Yet another Locomotive Project

[jonathan]

I think I solved my problem.  

I took a needle file to the middle of the axle and made some microscopic scratches.


Then I turned the wheel while passing the brass block over the scratches.  After about 20 minutes of turning and turning, the wheel now seems to spin freely.  I applied a lot of light oil as well.  I don't even think my camera picked up the scratches I made in the axle:


Anyway, it seems I worked off enough of the thread locker (red medium) to get things working again.  Sorry for my panicked state, earlier.

Regards,

Jonathan

[GN.2-6-8-0]

Alls good that end well! NOW! care to tell us just HOW' you got Lock Tite in between the axle and the bearing in the 1st place.........Hmmmmmm?

[Doneldon]

Jonathan-

I hate to say it but I think you need to disassemble the mechanism and polish out the thread lock with something
like a Scotch pad. That won't do anything to the metal but it will clean out the residual Locktite.
                                                                                                                                                 -- D

[jonathan]

Appreciate it, Doneldon.  You are right I'm sure and, I almost did take it apart, but that made me very nervous.  Spare parts aren't easy to come-by on a 25-year-old model, and I felt better about cleaning it out without taking it apart.  It spins freely now, so I think I'm in the clear.

As to how I got the locktite on it in the first place... well... let's just say people shouldn't have more than one project at-a-time sitting on their desk, um, workspace... and then get sloppy when opening small chemical containers.  One never knows where little drops of stuff can end up. The worst part is you don't know you made a mess until it dries.

After a bit of weathering, the tender looks better.  You can hardly make out any lines now, except, perhaps just after the E in "BALTIMORE".  I think I can detect a line in front of the O in "OHIO". 





I will try to get the glossy paint a bit thicker when I work the boiler shell. That should help.  Of course, there are no long words or phrases on that part. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[Jhanecker2]

Locktite recommended  methylene chloride as a solvent or heating the parts to  482 degrees fahrenheit to release the thread locker . John 2

[jonathan]

Aha! So heat would have worked.  Thanks JH2. Will keep that nugget for the next time I need to unlocked something.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

I often take photos of construction progress to look for little things one can't see with the naked eye.

The smokebox front looks pretty good, until you really get in close:


Fortunately, touch up work is easier, once you know what to work on:




The drive mechanism up close:


The rods and valve gear haven't been weathered, yet. Spinning nicely so far.  I still see a little bare brass here and there:


The camera is a brutally honest tool. 

Regards,

Jonathan

[rogertra]

Really nice work Jonathan.

I agree about the camera.  The eye sees what you expect it to see, just as our brain does.

In wartime it's call a "ruse de guerre" (trick of war) where you provide the enemy with what they are expecting see, only it's a deception, hopefully to your advantage.

Thanks to digital cameras, when I'm building scenery or working on locos etc., I also frequently take photos of the project because, as you say, the camera doesn't lie and shows you the faults your eye and brain refuse to see.

Cheers

Roger T.

[ebtnut]

Jonathon:  Maybe try some ACC remover.

[jonathan]

I reattached the motor this morning and ran the mechanism for about 10 minutes in both directions.  So far, it runs very smoothly.  Seems like I cleaned it out well enough.

If I remember correctly, loctite is great for holding things in place if you don't want them to move.  I believe the bond breaks down once parts are moved back and forth continuously.  My thought is, if there is any residual loctite, it will break down and dissipate as the wheels turn.  At this point I don't see any evidence that there is anything left on the axle.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Doneldon]

Jonathan-

You are absolutely correct. Once a Loctite joint is broken it cannot reassert itself. As a kid I worked for a cousin in his optometry office. (He was more like an uncle age-wise and I think he was trying to interest me in the profession.) We used a quick application of heat to undo Loctite joint where screws held the temples to the frame of glasses and never needed to do it a second time or to clean out any residue. The Loctite basically vaporized right out of existence.
                                                                                                                                                                                                               -- D
P.S. Another great looking job here! I admire your work.

[jonathan]

Thanks, Doneldon.

Here's the mechanism all ready to go; weathered, lubed, and runnin' right:





It may be a while before I get the finished product.  The boiler is a project unto itself.  Needs solder repairs, little parts that get painted separately, lights, crew... not to mention I have to build a new paint stand.  It's too big and heavy for my other stands.

Anyway, I'm hoping a couple of weeks will suffice.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

To remove the lacquer from the shell, I soaked it in thinner for a few days and washed.  Then I boiled it in a water/baking soda solution and washed.  Finally, I soaked it in vinegar for a couple days... and washed.

Here's a piece of the lacquer:


The shell was so ugly, after all my manipulations, I didn't take a photo of it. However, here is the primer coat:




Primer coat was rested for a couple days, then baked in a 170 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Flat Black coat, still wet in this photo, will be baked as well:


I will mask the smokebox and firebox, prior to adding the gloss coat.  The graphite color will be painted right over the flat black.  

All this is a lengthy process, filled with waiting... which I hate.  To occupy my modeling time, I finished the smokebox front, pony and trailing trucks, and the crew figures:



Also finished the pilot.  The dummy coupler does swing side-to-side and will hold a regular coupler.  Thus, double-heading is possible:


I almost forgot... I added rerail frogs to the tender.  My wire hooks are not perfect, but who looks at models from a half-inch away?


That's all the progress for now.  Gloss coat and decals are the next steps.

Regards,

Jonathan

Addendum

Whoa!  Shiny!

[jonathan]

Quick Update:

All the black coats and decaling are complete.  Now it's time to paint the smokebox and firebox.  I'll use Neolube.

I enhanced the photographs to bring out the detail, so the loco looks more gray than black:








Tried to get a shot of the backhead before I painted the details and added the crew. Hard to get enough light:


Regards,

Jonathan

[Doneldon]

Jonathan-

You're a wizard. You've done a perfect paint job and decaling.

                                                                                  -- D