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Heather's TSR2 diorama *DNF*


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Another couple of hours' filings. Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?  :nah:

 

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I am left with this tub of parts. Smaller bits I’ve left on their sprues until I need them. Up in the top left is what I think is a handrail of some species. Quite where it lives on the model will need some research, and the actual part will have to be replaced by something in hard drawn brass or nickel silver. The cast part is twisted and broken - beyond even my skills to repair.

 

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Also beyond repair, probably, is this monstrosity. That’s one hell of a huge step in the casting, and it displeases me. I don’t think it will be easy to rectify, so I’m going to sleep on things, and in the morning I shall raid my spares box to see if the ancient Airfix Refuelling Set I have somewhere might help.

 

The worst part of cleaning up whitemetal is it clogs everything. Files, sanding pads, you name it, I probably spent half the time cleaning the clogged tools. It’s mostly done now, so actual construction may happen soon.

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A slow start, because my mood is a bit low and various domestic chores had to be dealt with.

 

Right, let’s look at this tank.

 

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I had downloaded various Leyland 19H drawings from the Mick Bell drawings site. What a fantastic resource that is, freely shared. In fact, BW had used exactly the same profile and plan drawings for his instructions.
 

There has been some question about the scale, but allowing for most things the drawings I have scale out pretty well for 1/76th when printed at 100%. By that, I mean I laid a 4mm:1ft scale ruler across the scale on the drawing and it was about right. I am sure a keen scratch builder could do the maths and work out the enlargement factor to print at 1/72nd or 1/48th scale. The difference in scale appearance doesn’t really bother me. Anyway, as I hope you can see from my plonking various castings on that shocker of a tank, most of the top seam will be covered by detailing. In view of that, I will attempt to make the join as good as I can so I can get on with the build.

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Great start on this vehicle Heather. I must check that website for drawings.

 

I can empathise with the white metal clean up (as you are no doubt aware), from recently beating large sections of white metal into the body shell of a class 59! I had done a little low welt soldering long ago, and I'm pleased to say it all came together OK on the 59. My learning curve on soldering some brass etch on an old Kemilway chassis for a BR 2-6-0 4MT, is steep though!

 

Looking forward to seeing this one progress.

 

Terry

 

 

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Sorry to hear you are feeling down - maybe you need a quick injection kit to lift the spirits? That casting looks like a shocker, bit I will look forward to watching you turn it into something purse-like.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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6 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

Sorry to hear you are feeling down - maybe you need a quick injection kit to lift the spirits?


Sounds like a plan! :like: 

 

I have a hankering to start a Valom Fokker T.V soon. The D.XXI has been feeling very lonely, even though it’s being looked after in the cabinet by the Belgian Air Force at the moment.

 

I have actually made a point of not starting any plastic kits while I have these various vehicle kits to build. I don’t mind getting stuck into metalwork, although it can be messy at times. It’s sometimes the sheer quantity of small parts that can be a bit off-putting. I actually enjoy the challenge of a slightly iffy kit if I’m honest.

 

 

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Nice start on this!

 

19 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

The worst part of cleaning up whitemetal is it clogs everything. Files, sanding pads, you name it, I probably spent half the time cleaning the clogged tools. It’s mostly done now, so actual construction may happen soon.

How do you clean needle files? I haven't found a fine-enough file card, so I resort to running the tip of a #11 blade down each valley. I'm hoping you have sage advice to offer here as my technique, while effective, is quite tedious.

 

4 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

I had downloaded various Leyland 19H drawings from the Mick Bell drawings site. What a fantastic resource that is, freely shared. In fact, BW had used exactly the same profile and plan drawings for his instructions.

Thank you for the pointer! :thumbsup:

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10 minutes ago, dnl42 said:

How do you clean needle files? I haven't found a fine-enough file card, so I resort to running the tip of a #11 blade down each valley. I'm hoping you have sage advice to offer here as my technique, while effective, is quite tedious.


Well, that’s exactly what I do! I’ve heard of folk playing a gas torch over the file and scrubbing with wire brush, but I’ve never got that to work for me.

 

A tip I did pick up, and have tried and used with some success, is rubbing chalk into the file before using it. It fills the valleys and helps prevent the metal clogging. 
 

I was hoping to work out a basic tutorial on whitemetal soldering. I’ve got the text I used on another forum, but I haven’t taken any really useful images. Bear with, as they say.

