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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder 
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With my Coaling Plant project nearing completion, I felt it was time to make a start on its companion; an Ash Handling Plant. I found some plans on the internet and set about adapting them for my purpose. Mine will only be a single road plant, mainly due to lack of space on the layout for anything more! As the plans drawn up in Sketchup 8 for the Coaling Plant were so successful, I decided that this was again the way to go. I scaled up the internet plans to give me the approximate dimensions, then tweaked them where necessary as I went along, taking into account the thickness of plastikard, etc. The overall height will probably be about 207mm but I still need to recheck some dimensions before building can start. The following images give some idea of how it will look, but I haven't included stairs, hoist rails, cables, or other similar details:     Perry Last edited on Sun Jan 9th, 2011 09:37 am by Perry |
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henryparrot Former Member
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Perry Showing my ignorance here if its an Ash plant i assume an engine drops its ash at the back of the plant and it goes up a conveyer or something at the back and is dropped in the big hopper then wagons are pulled underneath the hopper and the ash is dumped into them is that roughly right? Brian |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The loco drops its ash through grilles in the ground into an undergound hopper, at the bottom of which is a skip. When the skip reaches a certain weight, the automatic control gear, situated in the cabin at the very top, closes the grilles and hoists the skip up to the top hopper on rails - a bit like the wagon hoist on the coaling plant - then tips the ash into the top hopper. The top hopper is discharged through the two outlets into wagons waiting beneath. The dust this must have created can only be imagined!  The plans can be found near the bottom of the page at http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17094 Perry Last edited on Sun Jan 9th, 2011 09:56 am by Perry |
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owen69 Former Member
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just as a matter of interest, most of the ash from these plants was used in the preperation of ladies cosmetics, powders and lipsticks being just two!!    |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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I wasn't aware of that, Owen. Perhaps I should build a cosmetic factory on the layout. They could have the ash delivered while it is still warm! Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The two loco road sides have been cut out of 0.040" Plastikard and the upper two sections of the legs fitted to each. All the different angles made it quite a tricky job. The legs are made from 4.8mm square 'Evergreeen' sytrene strip. The cabin floor has been partially cut out of 0.040" Plastikard but still has to have the stair access sorted out. The most complex sub-assembly of this project is going to be the two outlet chutes but I will use Sketchup 8 again to provide the dimensions and angles required. Maybe I'll post a couple of photos tomorrow when there's a little more to see. Perry |
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Alan Former Member
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Can't wait that long Perry  |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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I'm not intending to go into too much detail about this build, because it is similar in many ways to the Coaling Plant project - but smaller! I decided to build the main body of the plant and cabin as sub-assemblies and then to fit the lower legs and rails, etc, later. The lower legs would be too easily damaged during construction otherwise. It looks as though they will have to be pinned and glued, but I'll decide that later. The first photo shows the work so far:  The two peculiarly shaped panels at the front will form two faces of the upper hopper with some small spacers to fit at the bottom where the outlets will be. The four straight pieces are the lower legs and the other panel. at the rear, will be shaped to form the cabin deck. The main structure, on the right, will eventually be raised onto the legs to allow space for locos to pass beneath.  This side-on shot of the main structure shows the differing angles that make it such an interesting build. Even the panel joining the two sides has an angle in it about two-thirds of the way along.  In this photo, one of the hopper sides is being test-fitted. I have installed a pices of plastikard behind it that serves two functions. Firstly, it provides a locating ledge to glue against, and secondly, it provides a double thickness of plastikard at the top edge of the hopper which would have looked too thin otherwise. The legs are made from 4.8mm square styrene strip and the remainder of the structure so far is all 0.040" plastkard. Perry |
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Wayne Williams Member 
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That Sketchup 8 appears to be a great tool Perry. I just realized that it is available for a Mac computer, so I have downloaded it. Still very lost in how to navigate all the controls though. Great start on the Ash bin. It seems you have been working on the drawings for awhile now or is sketchup that fast? Wayne |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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With a little practice, Sketchup 8 is very quick to use. I drew up the plans for this model in a couple of hours. There are lots of tutorial videos available on the internet, both on the Sketchup site and elsewhere. A quick Google search will turn up plenty. That's how I learned the basics. .............................................. I have fitted the hopper chute plates and plated in the undersides with 0.020" plastikard.  