Listening to the Solstice

[bbudde]

As above;  just my thought.

[giemme]

10 minutes ago, perdu said:

Look who's back...

 

☺. 🎆🎆🎆

Indeed! Welcome back, Mr. T!

 

Ciao

[Brandy]

Tony!!! Welcome back! 

I hope all is well "down under" (no, I'm not getting personal!) 🙃

 

Ian

[Spookytooth]

Yep, he is back, welcome back TT.

 

Simon.

[keefr22]

He tried to sneak back in quietly in another thread earlier, but I caught him...!! 

 

Welcome back TT!! 

 

Keith

[TonyTiger66]

Thank you folks. Also those that caught me earlier. 

 

I must catch up on many of yours and others threads. I’m looking forward to it   .

 

I’m beyond page three in this one with no sign of Linda Lusardi, but he’s made a start on a bit of etch. Nevertheless, it looks like he’s going to have to add a few inches to it.

🤔

I did say that there was no sign of Linda Lusardi didn’t I?

 

All the best to you all, looking forward to sharing the lead up to Christmas here on Britmodeller 😊🎅

TonyT

[The Spadgent]

Gob smackingly stunning work Tony. You are putting us all to shame. It’s a privelage to watch these miniature gems of yours come together. 

Aaand welcome back @TonyTiger66 . Memories of black paint flood my mind. 😎😲

[bbudde]

Ok Tony, now I know how you do this

[pheonix]

Missed your latest demonstration of micro work with brass tube and rod. It fairly puts my crude efforts to shame and no mistake. Bending and shaping the stuff is not easy even when suitable toos are to hand, but using a mixture of materials in a model does add to the fun and satisfaction. Which means that I too need to expand and hone my metal working skills.

 

P

[TheBaron]

On 11/4/2018 at 1:51 PM, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Awesome progress on the Annie, your metalwork is just astounding.....But TBH, ever since you posted it, I can't stop thinking about this:

 

 

You just have to build it!  

Thanks Sarge! 😄

 

'I, Baron, being of largely unsound mind, do hereby undertake to scratch-build said puffa-puffa from brass in the mid-term future, and solemnly swear to pester those members more knowledgable than myself in the railway department as to where I might find:

a) suitable wheels

b) detailed plans'

On 11/4/2018 at 1:58 PM, Spookytooth said:

Looks damn fine sir, though where you will be able to fit the retaining clamps

There are no retaining clamps here.

Move along citizen.

On 11/4/2018 at 2:17 PM, bbudde said:

That is phenomenal work Tony. Hats off! Chapeau!

Vielen Dank mein Freund.

Should you ever find yourself in the county of Dorset Benedikt, may I reccomend the following source of doffing materials in Bridport:

https://snooksthehatters.co.uk/

You will be confronted by stern women but soundly advised in what cravat matches which hat. I love the place.

On 11/4/2018 at 2:31 PM, limeypilot said:

Excellent bendery work!

 I'm guessing that the "other exhaust" is actually the inlet manifold, since to burn stuff in the cylinder, it first has to have a way in!

Thanks Ian.

On the face of it your explanation makes perfect sense and serves to illuminate my profound ingnorance over even the simplest of engine functions... 🛠️

I know for example that my Skoda works by turning liquid into noise and that it is the noise that makes the wheels rotate, but don'task me to explain how this happens under the bonnet...

On 11/4/2018 at 2:52 PM, hendie said:

this is a pleasure to read and follow Tony.  The anticipation of the next installment has me come over all excited like.  

Brass can have that effect on a man!

I must confess however that it is not a matter that I've ever conversed with members of the opposite sex upon in order to ascertain whether walking past an Albion Alloys didplay has ever induced a 'When Harry Met Sally' moment....

On 11/4/2018 at 2:52 PM, hendie said:

Metalworking can be so rewarding.

If I told you I'm waiting for an anvil to be delivered would you believe me?

On 11/4/2018 at 3:41 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

I'm sure @limeypilot is correct. Suck, squeeze, bang, blow.

How is he getting invited to such parties and I'm not? 😠

On 11/4/2018 at 3:41 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

Radials are always 'turned through' for a couple of revolutions before attempting to start them.

This is because any stray oil in the engine will settle into the lowest cylinder.

There it will form an hydraulic lock and stop the engine turning over.

I suspect the reason for the squiggly bit on the lower pipe is an oil trap.

So turning over the engine by hand will expel oil out of the lowest cylinder.

As the engine starts I think the squiggly bit will allow gas past any oil, which will then be blown out of the exhaust.

Hereby ends my limited knowledge of radial engines.

Which far surpasses my 'Ladybird Book of Armstrong-Siddeley Engines' level of familiarity. Obliged to you for the info Pete.

