I finally took the plunge and fixed the firebox to the footplate

In order to do so, I needed to attach the firebox in two planes, to the footplate and to the cab front. I was sure that If I attempted to use adhesive for both it would be a recipe for disaster. In so much as I would end up with epoxy smeared where I didn’t want it on either the cab front or the footplate.

To overcome this, I made up a plate that fits inside the firebox with two studs in it (1x 10ba and 1x 8ba). They pass through the cab front and are secured by nuts within the cab. They are hidden by the back head when it’s in place.

Knowing that I could stand the footplate on blocks of wood cab side down and put epoxy on the bottom faces of the firebox print while being able to slide into final position on the cab front made it so much easier. Finally two 12ba screws held the firebox to the footplate while it set. The plan was to remove them and replace them with studs that will screw into the holes and then hold the two lower firebox pieces into place until the epoxy sets on those too. Leaving the studs in place will give a degree of mechanical strength to the glued joints too. You can see these studs in the photo above as I took the photos after I had fitted the firebox.