Please excuse the dust in this shot. I've got a bit more cleaning up to do! To join the two side plates, I made up two little 'plugs' for 0.040" material. I cut two 12mm squares and two 10mm squares and laminated them like this:  They they slotted neatly between the two angled side plates, giving me a locating edge all round to hold them in position and to provide a good glueing surface. The remaining four angled plates were made rom 0.020" plastikard, cut slightly oversize, them trimmed back after being fixed in place with solvent. Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Work on the cabin has progressed, with the window frames yet to be completed. The cabin floor has been shaped to accomodate the access stairs. In the following photo, the cabin and it's floor are only stood roughly in position and are not yet fixed.  Apart from that, the main fabrication is almost complete. I have the lower legs to attach and stairs and handrails to add, along with the skip rails and hoisting gear. A few more details to add and the job will getting towards the painting stage. I'm planning on having a day soon priming lots of stuff, saving having to clean out the airbrush too many times. Perry |
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Marty Enjoying the Journey 
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Stating the bleeding obvious... but for those that haven't yet had a go with sketchup... The big advantage of using sketchup as a modelling tool is that the drawing commands in the software allow you to think about the construction of the project and how it will all fit together, highlighting problems and pitfalls that might appear during construction that can be solved in virtual reality... long before expensive plasticard is cut and glued. I used it when setting up the module standards and recommend it to anyone contemplating scratchbuilding anything complex. It didn't take me long to work out the commands, mind you I use graphic design software in my day to day life, and once up to speed enjoyed the process. The coaling and ash plants are going to be imposing models in your MPD Perry, looking forward, as are you I'm sure, to seeing them painted and in place.  |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Thanks for the kind comments, Marty. Thanks also for your endorsement of Sketchup 8 (SU8). Identifying potential problems with construction was something I hadn't really thought about, but it really is true. I thought I was only using SU8 for design, but thinking about how to put the drawing together does actually make one realise where problems might crop up. Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The window frames and the door of the cabin have been completed and it has been given a quick coat of primer. I want to paint the window frames before I glaze the window. The bottoms of the legs on the upper structure were flattened by drawing the whole sub-assembly across a piece of abrasive paper on a sheet of glass. This will ensure that all the lower legs have a level and flat surface to adhere to. I'm going to tape the four legs together in a bundle and do the same with them. Once all the mating surfaces are flat and true, I will tape the legs to a sheet of glass, one pair at a time, ensuring they are parallel, and then glue the upper section in place. Once dry, I'll turn the whole lot over and repeat for the other pair. Perry |
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MaxSouthOz Admin 
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Very impressive, Perry. Is there a prototype on which you are basing this unit? Not being British, I've not seen anything like it. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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If you check out this link, Max: http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17094 and scroll down past the coaling stage part, there is a photo and plans for a similar ash plant on there. IMy model is based on, but not identical to, a structure like this. As with coaling stages, it seems no two were identical anyway, so as long as the required elements are present, it ain't gonna be wrong! Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The lower legs have been fitted, along with the trim strips to pack out the width of the legs to align with the sides. The cabin floor has been trimmed and fitted, but the cabin itself is not yet glued in place. The cabin window framing was made from 11 pieces of microstrip, glued together with solvent. The glazing was added after painting. There is still a bit of cleaning up to do, but this is how it looks so far.....  Work will start on the skip hoist hardware soon. Perry Last edited on Tue Jan 11th, 2011 12:56 pm by Perry |
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MaxSouthOz Admin
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Very impresive, Perry. No wonder you chose them. |
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phill Hello 
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As always a pleasure to share the Master Craftsman's work . Lovely chubbly as always,  Thats going to look great on the GWR MPD  Phill Last edited on Tue Jan 11th, 2011 04:49 pm by phill |
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Janner Former Member
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That's very impressive  it's coming on really well.The one thing that I can't really work out is why the ash towers needed to be so tall  |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Janner wrote: That's very impressive It needs the height to allow for a loco to pass underneath, some height for the discharge valve units, a tall enough hopper to make it able hold sufficient ash to make it worth doing, and height for a cabin on top to hold the hoist winch and associated gear. Add all those up and you've got a pretty tall structure. It's still dwarfed by the coaling plant though! It does seem to be, to coin an old phrase, a 'sledgehammer to crack a walnut', but in an MPD servicing a large number of locos on a daily basis, there must have been a huge amount of ash to deal with. This solution was presumably more efficient than some men with shovels. I'm glad it was, because it will make an imposing addition to my layout. Perry |
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Janner Former Member
