Page 18 - March April 2002

CONSTRUCTOR’S CORNER...
PREPARING &
PAINTING BRASS
MODELS
Alan Corkill
The latest radar sets in 1947 had 27 safety interlocks all of which we had to short out before we put to sea, otherwise the sets would never work and we’d be left doing 30 knots in thick fog between rocky Greek Islands or something else the travel agencies don’t tell you about. Safety is relative, not absolute. If it’s got your number on it, it’ll get you! Twice the great V2 rockets fired, at London missed me by half an hour or so - wrong number! Laws, rules, regulations, guidelines etc. can never prevent people killing themselves with a rope or a bucket of clean tap water if they really mean to do it. And I was taught at school to have proper respect for all chemicals. This was just as well as one could buy nitric acid, acetone, cyanide (you signed a form) and even such extremely dangerous things as aspirins and paracetamol in unlimited quantities!
Today the things most likely to damage your health include resin-cored solder fumes, unleaded petrol (contains benzene) and the NHS. It is best to assume ALL paints and thinners give off harmful fumes - but those containing XYLENE and other chemicals are extremely dangerous if splashed on skin of hands or face. CANCER of internal organs is possible. It is unsafe to wash hands in WHITE SPIRIT or any other thinners. All painting and gluing must be done in a well- ventilated room or place and if any food must be kept anywhere near it must be very carefully protected. Empty mugs must be turned upside down and washed before use. Obviously you should not leave a cup of coffee sitting right in front of a working aerosol or spray gun! Paul Schopp died of lung cancer after professionally painting models with xylene-based paints for 36 years - he was lucky to get away with it for so long but others may succumb very quickly.
So what CAN we safely do?
STRIPPING & CLEANING: NITROMORS is a good alkaline stripper which hasn’t yet been banned by Brussels, but splashes on hands, face and in the eyes could cause considerable pain and possible damage. Treat with care and do not breathe fumes.
“CAR PLAN” WATER WASHABLE PAINT STRIPPER is, I find, quicker and slightly less messy to use but the same warnings apply. ACETONE (nail varnish remover) has a biting odour and it takes paint off like magic - but you can’t buy it any more. CARBON TETRACHLORIDE smells rotten and is now regarded as so dangerous you can’t even whisper its name. It used to be used for dry cleaning everywhere at one time. Having got the old paint or varnish off, dry the model in a hot air stream, then inspect with a magnifying glass and a sharply pointed needle. Look for paint still clogging up small holes and nooks or
CHIVERS
FINELINE
On30 KITS
Brian Gilbert
The components used in these kits are polystyrene mouldings. These kits follow what I would describe as Standard British wagon kits in their method of construction in that they consist of:
1. Floor.
2. Two chassis longitudinal members.
3. Two Truck mounting bearings.
4. Two truck body bolsters.
5. Two Body sides.
6. Two end plates or buffer beams
except there are of course no buffers.
7. Handbrake wheel and rod (The wheel looks like a lost wax brass casting).
The trucks again follow British practice in that each truck consists of:
1. 2 side frames of the Archbar pattern.
2. Four brass bearings.
3. Two end cross-members.
4. Two brake beams.
5. Four brake shoes.
6. Two pairs of 9.5mm wheels with non-
magnetic metal axles.
The kits are advertised in the Continental Modeller. I decided to build the stake wagon and the gondola. Both vehicles use the same basic set of parts, the gondola
having in addition to the stake car two each body sides and ends.
Construction centres around the floor which has the brake wheel pawl moulded on the floor at both ends one of which needs to be removed with a scalpel.
The under floor construction is as follows:
Cement the longitudinal chassis members to the floor insert between these the two truck bearings, add the truck bolsters then add the buffer beams followed by the sides.
Construction time is about 2 hours total spread over a couple of evenings to allow the cement to dry out.
The most important part of the construction is to ensure that the two truck bearing mounting faces are parallel to the floor otherwise your trucks will not sit on the track correctly.
The mouldings are well detailed bearing, in mind the price of the kit (£12 each.) The floor has a planked surface on both sides. The end plates have reinforcement plates over the coupler area. The sides have the stakes and stake pockets moulded, as are the foot steps at each end. The cars measure 3.5 “ overall which equates to 14ft, in 1/4” = 1ft. scale. Width 1.5 “ (= 6ft) and follow no particular prototype. Kadee No. 5 couplings and boxes, mounted on the kit coupler pads, lined up with the Kadee height gauge with no problems. As an alternative to the Bachmann and other more expensive On/G kits I think that these offer value for money.
18 ROUNDHOUSE