Lost Property

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David B
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Lost Property

Postby David B » Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:07 pm

This thread is for things that don't have a home.

I have been making a complete sow's ear of applying some strapping to my fish wagon. I won't go in to detail but I had to remove the offending pieces (two of them) and, of course, the nice clean side of the wagon was smeared with solder.

I have added two tools to my box - really expensive items that came from scrap!
Scrapers_0374.jpg


Last year, at Railex I think, I was chatting with Paul Hutfield of the Bristol Group. The conversation was about soldering and cleaning work. Somewhere along the line the use of brass to clean brass came up. Eminently sensible. Steel, as in scalpel blades and chisels, is harder than brass and scratches it. Brass being the same hardness (or as near as) does not scratch brass.

So I found this lump of brass - 23 x 10 x 2mm - filed one end so that to was straight with a slight bevel and lapped the bottom to make it flat. The second 'chisel' is an off-cut of etch 1mm wide which I fashioned with a file.
Scraper_0375.jpg


I took a picture of the wagon side but the camera does not adjust to the light as well as one's eye and the result did not show anything worthwhile, but I can tell you that the solder has been removed, even from around two rivets, and with a little help from a glass fibre brush I have a nice clean area ready to muck up again!

Thank you, Paul.
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David B
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Jewellers' tools

Postby David B » Sun Sep 04, 2016 10:17 am

A couple of tools I picked up recently from my favourite tool shop, the Tool Box in Colyton. The business is up for sale but so far, there have been no takers and it looks as though we might lose it. I have bought a number of useful old tools over the years together with taps (£1 - £1.50) and dies (£3 or so) for 8BA to 14BA.

Tools_1761.jpg


The tool on the left is a jeweller's cog wheel puller. The plunger in the centre is spring loaded. As you then push the handle, the jaws go behind the cog and gently pull it off. This was expensive - £12.50 but I couldn't leave it in the shop!

The pin vice on the right is beautifully worked and the jaws pristine. £3. I have already used this to hold fine wire I am using for rain strips.
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David B
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Lamp storage

Postby David B » Sat Feb 04, 2017 4:46 pm

With the advent of the marvellous Modelu loco, side, tail and signal lamps, you might need to find a convenient way of storing them.

How about re-using old cases previously used for contact lenses?

Lamp-storage_2352.jpg
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Tim V
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Tim V » Sat Feb 04, 2017 5:11 pm

I don't wear contact lenses, but perhaps there's a market for used ones?
Tim V
(Not all railways in Somerset went to Dorset)

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Allan Goodwillie
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Allan Goodwillie » Sun Feb 05, 2017 9:10 am

Hi David, :)

I like the idea of the brass scrapers, I have been finishing some locos lately using my usual steel scrapers with the occasional marks they tend to leave behind, I will try out your idea on my next loco with a mix of brass and nickel-silver scrapers.

Thanks! :thumb

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John Bateson
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Re: Lost Property

Postby John Bateson » Sun Feb 05, 2017 9:27 am

Speaking of scrapers - I have found that warming up the area to be scraped makes the scraping easier. I use a little solder cream (in my case Nealetin) and apply a soldering iron. The solder cream is usually very easy to remove with the usual fibre brush after the main areas to be removed are finished.
I suspect a domestic hair dryer would be as effective if I was allowed to use it.

In my case the scrapers are
a) an old dental tool
b) a scriber suitable sharpened at the flat end as needed

John
Slaving away still on GCR stuff ...

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Allan Goodwillie
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Allan Goodwillie » Sun Feb 05, 2017 12:05 pm

That's interesting too John, :)

I would not have thought of heating to soften the solder and using a hair drier to do it, must try it too. I have a set of burnishing tools which can be used with Jeweller's rouge and, if that is not available, soap, which can be used to take out any blemishes after I have used a glass fibre brush or a brass brush which I sometimes use.