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Thanks for explaining that Perry, makes sense now  |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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I feel like my eyeballs are out on stalks! I've started fabricating the skip hoist gear and needed to make up a pair of brackets. I've just cut the first twelve pieces to size, but it's very fiddly. The four back supports are made from 0.030" square strip, cut 20mm long, and the eight horizontal bracket plates are made from 0.020" plastikard. The plan below shows the dimensions. They're fairly small!  O.K. My eyeballs have now retracted back to their normal positions. Onwards and upwards! Perry Last edited on Wed Jan 12th, 2011 09:23 am by Perry |
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MaxSouthOz Admin
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I know how you freel, Perry. Mine were on stalks after Jeff posted the picture of his sister in her cricket gear. |
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wogga Knows nowt about prototypes 
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The instructions in this Kit are a bit poor Perry, are sure you everything in the box? |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Sorry. You stick part 1 to part 2, then you stick part three to part four, then you stick parts 1 and 2 to parts 3 and 4 ......well, you get the idea!  The build for this project is similar to the coaling plant in many ways, but simpler and smaller, so I didn't think there was much point in going through the same stuff again. If anyone has any questions, ask away. I can't promise I'll know the answer, but if I don't, someone else on here will! Anyway, back to the Ash Plant. My photographs of the plant at Carnforth show what appears to be a 'planked' surface inside the hopper, so I fitted some suitable embossed plastikard in the back and inside both sides to represent this. It probably won't show up on photographs, but I know it's there. This is the Carnforth plant:  I made up a pair of brackets consisting of eight small pieces of microstrip each as mentioned in a previous post. These were allowed to set hard, then attached to the front of the plant. These will support the skip rails. The skips rails were made from some 1.6mm diameter plastic rod. These were bent carefully to shape by hand, working a little at a time to prevent overstressing of the plastic. I needed two pairs of rails, two inners and two outers. I made up one pair to fit the main structure, then made the second pair to match the first as closely as possible making sure the cross supports were fixed in mirror image. The inner and outer rails were then set 4mm apart, using some scraps of plastikard as temporary spacers. They were assembled on a sheet of glass, as is my usual practice. Once they were set, I attached them to the brackets with tiny dabs of tube polystyrene cement as this gives more time for adjustment than solvent - which basically doesn't give you any! Four small rectangles of 0.040" plastikard were glued up to make the skip receiving box at the foot of the rails. That's about all for today. It all needs to dry hard overnight before I do anything else. Here's how it looks so far. The cabin is still not fixed in place yet.  There's not really that much more to do now. A few little brackets and rods here and there, the hopper discharge outlets, stairs and handrails, and Robert is your mother's brother! Perry Last edited on Thu Jan 13th, 2011 02:47 pm by Perry |
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phill Hello
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Cant wait for this to go the GWR lsyout, lovrly job Perry. Think i exit stage left Phill I reckon the only way you could improve this is to make it a working plant, |
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Petermac Admin 
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It looks the business Perry and thanks for explaining what the box at the bottom was. On that point, how does the whole shooting match work ? Do they tip ash into the box and hoist it up to the hopper ? How does it get into the box in the first place - by hand and where from ? As I think you've said earlier, but I'd hate to be around when they discharge the ash from the hopper into trucks ............ Maybe they could have saved some cash and just put women under the shutes rather than having to go through that lipstick stage mentioned by Owen ............ |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The box at the bottom actually surrounds a shaft that on the prototype goes down into the ground. The skip, after being emptied into the top of the hopper, decends on a cable along the curved rails into an underground hopper, passing through the box. It sits there in the lower hopper until a weight sensor in the cabin decided it's full and hoists it up again to be emptied. One presumes that the box was primarily there to stop railway workers from either falling down the shaft or being struck by the skip when it was being raised or lowered. The ash from the locos is dropped and/or shoveled through grids at ground level, either beside or between the running rails - not into the box. The ash slides down a shaft, that connects with the skip shaft, into the underground hopper, collecting in the skip. There were up to three parallel roads (tracks) connected by dumping shafts to each skip hopper, although my model is a single road example. In that case all the shafts met in the underground hopper. The hoisting mechanism automatically shut off the grids so that ash being dumped onto them couldn't fall into the lower hopper whilst the skip was not there. Once the skip was empty and back in place, the grids opened again allowing the flow of ash down the shaft(s). I have considered making a skip and fixing it half-way up the curved rails, but I think it might look too 'static'. I will probably just run a cable from the cabin winch (yet to be built) down into the box where it will 'disappear' into the shaft, representing the (unseen) skip in its lowered position. These structures were very hi-tec for their time and very cleverly designed and engineered. Most of the structure was cast concrete. Perry |
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ddolfelin Straight man to the stars. 
