper-card-board/self-adhesive-materials.html

which has self-adhesive cork sheet in rolls. Templot includes a banner printing option, so if your printer allows it you could perhaps print directly to the cork underlay on an inkjet. It's 1.5mm thick, so would need additional cork or foam roadbed below it. Not tried it though, may contain nuts.

Martin.
 

richard carr

Western Thunderer
Graham

I pasted the paper then stuck it down onto the mdf. Make sure label all the pieces as you cut them out as you will cut off most of the labels that are printed on the templates and they are too small anyway you need a marker pen to do this.

The inaccuracies arise because you cannot line up the pieces of paper perfectly, its ok over 2 or 3 feet but over 10 feet the errors start to mount and over 40 feet it can be significant.

The key thing to remember is that "the templates are only a guide to where the track should go" use common sense to make sure everything lines up as it should even though it means you won't always exactly follow the template.

Richard
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
The key thing to remember is that "the templates are only a guide to where the track should go" use common sense to make sure everything lines up as it should even though it means you won't always exactly follow the template.
He, He... especially when the template is to REA post group with 45'0" rail lengths and the model is to be LNWR, circa 1900, 30'0" rails etc. (this relates to Hartley Hill and not to any S7 33mm Challenge layout).
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
The key thing to remember is that "the templates are only a guide to where the track should go" use common sense to make sure everything lines up as it should even though it means you won't always exactly follow the template.

Richard,

I find that I plan with what I call the "Templot foot" - i.e. I use a default grid of 300mm spacing in Templot to represent an Imperial foot and find that the spare 4.8mm per foot can come in handy many times. :)

Jim.
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Why not put the LNWR data in Templot and get an accurate template?
Because I have failed to understand how to use the programme - and yes I joined Templot Forum and watched many of the tutorial videos. One member of that forum provided me with a ".box" file and I could not fathom how to see what had been provided even though I had been sent a .jpg of the contents (LNWR 1:8 turnout with 12'0" switches to pre-WW1 practice so there was an incentive to get at the material).

Please note that this post is a statement of event / fact - this post is not an expression of opinion in regard to the specification of the Templot programme. I recognise that there are many people who use Templot and are able to produce track templates - just not me.
 

martin_wynne

Western Thunderer
Because I have failed to understand how to use the programme - and yes I joined Templot Forum and watched many of the tutorial videos.

Did you ask on Templot Club forum how to enter the LNWR data?

Did you watch this video?

http://templot.com/martweb/videos/generic_ng.exe

It's now a bit out of date but it shows how to create a custom template by entering the prototype data. It is actually for 7mm narrow-gauge, but the principle is the same. Some notes about that video are at: http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=376&forum_id=1

Things are easier in Templot2 -- for example the check rails can now be easily adjusted by mouse action.

regards,

Martin.
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
I blame Dan Randall for this invasion of the workbench by some obscure and way-out bubble, clearly a model in need of a scatter-gun button badge. Here is evidence of the infiltrator:-
carflat-1.jpg

So what is the reason for this most unexpected and non-white cardboard box? If you are sitting carefully then I shall begin sometime around 1962-3 when I would be sitting on a wall, in the playground of a school in High Wycombe beside the GW&GC Jt line from Northolt Jcn to Ashendon Jcn.. Several times a day the peace was disturbed by the sound of twin Maybachs screaming with 2,700 HP. A beautiful site and sound to a youngster brought up a few years earlier on a diet of green electrical multiple units. Love at first Western. And then Edwardian GWR took over and dieseasels went to hide under the stairs.

Last year a big white box appeared round about the annual celebration day - the Good Lady had decided that maybe I needed something lighter than Finney Bulldogs and so a Wizzo was prescribed. Now one big diesel without anything to pull is a pretty sad sight so Son bought some EZ Mk.1 kits with the intention of creating something similar to the maroon sets which I had seen fifty years back. In the meantime Dan had posted of his interest in BR carflats built on Mk.1 underframes and I made mention of this to Peter, saying something like "a Wizzo is going to make light work of those EZs, how about adding a couple of Motorail NPCS to the train?" Blank expression - Son had never seen a Motorail service.

