Wright writes.....

[Tony Wright]

9 hours ago, Willie Whizz said:

 

I'm guessing, but I imagine it's to keep down coal dust.

 

In the way that the fireman would use a slaking hose (I think that's the right description) to keep down the coal dust on the footplate.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[Tony Wright]

8 hours ago, Daniel W said:

Thank you to Polybear and PJT for their responses, i shall continue to use the brush as is. Thanks to RMweb i was fully aware of the painful nature of glass fibres that the pens shed. Usually i do the cleaning over some tinfoil to help collect the stray fibres.

I think the use of a glass fibre propelling pencil is an occupational hazard, Daniel,

 

I find them brilliant for cleaning up soldered joints; to the extent that I get through loads; accepting the 'needle' pains in the fingers.

 

I use them right down to the stump, even removing the ferrule at the end when the brush gets so low, so as to be able to use every last bit. 

 

I suppose the main 'danger' is a filament in the eye. Since I wear specs all the time, presumably, these offer some protection. 

 

One thing I've found is that there are at least two types of refills. Some I bought a while ago were useless. At first glance, they seemed nice and stiff, but once a bout of vigorous cleaning-up had started, they just went limp. 

 

I have to say, most pro-painters I know dislike them them. Despite most-through washing/cleaning prior to priming, there's always one that clings to an inside corner. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[St Enodoc]

2 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

At first glance, they seemed nice and stiff, but once a bout of vigorous cleaning-up had started, they just went limp. 

Must be an age thing...

[Bucoops]

A general rule of thumb I've found is if the ferrule is brass it's a limp one, if it's grey (steel?) it's a stiff one. 

[dibateg]

I abhor those glass fibre brushes and I never use them. The fibres get every where and stick in my fingers ( Tony would probably say I'm soft anyway! ) I tend to use emery sticks and a miniature circular wire brush in the mini drill.  

 

And my painters are happy, Paul Moore painted this for me. It's a CPL GW horsebox I built for a client. I keep saying to him if he doesn't want these terrible models, I'll keep them. No luck as yet....

 

 

Regards

Tony

[Tony Wright]

36 minutes ago, dibateg said:

I abhor those glass fibre brushes and I never use them. The fibres get every where and stick in my fingers ( Tony would probably say I'm soft anyway! ) I tend to use emery sticks and a miniature circular wire brush in the mini drill.  

 

And my painters are happy, Paul Moore painted this for me. It's a CPL GW horsebox I built for a client. I keep saying to him if he doesn't want these terrible models, I'll keep them. No luck as yet....

 

 

Regards

Tony

A brilliant model, Tony!

 

Would I ever say you're soft? Probably.........

 

I think I developed an immunity to fibreglass over 50 years ago. In between dropping out of art school and starting teacher training (over a year in time), I worked in a factory making fibregass roofing sheets. One just got used to the filaments flying everywhere. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Tony Wright
typo error

[Tony Wright]

56 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Must be an age thing...

I make the bullets...............................

[APOLLO]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

I think the use of a glass fibre propelling pencil is an occupational hazard, Daniel,

 

I find them brilliant for cleaning up soldered joints; to the extent that I get through loads; accepting the 'needle' pains in the fingers.

 

I use them right down to the stump, even removing the ferrule at the end when the brush gets so low, so as to be able to use every last bit. 

 

I suppose the main 'danger' is a filament in the eye. Since I wear specs all the time, presumably, these offer some protection. 

 

One thing I've found is that there are at least two types of refills. Some I bought a while ago were useless. At first glance, they seemed nice and stiff, but once a bout of vigorous cleaning-up had started, they just went limp. 

 

I have to say, most pro-painters I know dislike them them. Despite most-through washing/cleaning prior to priming, there's always one that clings to an inside corner. 

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

I've never owned / used fibre propelling pencils - however I do keep and use my old Wisdom inter space plaque removal tooth brushes. I buy them from my dentist for use after regular brushing. Not expensive, NEVER had any bristles fall out and they are superb for lettering / numbering removal, even after weeks of dental use.

 

 

https://wisdom-toothbrushes.com/products/wisdom-interspace-soft/

 

Brit15

 

[t-b-g]

I don't think there is such a thing as immunity from glass fibre. It gets in your fingers, or worse, in your lungs and goes nowhere fast.

 

I hate the stuff and stopped using it years ago. I clean up with the same sort of tool but with a brass refill rather than fibreglass, also using fine wet & dry folded into a tiny block and held in fine nose pliers plus a toothbrush but the one above looks better than my Poundland specials at 4 for £1.

