O&EM workbench - Unimat 1 goes into battle and wins!

76043

76043

Western Thunderer
Spent some time today adding three link couplings to various minerals, more tomorrow.

I requested from Asis3d an EM set of axles for the Bachmann split chassis pannier. A few adjustments and I think I have an EM conversion for that loco using the original wheels. Darker axles/gears are the new one.

asis3d.co.uk

Home - Asis3D

asis3d.co.uk asis3d.co.uk

IMG_20240629_211238699.jpg

Tony
 
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
I made this potential baseboard a while back from an abandoned chipboard shelf and picture frame material. The question is what to do with it? I wanted it to be an EM test track/starter layout, it's 90 x 27cm.

IMG_20240616_194313162_HDR.jpg
IMG_20240616_194330768_HDR.jpg

Of course one option is to bin it, but I did want to put a lengthened Scalescenes canal wharf scene on it, deleting the canal and adding an extra track, but I reckon this will take ages, so maybe something more rural would be easier? Might be good practice with the static grass?

Any better ideas?

LY02_Gallery06.jpg
 
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
Funnily enough, I was planning on laying cork, so maybe the pin board is an option!
Cheers
Tony
 
Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
I was thinking - being chipboard it will start to become a heavy item to be constantly moving around and store.

For a test track I would use a simple shelf, lay some track and practice scenics. I built this 7mm 3rd and 4th rail version on an unused shelf board I had kicking around. In 4mm scale you can incorporate a point and turn it into a simple 'tuning fork' type layout.

DSCF5813.jpg
 
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
Yorkshire Dave

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
It's a shame Railtec do not produce a sample pack/sheet (of a decent size) of mixed sized and spacing patterns of rivets is the same way Archer used to offer - which were very useful.

Then you could have ordered that to compare with any existing rivets on the loco before committing to the correct sheet

I've noticed it's the British way to produce single sized packs of anything useful like this forcing you to buy more than you need where a mixed size and spacing on a single sheet would suffice. Either it's a deliberate ploy or a lack of logical client friendly thinking.
 
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
I saw that my Ian Beattie plans book on GWR locos has the pannier drawn with rivetted tanks. Drawn quite roughly I'd say, but shows a 1mm spacing which may or may not be correct. Looking at the pannier papers it's probably 0.75mm so a ballpark figure can be reached. I'm not counting rivets, just want a rough approximation.
Tony

IMG_20240817_120722355.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: AJC
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
So having been trained on lathe work at college by an ex-BAE engineer, and using a lathe on subsequent commercial modelmaking jobs, I know my way around a lathe.

I therefore bought a Unimat 1 on eBay, LOL!

For turning 4mm wagon wheels it's just at the right price point for me, a proper unimat or proxxon was just too expensive. I have in mind some other jobs such as smokebox door turnings, in plastic obviously. I don't work steel ever, mostly plastic and brass so this is perfect for me. I will never work in the harder metals.

So first job was to see if I could slim down some Oxford wagon wheels treads to 2.5mm wide for a rough and ready EM project. My Vernier confirmed 2.5mm so that'll do, it's the LNER open that isn't right in the brake gear department, but I say you can only ever view it from one side at a time.
Tony
IMG_20240817_110806227_HDR.jpg

IMG_20240817_120420878_HDR.jpg

IMG_20240817_120353925_HDR.jpg
 
Last edited:
76043

76043

Western Thunderer
timbowales said:
Tony, what cutting tool did you use?
Click to expand...
Tim, I used the supplied lathe tool, was sharp and is branded TCT so seemed ok. I have plenty of lathe tools from my working life, but none small enough to be near the centre as the supplied one.
Tony
 
C

cctransuk

Member
76043 said:
Tim, I used the supplied lathe tool, was sharp and is branded TCT so seemed ok. I have plenty of lathe tools from my working life, but none small enough to be near the centre as the supplied one.
Tony
Click to expand...

If it's the same as the Unimat-3, you need 6mm. or 1/4" tools.

John Isherwood.
 
timbowales

timbowales

Western Thunderer
cctransuk said:
If it's the same as the Unimat-3, you need 6mm. or 1/4" tools.

John Isherwood.
Click to expand...
John, the Unimat 1 is definitely not in any way like the unimat 3 :))
For starters it's made up of alloy sections that the user bolts together to make it up in the configuration you want to use. There is a lot of plastic in the construction. It is also intended to be battery powered although a transformer/rectifier power supply was available.
 
C

cctransuk

Member
timbowales said:
John, the Unimat 1 is definitely not in any way like the unimat 3 :))
For starters it's made up of alloy sections that the user bolts together to make it up in the configuration you want to use. There is a lot of plastic in the construction. It is also intended to be battery powered although a transformer/rectifier power supply was available.
Click to expand...

I was aware of that - I merely thought that the size of the small lathe tools might be common to both.

John Isherwood.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
What's New?
Top