 

 

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20 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

Another couple of hours' filings.

@Ray S is going to be so happy that his tradition of a picture of the waste is catching on!

 

3 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

I actually enjoy the challenge of a slightly iffy kit if I’m honest.

There is no doubt that personal satisfaction plays a big part in these builds; that whole, 'by Jove I can beat this into submission' attitude.

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31 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

'by Jove I can beat this into submission' attitude

 

Sometimes, though, the kit beats me into submission. There is a fair old box full of partially built kits of various stripes in my shed. I doubt many will ever be completed now.

 

Right, about this soldering lark.

 

Soldering whitemetal

 

Many still consider soldering a black art. It’s not. You just need the right tools and some knowledge. I would suggest soldering whitemetal is easier than soldering brass or nickel.

I cut my teeth soldering Langley Miniatures lorry kits together. My first Langley kit had been superglued together. I still have it, some quarter century later, but the glue has become brittle. Bits are beginning to drop off the model. I suppose I could have used epoxy, but I’m an impatient modeller, and dislike waiting for adhesives to set. Soldered models, only slightly younger than that first lorry, are rock solid.

 

So, what are the “secrets”, if any? First, let’s consider the tools.

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    A temperature-controlled iron. It’s important not to let the whitemetal casting suck the heat from the tip, so an iron that will maintain its tip temperature is vital. I used to have a cheap import digital 48W “sodering station” [sic] from Maplin. It probably cost about £20. Since then, I’ve upgraded to an 80W Ersa soldering station. Some experimentation on spare or waste castings is advisable to find the optimum temperature. The goal is to melt the solder but not the model!
     
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    Tools. Old needle files - not your best files - and a variety of scrapers and blades for cleaning up the components, before and after soldering. I have numerous offcuts of softwood to act as supports and protection against excess heat. You may also use pliers, tweezers, blutack, clamps, whatever, to hold components while you work.
     
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    Flux, which prevents a cleaned surface oxidising too quickly, and lets the solder “flow”. If you don’t use flux, the solder won’t “take” to the mating surface, and a poor joint will be the result. You can buy all kinds of special concoctions for specific types of soldering, but I have to say I have used Carrs Red Label for years on both brass, nickel and whitemetal with no problems - aside from the fumes. As our American cousins might say, your mileage may vary. I use a water-based safety flux for brass and nickel silver work, and found it also works for whitemetal. You can find it on sale at Building O Gauge Online - they may not ship outside the UK, though.
     
  • Solder of the right temperature range. My preference is for Langley’s home-brew type they sell on their exhibition stand and web site, which is short sticks, about 60mm long, and which melt at around 150°C. I’ve also used the Carrs brand 145° stuff. It’s all the same, really, just a kind of whitemetal alloy that melts at a lower temperature than the stuff they use for castings.
     

The technique is simple. It takes longer to describe than to do.

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    Clean the joint faces with a file, emery or scraper.
     
  • Apply the flux with a disreputable brush. Keep your best brushes for painting.
     
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    Pick up a blob of solder on the iron and “tin” each cleaned area. It only needs to be a thin coating, but it needs to cover the area to be joined. For hidden joints, I also tin down sides and edges to aid the heat flow into the mated surfaces.
     
  • Bring both parts together, and make sure they won’t move during the process.
     
  • Apply a splash more flux to the joint, pick up another blob of solder on the iron’s tip, and apply the heat to the joint.
     
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    Sometimes, all you need is a tack solder joint to hold a component in place. You soon learn from experience how much solder is needed for tacking and for more robust joints. You can see a couple of "tacks" holding the rear of the engine cover in this photo.
     
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    Let the solder flow, which sometimes takes a couple of seconds while the heat is transferred. You can see the melted solder draw along the joint, as I've done on the far section of dashboard-to-floor. Sometimes, you can draw it along by moving the iron along the joint, like a paintbrush. Some would see this as heresy, but it’s sometimes the only way to apply heat over a larger area. Equally, it’s heretical to bring the solder to the work on the tip of the iron, but it’s not possible to bring iron and solder together as you would when soldering electronics or brass.
     
  • Wait for the flux to boil off (avoiding the fumes if at all possible), withdraw the iron and hold everything until the solder turns from shiny silver to dull silver.
     
  • Test to ensure the joint is firm, and clean up as required. Unlike glue, you can reapply the iron to melt the solder and adjust if something isn’t quite true.
     