At the stage of washing to get rid of any flux. I use a basic toothpaste and toothbrush to clear the surfaces as the aluminium oxide leaves the surface in a good state and there are no traces of flux. Sometimes the cheapest is best as it is not mixed with other materials which might leave a film of some kind which could cause problems later.

Before painting I also use an old airbrush with some abrasive powder which scours the surface and makes it slightly, microscopically rough before painting as I find it helps the paint to get a good grip.

David Orr was over the other day and we were discussing this very topic as he is making his first chassis - one of Chris's for a J72 and we were discussing this very thing. I have covered it in my starters group topic on building chassis. I am sure this thread will elicit a few useful tips so I will make a link to this thread as it develops as it will probably complement what I am doing with them. It will also get them into looking around the site as it covers a multitude of interesting things and things born out of experience.

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David B
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Useful tools

Postby David B » Tue Oct 10, 2017 9:59 am

I have done a couple of demonstration sessions this year, the last at Scaleforum. Much interest was taken in a couple of tools I was using. Several people have told me since that they have bought one or both of the following an found them very useful.

1. Hackle pliers by Veniard, from your local angling shop. They come in two types: standard (on the right) and easy grip with comfortable brass pads. Cost: around £2.50 / £2.75. The grip is quite strong and the jaws are nigh parallel. I have a pair of each.

hackle-pliers_2955.jpg


2. Ceramic tipped tweezers. These I bought off Ebay for about £3.50 a pair. A product of the vaping business, the jaws are heatproof to 1600oC which makes them ideal for soldering. There is no need to mess up the tips of metal tweezers, heating and cooling them which ruins the temper and distorts them. I also find glue does not stick hard to the ceramic jaws when dry and can easily be removed. One point though - don't drop them or push too hard with them or the tips will chip. The jaws are replaceable - if anyone can find replacement tips, please let me know as I have not found any yet!

ceramic_2956.jpg
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Rod Cameron
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Rod Cameron » Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:48 am

I could see those ceramic tweezers being handy for 3-link coupling and uncoupling for those, like me, who don't get on with hooks but still have to put up with residual magnetism.
Rod

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David B
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Re: Lost Property

Postby David B » Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:01 pm

Not one of the most fascinating, interesting or stimulating pictures I have taken, but the subject matter is very useful.

Small dishes for bits are useful and I came across this one in Wilko. It has a rubbery base, is 9cm square and 4cm tall. Cost - 80p. It is called a Small Drawer Organiser - there are one or two larger types as well.

dish_g3639.jpg
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Enigma
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Enigma » Mon Sep 23, 2019 7:14 pm

First time I've visited this thread but the mention above of heat guns is interesting. If anyone watches 'The Repair Shop' on BBC 2 you might have seen the repair of an Antimony jewellery box with low melt solder (Antimony has a very low melting point) and the guy doing it used a high temperature heat gun (a paint stripping gun?) so as to avoid touching the metal with a solder iron bit. It seemed to work well on what was quite a long joint. Anyone used this technique on a white metal kit?

Terry Bendall
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Terry Bendall » Mon Sep 23, 2019 7:28 pm

David B wrote:Small dishes for bits are useful


Yes they are but being mean I tend to use any small plastic boxes or trays that I come across. Examples are the clear covers on Oxford Die Cast vehicles, boxes that business cards are supplied in and other small containers that might otherwise go in the rubbish bin. For larger items, margarine tubs and ice cream tubs are also useful especially for kits under construction. If the lids are used everything is kept together and clean. A felt pen takes care of identifying what is inside and they stack nicely on a shelf.

Terry Bendall

Philip Hall
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Philip Hall » Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:24 pm

A useful source of small trays has been the little plastic dishes that airlines put their puddings in. From the good old days when you got a meal, of course. Also I have used substantially made boxes that chocolates are supplied in.

Philip

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steve howe
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Re: Lost Property

Postby steve howe » Fri Sep 27, 2019 1:55 pm

Not that I eat much take-away nosh, but nowadays more takeouts seem to come in shallow plastic containers with lids. The deeper ones will accommodate a tank loco or tender-less loco for safe storage, while the shallower ones are ideal for all those bits that come in kits. I also have stashes of scenic materials in them.