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"very cleverly designed and engineered" As is your model. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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ddolfelin wrote: "very cleverly designed and engineered" I only copied what they designed and built. I've done a little more construction work. The hoist rails have had the remaining braces and brackets added. The skip receiver box has been fixed in place. I realised that it may be possible to see through the window into the cabin when the model is on the layout, so I'm building a winch to go inside. In the prototype it was sited just inside the window, so I think it's needed. I can drop the cable down through the floor (again, as per the prototype) and thence down between the hoist rails into the box - where I can pretend it disappears undergound. I may put a small bench or table in the cabin too but I don't know if it will be visible, so I'll have to experiment to see if it's worthwhile. Next are the stairs and handrails, plus one or two finishing details and that should be it. More photos today or tomorrow, hopefully, depending on distractions and disturbances over the weekend. Perry Edit: Oops! Nearly forgot: I've still got to make the outlet valves too. Last edited on Sat Jan 15th, 2011 04:40 am by Perry |
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owen69 Former Member
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Peter, I could be wrong here, but I think the ash was damped down before discharged into trucks, in my case it was not in a hopper but washed through a channel then dredged into trucks.  |
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Petermac Admin
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That would certainly kill the dust Owen and, thinking about it, reduce the volume massively. It would make a lot of sense. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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I'm fairly sure that the coaling plant and the ash plant were both equipped with some way of spraying water whilst discharge was taking place. I have been unable to obtain any idea of how the arangements for this would have looked, so I've left them off. Progress today has been much better than I expected.  I made two discharge outlets from some hexagonal plastic tube - a ballpoint pen originally. The ladders (sorry, I think I said stairs earlier) have been fitted, as have the handrails around the platforms. I've used up my remaining stock of yoyo string to make the cable and installed the winch. Apart from a very short **section of handrail that can't be fitted until the cabin is fixed in place, I think construction is just about finished. I think there's a risk of doing too much to it, so I'm going to call it a day. Here are some photos of the (** almost) finished model:    The cabin has been removed to show the winch.  The winch can be seen through the window. The short section of handrail to the right of the cabin remains to be constructed after the cabin is fixed in place. The lot has to be allowed to set hard before painting can start. O.K. That's another little scratchbuild project completed. If you enjoyed it half as much as me, then I enjoyed it twice as much as you! Perry |
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Michael Thornberry Former Member
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Hello Perry, Excellent modelling. It's been a pleasure to follow this and the previous building. What next I wonder - a Coking-Plant and Cooling-Tower or something lower so that we can get-rid of our stiff-necks from looking-up too much, Kind Regards, Michael Thornberry. Last edited on Sat Jan 15th, 2011 11:13 am by |
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John Dew Full Member 
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Superb Perry.......quite brilliant. Its the absolute precision which both impresses and depresses me Kind Regards |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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John Dew wrote: ............Its the absolute precision.......... I wish! I strive for, but never achieve the standard I seek.Thanks for the kind comments though. Perry |
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Chubber Casseroled Badger 
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A1 model engineering, Mr P., and thank you for posting the "'OwIdidits'" too. Doug |
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Wayne Williams Member
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Perry wrote:I wish! Perry, Now that was one super build. I know what you mean by never achieving what you know you can do. I think you and I are from the same mold. (You just have more experience than I do.) I really enjoyed watching this go up. One thing I've noticed from your work. I think I am still using too much solvent to make my bonds. I will strive to correct that. Wayne |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Thanks for your kind comments, Wayne - and everyone else, of course. One thing that might interest you about the coal and ash plant builds is that I found that I used more 'tube glue' (polystyrene cement) on these than I would usually use on a 'normal' four-walls-and-a-roof building. I didn't use it exclusively though. There was still a lot of use for a dab or two of solvent, about which more later in