On 11/4/2018 at 4:58 PM, galgos said:

Never mind brass, that work deserves a gold star (the retired teacher in me!), better than sitting on the naughty step

Most kind of you Max, though had you been required to teach me metalwork at school I would have been a source of bitter vexation. Funny how life turns out eh? 😄

On 11/4/2018 at 5:06 PM, perdu said:

As Ian says there needs to be a combustible substance to burn and I suspect that inside that gubbins in back of the engine is a carburettor, possibly to do with the pair of round bosses standing proudly on the back of the casting, they look to be roughly the right devices in the right area

Merci Bill.

 A timely post as all those various cylindrical bits and pipes hanging of the back of the engine are going to form the next set of tasks that require attention. It also means working out what bits can be attached prior to mounting the engine in the bearers, and what ones need installing after. A mystery wrapped inside and enigma inside and Anson nacelle..... 😁

On 11/4/2018 at 6:30 PM, Hamden said:

 

As others have said superbly outstanding brass work

Looking forward to the next instalment 

Glad you're enjoying matters Roger - a little more to follow below.

On 11/4/2018 at 7:57 PM, Martian Hale said:

Smashing work on the engine your Baronesship, more so when one considers the scale.

From yourself Martian that means a lot. Thank-you.

On 11/4/2018 at 7:57 PM, Martian Hale said:

PS: I trust your party frock will be ready for Telford.

You've possibly twigged by now that I'm regrettably absent, but certainly there in spirit.

On 11/4/2018 at 9:13 PM, giemme said:

There just seems to be no limits to your abilities, Tony

Oh but there is Giorgio.

It's just that if I pdiscussed my inability to:

• iron clothing
• watch television without shouting
• suffer fools (see previous point)
• make small talk on official occasions (see previous point)
• avoid using bullet points

Would make for very thin gruel on this site...

On 11/4/2018 at 10:18 PM, hendie said:

I know... disgusting isn't it?

 

Since we no longer have a Fritag (it seems) on board to make us feel insecure, clumsy, and generally inadequate as general all round modellers, it seems Herr Baron has now assumed the mantle and is dishing out differential dapping and brassical combinatorics to make us feel even more incomplete

 

On 11/5/2018 at 9:35 AM, CedB said:

Agreed Hendie - he's certainly pulled way ahead of my kit bashing...

I mean, look at those brassy bits - beautiful, just beautiful.

Hendie and Ced: Knock it off you two.  

Whilst young @Fritag is currently away on a Byronic sojourn somewhere on a mountaintop wrapped in a cloak and brooding thoughts, I'm merely scrabbling around in the scraps that he has left behind. The Round Table is not complete and will not be so until one of our finest knights returns to Camelot.

On 11/5/2018 at 10:47 AM, AdrianMF said:

Tube-tastic mate!

I heard that in Alan Freeman's voice Adrian!

BTW: I found this when browsing the IWM media collection the other night. You couldn't be tempted to add an 'Aeroflame' to that Beaufort of yours could you? 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060021056

On 11/5/2018 at 11:41 AM, TonyTiger66 said:

There may be other books I’ve missed. I’m looking forward to catching up Tony. 

Brilliant to have you back TT! You have been sorely missed.

On 11/5/2018 at 11:30 PM, The Spadgent said:

Gob smackingly stunning work Tony. You are putting us all to shame. It’s a privelage to watch these miniature gems of yours come together. 

No shame involved Johnny. I just have a brass neck that's all!

On 11/6/2018 at 3:12 AM, bbudde said:

Ok Tony, now I know how you do this

I 'saw' what you did there! 🤩

On 11/6/2018 at 11:24 PM, pheonix said:

Bending and shaping the stuff is not easy even when suitable toos are to hand, but using a mixture of materials in a model does add to the fun and satisfaction. Which means that I too need to expand and hone my metal working skills.

I too need to learn more Pheonix and as well as a small anvil, ordered a small chasing hammer to go with it during the week - both of which I reckon will see good service. I know what you mean about the satisfaction aspect; what sets brass apart from plastic for me is the ability to form by hand to the required shape in three-dimensions whilst retaining a scale thickness and sharpness of outline. That's not me discarding plastic at all so much as asknowledging that a multimedia approach involving all potential materials is the one that attracts me the most at present. 🔨

 

Now then.

 

As I write it's Sunday lunchtime and doubtless you lucky ones at Telford were up early for a yoga session and some green tea before commencing operations. Despite my justifiable envy I sincerely hope that you've all been over-indulging and over-spending like good 'uns and will go home happy. 

 

Looking forwards also to hearing who won what and what with!

 

A fallow week at the bench due to work and yesterday was knocked out by shopping and the annual 'build' of the winter wood store:

We're lucky to have a woodsman a couple of miles down the road who provides us with a couple of trailer-loads of Ash each winter.

 

That done, I did however want to get the exhaust ring built this weekend so went at it this morning after having spent some time during the week running tests to work out the best way to achieve a rather complex set of tasks. To make up the outlet pipesfrom engione to exhaust, I annealed and bent some brass rod:

Don't ask me the diameter - these were from a bundle of rods of various diamters I got from a guy in Poland - I simply eyeballed them for scale in relation to reference photos. Once shaped and cut down, they were of a size quite fiddly even with tweezers:

There was also some sanding needed to flatten one end to the required angle where it meets the exhaust ring, to add to the fun.