Phil O
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Re: Useful tools

Postby Phil O » Tue Oct 01, 2019 12:08 pm

David B wrote:I have done a couple of demonstration sessions this year, the last at Scaleforum. Much interest was taken in a couple of tools I was using. Several people have told me since that they have bought one or both of the following an found them very useful.

1. Hackle pliers by Veniard, from your local angling shop. They come in two types: standard (on the right) and easy grip with comfortable brass pads. Cost: around £2.50 / £2.75. The grip is quite strong and the jaws are nigh parallel. I have a pair of each.

hackle-pliers_2955.jpg

2. Ceramic tipped tweezers. These I bought off Ebay for about £3.50 a pair. A product of the vaping business, the jaws are heatproof to 1600oC which makes them ideal for soldering. There is no need to mess up the tips of metal tweezers, heating and cooling them which ruins the temper and distorts them. I also find glue does not stick hard to the ceramic jaws when dry and can easily be removed. One point though - don't drop them or push too hard with them or the tips will chip. The jaws are replaceable - if anyone can find replacement tips, please let me know as I have not found any yet!

ceramic_2956.jpg



I have 3 pairs of ceramic tweezers each with different ends, I bought them as a set on Ebay for around £3.50 from China. I would point out that the tips hold the heat for a while.

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David B
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More Useful Tools

Postby David B » Tue Apr 21, 2020 7:22 pm

After more than 4 weeks in lockdown, I have finally made it to the modelling bench. I have a couple of wagons to finish - of which more anon - but today I needed to tackle buffers. The kits have sprung buffers, each kit a different version and neither of which can I work out how they go together. The solution has had to be one I made up.

In order to solve the problem, I wanted some short pieces of round tubing with an inside diameter of about 0.8mm. I have none in stock and am not going to order a single length so looked in my box of metal sections and came up with some square tube in to which the buffer ram (0.8mm) will just fit. The next job was to cut 4 pieces just over 3.5mm long.

When dealing with little bits, the problem is holding the material which is where an earlier purchase came in useful - a jeweller's mitre jig. Mine (illustrated below) holds material at 45o and 90o but it is possible to buy others with more angles. Notches take square material and there is a stop against which flat or round material can be lined up. The clamps are not cheap, but in situations like these prove invaluable. The main piece of tube is clamped at 90o but just below it is a piece which has been filed to 45o. The clamp is hardened steel so you can use a saw or file against it without causing damage. Some are illustrated here on the Cousins UK site, Cookson's, Tools'n'Tools and, of course, Ebay.

Also in the image, propped on a buffer is an escapement file I bought a few years ago for an eye-watering price from Derek Russan (Eileen). It is square in section and 0.95mm at it's widest. I have used it mostly for opening coupling hook slots but every so often other situations like this come up and I am so pleased to have a tool to do the job.

Jewellers clamp_C8663.jpg
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Will L
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Re: More Useful Tools

Postby Will L » Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:47 pm

David B wrote:...Also in the image, propped on a buffer is an escapement file I bought a few years ago for an eye-watering price from Derek Russan (Eileen). It is square in section and 0.95mm at it's widest...

Its an "Seconds" file David, escapement files are rather larger and come in lots of shapes like miniature needle files. Both these and escapement files have both currently disappeared from Eileen's web site. They are still available from Jewellery tool suppliers like Walsh. I wouldn't be without mine.

David Knight
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Re: Lost Property

Postby David Knight » Tue Apr 21, 2020 11:17 pm

An interesting looking clamp David. I could have used something like it recently as I’ve been making bearings from brass tube for pulley wheels on a Langley model of a Ruston face shovel. The white metal castings are a bit soft and the holes not always true due to registration problems so bearings are needed if the model is going to work at all. I’ve muddled through but this looks a better way.

