7mm Mickoo's Commercial Workbench

[mickoo]

It's already in the spec! (Currently buried in instruction updates as the new castings become available )

Excellent, the brass is just too fragile and as soon as you apply any heat to solder the footplate to the frame angles it buckles up as the original builder found. What is interesting/odd is that the cab roof is nickel silver but virtually everything else is brass, including the chassis.

 

[Overseer]

That's interesting and I've not seen (more correctly, hadn't noticed or taken the care to notice) one like that before, I'll leave well alone in this case and run with what's fitted.

I've had a quick look through the small selection I have, some of these are copyright protected so I've just cropped the relevant area to preserve as much of the owners rights as possible.

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I only have 12 images, 5 have the more distinct tapered chimney.

I fully understand the reason for not changing the chimney on this model.

The additional photos confirm that the white metal casting is too tapered and looks exaggerated compared with the more tapered prototype. It would be a missed opportunity to reissue the kit with an NQR chimney, especially if you have already drawn an accurate version of one of the types used.

I do have a bit of a thing about the shape of chimneys.

 

[mickoo]

I fully understand the reason for not changing the chimney on this model.

The additional photos confirm that the white metal casting is too tapered and looks exaggerated compared with the more tapered prototype. It would be a missed opportunity to reissue the kit with an NQR chimney, especially if you have already drawn an accurate version of one of the types used.

I do have a bit of a thing about the shape of chimneys.

Agreed, from a green field perspective then I;d change it, hacking this one off and refitting new is not cost effective, I've done a basic comparison, it's out but to my mind not too far, but then chimneys are not one of my detail anoraks that keep me awake at night.

Interestingly it appears a better profile at the rear than at the front, which suggests it might be a mould issue and it's deformed on one side, that'd make sense as the mould split line is transverse. A similar effect is seen head on where the flange is tilted more to one side and has a bigger area on the RH side (looking forward).

Having said that, the real engine image also appears to have a more pronounced vertical angle at the front than the rear, maybe that'sjust one of those optical illusions like two lines drawn parallel which look tapered.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

As a suggestion, when doing comparisons such as the one above, it may be worth trying to replicate the same angle/viewpoint on the model as the photo you're comparing with.

I see all of the cropped prototype photos are taken from a lower angle looking up whereas on the model you're looking down.

If using a digital camera it may also be worth trying to and get as close to the original film camera lens focal length, which is anywhere between 35 to 40mm for the 1930s to 50s. This roughly equates to 25 to 30mm on a digital camera (based on a digital camera 35mm lens being close to a SLR film camera 50mm lens). By using the 50mm focal length equivalent on the digital camera, i.e. 35mm, it acts a telephoto lens and foreshortens the subject.

And in this comparison I'm aware it a case of bolted horse, shut stable door, etc..... after the event

 

[mickoo]

As a suggestion, when doing comparisons such as the one above, it may be worth trying to replicate the same angle/viewpoint on the model as the photo you're comparing with.

I see all of the cropped prototype photos are taken from a lower angle looking up whereas on the model you're looking down.

If using a digital camera it may also be worth trying to and get as close to the original film camera lens focal length, which is anywhere between 35 to 40mm for the 1930s to 50s. This roughly equates to 25 to 30mm on a digital camera (based on a digital camera 35mm lens being close to a SLR film camera 50mm lens). By using the 50mm focal length equivalent on the digital camera, i.e. 35mm, it acts a telephoto lens and foreshortens the subject.

And in this comparison I'm aware it a case of bolted horse, shut stable door, etc..... after the event

In this case I did actually try, but, by the time icloud had collected the image from the phone and I'd downloaded/processed it to see it was not quite the same, well lets just say.....my day was full, my life is getting shorter and my enthusiasm had vanished

 

[paulc]

If the customer is happy then leave well alone .

 

[Lancastrian]

Dave,

You also need to know the original film format to calculate the equivalent lens focal length.
For current digital cameras there are effectively three sensor formats. A 50mm lens on my D3 or D850 is the same as a 50mm lens on a 35mm film camera. This is not the case with a cropped or micro 4/3rds sensor.

Also, as an example:

105mm lens.

My old MPP 5x4 camera had a standard lens of 150mm, which is equivalent to 48mm on a 35mm film camera.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

You also need to know the original film format to calculate the equivalent lens focal length.
For current digital cameras there are effectively three sensor formats. A 50mm lens on my D3 or D850 is the same as a 50mm lens on a 35mm film camera. This is not the case with a cropped or micro 4/3rds sensor.

My rough calculation were based on 35mm film - I should have thought about it as 35mm film cameras, although developed as early as 1905, were probably beyond the reach of the of most people at the time and becoming more popular in the 1930s after Leica and more so after WWII.

Having seen your note I realise it's a bit more complex with older camera lenses and film formats 120, 620, 127 and whether they were 8, 12 or 16 or more exposures.