 

I can always tell when I have visited the home of a modeller who uses glass fibre as no matter how well they think they have controlled its spread, it gets everywhere! I am finding bits in my hands for weeks afterwards. 

[Barry Ten]

Glass fibres in your fingertips are a nightmare if your other hobby is guitar playing. In fact, they'll guarantee that your other hobby won't be guitar playing.

[t-b-g]

10 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

Glass fibres in your fingertips are a nightmare if your other hobby is guitar playing. In fact, they'll guarantee that your other hobby won't be guitar playing.

 

I found that out the hard way! 

[John Isherwood]

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

 Despite most-through washing/cleaning prior to priming, there's always one that clings to an inside corner

 

In my experience, the answer to stray glass fibre filaments is an ultrasonic cleaning tank - it's amazing the amount of debris that these find in an apparently spotless model.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Edited June 16, 2020 by cctransuk

[Clem]

6 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

Glass fibres in your fingertips are a nightmare if your other hobby is guitar playing. In fact, they'll guarantee that your other hobby won't be guitar playing.

Guilty on both counts. But I'm extra careful with the glass fibre pencil and try to catch the loose bits on kitchen paper which then gets wrapped up and chucked. Having said that, I wish I had a £1for every sharp needle pain in a finger. It's worse when they stick out a bit and catch sideways but not matter how you search for them on you finger with a magnifying glass, they remain invisible. The only consolation is that it's usually in the side of the finger and not on the end where I play. But the skin is much tougher there anyway.

[t-b-g]

6 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

In my experience, the answer to stray glass fibre filaments is an ultrasonic cleaning tank - it's amazing the amount of debris that these find in an apparently spotless model.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

That is a very good call and so far, he only way I have found of cleaning the inside of a lattice post signal. I don't have one but a friend does and most models get a good long session in there before painting.

 

Doesn't help with your fingers though! I have a 9X Loupe from RS components plus some very fine tweezers and I can usually find the little beggars. I only happens when I have been working away from my own workbench now, instead of several times each modelling session, since I stopped using the stuff.

[John Isherwood]

2 minutes ago, t-b-g said:

 

That is a very good call and so far, he only way I have found of cleaning the inside of a lattice post signal. I don't have one but a friend does and most models get a good long session in there before painting.

 

Doesn't help with your fingers though! I have a 9X Loupe from RS components plus some very fine tweezers and I can usually find the little beggars. I only happens when I have been working away from my own workbench now, instead of several times each modelling session, since I stopped using the stuff.

 

I would strongly encourage any modeller who engages in brass construction to invest in an ultrasonic tank. Filled with warm water, a pinch of washing soda crystals to neutralise acid flux, and a tiny drop of washing up liquid, (the cheaper brand the better), and the model will immerge pristine and ready for priming.

 

I use the fibreglass pencil much less nowadays, since I dicovered these https://nancylthamilton.com/resources/charts/radial-bristle-discs-grits-and-colors-chart/ .

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[MPR]

Managing glass fibre debris is important when cleaving optical fibres, the precautions that we take may be of interest.

Clean desk

Black working surface (with good lighting, this makes  it easier to find debris)

Wipes to clean surface - place these straight into a waste bag.

We insist on the use of safety glasses* in manufacturing areas.

Getting them in your hands or feet is bad enough. I am told that getting fragments in your eye is hugely painful and unpleasant (they basically have to be scratched out) 

You don't want to ingest them either, as they are always sharp and will puncture skin or flesh easily and embed.

  

*Just like with COVID, rubbing your eyes with contaminated hands is a very bad idea. The glasses are wrap-around. They can also be purchased with prescription lenses.

 

I occasionally use glass fibre cleaning brushes, but have a healthy (to be honest, very nearly paranoid) respect for them. 

[PJT]

19 minutes ago, MPR said:

Black working surface (with good lighting, this makes  it easier to find debris)

 

That's a really, really useful tip that never entered my head before but, now you've said it, it's such a very obvious one.

 

Thank you!

 

Pete T.

 

[jrg1]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

 

In my experience, the answer to stray glass fibre filaments is an ultrasonic cleaning tank - it's amazing the amount of debris that these find in an apparently spotless model.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

I use an ultrasonic bath as well.  What solution do you use, in regard to neutralising flux?

[John Isherwood]

4 minutes ago, jrg1 said:

I use an ultrasonic bath as well.  What solution do you use, in regard to neutralising flux?

 

See my post above - warm water, a pinch of washing soda crystals, and a tiny drop of the cheapest washing up liquid.

 

John Isherwood.

[DougN]

2 hours ago, cctransuk said:

 

I use the fibreglass pencil much less nowadays, since I dicovered these https://nancylthamilton.com/resources/charts/radial-bristle-discs-grits-and-colors-chart/ .