Fast forward several months... Father and Son standing in front of the Ragstone Models stand at Telford... Father to Son - "that is a nice carflat model". Blank expression so we go to talk to Brian Daniels about Cargowaggons. A maroon box appears at Christmas with the suggestion that the contents might keep Dad out of trouble (Adrian - there is nothing about "how" in the instructions).


I wonder if Dan appreciates the fine mess that he has got me into?


So, first things first - read the instructions and fold sides/ends of the floor and then fold solebars. Now this model is longer than the biggest available Hold-n-Fold so I resorted to some 20" bending bars from GW Models. These bars are made from 1" x 1/4" BMS with screw fasteners at either end... not so good clamping action around the middle of the bars. Previous experience with these bending bars is that additional clamping force is needed to minimise deflection of the bars when folding the etches - some G-clamps do nicely and with an added bonus that the clamps keep the bars vertical/stable when folding the brass (using a 24" stainless steel ruler).

Here are the solebars beside the bending bars as received from GW Models:-
carflat-2.jpg

and here are the bars in use with additional G-clamps:-
carflat-3.jpg

So after a couple of hours cleaning cusps and folding folds we have a floor, two solebars and a number of cross-members:-
carflat-4.jpg

Time for tea and tiffin, the hot spanner can wait for next time.

regards, Graham
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Graham

These make very nice models.

Andy Beaton comes along to the Heyside running sessions, and he brought 3 of these along last Thursday to run. Not only does he produce a good kit, he builds and paints them too, to a very high standard.

They are a bit late for me, but I wouldn't have minded him leaving them behind.

Cheers

Richard
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
These make very nice models.

Andy Beaton ... Not only does he produce a good kit, he builds and paints them too, to a very high standard.
Richard,

The model sold itself at Telford:- finished nicely, well made, sufficient detail to carry the day. I can see several passing this way along the New Line even though there was no Motorail service over that route.

If Andy reads this... I cannot see any mention in the instructions of when to attach the solebars to the floor :( . Common sense says that a Carflat requires the floor to be at one with the solebars so that is going to be done somewhere in the depth of step 2 ;) .
 

Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
I wonder if Dan appreciates the fine mess that he has got me into?

Sorry about that Graham, but you have to admit they look pretty impressive in a train, especially when loaded. Anyway, I dare say this won't be the only specimen passing across your workbench....


Regards

Dan
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Last time in Scatter-Gun mode we were dabbling with a BR Carflat... diagram 1/133 from a kit by Ragstone Models.

The floor and solebars had been folded using GW Models bending bars... and the bogie transom, queen posts and several cross girders prepared. Today has been a difficult day with the soldering iron for the iron - an Antex 660 TC with 50W iron - has not got quite enough oomph to make quick and clean joints.

Both solebars have been fixed to the floor and the bogie transoms/inner and outer cross-girders soldered into place, as here:-
carflat-5.jpg

Ah you say, what about the queen posts? Good question... this is what happened next:-
carflat-6.jpg

In engineering terms we have a "no-go" fit. Just to check that the funny image is not down to the camera (operator), here is another view from a different angle:-
carflat-7.jpg

In old money, this is several tads worth, the queen post etch is about 25thou greater than the back-to-back of the solebars. Maybe the queen post etch is too wide (both queen post etches are the same width)... maybe the solebars are too close together. Given that the solebars are tight against the inner face of the side (folded down from the floor) then I cannot see how the solebars could be further apart... I ought to say that the other six cross-members all needed some metal removing to achieve a "go" fit and that rather supports my view that the queen post etches are as intended and I have lost distance in folding the floor / solebar etches.

At this point I welcome suggestions as to how to get out of this fine mess - you were correct Adrian, the kit has not kept me out of trouble :rolleyes: .

thank you and regards, Graham
 

Jordan or Plymouth Mad

Mid-Western Thunderer
That's a very evocative shot. Particularly the way the cars date the picture......

Brian
The diesel-with-headcode helps too... ;) ... although I'm not fully convinced that even in the early '70s before the VW craze really took off, any owner of a split-window VW Beetle (i.e. pre-53) would have entrusted it to a train ride on an open wagon... :eek:

Sorry. VW anorak /OFF.... :oops: :shit:
 

Bob Reid

Western Thunderer
I'd go for cut n' shut Graham - it's about saw kerf width so splitting it down the middle and if necessary plating one side over the joint with a small piece of scrap etch....
 
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