Petermac's Railway

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

I'm sure that whatever amount you get, they'll look good.

You have far too much unfounded faith in my abilities Peter !!


If it all goes belly up, it's down to Phil ….

Yep, I think that's fair enough.  ;-)

So, progress shots are due shortly….No Pressure  :doublethumb

I'm still waiting for my plastic sheets - this is France you know - hardly known for rushing things ……….

Yes, I know, just putting you on the spot  

The beauty with Hattons is that they delive pretty quickly to France, so not much wiggle room on that spot then Peter!

Bill

Ah yes, but fortunately, there's a lock-down of sorts here so, with any luck, post will be running late ……..

One of the drawbacks with being based outside the UK I guess. I always seem to find I start a build only to find I run out of just the material I wanted. Depending on the source, UK, China or other it can be quite a delay. Currenty awaiting stuff from China that says mid December to mid January anticipated delivery. No wonder we end up with so many projects started but not finished - well that's my excuse anyway.

It can indeed be a problem Dave although, as Bill said, Hattons are usually very good with deliveries to mainland Europe.

Not sure if that will continue after December 31st …….. :hmm

I'm anticipating delivery of my Wills random stone sheets this week but, during the wait, I've been thinking about the techniques reqiured to fix the facing to the card formers.

Thinking about it is, I'm sure, much easier than actually doing the job will prove to be …………………..

I've never handled the Wills sheets but have read that they're "heavy duty" and difficult to cut.  Scoring several times before "cracking" should not present too many problems for straight cuts.  The arches will not be quite so easy to cut.  I do have a scroll saw (powered fret saw) and wonder if this might work.  Often with plastic, power tools create too much heat and tend to melt the plastic.  What are your thoughts on this Phil ?  Remember - I'm much better at cutting concrete blocks than delicate engraving on expensive shotguns ……………………

Also, as the viaduct is curved, I'll need to bend the parapet sheets - the pier faces are of course, not curved so should be quite easy.  Will I need to soften them in hot water and clamp them to a former to induce the required curve ?

I also read that Michael (Headmaster) used Deluxe Rocket card glue to stick his plasticard timber "fret" to the card skeleton on his houses - would that hold something as tough as Wills sheets to my card backing ?

I'll need to do lots of further reading before tackling a paint job but firstly, I need to fit the sheets !!

Wills sheets are thick and tough, scoring and snapping is ok but you need to score deep. I wouldn't use any kind of power saw, your best bet is a piercing saw, the blades come thick to thin, 00 to 08, hold the sheet firmly to the bench with one hand and cut downwards with the other, let the blade do the cutting, so no pressure and don't twist the saw.

"V" file or cut with a blade, many lines to bend the sheets.

Thanks Phil - from that, I take it softening in hot water either won't work or is not advised.

I should have a piercing saw somewhere but fear I may have to buy a replacement - at which point, the old one will turn up !!!

 Sounds like I've got a lot of cutting to do …………………..

Forgot to ask - do I just "over cut" to allow space for the edging stones on the arches ?   Do the sheets have an appropriate run of stones for this purpose ………..?

Make sure your saw is actually a piercing saw and not a coping saw.

All the sheets are identical so when one sheet butts up against another on a corner the stones won't match up if that's what you mean?

The edges need to be cut at 45 deg like a picture frame, then when glued, and a small file to make the groove carry on throughout……or cut a V on the back and fold as I mentioned in an earlier post, this will continue the stonework around the corner. The stonework (corners) under the bay window is folded.

W1 SS76 Wills corner quoins are an alternative and realistic method for getting neat corners……..the bodgers friend….I  have used them a lot:shock:
Would it be possible to post a picture of a piercing saw? North American carpentry terms sometimes differ from the UK

Bomme chance Peter!

The corner stones on viaducts are not really coins, which we think of on houses, so, if these are used, the sheets need to be cut to fit the coin stones so they are flush which is not an easy oporation!

This is the best picture I have of the saw.

Thanks Phill...now I know what to look for!

I have one of those with abundant blades, all ready for chassis building, but had it delivered to a friend's UK workshop with some other goodies and am looking forward to being able to collect it sometime next year.  :sad:

Hopfully Peter, you will find yours before then!

Bon courage mon ami,

Bill

I think the blades come in packs of ten? You are best buying a pack of fine and course, with the fine it's possible to cut around individual stones, or bricks, window/door openings etc, this saw is needed anyway to cut out the arch of the viaduct, I use an Eclipse PS51 but sometimes a more set back frame is better for large pieces.

Having seen that photo, I think mine may well be a coping saw - or maybe even a fret saw………….

At least I won't have to start until I've ordered a saw - anything to put off the evil day ………………….. :chicken

I can see my original idea of finishing the viaduct between breakfast and lunchtime might be pushing things a bit.  I could always just have a concrete embankment …………………………………… :hmm

Hi Peter
If you remember my oast house build, that was normal Wills sheet which I softened in hot water and formed around a pipe.  However, it is also glued to said pipe.  I'm not sure it would keep its curve without quite a bit of help.  Others who have done it would know.  There is a flexible brick sheet for lining viaducts, but I don't know if you would want brick inside the viaduct.

I don't think Rocket card glue would be strong enough to keep the heavier Wills sheets to card.  I've used Gorilla Wood glue, despite what people say about such glues (I presume it is a PVA) and also UHU, both of which have worked. 

When I have cut curves (admittedly small ones rather than big arches) I stick a card former to the rear of the sheet and then use this as my pattern for cutting and then tidy up with a file.  Wills advise drilling small holes along your line and then cut them and file.  But that is a lot of drilling!

Michael

Drilling holes, filing etc…..a piercing saw will cut whatever curve, wavy line etc etc in one go, after you get the hang of it, the line cut can be near perfect, all that's needed to get it perfect is a some light filing.
I use this saw to cut birds, animals scroll out of gold, silver etc and very small so a viaduct wall in comparison is a piece of cake:)