Engineer66 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Excellent work Peter, you've made a cracking good job of the copper work on the nose leg for your first attempt. When soldering or brazing, there are only three rules: 1 make sure it's clean 2 get it hot enough (but not too hot) 3 practice ! For cleaning I use wire wool or for delicate parts a fibreglass pencil. Once you've cleaned the part don't touch it with your fingers or you can leave a thin film of grease. Add a bit of flux to the surfaces to be joined, and then get enough heat in before adding the solder. If it's hot enough then the solder should 'flow' into and around the joint. As the chaps above said don't hold the parts in anything large and metal as that'll draw the heat away from the 'job' try and use wooden clothes pegs. I have a helping hands thing with small metal crocodile clips that works well for small jobs. For larger jobs I use fire bricks and a huge propane torch 👹🔥 (I'm also building a 5inch gauge steam loco) Just remembered there is a fourth rule, after you've finished and its cooled down remember to give it a good clean in water and detergent to get rid of all the flux residue as its corrosive and will damage the parts over time if you leave it. You've probably worked out or discovered all of this already, and if I'm preaching to the converted then I apologise. Keep up the amazing work and keep posting pics. Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(ex)Sgtrafman Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Lookin' good Peter I seem to remember we used IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) to clean the area to be soldered and make that before you try soldering that you apply a small amount of molten solder to the solder tip as this will form a 'heat bridge' and make soldering much easier and if you do make a boob either get yourself a solder sucker, a type of removal tool or heat up the offending solder and simply flick it off. HTH. Iain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Copper is readily solderable (and your part looks clean enough) but I think Mike is right about the heat sink effect. You might be better off with a mini blow torch for this size of part. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco53 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 compliments a great job are admired 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 How have I missed this until now? I've just spent the last hour or so looking through this and am astonished. Quite possibly the best WIP and results I've seen here on BM. Thanks very much for making my entire model making career seem like I've been sticking Lego bricks together!! Really looking forward to the next installments - it seems like there may be a few! Cheers, Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrison90 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 (edited) I don't think comments should be allowed on your builds... because the work speaks for itself. Awesome as always! Edited July 14, 2015 by harrison90 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 evening folks ..thanks for the advice - have been playing about a bit... ..first some shiny new kit - this is a combined soldering iron & blowtorch as I was struggling to get the gun to heat the parts enough to do a good job.. ..I tried the first part and soldered the rings to the copper core - seemed to work... ..and then to the leg itself - this is when what Tim said would happen, happened - some of the other parts went out of alignment as the whole thing heated up... ..I tried to correct it but it started to make it worse so left it... ..then made up a bracket for the retraction arm and held the parts in tweezers... ..cut some thin slivers of solder and rested them where the joints were - a few seconds blast with the blowtorch and capillary action ran it into the joints... ...I use a fibre brush type thing in a dremel to clean off the flux and oxidation - quite pleased with how it came out... ...still many more parts to make, but the basics are coming together.. ..I know it is more like engineering than modelling so not too dull I hope - but I need to do a fair bit of this so the big old bird doesn't collapse on her belly the first time I set her down TTFN Peter 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spookytooth Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Peter, this is pure class. . Simon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco53 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 great work of self, I realize trains brass and welding use a liquid solution based on tin that is normally used to weld the SMD. I will follow with great interest a greeting Marco 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I've run out of superlatives for this. More! More! Trevor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Very nice work on that nose leg Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busnproplinerfan Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Are you keeping track of the hours at all? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomjw Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Excellent. Is no modelling task impossible for you? Cheers, Tom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 This is not dull at all, lovely work and fascinating to watch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Definitely not dull! It's fascinating. And thank you for the tutorials, they're very good and credit to you for being so generous with your techniques. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbeach84 Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Latest is just an example of how useful & informative the entire project has been. It even slotted with our last club meeting's demo on soldering... and proved once again how important proper heat sinks & jigs are to a good soldering job! Carry on, my friend! Regards, Robert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted July 20, 2015 Author Share Posted July 20, 2015 Are you keeping track of the hours at all? haha - no, but as it can take me hours to make a small part and I am nearly a year in without building anything else then I guess it's going to be a big number. It is helping me understand how long future projects will take though - I fancy a Blenheim, a Do24, a Hawker Hector and my dad's first Left Seat - a HP Hastings so may get them done before I pop my clogs.. Excellent. Is no modelling task impossible for you? Cheers, Tom. yes Tom - I am crap at painting... I like to try new things so have learned to vacform, cast resin, 3D model and now soldering, all badly to start with but part of the fun is getting better with practice (and watching lots of 'how to on Youtube - an amazing resource..) - but painting I am permanently awful at.. ..anyways....back with a little more done - even if it is almost a bolt at a time... ..the main structure at the base of the noseleg is a casting - I had made it from tube and now it was time to give it some shape.. ..filed & dremelled (is that a word?) the top and bottom from brass stock having made the parts in card first to get the shapes right... ..held them in place and soldered them - used little bits of solder resting in the joins and flashed the torch on them until they melted... all the time being totally paranoid the whole lot would heat up and disassemble... ..also drilled a hole in the top to mount what I think is the nosewheel steering apparatus.. ..speaking of which, this is the kit of parts I made to make it - it has an opening with an arm coming out of it which took a bit of thinking about... ..because some of the assembly is aluminium I CA'd this together.. ..and this is where I am at... I hope I haven't got too fragile too quickly as there is still quite a bit of fabrication to go yet... ..until next time my friends... TTFN Peter 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S5 modeller Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Peter, that nose leg is a work of art. Absolutely stunning, and amazing seeing as you've only just started to learn to solder. Can't wait to see more. Matt Edited July 20, 2015 by S5 modeller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Moore Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Peter...needless to say your work is superb. I can add nothing that hasn't already been said. Simply put...words fail me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 That nose leg looks amazing, lovely work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HL-10 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 ..I know it is more like engineering than modelling so not too dull I hope - but I need to do a fair bit of this so the big old bird doesn't collapse on her belly the first time I set her down TTFN Peter How about "Model engineering"? Absolutely fantastic work! Amazing skills 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Great work on the nose gear Peter. Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcclure Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Oh this is great entertainment. And more than a little humbling - I fear your claims to be rubbish at painting will be false! Keep the faith! Cheers, Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 thanks everyone - very kind of you to stop by ..so, torque links.. the rusted to hell bits on the right in this pic from Chino - note they seem handed so not just two simple triangles, plus they have a flat centre with sides so are likely a casting, and have lightening holes... ..so where to start... measured off my plans and marked out some sheet - always drill any holes etc first it is much easier when you have something to hold on to rather than do it afterwards when it is a fiddly little bit... ..worked up the parts and scored and bent off a very thin strip for the sides... ..added some tube to each end and started to add the walls from strip.. all this is CA'd together - I was too scared to try soldering it.. ..used tiny bolts to assemble them and the main parts are nearly complete - just the retraction arm to go... ..thats it for now.. TTFNPeter 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Speechless. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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