Hi, Everyone,
I have a project where I'll be using some Cal-Scale lost-wax brass piping and I recall from some past experiences that the brass doesn't like to be bent very much.
I've done gentle radius bends and slight straightening out of the cast parts but in this case I may need to bend pipe into a shorter radius as you would see on a steam locomotive, scale 9" to 16" radius bends on 1" to 3" pipe.
Can it be annealed like other copper-bearing metals? Anyone have any tips or tricks?
Thanks, Ed
Some of the pipes in the photos below, the cold water pipe from the Elesco pump (the one above the cooling coil with a cleanout cast into it), and the hot water pipe from the heater bundle to the top-mounted check valve, are likely Cal-Scale castings:
As I recall, I heated them using a propane torch, then did the bending once they had cooled.Both of those locomotives were detailed for a good friend, and he supplied the parts, but for most of the ones I do for myself, I use regular brass wire or, for larger pipes, copper electrical wire of appropriate sizes.If you need lagged pipe, like that of the Cal-Scale castings shown above, there's a little info HERE on making your own. I used quite a bit of it on this one:
EDIT: Clicking on the photos will show the same picture on the photobucket site, and clicking on the magnifying glass icon above the photo there will yield a full-screen image.
Wayne
Thanks, Wayne! That's excellent information. I have always admired your top-notch work!
As long as I have your attention and you posted the photos of the CN steam, I wondered if you could give a little information on how you scratchbuilt your great looking CN "wedge" numberboards. I'd like to do a GTW Mikado soon and I'll need a numberboard such as the ones you so skillfully depict.
Thanks again, Ed
Thanks for your kind words, Ed.
The triangular number boards are built-up using various thicknesses of sheet styrene. The main body (the portion on which the numbers are placed) is a piece of .060" sheet styrene about .370" wide at its rear face and roughly .270" front-to-back, with the almost-pointy front about .060" wide. I use solvent-type cement to add a rough-cut and oversize piece of .020"thick styrene to the front and rear faces of the body, then, working on a hard surface (glass), use a sharp knife to "snick-off" any excess material which extends beyond the top and bottom surfaces of the body.
(This "snicking" is done with the portion being cut face-down on the cutting surface. Use firm downward pressure with the knife to make the cut using only the pressure and try to keep the bevel on the blade perpendicular on the side against the work - this gives a clean cut, without the raised edges you'd get using a slicing motion.)
Next, the edges of the .020" material need to be trimmed - this is done in the same manner, but leaving some of .020" standing proud of the side (number) surfaces....it's meant to represent part of the raised edge that surrounds the entire number area. Probably the best way to ensure that all edges protrude the same amount is to hold a piece of .010" material against what will become the "glass" over the numbers, and use it as a guide for the knife, again using the "snicking" action. Next, cut two small triangular pieces, to be used on the top and bottom of the numberboard. They should be larger than the number board, but don't worry about the exact measurements, as they'll be trimmed once in place. Cement one of them to the top (or bottom - neither is yet defined) using solvent-type cement, aligning one edge with the back edge of the main part. When the cement has hardened, a few minutes at worst, use the blade to snick-off excess material from the front edge, using the face of the material added previously to guide the blade, then repeat this on both sides, using the pieces added previously at the front and rear to guide the blade and again keeping the bevelled edge of the blade perpendicular to the work. Repeat these steps to add the other piece, completing the border around the number area.All of the brass detail pieces of these numberboards have a raised circular detail on the top - likely an access cover should the light need to be replaced. I use a punch to clip an .080"-.100" disc from .010" sheet styrene, and cement it in place. You could also slice a thin piece from suitably-sized styrene rod. To mount the numberboard to the smokebox, I drill the back of it and the smokebox front to fit a .030" or .040" brass wire. After trimming the wire to length, it's soldered into the hole in the smokebox (from the inside), then ca is used to affix the numberboard to the protruding portion of it.
After the locomotive has been painted and lettered, I give the "glass" area of the numberboard a couple of coats of thinned Glosscote, applied with a brush - one quick, light pass so as to not disturb the decals for the first coat.
There's a thread HERE showing the 2-10-2 under construction, and just after the start of the photos showing it in primer, there's a frontal view which highlights the raised edges of the numberboard quite nicely - it probably explains the description of the build and all that "snicking" better than my lengthy attempt with words.
I think that there may be a hollow brass casting available from Miniatures By Eric of these triangular numberboards, if you want one that can be illuminated, but you're on your own there, as none of my locomotives have lights.
If I were to build a lighted version, though, I'd make the body from plexiglass, laminating the styrene pieces onto it as described, then use LEDs or fibre optics for the lighting.
Thank you for the detail-specific instructions on the numberboard, Wayne. The particular engine I want to "customize" is a Broadway Limited USRA Light Mikado that I installed a WOW Sound decoder in (former Blue-line) and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite engines! It runs flawlessly and looks pretty good for being a plastic superstructure.
As you can see from my avatar, I have a particular fondness for the GTW 4070, nee 3734, nee USRA 373. Alco, December 1918 (same month my dad was born!)
I found the casting by Eric. http://www.miniaturesbyeric.com/collections/ho-detail-parts-l-to-p/products/n3-cnr-steam-number-board
I think a scratch build will work just fine, though.
Always glad to be of assistance, Ed.
Here's a BLI USRA Light Mikado which I did for a friend. The number makes it an S-1-b, done from a photo found on-line:
She didn't necessarily want a particular locomotive, but just a generic CNR engine with an Elesco fwh and a vestibule cab. Oh, yeah, and definitely not too clean: