New Sections on this part of the forum?

[Andy Clark]

There seems to be a substantial level of chatting on this part of the forum. I wonder if those of you interested in Modelworks would like some new subsections here? "Known Issues" sounds like one idea.

What do you all think? I'm happy to help so just let me know your thoughts.

Andy

[mott]

Hi Andy, As one who has been detailing the woes of my 14XX, maybe a section specfic to the 14XX would be an idea, and another for the Britannia perhaps. The trouble with "Known Issues" is that it covers such a wide field. I also like the idea of drawing a clear disticnction between Winson models and ModelWorks ones. The string recently about an alternative view of ModelWorks create a good debate.Mott

[Andy Clark]

Two new areas set up - post there and enjoy. I'll migrate the old message threads over in due course.

Andy

[Andy Clark]

OK old threads on the 14xx and Britannia now moved into their own dedicated areas - share and enjoy.

Andy

[pannierstan]

Nice one Andy ;D

[Phil Sutton]

Very Handy,Andy! Just the job.Wonder why none of us thought about this before?

Phil

[mott]

Phil, I know how you got this high Karma. Its because you keep in with our administrator - handy andy!! Mott

[Phil Sutton]

Hi Mott.No,actually to get extra Karma you need fiends in high places,not by making puns about our esteemed leader! ;D ;D

Phil
(always check your karma!

[mott]

Whats a pun?

[ericcee]

Modelworks Bagnall.
I succumbed to the attractions of this little loco at Harrogate last Sunday and the first four kits arrived yesterday. So far, everything looks pretty good (with just a few reservations about the machining of the port faces on the cylinders).
Is anyone else out there working on one - and would it be worth setting up a new section?

This is only my second post but I have been regularly reading, learning and enjoying!

Eric C.

[Andy Clark]

I'll put up another section for the Bagnall if there's sufficient interest or if a single builder is interested in narrating their experiences here.

Andy

[ericcee]

Thanks, Andy.
Let's wait to see what interest there is - I can't be the only one daft enough to commit to this MW loco, can I?
In the meantime - a brief update. I've completed the assembly of the mainframes without any problems. But the cylinder port faces continue to worry me - there are distinct machining marks in the cast iron where I would expect it to be very smooth, and these have (of course) to mate with the gunmetal valves which look nice and smooth. Can anyone advise me on this - or should I raise it with the MW technical support people?

Thanks again,
Eric C.

[baggo]

Hi Eric,

If the machining marks are not deep you can remove them by carefully rubbing the port faces on a sheet of fine abrasive paper on top of a piece of plate glass or a surface plate. LBSC used to recommend doing this and I finish off my port faces like this. It leaves a nice flat and matt surface. If you give the slide valves the same treatment they will quickly bed in and form a good seal. Polished surfaces will never bed together properly.

If the machining marks are very bad, I should send the castings back! It's probably worth giving Modelworks a ring in any case just to see what they recommend.

John

[ericcee]

Thanks, Baggo (or John!),
This is exactly the sort of help tyros like me can get from this forum. I had thought of using valve grinding paste on plate glass, but I'll try first with the finest wet & dry I've got. I especially appreciate the tip about polished surfaces not bedding together - it's not what I would have expected.
It's our club (Sunderland) AGM tomorrow evening, so I'll ask the experts there as well, but I think I will also contact Modelworks, just to make sure I haven't got a rogue pair of cylinders.

Thanks again.
Eric C.

[baggo]

Hi Eric,

re the polished surfaces - it's like if you fit new piston rings in a car engine etc. You have to 'glaze bust' the cylinder bores which basically means roughening the bores to get rid of the polished surface. If this is not done the new rings will not bed themselves to the bores and will never seal properly.

John

[ericcee]

An update on the Bagnall's cylinder port faces:-
Having read the advice in this thread, listened to the experts at my ME Club and spoken to Modelworks, the consensus was that I should try fine abrasive paper on a surface plate. So I set to on this task a couple of days ago. I used very fine wet and dry on an old surface plate, lubricated with a very thin oil and after less than an hour the port faces were just as I wanted them. I gave the slide valves a few minutes of the same treatment just for luck and they now fit superbly! Thanks for all your help. The cylinders are now fully assembled and on the frames.

I'd be quite happy to post occasional reports on progress with the Bagnall (with some pictures) in this or a new thread - if there is any interest. Having spent the last 40 years of my life trying to make big computers do useful work (as a "virtual" engineer!), setting up and maintaining a website is a learning curve I've no wish to climb, so this forum is the ideal place for this sort of information sharing, as far as I'm concerned.

By the way, I've not been twiddling my thumbs since I last posted on this subject - I've been building a lift table bought from Joe Holdsworth at the Harrogate Exhibition so that I can more easily handle the 170 lbs of my Maxitrak Jack. I'm very pleased with it and should have acquired one a couple of years ago!

Eric C.

[Deleted]

Hi Eric,

I'd certainly be interested to read occasional reports on progress with the Bagnall - maybe a post summarising each kit?

Regards, John

www.britanniabuilder.co.uk

[Andy Clark]

jj said:

Hi Eric,

I'd certainly be interested to read occasional reports on progress with the Bagnall - maybe a post summarising each kit?

Regards, John

www.britanniabuilder.co.uk

I have put up a new section for the Bagnall. It's no big effort to do this so do let me know if you would like others added. It occurs to me that there's some merit in having a section for each of their models to act as a pretty good resource for builders everywhere.

Andy

[Jason]

Hi Andy,

I would like to see a section for ModelWorks up and coming Duchess and if possible a section for ModelWorks Black 5.

Cheers

Jason

[Andy Clark]

jason said:

Hi Andy,

I would like to see a section for ModelWorks up and coming Duchess and if possible a section for ModelWorks Black 5.

Cheers

Jason

Both done now

Andy