  • Don’t forget to wipe the iron tip on a damp sponge regularly.

Oh, I forgot the bit about the temperature of the iron! While the solder may melt at 150°C, the iron needs to be a fair deal hotter to get heat into the piece. The casting alloy can vary from kit maker to kit maker, so if this is the first time soldering a kit you may need to test on an inconspicuous part to ensure the iron won’t melt the component!

 

Looking after the iron’s tip is important. Using a resin-cored solder, for brass or electrical soldering, the advice is to leave the solder on the tip between use, cleaning it off before bringing it to the work. For whitemetal soldering, it is best to wipe the solder from the tip after making the joint. Never use abrasives or files on the tip of the iron to clean it.

 

Remember that whitemetal castings can act as excellent heat sinks. A large casting will suck the heat from the iron’s tip, and it might take a while for the solder to melt and begin to flow. It might also take a while for the heat to dissipate, so be careful picking things up after making the joint! Picking up a small blob of solder and adding it to the joint as you make it helps, because sometimes you need to form a fillet along the joint for strength. You can always clean up excess solder by scraping or filing, so it doesn’t hurt to use more than you think in order to make a good joint.

 

You’re supposed to wash away flux residues after you’ve finished. I freely admit I don’t do this. Perhaps I’ve been lucky, but I’ve never had problems painting over a cleaned up solder joint. It could be I ensure the flux has boiled away completely, leaving no real residue to worry about. Do whatever you prefer, I make no warranties or guarantees!

 

One final thing, whitemetal soldering can also be used to fill and repair castings. The same techniques apply: clean the mating surfaces, flux, solder and heat. As the solder cools it contracts slightly, so you may need to add more until the filled hole is proud of the surrounding surface. File and sand to finish.

 

I hope that's helpful. Please comment and ask further questions if you think I missed something obvious!

 

 

 

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And back to the build.

 

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You can see the cab parts have come together quite quickly. Everything here has been soldered, as you'd expect. That box in the passenger footwell, though, isn't attached. Why's that?

 

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Clear?

 

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These are the "small toolbox unit" parts I found. I have no idea which is the right one, but the only one that even came close to fitting was the one in the earlier shot, and it would only fit standing on end if it wasn't to foul the cab body. With no further information to guide me, I have left the "small toolbox unit" for my Bits Box. Incidentally, I don't think it's very clear where the other two boxes are supposed to live either. I suspect there will be some spare castings left after this model is finished!

 

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Stepping out of instruction sequence, I soldered the cab rear panel in place to the floor. Self-evidently, there is some painting required, and I can leave the main cab casting to fit later.

 

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It's not a perfect fit, but I've since fettled things so it's a bit neater. I may require a little filler once the cab is in place, but we shall see.

 

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Whoosh! I've done it again! The chassis is a fairly straightforward build. The front axle, two rear drive axles, a set of wheels and some springs, a fuel tank and two air reservoir tanks. I spent a while carefully adjusting things to make sure the vehicle will sit straight and level. The front wheels have been gently bent to show a little steering. Anything more drastic, and I would have cut the stubs off and soldered them back at a suitable angle.

 

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Here's the dead version. Three drive shafts are provided, but only the longest one will actually fit - and that after chopping close to 2mm from the ends. The other two shafts are too long and too short respectively. No idea what's going on there, but they're not visible under normal conditions so I won't worry about them. There isn't an exhaust in the kit, so I'll have to make something to fit under the cab.

 

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With the air reservoirs and firewall installed, and the cab floor attached to the chassis, this is where I shall call a halt in proceedings. The next stages are the tank and pump equipment, and I need to feel a bit stronger to deal with that. 

 

 

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15 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

There is a fair old box full of partially built kits of various stripes in my shed. I doubt many will ever be completed now.

More shed of shame than shelf of shame? I'm not sure how it would work but one day there will be a KUTA of KUTA GB, I guess to qualify a build would have to have already been in a previous KUTA, or more!

 

15 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

Right, about this soldering lark.

This is absolutely brilliant; it should be in the Hints & Tips section of the forum. Thanks for putting it together

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13 minutes ago, Mjwomack said:

This is absolutely brilliant;


Thank you. Glad it was of help.

 

You know that thing when you think you know something, go and check to verify you know it, and find you didn’t actually know it at all?