 

101 Uses for a Dremel Workstation. #5: The reference material stand:

The process of soldering those bits on to the exhaust ring was so intense and demanding of concentration that it was necessary to crack on and not pause for taking photos (which in either case would not have been terribly revealing) but here is a shot of the job done after about 90 minutes of activity:

Two things to note:

1. I had to ignore Bill's sage advice about soldering whilst in contact with plastic here. I could find no other way of doing this Byzantine job save holding the outlet pipe in tweexers at the required orientation between exhaust ring and the respective cylinder head and then using a very hot iron to get the solder to flow quickly enough into the joint without heat travelling down the rod. This worked well but did require a bit of nerve.

2. Despite extolling the virtues of liquid solder perviously, I reverted to using the Powerflux paste here as it assisted in holding the flakes of solder on to the join between the two brass parts prior to touching them with the iron to get the stuff to flow.

 

Removing the exhaust for inspection:

A crown of thorns:

Not perfect by a long chalk but I think the best that I can achieve at this scale:

A little bit of filing needed in a few places to remove excess solderfrom the joins, but I want to leave a bit in place to simulate the weld seams on the original:

A lot more gubbins to add to the back of the Cheetah but this job was always going to be the killer; if such a prominent feature as the the exhaust ring didn't look right it wouldn't matter about hjow good the restof this region looked:

 

Hope that your weekends are going well - safe home from Telford those of you travelling.

Tony

 

Ps. My apologies for not getting round as often as I'd like to see your own works; time just seems to short at present.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hamden]

 

Superb exhaust manifold (was there ever any doubt!)

 

  Roger

[Spookytooth]

Fine soldering work there Tony.

 

Good to see that you are prepared for the winter season with plenty of firewood.

One cannot be cold can one.

 

Simon.

[Brandy]

Outstanding, a thing of pure beauty. 

 

Ian 

[hendie]

Delicious.  A piece of artwork in it's own right.

 

Why is there always a tire sitting on top of woodsheds?  Is this some ancient custom I haven't heard about?

[AdrianMF]

Smashing! Be grateful the Cheetah wasn’t a twin row engine...

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

PS I think Aeroflame has considerably less sense of drama than Napalm...

[bbudde]

Awesome!. Masterpiece! Cheers

[CedB]

3 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Not perfect by a long chalk...

Now then, it's not very often I disagree with the Aristocracy but, dear chap, this has to be one of them. 

Bloomin' marvellous Tony, just amazing  

[bigbadbadge]

Wow the exhaust ring and pipework looks awesome Tony.  Great work.  I will catch up with the rest of the build soon, I have not been on for a couple of weeks due to work, selling a car and family life etc, but am back now. 

 

Keep up the good work fella

 

All the best
Chris

[Heather Kay]

3 hours ago, TheBaron said:

'I, Baron, being of largely unsound mind, do hereby undertake to scratch-build said puffa-puffa from brass in the mid-term future, and solemnly swear to pester those members more knowledgable than myself in the railway department as to where I might find:

a) suitable wheels

b) detailed plans'

The first thing I would advise is choose a scale. The UK model railway world tends to pool around either 1/76 or 1/43, so most of the things like detailing parts (chimneys, domes, buffer beam parts, cab fittings, etc) and wheels will be found there. 

 

Personally, I’d keep searching in case there’s a kit available. Meanwhile, keep up the fab fab work on that Cheetah! Very, very impressed.

[hendie]

4 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

The first thing I would advise is choose a scale.

 

Definitely agree.

 

4 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

The UK model railway world tends to pool around either 1/76 or 1/43, so most of the things like detailing parts (chimneys, domes, buffer beam parts, cab fittings, etc) and wheels will be found there. 

 

But if it's a one off and for display there's no need to restrict oneself to those particular scales.  I chose 1/32 for Pegasus as it allowed me sufficient space to concentrate on detail.  There's still plenty of choice out there for parts at that scale though you may need to spend some time hunting.  However, given Herr Baron's propensity for developing new skills and techniques, I have no doubt that Tony could build that whole thing from scratch without too much difficulty at all - and I look forward to the build

 

 

 

[giemme]

I think you should really try harder, Tony....

 

 

 

 

 

Who am I kidding, another magnificent instalment of your superb craftsmanship   

 

Ciao

[The Spadgent]

Aceness indeed.👏🙌 Good job that man. 

 

Johnny.

[CJP]

Lovely model engineering with  those brass bits

CJP

[Martian]

Looks pretty special to all four of my Martian eyes!

 

Martian 👽

[pheonix]

Well it may not be perfect but it will certainly do! If anyone thinks that they could do better, ask them to show you how.... That usually shuts up most critics.

 

P