Category Archives: Tips n Tricks

More Wagon loads from Coffee Stirrers!

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I collected one of these at Leigh show from Paul at EDM Models
[img]http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Glues/Images/82439_small.jpg[/img]
Having got it I was keen to give it a try so having picked up an idea for another wagon load while watching the many youtube videos of Pete Waterman’s layout – (just got an infinity upgrade from my puny 1.2mb that I have suffered with for years which makes watching youtube an absolute pleasure!).
So this is what I came up with.

7mm scale Packing case made from Coffee stirrers

7mm scale Packing case made from Coffee stirrers

7mm scale Packing case made from Coffee stirrers

7mm scale Packing case made from Coffee stirrers

The nails are .3mm holes drilled and then touched with a pin point dipped in a dilute solution of Vallejo Charred Brown acrylic.
Regards Rob

Pipes……….

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I haven’t managed much time at the workbench recently but this week I managed a little.

Sometime back I posted some home made vacuum pipes and someone asked for a step by step next time I made some.

This is what was included in the kit – the whitemetal ones that is along with the fine beading wire that I use for creating the ‘ribbing’
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I started by measuring and cutting some 50mm lengths of 0.7mm brass rod.

I held each one in a pin vice with 25mm protruding and tucked one end of the beading wire down the small gap in the jaws of the pin vice.

Next I wound the beading wire around the protruding wire keeping the strands tight against each other until I had around 5mm left without binding.
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Holding the end still attached to the reel tight I soldered the beading wire in place then snipped the end attached to the reel.

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Removing it from the pin vice I snipped and tidied the other end up and slipped a 10mm length of annealed microbore tube over the long end. I also drilled a hole in the end of a strip of scrap and soldered it over the other end. Cutting it back and rounding each end once it was soldered in place.

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Being the tight Yorkshireman that I am when I use pinheads for rivets I don’t throw the shanks away. To create the ring around the top end of the tube I annealed a pin shank and wound it around the other end of the bound section on the long section (the end with the microbore tube on it). Finally snipping it off and soldering it in place.

Next I bent the section of annealed tube to right angles and finally I cut a length of shrink tube and shrank it over the top. I have to confess I am not sure about the shrink tube and I may end up cutting it off…..

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The last pair of pipes will be a tad harder because they have taps on them and I need to work out the best way to represent them – Last night I had a brilliant idea on how to do it but I blowed if I can recall it today………

A tip for use with acrylic paint.

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I made a start on another wagon last night and made a discovery that I thought worth sharing.

When using enamels I am aware of and have used the technique of using a cotton bud soaked in white spirit to remove unwanted enamel paint – as long as it hasn’t been on too long. I have seen examples of the technique used in weathering.

What I didn’t know or appreciate until last night was that you can do something similar with acrylics by using a cotton bud soaked in meths.

These are a few shots of the wagon that I am now working on that I used the technique on last night.
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It has quite some way to go but I feel that I have a bit more freedom to experiment knowing that even when it’s gone on quite thick and had some drying time it’s still maneuverable.