Tullygrainey

In the cold hard light of day this morning, I could see the boiler was too long (still!) More butchery careful fettling dispensed with an unnecessary 6 scale inches of boiler. Still a bit long but then, so's the chassis but it looks better now, to my eye at least. Alan School of 'measure once, cut as many times as necessary'

That won't help the waistline either!

That works a treat! They look really well. Very convincing. Thanks Darius. I’ll try that. Pies! There goes the waistline.

I bottled out of buying a Dremel years ago and bought a cheaper alternative. Bad move. Its minimum speed is still too fast for delicate work and I've done more damage than enough with it. A reminder that it's always best to avoid cheap tools. I knew that but it didn't stop me!

Thanks David. After marking it out, I drill a few strategic holes and roughly cut out the unwanted bits with a piercing saw, a little way inside the lines. Then I file the edges back to the lines. This is where those Valorbe Swiss files earn their keep!

Still making progress despite the usual scratch-building shenanigans - boiler too long, then boiler set too high, then lowered boiler fouling wheels. Among other things. I rolled the boiler (10 thou brass) before adding the tank tops so I knew how much space would be needed between them. Having the boiler also allowed me to get the firebox (more 10 thou brass) the right width to match. This has plumber's solder puddled inside the joint to give some meat for filing its curves. Tank tops, fitted and soldered to the cab front. 0.45mm and 0.7mm brass rod for the beading. Smokebox saddle is 15 thou nickel silver with a captive nut in its baseplate. Smokebox wrapper is 10 thou brass. The boiler had to have a very large hole hacked in it to clear the rtr chassis, even bigger than this in the end. Beginning to look like a locomotive at last. The chassis will need some TLC. It's full of brass filings Alan

Regarding sprung buffers, I would echo the comments above. They can ease things on curves and prevent the derailing that can happen when rigid buffers clash. I fit my scratch builds with sprung buffers from Alan Gibson and always try to make them work. I've lost a lot of springs to the carpet monster though...

Sending my hopes and best wishes to you and your family John for recovery and a calmer time ahead. Alan

It's a worry isn't it. I'd hate to think we'd have to give up kit or scratch building because we can't get wheels any more, not to mention all those other little details that are difficult to make from scratch like buffers, chimneys, domes, axle boxes and so on. We might have to find a new hobby I'm no good at knitting and jigsaws don't really hold my attention.

Not much to choose between them, quality wise, I would say. The Sharmans have the advantage of coming with the crankpins already moulded in. The Gibsons have a hole pre-drilled and the crankpins cut their own thread as you screw them in. There's always the risk of them not going in square, at least when I'm doing them Sharmans on this little RSH shunter.

Your assessment of the supply situation for 4mm wheels is about right in my experience. Markits are unavailable either directly or from secondary suppliers like Wizard or Roxey Mouldings as their supplies run out and Ultrascale lead times are extremely long. I did manage to get some Sharman wheels from Phoenix Paints who bought the tools to make them but their stocks are running out now and they don't intend to do any more production runs because the tools are worn out. Alan Gibson seems to be almost the only reliable source left now. I've nearly always used Gibson wheels for my steam loco builds and I buy them directly from Gibsons. I find their service reliable and I've never had any difficulty getting what I need from them - my last order was October 2024 so things might have changed since then regarding availability. Delivery times can vary a bit depending on whether or not things are in stock at the time of ordering but I've never had to wait an unduly long time for anything. I'm no expert on wheel profiles but I think the Gibson flanges are small enough for Code 75 track. Alan

White metal kits are pretty challenging to build so I'd advise caution. As Eoin says above, you need low melting point solder and it's very easy to melt the metal while trying to solder it. Even with a temperature controlled soldering iron, I've managed to vaporise white metal parts all too often. Brass and nickel silver are a good deal more forgiving and, to echo Andy's comments above, you can usually undo and redo joints without much damage to the metal itself.

What a little beauty. Wonderful work!

Oh yes! One to be proud of David. It really looks the business. I can appreciate how challenging it is to build outside frames and cranks so more power to your soldering iron. And that chimney and that dome are mini masterpieces. I’ve enjoyed watching it all take shape.

All the above is sound advice, especially the recommendation to start simply. Building any etched kit is challenging when you first attempt it. Be prepared to make mistakes and get things wrong but don't be discouraged. Hang in there and it will come good. It's all part of the learning process and we all have failed projects in our repertoire (and in a bottom drawer). It's difficult to generalise about London Road Models kits. As you can see from their website, the catalogue includes kits designed and originally marketed by many different people, some a considerable time ago. However, LRM has updated and improved them in line with developments along the way so you can be sure they are all of serviceable quality. The only LRM kit I built, a L&Y Barton 0-6-0 was well made and straightforward to build - at least it would have been if I hadn't been trying to convert it into a Belfast and County Down loco. Have a look at High Level Kits website. There are some very nice small engine kits there as well as chassis kits to fit under ready-to-run bodies. High Level's kits also have the best instructions I have ever seen. You can download these from the website to give you an idea of what's involved. I'd also endorse Eoin's booklist above, especially the work of Iain Rice. It was his writing that inspired me to give kit-building a go. I suspect both are out of print but second-hand copies can be found - try Abebooks. As regards tools, an exhaustive list of 'essentials' would probably break the bank! For myself, I gradually built my tool set up over time, buying things when I found I needed them. For example, I only acquired a pillar drill when I began scratch-building. Having said all that, there are a few things you'll need from the get-go, a soldering iron being the obvious one. As Mol says above a 25 watt iron will do the job and I managed without a temperature controlled one until fairly recently. It's impossible to build an etched kit without a set of broaches for opening out holes and a few needle files for fettling and tidying up so I'd recommend those as essentials. In general, buy the best you can afford. Welcome to the community of modellers with burnt fingertips. It can be a frustrating activity but it's also hugely satisfying. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Alan