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

John which grit level do you use to remove solder from your brass?

 

i looked at them the last time I purchased the very fine wire wheels from the local supplier here in Melbourne. However I didn't know which ones were the most effective. 

[Tony Wright]

3 hours ago, t-b-g said:

I don't think there is such a thing as immunity from glass fibre. It gets in your fingers, or worse, in your lungs and goes nowhere fast.

 

I hate the stuff and stopped using it years ago. I clean up with the same sort of tool but with a brass refill rather than fibreglass, also using fine wet & dry folded into a tiny block and held in fine nose pliers plus a toothbrush but the one above looks better than my Poundland specials at 4 for £1.

 

I can always tell when I have visited the home of a modeller who uses glass fibre as no matter how well they think they have controlled its spread, it gets everywhere! I am finding bits in my hands for weeks afterwards. 

Good afternoon Tony,

 

'Immunity' is the wrong description, I admit. 

 

'Tolerance' is probably better. 

 

As mentioned, having worked with fibreglass sheets many years ago, the problem was not so much the fibreglass itself, but the combination of resin when the finished sheets were being cut. Face masks were obligatory in that situation.

 

Despite the 'pain' inflicted by fibreglass propelling pencils, I still find them fantastic for cleaning up joints/tidying up solder. 

 

 

I know of no other tool which quite gets into every nook and cranny. 

 

Here. I'm tidying up the beading on the bunker of the Craftsman 3600. The beading is 15Amp fusewire, and the pencil is just the tool as far as I'm concerned. 

 

Since this can't be far off the 550th loco I've built, I can't see myself changing now.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[CUTLER2579]

So that@s where all the 15 Amp fuse wire goes.No wonder it's scarce these days and I blamed RCD's

 

[t-b-g]

27 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Good afternoon Tony,

 

'Immunity' is the wrong description, I admit. 

 

'Tolerance' is probably better. 

 

As mentioned, having worked with fibreglass sheets many years ago, the problem was not so much the fibreglass itself, but the combination of resin when the finished sheets were being cut. Face masks were obligatory in that situation.

 

Despite the 'pain' inflicted by fibreglass propelling pencils, I still find them fantastic for cleaning up joints/tidying up solder. 

 

 

I know of no other tool which quite gets into every nook and cranny. 

 

Here. I'm tidying up the beading on the bunker of the Craftsman 3600. The beading is 15Amp fusewire, and the pencil is just the tool as far as I'm concerned. 

 

Since this can't be far off the 550th loco I've built, I can't see myself changing now.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

 

I was the same until I got a bit of the dreadful stuff stuck right in the end of my RH forefinger for several months. I got that dreadful sharp "ouch" every time I touched anything and decided "never again".

 

I will leave it to others to decide if my cleaning up is adequate but this was done without a fibreglass stick anywhere near it. It is an LD&ECR horsebox from D & S with all the overlays for strapping and hinges etc. soldered on.

 

 

It will do for me!

 

Edit to add this one is in 7mm scale but I would get similar results in 4mm.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by t-b-g
To add content

[John Isherwood]

57 minutes ago, DougN said:

John which grit level do you use to remove solder from your brass?

 

i looked at them the last time I purchased the very fine wire wheels from the local supplier here in Melbourne. However I didn't know which ones were the most effective. 

 

It all depends upon the extent and depth of the excess solder - for large accumulations I'd start with a fairly course one and then finish off with a finer one. The finest impart a beautiful polish. I bought several of each - a significant investment but well worth it.

 

To gauge which ones you need, go to a store selling wet and dry paper and decide which grades you would use if applying that medium - the 3M wheels used the same grit size grading.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

[Tony Wright]

The 36XX might have to take a back seat for at least a little while........................

 

 

Mike Trice has very kindly sent me the 3D-printed V2 body featured recently in these pages (in fact, he's sent two, plus lots of other 3D-printed bits, including Gresley coach ends for gangwayed stock). He's asked me to try it and see what happens. 

 

Well, a phone call to Comet/Wizard yesterday resulted in a complete V2 chassis arriving in the same post as the V2 this lunchtime. 

 

What fantastic service from Andrew, and what a fantastic gesture from Mike!

 

I have all the necessary wheels/motor/gearbox in stock (apart from one 24mm driver, which Andrew kindly enclosed - how did I end up with five driving wheels?), and I've ordered a suitable tender from SE Finecast.

 

Looking at the quality of the 3D-printed V2 body, it looks fantastic, with no 'witness marks' whatsoever. 

 

I'll report on progress accordingly.....................

 

Thanks again, Mike.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.