this post. The reason for using more tube glue is that I quickly discovered that there were going to be a large number of small joints to be made that needed a good degree of strength and that also needed to be able to be adjusted for accurate positioning. With solvent, the part is held in place, solvent applied, and that's it, it can't be moved! Tube glue not only allows for this adjustment but, if a small amount is squeezed out into a small container - I use a milk bottle top - and left to 'go off' for a few moments before applying it, it becomes wonderfully 'sticky' and helps hold awkward pieces in place whilst they are poked and prodded into position. I apply it in tiny amounts with the tip of a cocktail stick to both surfaces wherever possible. If only one surface can be glued, then I apply it slightly more thickly. On the subject of applying solvent, I keep two brushes with my solvent bottle; one small and one medium sized. I choose the appropriate brush for the joint I'm making at the time. With the larger brush it's too easy to flood a small joint. Conversely, the small brush doesn't carry enough solvent to do the job on a larger joint. It's just one of the habits I have when I'm scratchbuilding, but it's often a lot of these little habits that make a big difference when they're all brought together. I suppose we all find our own special ways of doing the simplest things, but seldom think to tell anyone else about them because to us they are so habitual. I'm sure many of our members have little tips like that which are never mentioned - probably because we tend to think, "Oh, everybody knows how to do that." I'm probably the worst culprit. Even things such as how to cut microstrip and rod with a knife so that the tiny cut piece doesn't fly off across the room. We all know that one, I'm sure. Or do we?  Perry |
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Robert Legacy Member 
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Another good 'un for the Forum Index Perry. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Cheers, Bob! Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Working on the assumption that the Rule "No question is too stupid" still applies, I'm going to make myself look completely daft now. Serious question: When ash is cleared from the firebox of a loco, what colour is it? I have umpteen photos that show ash, but they're all in black & white! I'm guessing that because of the intesity of the burn, the ash is a very pale grey. Can anyone confirm this for me, please? I can remember the steam era, but not the colour of the ash. I always came home covered in soot - so I know what colour that is! Perry |
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ddolfelin Straight man to the stars.
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It would go darker when 'damped down', Perry. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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ddolfelin wrote: It would go darker when 'damped down', Perry. Yes, I appreciate that - thanks - but is it very pale grey when dry - almost white, in fact? I need to know the lightest tone I'm going to want when painting, as it's always best to work from light to dark in my experience. Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The cabin interior, including the winch mechanism, etc., was all brush painted and the cabin itself glued in place. Once that was set hard, the remaining short section comprising three pieces of handrail were cut from microstrip and secured in place with tiny touches of tube cement. The top area and discharge valves are now due for a coat of primer. Perry |
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shunter1 Member
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Perry wrote: Working on the assumption that the Rule "No question is too stupid" still applies, I'm going to make myself look completely daft now. Hi Perry. I agree Ash from coal burning is pale. Grey being the predominant colour. Although you will notice slight traces of light brown, spots of black even a slight reddish tinge in the ash many coals have a slight variation in mineral content. If you burn coal at home? study your stove/fireplace grate it will be close to what you are looking for. regards and goodluck with the paint job. Derek |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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I want to partially fill the hopper with some material that looks like ash - or that I can make look like ash. I want to be able to build up a bit of a profile or shape so that it looks as though the skip has dumped the ash onto the heap already in the hopper. I can't fit a false 'floor' with material already stuck to it, because the hoist rails and cable will be in the way. It needs to be some sort of material that I can pour in, shape, and leave to set. I thought about plaster, but am a little concerned about the amount of heat that it gives off when setting. Another possibility is crushed real ash, set with diluted PVA. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to the material I could use, please? Perry |
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owen69 Former Member
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the crushed real ash seems the best bet,nothing is better than the real thing. |
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ddolfelin Straight man to the stars.
