Nickel Plate 762

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Asteamhead
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello Jack,
Looking incredible good 8)
Asteamhead
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JBodenmann
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Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Thank you Asteamhead. But then your modeling always looks good too. Very good I must say!
Jack
Rob Gardner
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by Rob Gardner »

Regarding Larry Goldsby's C&O T-1 Texas, other than Jim's driver castings, Larry did make a lot of other patterns and cast a lot of parts but still fabricated much of the engine including the cylinders, cradle and trailing truck frame among others.

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JBodenmann
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here are a few snappies of progress on Jim's Berk. In the top photo we have the lagged steam line to the air compressors and the air balance line over the top of the boiler that connects the air reservoirs. Then some various views of the engineers side piping. The last two show the fireman's side. You can see how the running board supports hold the air reservoirs and piping in place. Some 180 degree reverse bends are needed and these are on the way from Patrick at California Locomotive. Piping is a very important part of a locomotive model and is one of the aspects many of us judge a model by. Piping is mostly all hand work and can be quite a challenge at times. It often involves putting it together, taking it apart many times. Sometimes you won't know if the part made will fit until after it's threaded and bent... :x Make it over...I hate it when that happens. The large radius reverse bends leading to the 45 degree union ell and Y fitting were made more than once to get the radius just right. I had to make a new for die for my tubing bender to get it just right. The Nickel Plate Berkshires just bristled with bits of eye candy like this. That's part of what makes them such a fascinating model. There is much of this same baloney on the 3/4" scale J1e, just half the size. Having fun here.
Jack
Attachments
Air1.jpeg
Air2.jpeg
Air3.jpeg
Air4.jpeg
Air5.jpeg
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kcameron
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by kcameron »

What did you use for the lagging wrap on the pipes? It reminded me of the old style fiber electric tape.
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NP317
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by NP317 »

Exact same question and impression here on the pipe wrap.
What did you use?
Gorgeous detailing, as usual.
RussN
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JBodenmann
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
The pipe wrap that was used here is plain old garden variety friction tape from the hardware store. The stuff they sell to wrap tool handles for a better grip. Hence the name friction tape. It can be ripped to any width you like as it comes off the roll. Then it's wrapped around the piping trying to keep the wraps as even a possible. Then it's given a shot of paint. One little trick that makes the piping stand out is to use a slightly different finish than the rest of the engine. For instance if gloss is used for the boiler jacket and such, semi gloss will be used for the piping. Or semi gloss for the jacket and satin for the piping, especially on steam piping. Another finishing dodge is to paint the jacket and then finish the fire box wrapper with a slightly lighter less glossy finish. Sometimes just a satin clear coat will do the trick. This creates the appearance of heat and stress having affected the fire box area. This is a very minor detail that many will not even notice but makes a difference concerning the overall picture, or illusion that we are trying to create. This should be subtle, and if too apparent, it has been overdone. These are simple little things, but the difference between a good model and a remarkable, one is what I call the extra ten percent.
See you in the funny pages...
Jack
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NP317
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by NP317 »

Jack:
Thanks for sharing your wisdom again.
Cool stuff.
RussN
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JBodenmann
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is something you may find useful. As our models have lots of piping, pipe clamps can be useful. Sometimes cast ones were used and sometimes formed bar stock clamps were used. The Berks have air piping clamps of both styles. Here we will be making the formed ones. The top photo shows a clamp set up for two pipes. The upright is .062" steel, the clamp material is .030" steel. The bolts are #2-56. The next shot is of the forming die. Just a lump of aluminum with a machined slot. The depth of the slot should be the diameter of the pipe plus one material thickness .187" pipe plus .030". The width of the slot is pipe diameter .187" plus two thicknesses of pipe clamp material .060" plus a few thousandths clearance. The top corners of the slot were softened with a file slightly. Then the strap for the clamp is set on the die and a piece of round stock the same diameter of the pipe is used to mash it with the arbor press. This should form the metal strip quite nicely. If you don't have a press you could use a vise for this.
Attachments
Clamp1.jpeg
Clamp2.jpeg
Clamp3.jpeg
Clamp4.jpeg
Clamp5.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Now we are getting somewhere. The formed bits were marked out and drilled for the bolts and then cut to length and de burred and the corners slightly rounded with a file. Metal finishing is an important aspect of doing good work. Chamfering all edges, rounding the corners and then a zoom with the buffer makes your parts really look pop. It's easy to over do the corner rounding, it should be subtle. Then over to the Foredom buffer using a #80 brush wheel. Eighty grit sounds harsh but these little brush wheels are very gentle and #80 grit performs more like #220 grit. I use this little buffer on most any little part to give it a beautiful finish. Even though most of these parts will end up being painted it makes all that raw metal on the unfinished model look really good. You can get these buff wheels and also the buffer from a cool company called Rio Grande. They are mainly a jewelers supply, but have a fantastic range of high quality tools and supplies that us model builders can use. See you later alligator.
Jack
Attachments
Clamp6.jpeg
Clamp7.jpeg
Clamp8.jpeg
Clamp9.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is what's been happening with Jim's Berk. The later Nickel Plate Berkshires had three sources of electricity. One turbo generator for the Mars light. Another for most everything else, cab lights and such. And a turbo alternator for the radio. The turbo alternator used the steam end from a K2 generator. Then there was a special bearing housing and foot that mounted to the K2. A flex connector, and then the alternator. This whole mess sat on a large bit of channel iron with some feet welded to it. Not near as elegant as the cool casting for the rear generator on the other side, but that's what they did. The alternator is something that Jim whipped up in the computer and had Shapeways make. Aint technology grand! The K2 parts are from one of our model builder friends in Australia. The functional K2 came from him too. I can't remember his name but his generators are the cat's meow. The flex connector is just something I cobbled together. The Berks just bristled with cool little baloney like this. Too much fun!
Jack
Attachments
Dynamo1.jpeg
Turbo Alternator.jpeg
Flex Connector.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Re: Nickel Plate 762

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is a little trinket that has been added to Jim's Berk. He provided me with some cool little bits and pieces that he drew up and had Shapeways spit out. Things like the main valve body here. Also the air operating cylinder, and the pivoting mount that it fits to. The pivoting mount has an adjustment screw that moves it up and down as an adjustment. You can see the adjusting screw sticking down in the second photo. The whistle bell is from our dear departed friend Barry. The shroud and guide roller are just something I made up. There has also been quite a bit of piping going on the engine. Mainly all the air lines for the reservoirs and cross compound pumps. Fortunately Jim provided me with all the piping drawings for the engine. That helps tremendously, no looking at grainy old photos trying to figure things out. More little baloney for the Berk. It just goes on and on.
See You In The Funny pages...
Jack
Attachments
Whistle1.jpeg
Whistle3.jpeg
Whistle4.jpeg
Whistle2.jpeg
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