 

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I can’t recall where I found this image of XR219 being prepped at Boscombe Down. If anyone claims it, I’ll happily take it down, etc, etc. Anyway, it may not be all that clear, but you can see the refueller sitting to the port of the aircraft's nose. It’s got a large door propped open. It’s a different refueller to the one I’m building. :tmi:

 

There are, essentially, three types of pressure refueller that were operational with the RAF during the Fifties and Sixties. I think BW went with the one that was most numerous, and although we did have some discussion about which exact vehicle I was hoping to build, I seem to recall we ended up agreeing I would buy the one kit he stocked and use it as a basis for scratching something else.

 

All these years later, and I’d forgotten all that. I will continue to build the kit as the designer intended, because it’ll make a nice model anyway. I shall keep an eye out for more correct kits - I think I saw one from Road Transport Images.

 

 

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Another image which I found somewhere. Usual disclaimers, etc.

 

It must have been ruddy chilly at Boscombe Down in September/October 1964! Anyway, this exemplifies the kind of clutter I wanted to try and recreate in model form. I think my build will end up being an interpretation rather than an exact replica. 
 

Of interest here are the two trailers. There’s one far right in the distance, and another foreground left. They look like the back ends of 1950s American pickup trucks. I haven’t been able to identify their use, and I can guarantee there isn’t a kit available for them. If I can find good clear photos, I might be able to scratch something one day. I think I need to update my towing tractor, too. Mine doesn’t have the full cab like this one.

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On 5/1/2021 at 6:56 PM, Heather Kay said:


I will make a point. I plan to do a sort of tutorial of how I do low-temp soldering. I will stress it will be my techniques, based on learning from others and long experience, and not the only way to do things.

Yes Please!  I have a few N gauge items that could do with soldering, so started looking at low-temp. solder when I started reading this post.  

 

Excellent idea for a diorama.

 

[And now read more of the thread and see you have already done this - apologies]

 

regards

 

anthony

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You would have thought I might have learned my lesson with the Flightpath Humber kit. Oh, folly! I thought I’d build the Houchin kit as a quick diversion before getting bogged down with the fuel tank part of the Leyland build.

 

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Now, at best, this little thing will be seen over 30 centimetres away from the viewer. I rather feel there are too many microscopic parts here for something barely the length of my thumb. (I checked. My thumb is actually longer.) 

 

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I mean, fair play, there's silicone stuff for cabling, some transfers, and a bit of acetate for dials. You get a lot for your money. A highly detailed little power unit can be constructed from these parts. Am I looking forward to building this? Frankly, no, I’m not. I think I’ll put it back in the box.

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I'm amazed at how tiny some of the P/E bit are Heather. I hope you have a strong magnifier, good tweezers and nerves of steel when you attach those parts.

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9 minutes ago, LorenSharp said:

I'm amazed at how tiny some of the P/E bit are Heather. I hope you have a strong magnifier, good tweezers and nerves of steel when you attach those parts.

 

Thankfully, some of the parts are optional. The kit covers almost every variant of the machine over several decades in service. It has options for the control panel doors and the radiator covers being open, complete with all the interior detail. It would be fantastic if I could find a clear image that shows where the Houchin was connected to XR219, but some images show such a mass of cables and pipes from various machines and monitoring stations, I rather think I shall just keep it simple! I only have so much patience. My diorama will be shortly after the aircraft had been towed to the testing apron, and before everything was connected up.

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4 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

You know that thing when you think you know something, go and check to verify you know it, and find you didn’t actually know it at all?

 

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Having pointed me at that excellent site for vehicle drawings, the closest I can see that refueller might be is this one I think https://mickbellplans.com/2020/03/24/leyland-hippo-19h-1e-truck-fuel-servicing-aircraft-10-ton-6x4-2500-gallons-avtur-avgas-pressure-open-line-refueller-mk-3/

 

As you rightly suggest, Road Transport images do something similar in the form of https://mickbellplans.com/2020/03/24/leyland-hippo-19h-1e-truck-fuel-servicing-aircraft-10-ton-6x4-2500-gallons-avtur-pressure-refueller-500-gpm/ I reckon that one could be turned into the former if one felt so inlcined!

 

Then again I can look at that picture above, and be baffled by the windscreen which looks full glazed. May just be the image quality.

 

Forgive my nerdiness on this one, I have a thing for RAF refuellers!

 

Terry

 

 

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