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? powdered cork. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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owen69 wrote: the crushed real ash seems the best bet,nothing is better than the real thing. I wonder what funny looks I'll get if I go to my local preserved steam railway and ask for few grams of ash from their MPD? I'm up for it, though! I can then point out to visitors to my layout that the ash in my ash plant is the real thing, straight from the firebox of a steam loco.  They'll probably think I'm a real saddo who needs to get out more. Perry |
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Petermac Admin
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Perry wrote: .................................................... I might be inclined to let it cool a little first Perry ........... |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Very droll! Perry |
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Chubber Casseroled Badger
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Perry wrote: I want to partially fill the hopper with some material that looks like ash - or that I can make look like ash. I want to be able to build up a bit of a profile or shape so that it looks as though the skip has dumped the ash onto the heap already in the hopper. I'd hazard that Chinchilla Dust would do the job, grey very fine, especially if you sieve out the bigger lumps with a coffee/tea strainer. What's left over is good for ballast. If it's not fine enough, then send SWMBO out to the shops [You know,...'Woman! Go out and buy me more tobacco and porter, NOW!] and whizz some up in the food processor........................ Brave Doofer [She's walking the dog........] |
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shunter1 Member
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 He He, You could always use cat litter, The stuff sold in Liddels supermarkets is a nice light grey.Maybe Doofer,s suggestion send your good lady out for it? regards and the best of luck. Derek |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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All good suggestions. I'm gravitating towards using real ash at the moment, especially as it's free, but please keep the suggestions coming. Thanks guys. Perry |
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ddolfelin Straight man to the stars.
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You could take up pipe smoking. I had a friend who wanted to begin smoking. He started with patches. Last edited on Wed Jan 26th, 2011 10:38 am by ddolfelin |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The first couple of coats of a nice 'concrete' grey were airbrushed on yesterday. It's going to be interesting to try to get this plant to look right. The prototype would have been covered in coal-dust and general grime, but would also have a lot of pale-coloured ash on it, so achieving the right balance of light and dark tones might be tricky. Perry |
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phill Hello
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Just walk around the streets you find alot of fag ends on the floor, crush them and there is your ash, simples, Phill |
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Michael Thornberry Former Member
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Hello Perry, If you have a coal-fire sieve some of the ash that has fallen through the fire-grate and then you are using the "actual stuff" in miniature. Also good for sprinkling around the general locality. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your painting-spree, Kind Regards, Michael Thornberry. |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Apart from one neighbour who burns something very smoky on her fire, no-one else anywhere near me burns coal. It's all gas around here. I'm going to scrounge some from my local preserved railway. It will certainly be authentic! Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Having finished a few coats of pale grey paint, I have begun to apply the weathering layers. The first one, shown in the following photo, is a rough coat of Vallejo 'Grey Black'. This will provide a basis for the dirt and grime, but is not intended to represent the paler-coloured ash. This will be done later. I have tried to ensure that most of the darker paint is applied in vertical strokes, as if the grime has been washed downwards by rain and the elements in general. Several more colours and tones have yet to be applied.  The obvious patchiness and contrast between the two colours at present will recede as painting continues. For those of you yet to invest in an airbrush; imagine painting those guide rails and brackets by hand! It would take ages. This took seconds.Perry |
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Marty Enjoying the Journey
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Perry wrote:
I'm game to ask the obvious, especially after having to search around on the floor for .75mm x 5mm sections of styrene rod... how, oh wise one, does one "cut microstrip and rod with a knife so that the tiny cut piece doesn't fly off across the room?" |
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owen69 Former Member
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Marty put it on some sticky backed paper ,then cut it, just a thought! |
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phill Hello
