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Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 5:14 am
by Keith S
Thanks Graeme, good advice there. I suppose I ought to have known gun blue solution would be black- you don't see many blue guns.

If you look closely at the van, there is actually a great big white-metal vacuum cylinder under there. Like you say, it's quite heavy. I had to shorten it a little because the sole-bars on this model are quite narrow.

Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 10:35 am
by tom_tom_go
I haven't successfully managed to blacken the brass to 'black' that Roundhouse use for their live steam parts or even brass overlays for buffers, not sure it's not some sort of brass composite? It either goes brown or gunmetal colour.

Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 11:01 am
by philipy
I use Birchwood Casey Gun Blue on everything. It does seem to have bit of a brownish tinge on brass, but it just looks as though its a bit rusty, which is fine on brake gear, axles, buffers, etc.

Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:41 pm
by Keith S
I'll bet it would look quite good on those steel wheels though- I'll snoop around the hunting section of the hardware shop this week-end and see if they have any.

Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2019 3:34 pm
by philipy
Keith S wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:41 pm I'll bet it would look quite good on those steel wheels though-
Steel wheels with Birchwood Casey gun blue on backs & fronts. I did it with the wheels installed and it's difficult to get to the fronts to rub them, but the backs have gone that nice blackish-brownish colour. I think a little smear of oil on the fronts might lose the orangey rust colour.
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Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 11:42 am
by GTB
tom_tom_go wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2019 10:35 am I haven't successfully managed to blacken the brass to 'black' that Roundhouse use for their live steam parts or even brass overlays for buffers, not sure it's not some sort of brass composite? It either goes brown or gunmetal colour.
Gun blue is designed to blacken steel and it doesn't work as well on brass. I used to use A-West 'Blacken-it' which was available in hobby shops and worked well on brass, but is no longer available.

The brass Roundhouse use on machined parts will probably be a free machining grade, which has lead in it. The etched bits will be another grade of brass again. The brass blackening chemicals sold for the jewellery trade may work better on brass than gun blue, but I've not tried them.

Gun blue is sold for touching up worn patches on firearms and doesn't do a good job of blackening large areas. The original finish on steel would have been a hot process that isn't practical in the home workshop.
philipy wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2019 3:34 pm Steel wheels with Birchwood Casey gun blue on backs & fronts. I did it with the wheels installed and it's difficult to get to the fronts to rub them, but the backs have gone that nice blackish-brownish colour. I think a little smear of oil on the fronts might lose the orangey rust colour.
I think that's real rust on the front of the wheel.

When using a cold blueing process like gun blue, any residual chemical has to be washed off, or it causes the steel to rust. The black oxide formed on the steel is very thin and not very rust resistant, so it will have converted to rust as well.

When I blacken parts I give them a wash with soapy water and an old toothbrush, then dry them with compressed air. I prefer to paint wheels though, so haven't run into this and I guess it isn't easy to wash wheels in situ.

Regards,
Graeme

Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 8:57 am
by FWLR
Which ever course you take in the colouring of the wheels Keith, you have done a brilliant job on the vans.
Those little extra details work very well....

Re: Multiple small projects

Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2019 2:02 pm
by Keith S
Thanks Rod. Building models is a pretty solitary pastime where I live. It's nice to have the ability to share it with others even if it"s just in the internet.

I've finished the brake rigging on the guards van. It's hard to see because it's all black, but there's a Brandbright vacuum cylinder under there as well as the bellcrank and rods connecting the brake shoes to the central shaft. The rods are built up out of wire and card.

and also put some on the box van as well. This one has the flywheel device mounted under it so there isn't space for as much detail as the guards van, but I put an external lever on it from IP engineering and the central shaft in this case supports the flyywheel mechanism on one end. The brake shoes and external lever do a decent job of drawing the eye away from the protruding flywheel housing.
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Haven't decided on how to colour the wheels yet, but I reckon I'll pick up some gun bluing next time I'm down south and give that a whirl.