Making a wheel profile tool - turning the master.
Despite owning several wheel profile tools bought from eBay I thought it might be fun to make my own. First of all I did some research, and found this article on the Manchester Model Railway Society...
View ArticleMaking a wheel profile tool - turning the forming tool.
Now that I had a pair of masters (see here) I could use them to make the forming tools themselves. Like the masters they're made from 16mm dia. silver steel.The first job was to turn the outside...
View ArticleMaking a wheel profile tool - testing the tools.
The proof of the pudding is, as they say, in the tasting. So the first job to do after the forming tools were finished (see here) was to turn a pair of wheelsets.My usual method is to turn a wheel...
View ArticleNew Mills narrow gauge.
In the yard of Canal Foundry, on Albion Road in New Mills opposite the sweet factory, is some inlaid narrow gauge track from what must have been a handworked system. I know little of this yard apart...
View ArticlePST/Zebrano Gaz-03-30 Soviet City Bus - bodywork.
I started the bodywork by firstly filling some sink holes in the body sides with Vallejo putty;In the photo above the upper side has been filled and rubbed down whilst the lower part has just had...
View ArticleMeridian Models/Mosskito Narrow Gauge Billard T75D - part 6 finishing off.
Once the red paint had dried (I gave it several years) I could then brush paint the footplate and cab interior and fit the exhaust. Then the window frames were masked off and painted black by hand;I...
View ArticleAnother A1 Models diesel - part 7 interior detailing.
With such a large cab and big windows there's really no choice but to add some interior detail. Firstly a floor was constructed from styrene sheet, raised to match the door bottom by glueing blocks...
View ArticleAnother class 03 chimney, this time in N.
A while back I turned a chimney for a 4mm scale class 03 diesel shunter for a friend. Recently the same friend wanted another, but this time in N gauge. I still had the drawing that he supplied last...
View ArticleAnd another 03 chimney.
After publishing my last post concerning making an 03 chimney in N gauge I was asked if I could make another in 4mm scale. So I did;It's a pretty simple part to make (I've made one before in 4mm), but...
View ArticleA new volume knob for a valve amp.
I like music, there's usually something playing in the house, and as part of that I have an interest in hi-fi. A recent purchase was a valve amp, bought from a chap that retired and needed something...
View ArticleA lamp housing for a GVT coach.
I was recently asked if I could turn a lamp housing for an N Brass Models Glyn Valley Tramway coach, in fact the same kit that I attempted some years ago. There's nothing supplied with the kit, and...
View ArticleSmint tin controller
I do enjoy using my mustard tin controller, and I decided that I'd like another but built into a smaller tin.Construction is exactly the same (refer to my earlier post linked to above for details), the...
View ArticleCorrugated iron pump house.
This simple structure sits next to the River Wye and the A6, just outside Buxton. I snapped it today on a bike ride, and thought I'd share it here as it would make a nice model;It would appear to be...
View Article3 point track gauges
I plan to make a small 006 (6mm gauge, 4mm scale) 'pizza' layout, and for that I will need a pair of three point gauges to lay the track with. As nothing is commercially available for this gauge (as...
View ArticleThumb nuts.
Thumb nuts are oversized threaded nuts designed to be finger-tightened and are usually knurled. Most of us will have used them at some time, they're usually found on pairs of compasses for example...
View ArticleRail bender
I need a rail bender for a project, to suit code 40 rail. As far as I can tell nothing is available to suit code 40, so I made my own. I already own a KB Scale bender, but this is made to be used with...
View Article006 pizza - baseboard
I've finally decided to not only build a layout but also to realise a long standing ambition to build one in 006, that is 4mm scale using a track gauge of 6mm to represent 18" narrow gauge.The...
View ArticleCopperclad sleeper gapping jig.
For my 006 pizza I'm going to use copperclad sleepers, cut from strip using my NWSL Chopper. Copperclad does of course need 'gapping', making a cut through the copper in the middle of the sleeper to...
View Article006 pizza - track and electrics.
Before I laid any sleepers I marked out 4 circles using a pair of compasses. These were used to show the positions of not only the running rails but also the sleepers. I then drew a series of radial...
View ArticleA Busch 'Bauwagon' in 006
As a starter for my 006 project I've converted a Busch Feldbahn waggon to 006. The Busch system is HOf, and uses a gauge of 6.5mm. So all I've done is to replace the wheelset with one made using my...
View ArticleDogleg Jenny and the Staedtler Compasses
Dogleg, or Jenny, calipers are used for marking a line parallel to an edge;Although they are very useful I find them to be rather crude for fine work, mainly because of the lack of fine adjustment....
View ArticleUnimat 3 self-centring 4-jaw chuck
Most 4 jaw chucks are independent, that is each jaw can be moved individually to accommodate odd sized work (square, rectangular, or just weird or to hold round work with a higher degree of accuracy...
View ArticleA first 006 diesel - footplate and chassis.
Any layout, even a humble 'pizza', needs a loco, otherwise it's just a diorama. So I'm building one. This is purely freelance, and is just a 'quickie' for testing wheels and trying out ideas, so don't...
View ArticleA first 006 diesel - cab
The cab is based, at least in size, on a Ruston as per the Meridian kit but with slightly larger windows and a door fitted to the opposite side. The 4 sides are cut from .030" plasticard, with one...
View ArticleA first 006 diesel - bonnet
For the bonnet I looked towards Matchbox, specifically their Drott Excavator. I have a couple of broken ones knocking about, acquired just for cutting up, and one donated its bonnet and engine after...
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