Atlantic's works: Portable layout - Scenic details next

[nzpaul]

Thanks Graeme, for all intents and purposes, that's exactly what I had in mind. I'll have a look at stock levels in the parts box before I send you a PM, I'll try and make it worth your while sending a parcel down here.

Paul

[Atlantic 3279]

I haven't been very active on here for the last couple of weeks, so I do hope that nobody is likely to go off in high dudgeon because of my lack of attention. I endeavoured to extend the olive branch to a previous easily offended and seemingly now-departed contributor, but my approach seems to have been ignored...

Anyway, back to the D7 project, which is most definitely sulking because I've been doing outdoor jobs since the weather improved, and entertaining family visitors now that they are allowed again. Of course, today it has been raining again here - all afternoon:

Hi Graeme
The D7 is certainly coming along very well now.
Should you wish to fit sprung buffers - the best GC versions I've found are the Kean Maygib 14" GCR buffers available from Branchlines, but I guess you probably won't. It looks like they had backing plates on the D7s as well.

Andrew

Remembering Andrew's earlier helpful remark above I've just had a look in my buffers box. How Handy! One packet of four KM435 sprung GCR loco buffers, parallel socket on square base - showing a rather old retail price of £2.00! There are probably some solid whitemetal approximations in there too, and some whitemetal taper-socket, square base type - ideal as MS&LR originals and possibly up to the 1920s on some locos, but probably not suitable for 1930s D7s which appear to have all had the parallel type in the images that I've seen.

Onward...

[Paul_sterling]

Funny you should mention buffers Graeme. I too have been playing with buffers (I'll leave that one wide open for anyone who wishes to innuendo it)

I've got some buffers on order with Alan Gibson, and have a decent stock of markits buffers, but on the N9/10 Ive taken a set of markits buffers, with the right head size and shape, but wrong base, and put the cad for the buffer bodies directly onto the bufferbeams of the N9, mimicking the internal dimensions of the markits ones, so that their metal buffers and springs will slide straight in.

Also there is a small box working it's way through the postage system for you too.

Paul.

[Atlantic 3279]

Excellent Paul, Many thanks.

Looking even more like a proper engine now with some buffers loosely fitted:

I've also shortened the coupling arrangement between loco and tender, then added a plug-in connection between the two pick-up systems. With the loco previously collecting current from only three or four coupled wheels at best it was tending to hesitate and get the occasional nudge from the powered tender, making for a slightly jerky form of motion. With pick-up for both motors now coming from any of ten wheels, and tighter coupling of the two units, motion is very smooth even at lowest speeds.

The matter of rivet application is becoming more and more difficult to avoid...

[Paul_sterling]

Waterslide rivets Graeme?

I had that traumatic experience on LH&JC No.29 last year, still makes me shudder now......

Paul

[Atlantic 3279]

Indeed, courtesy of Archer. I'm not sure I've yet finished seeing where they should all be (or should not be, on the two sides of the loco) either, despite looking at many images several times. At least the tender was done months ago...

[Paul_sterling]

I'm finding the N9 similarly difficult to locate where the rivets should be. When pics don't work, my other process is to work out why the rivets would be there, where to from a gusset, a rib, bracket etc, so at least then if I can't see what should be there, I can cad up what is likely.

What size archer do you use Graeme? I usually ended up using the O gauge ones rather than OO, as the latter tended to get lost in painting.

Cheers. Paul

[Atlantic 3279]

AR88014 - but the paint layers will certainly have to be thin!

[Atlantic 3279]

When I thought about Archer riveting properly, I realised that black wasn't such a good choice of plastic for the cab and splasher sides. I certainly tested the limits of eyesight and illumination methods while trying to position tiny black rivets on a thoroughly wetted black background, aided only slightly by the not-quite invisible carrier film and the faintly white dilute solution of PVA (with hint of detergent) that I used to help with floating and initially settling the transfers in place. Dexterity and judgement were tested somewhat too. Hence, so far, I have only the greater part of one side riveted, film softened / draped / partially dissolved with a later touch of solvent, and a very light coat of Halfrauds red aerosol primer applied to begin the sealing process and reveal the results.
I regret that anybody wishing to see exactly the right number of rivets in exactly the right patterns and positions will be at least mildly disappointed. I would have had to apply a lot of rivets singly, or in very small groups, or move rivets after softening / dissolving the film in order to attempt exact positioning. I thought the chances of maintaining a neat result were remote, and that use of the nearest matches I could find in larger groups among the rigidly regular patterns on the transfer sheet would give something very close to the correct effect, without driving me quite so badly insane...

[mick b]

I always paint the rivet areas with either thinned gloss white enamel or grey primer first.

Looking good .

[Atlantic 3279]

Thanks Mick. When I added rivets to the tender it already had a coat of red primer, on which the rivets were easy to see. As I'm using ordinary plastic solvent in to soften / settle / eliminate the carrier film after applying the transfers, rather than buying yet another "special" product, I had to be very careful not to apply a lot of solvent, especially where there might be more than the merest hint of primer, as it easily creates a sea of re-liquefied paint. I therefore decided that it might be preferable to apply the rivets to the unpainted surface of the loco, which would save one preparatory step in the process, in the so I should have thought about that fully at the start of construction and used something other than black sheet! As the situation now "is what it is" I think for side two I shall give the surface a faint hint of primer before I apply the transfers, so that I can see them. The dull surface of the primer did initially give me slight concerns when I was dealing with the tender, because (unassisted) the transfers drag more on a dull surface and don't bed down quite so thoroughly, but the application of a slippery wetting solution of PVA and a little detergent before the transfer solves that problem.

[mick b]

Graeme,
I missed the bit about using solvent , sounds risky to me !!

I use Microsol or Microset on mine and leave overnight, if all ok , then a light spray of primer to seal them.

[Atlantic 3279]

Very little Humbrol liquid poly (000 brush, not dripping with the stuff, applied once only) does the trick of making the film bed-down and virtually vanish. I'm told that Mekpak does the same. Limonene gentler / safer but not quite so effective.

[mick b]

Noted ,

Plastic is a rare medium for me , I hardly use it for my builds, these days.

[Atlantic 3279]

Last Saturday, before breaking off from modelling to spend much of several days sprucing-up a shabby and neglected but fundamentally sound car for my daughter's use, I had made more progress with rivet application to the D7. Having revised my application technique so that I was working over coloured primer, sealed lightly with a coat of slightly diluted Resin W wood glue (fully dried) I had the benefit of far better ability to see the black rivets and a slightly shiny surface on which the carrier film could slide and adhere.
I got the splasher tops and cab front edges done, as well as re-doing a group on the second cab side, after spraying over the first lot and then deciding that they weren't level! I've done a few on the frame uppers too, including some more prominent ones under the smokebox, presumably bolting the cylinders in place. The front buffer beam so far has only some indicative pencil marks.
In these images, only the new rivets are obvious, still black, but a closer look does reveal many more...