It would be a nigh on impossible task to calculate every one exactly as we just don't know the camera, lens and film format used for the original photo unless it was noted by the photogapher at the time. We can only hazard a guess.

 

[mickoo]

Another one on the blocks, a quick out of the box build Finney7 Princess Coronation with a bit of a tight deadline, complete and strip down for paint by Stafford show; sooner if I can.

Nothing untoward to be fair, it all fits where it should and the castings take minimal effort to clean up and fit, except the vent pipes which were not so good; actually I should clarify that, they're good but not as crisp as the rest. Rather than fight them it was more cost effective to simply draft and print new ones.

The Mk V tender is a new one for me and of the two (Mk IV being the other) I prefer this one visually and it's a bit less complex to build.

This'll be the start of a run of LMS/LNWR engines, next will be a Princess Royal mixing in with the 2-4-2T and then another Fowler 4F but with a Stanier high sided tender.

 

[mickoo]

Took a couple of days off from the Coronation to progress the LNWR 2-4-2T, as a reminder the cab front, rear and upper sides are from the kit.

With the boiler now in I can populate all the fittings and accurately cut the tank front blanking plates for fitting, then brackets, handrails etc etc.

As can just be seen, the hole in the cab front where the backhead is supposed to go is too big, it'll need a new rear face which will be stood off the front to allow glazing to be dropped in the gap and for the roof securing bracket to slot into.

Scratch building is slow but satisfying and usually a lot more accurate than some kits sad to say.

 

[mickoo]

Finney7 hat on.

The Semi Princess Coronation is complete and we will have five kits available at the Stafford show. More will become available later as delivery of the necessary parts follow.

The new smokebox unit is cast in the same material as the original and boiler module, the one shown here is a 3D master used for test fitting and pre master preparation (artifact removal and fettling etc).

Also included are new deflectors without toe holds and original cab fronts, which had narrow cab windows left over from the steamlined days. A revised double chimney is also supplied.

These parts are not an addon, they will be packaged with the relevant standard kit parts to form a standalone product.

The original smokebox is shown for reference.

 

[mickoo]

Another stage point on the Finney7 Princess Coronation build, rolling chassis for clearance testing on 5'-6" radius curves, all good.

Other than the front footsteps (fitted last) the chassis is complete, I count valve gear as a separate item and not part of the chassis. The rest of the week will be footplate and cab as I'm fed up filing 0.7 mm NS cusps

That'll leave next week for the boiler/smokebox and upper works details, then it'll be back to the valve gear to finish off by months end. Nothing like a show deadline to crank the hours in.

 

[oldravendale]

Lubbly jubbly Mick!

 

[mickoo]

That's enough for one week, a few more full days next week should see the engine completed, the front end is still all loose fitted as I wanted to trial the semi smokebox for fit on the rest of the kit. As planned, it dropped right in.

The boiler will now come off (it's held in with self tapers currently) as it's easier to detail the footplate without it fitted, then it'll all go back on permanently and fittings fitted.

 

[OzzyO]

Hello Mick,

lovely job of one of the best locos in this country.
Didn't the de-streamlined locos all have small front cab windows? Like on the new etch as below.

My mistake your building a non-streamlined loco with the full front drop plate. The semi smoke box looks v nice.
Now in the bad boys corner.

ATB

OzzyO.

 

[mickoo]

Hello Mick,

lovely job of one of the best locos in this country.
Didn't the de-streamlined locos all have small front cab windows? Like on the new etch as below.

My mistake your building a non-streamlined loco with the full front drop plate. The semi smoke box looks v nice.
Now in the bad boys corner.

ATB

OzzyO.

No problems, yes I'm building a dropped front model with enlarged windows, the semi front was just a interface test fit on the chassis and footplate etch work; I already knew it fitted the boiler but all the lugs and edges around the base also need to fit the etch work.

Of course you can just measure it and compare with the copied original, but a hands on physical check is always a good point to achieve.

Back to front windows, a lot (maybe all, not checked every single one yet) of Semi's received large widows before the smoke box was reconfigured.

 

[mickoo]

Another stage point completed (body) just the wiggly bit's to finish and then strip for paint. Excuse the phone photos, it's been a long day.

 

[richard carr]

Nothing wrong with phone photos Mick.

I think phones are ideal for the as the very short focal length of the lens gives good depth of field.

Richard

 

[mickoo]

Nothing wrong with phone photos Mick.

I think phones are ideal for the as the very short focal length of the lens gives good depth of field.

Richard

Yeah they're not too bad, just a pain to edit highlights and shadows that a full photo suite can achieve.

 

[mickoo]

Finally finished, just in time, tomorrow the big strip down and wash ready for hand over to the Warren Haywood at Stafford; it'll be joining another three and a forth to Paul Moore.

The expansion link pivot is a temporary 10BA cheesehead, they'll get turned ones on rebuild