Cheers,

David

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David B
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Re: More Useful Tools

Postby David B » Wed Apr 22, 2020 7:11 am

Will L wrote:Its an "Seconds" file David, escapement files are rather larger and come in lots of shapes like miniature needle files.


Thanks, Will. I understood the smallest ones to be for watch escapement movements but I am clearly wrong. The naming of files and cuts is a subject completely beyond me. A file either takes off metal (sharp) or does not (blunt). I find the different shapes useful. ;)

Terry Bendall
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Terry Bendall » Wed Apr 22, 2020 7:32 am

David B wrote:The naming of files and cuts is a subject completely beyond me.


The next part of my series Starting from Scratch, due out soon, may assist.

Having said on here several times about learning something new everyday, I have today learnt about "Seconds" files and escapement files neither of which I have come across before so that is useful.

The clamp that David shows looks interesting although a lathe will do the same sort of job when short parts with ends at 90 degrees are needed, albeit a much more expensive option. Simple plain bearings is one example. The 45 degree function is of course something that a lathe could not do.

Terry Bendall

FCA
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Re: Lost Property

Postby FCA » Wed Apr 22, 2020 11:38 am

Returning to the original topic for a moment, cleaning solder from brass, one simple method I use is kitchen roll (scratch free!).

Simply heat the part to be cleaned with a hot iron and wipe with a wad of kitchen roll while the solder is still liquid, surprisingly effective. Burnt fingers can be avoided by brewing up a homemade peg clamp; (http://www.2mm.org.uk/mag0897/clamps.htm) to hold the workpiece.
More obstinate excess solder can be dealt with using solder wick.

Whenever I can I tin brass components and clean them in this way to give a better surface for subsequent painting.

Richard

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David B
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Re: Lost Property

Postby David B » Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:33 am

Will corrected me, a few posts above, on the name of the small files - seconds - and I see H S Walsh has them in now. Sit down before following the link and seeing the price!

Round: https://www.hswalsh.com/product/file-round-seconds-hand-hole-hf131

Square: https://www.hswalsh.com/product/file-square-seconds-hand-hole-hf132

I view these as investments because even though they only get used occasionally, when they are used, they are invaluable. The slotting files under 'Related Products' might also be useful though I do not have one . . . yet.

Whilst on the subject of small, useful files, a selection of these nut files from Stewmac are also part of my tool kit which are used periodically. I have 10, 13 and 20 thou, near equivalents to the thickness of brass and nickel silver sheets. The only drawback, if indeed it is one, is that the cutting edge is rounded. It's a very long address so I have shortened it: Nut Slotting Files

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Will L
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Will L » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:05 pm

David B wrote:Will corrected me, a few posts above, on the name of the small files - seconds - and I see H S Walsh has them in now. Sit down before following the link and seeing the price!

Round: https://www.hswalsh.com/product/file-round-seconds-hand-hole-hf131

Square: https://www.hswalsh.com/product/file-square-seconds-hand-hole-hf132

Those are actually at good prices, they have often been more than that for some years now. What I don't understand is why the square one always seems to be so much more than of the round one. As David said, invaluable, the only thing that will do some jobs.

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David B
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Re: Lost Property

Postby David B » Sat Aug 08, 2020 2:36 pm

A number of years ago, I found for some job or other I could do with a pair of pliers which would work around something which obstructed the use of flat-jawed pliers, often on underframes. The solution I thought would be a pair of jaws that were hooked. I have mentioned the idea to a few traders and thought of suggesting the idea to Expo but never got round to it. At long last, after years of browsing tool sites, I have found a pair.

hook-pliers_g3727crw.jpg

They are (technically) hooked jawed Conner gem setting pliers. I got mine from Tools'n'Tools for £7.99. One jaw is larger than the other but it can be ground or filed down.
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Re6/6
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Re: Lost Property

Postby Re6/6 » Sat Aug 08, 2020 5:02 pm

Thank you David. Very useful indeed.
John


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