Not a lot to report really, fellow Westerners, since my last; well, not in terms of construction I’m afraid.
It’s been teeming here for days and the high winds to which I awoke have conspired to bring things to a sudden halt. Unfortunately, I cant work indoors as the solder fumes lead to sore throats and headaches, so have reluctantly downed tools until Summer returns.
Not had a lot of luck on other fronts either.
Royal Mail has managed to mislay the parts I sent for exchange with the manufacturer, so now I’m left to purchase replacements. Whilst I’m grateful to the manufacturer for offering to sell them to me, having to constantly keep purchasing, or at least what seems that way with buying new equipment - or should I say the right tools for the job: a more powerful iron, flux and sundry on order and in carriage - just to complete the kit, is beginning to wear. Factor in the mishaps - although expected - with the build, especially those that cannot be ironed out and detract from the overall ‘look’ of the model (the damaged flares that I constantly find myself readjusting after falling victim yet again to fabrications elsewhere, spring to mind and those tank tops) and I fear the odds are steadily being stacked against it reaching completion.
And after the latest cock-up on the little bit of build I did manage since my last post, well I’m a midges you-know-what from drop-kicking this poor excuse of a tobacco tin over the rose arch.
Following the instructions:
I had left the next drama in the build till last (forming the curved ends in the flare).
Fearing I had now reached this further rite of passage, I had intentions of building yet another jig to secure the other ‘wrapper’ on which I intended to practise this low-melt-solder-on-previously-tinned- fine-brass-fingered-thingies, although what form this hypothetical jig was to take was moot point.
But then it crossed my mind that it had been days since I’d last looked at the instructions, and that moving on doing a spot of work on the front end might prove the point of a change being as good as a rest. I was wrong again.
In point of fact, the instructions recommended that I, first, added the side coal plates, but no way did I want those flailing around as well as the flares whilst I was working elsewhere, as they would be only something else to fall victim to my ham fistedness. So I moved on. To the bit about fitting the front quadrant plates and side casings/tops. The fact it mentioned ‘front’ was good enough for me. I’d had enuff of everywhere else.
The casings were removed from the fret, cleaned up and dimples turned into rivets, this time aided by pair of blunted compasses (thank you
@AJC ) which I should have done the first time instead of using that darned screw. Utter laziness on my part:
Then I placed it on the construct where I ‘thought’ it might go (I’m afraid the hand drawn diagrams accompanying the instructions weren’t too helpful in this respect for little ol’ me whose not really a proper modeller or railway buff):
Wrong! But I discovered this far too late.
In hindsight, the clue was in the instructions which bandied the front plates, casings and tops together, as it was only after I’d soldered it up and then placed the appropriate casing top on the ‘top’ that I realised my mistake. In fact, my grave error.
As you and the rest of the English speaking world already know, it should have been soldered hard home against the front quad plate on that side. Hence yet more remedial work in the form of a sliver of spare fret being rubbed to size and soldered in to take up the gap (it had to be filed to the correct width and then cut to length/height in situ as there was no way of holding a piece of the right height while being soldered which I realised eventually). Then, and only then, could I solder on the top which you can see in the final pictures. It still needs an extension to the top forming and fitting.
The r/h/s quad plate is also in situ, but had to have the tabs filed off as I’d gone and clogged up the slots with solder and no way did I fancy unclogging them like those of the tender sides and valences ( although
@mickoo ’s tip about filing down the tabs for the l/h/s plate worked a treat
)
So here’s where I’m up to (please excuse the poor quality taken in the evening’s half light as I’d only just cleared up):
Bl**dy awful.
Ah well, I tried.
Gonna put this away until the weather clears (weekend?) and see how the mood takes me. Mindful, however, of this current modelling window getting shorter.
Cheers for now.
Jonte
P.S. Managed to reinstate those steps at the front without having to make new ones, but annoyingly, in the process the footplate has bent with it. It seems that if you breathe too hard in that thin brass footplate it curls up. Jonte