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The question i want answered is how do you find the patience to work your build out and then build it? Phill |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Marty wrote: Perry wrote: Sorry - I had to chuckle; it was the "Oh, wise one" that amused me. I've been called lots of things, but never that. Assuming you're using a pointed craft knife blade, rest the tip of the blade on the cutting surface on the far side of the material to be cut, then pivot the blade downwards, ensuring that the tip of the blade doesn't move away from the cutting surface.  Sorry about the cr*p drawing of the knife. I was in a bit of a hurry. I hope this makes it clear for you. If not, let me know. Perry |
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Stubby47 Welsh exile 
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Or, you could put hand, knife, cutting board (a small piece of offcut cardboard) and material inside a large, clear freezer bag, seal the bag as much as is practical, then cut... Last edited on Tue Feb 1st, 2011 04:17 am by Stubby47 |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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phill wrote: The question i want answered is how do you find the patience to work your build out and then build it? Simply by breaking a project down into manageable-sized 'chunks', Phill. Projects such as the coaling plant or the goods shed do involve a lot of work and can be quite daunting if considered as a whole. No doubt you have seen me mention on here that I like to build things as sub-assemblies wherever possible. Part of the reason for that is that I only have a comparatively small task to carry out at any given time. I suppose it's like building several small projects instead of one big one, but it's just that they all fit together at the end. You will no doubt be familiar with the 6 P's; Prior Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance. That carries over well into modelmaking, because time spent planning a project is never wasted. Spend an hour planning and it can save you two hours in construction time - because you were able to work out potential problems very early on. Where do I get the patience? I think I get into a state of mind when I'm doing a really repetitive task in which I can concentrate on the task in hand but also switch off to the possibility of boredom creeping in. If I've got 50 identical pieces to cut, I don't start counting at No.1. I start at No.50 and count down. Isn't that how PTI's motivate folk? 'Just three more, just two more, just one more.........' Job done? The encouragement of the folk on here is also a great motivator. They want to see results, so I try to produce them. Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Stubby47 wrote: Or, you could put hand, knife, cutting board (a small piece of offcut cardboard) and material inside a large, clear freezer bag, seal the bag as much as is practical, then cut... Nah, that wouldn't work, Stu. His hands would suffocate! Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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The Ash Plant (of which this was originally the thread ) is now as complete as I can make it until it is installed on the layout. I can't fix or paint the access ladder until that's done as it will be too fragile. I've done some more very subtle weathering and may still add another daub of paint here and there, but I think these will be the final photos until it's on the layout.  The access ladder will eventually be fixed to the small platform about halfway up.  I've indicated some paler light ash dust that has settled around where the skip dumps it's load into the hopper. I think this emphasises the rails and brackets nicely.  Yes, there is a winch inside. I know most people won't notice it, but I know it's there! And that's supposed to be ash on the window sill. Once the final layout location for the plant layout is decided, I will need to put in a pit, with a suitable grille cover over it, between the running rails and another to one side, as per the prototype. I will probably use yet another Peco Inspection Pit kit, somewhat modified. The beauty of those kits, as opposed to a scratchbuilt pit, is that they have moulded 'chairs' to hold the rails in the correct position. As individual chairs are not available for Code 100 rail, (it's not flat-bottomed rail), I'd prefer to go with what Peco provide in their kit. O.K. That finalises another little scratchbuilt project. I'm not going to go through all the usual spiel here. I said it all at the end of the Coaling Plant thread and there's nothing else I want to add. Perry Last edited on Tue Feb 1st, 2011 11:23 am by Perry |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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I've just seen the Bachmann ash plant: http://www.bachmann.co.uk/ on their website. Scroll down the page about 2/3rds of the way. It looks very similar to mine - but mine didn't cost anywere near £79.95!!!!! Likewise, their Coaling Tower is £85.00!! Get scratchbuilding, guys. I've saved myself about £150. Perry Last edited on Thu Feb 10th, 2011 05:17 am by Perry |
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phill Hello
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Perry wrote: I've just seen the Bachmann ash plant: http://www.bachmann.co.uk/ on their website. Scroll down the page about 2/3rds of the way. It looks very similar to mine - but mine didn't cost anywere near £79.95!!!!! I have to say if i had a choice, yours or theirs i go for yours mate. It looks better and made with loving care not like theirs. A lovely build by the way, you are still the Master Builder on here in my book Perry. Phill |
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Perry Erstwhile scratchbuilder
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Cheers, Phill! Perry |
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