Many on this forum are going to the Narrow Gauge Convention in Minneapolis this weekend. Would have liked to join them. It would be wonderful to connect with other on this forum and talk modeling techniques and SW kits. But alas I am unable to attend. Since I thought there would be a void in posts on the forum, I thought I’d share my current project. I started the Deer Creek Mine in HO. This will not be a step by step build, more of a progress report as I remember to take photos. (Bill Olbendorf has a GREAT step by step build on this forum with some excellent tips.)
This has been an challenging build for me as there are a lot of very precise steps. I have muddled through them however. This is not because the instructions are not clear, but because I’m accuracy “challenged”. The kit has many excellent templates and jigs for cutting and construction. They do need to be used carefully and accurately.
So far I have built the tipple structure. Here’s my progress so far.
The next step is to insert the truss rods into the holes that were drilled into the bents. You can see the holes in the photos. These were aligned with a plastic jig while constructing the bents. Some of my holes were slightly off when marking them, and thus drilling them so the wire truss rods were tight and needed enlarging. A difficult project after assembly.
Another problem I have is blackening the brass wire included in SW kits. I use the recommended blackening solution, and it blackens the wire, but after handling the blackening rubs off exposing the brass wire.
I blackened the wire 4 times. Initially I put it in the blackening solution till it became black, then dipped in water to top the blackening then let it dry. Upon handling and trying to insert the wire into the holes in the wood, much of the blackening rubbed off. So I put the wire into an alcohol bath to remove any oils on the wire, then blackened it. Same result. I then ran the wire through steel wool to roughen up the surface and clean anything that might be on the wire. Same results. I then blackened it again leaving it in the solution longer, resulting in what you see in the photo above. I ultimately used steel wire I had on hand to make the truss rods. This blackens without any spots showing. The steel wire is harder to cut, and file the ends to make them square, but for the truss rods the ends don’t show. I’ll have more of that in the next update.
If anyone has tips on how to blacken the brass wire without the blackening rubbing off upon handling, I would love to hear what you do.
tommich great progress. This was my first SW kit I built last year.. I also had issues with alignment and opted for thinner phosphor wire. I also had issues with the ore discharge chutes.
I have that product and find Pewter Black tends to work better but you can still rub off the black if not careful. I have applied the blacking fluid to the wire after install for touch up also, with a small brush.
This page contains info on a great brass wire blackener that was not available when I wrote the DCM manual. The University page on my website is there to keep you up to date on new, better, or replacement products pertaining to my kits.
If you find you’re having difficulty constructing any of my kits I encourage you to call me. I am always happy to help. There are not any sort of problems with constructing the ore bin or chutes on the DCM.
Looks fantastic Tom, be sure to check out the info on that newer brass wire blackener. You will be very pleased with the results. Tom is 100% correct, the construction on the ore bin IS challenging! I appreciate the mention of the templates and jigs for cutting and construction. Looking forward to more updates.
Thanks curt and Travis for info on the wire. I did the touch ups when I built the Oil Tank for the Loco Service Shops. I touched up the parts that rubbed off on that wire, but that was a smaller part that rubbed off. With this build most of the blackening rubbed off when I inserted the wire into the holes on the tipple, because the holes were slightly misaligned, much of the blackening rubbed off. I tried the other methods of blackening that I mentioned to try to alleviate that problem, but it kept coming off.
Brett, the templates and jigs for this model are excellent! I stress the importance of aligning everything perfectly when using them. Because I didn’t have them perfectly aligned, the holes in the tipple were slightly off. It was my error not the construction methods.
I looked at the blackening solution in the University section. My problem is I have a large bottle of the original solution, but I will have to try the new solution if it makes my life easier.
Thanks for looking guys. Further updates will be forthcoming.
Tipple Structure looks great, Tom. Hoping that Brett’s reference to the improved blackening solution will help. I too have a bottle of Jax, and it worked well with the White Metal castings for O’Neills, but it wore off easily on the wires. Curious to see the results with the AK Interactive stuff.
I now have the tipple house finished, just need to add the roof. I have installed the steel wire replacements. They are a little crooked, but it’s not too noticeable. Also the last photo show how I corrected an error I made in measuring one of the parts. Don’t know how, but fortunately it doesn’t affect the overall feel of the model. Where the corner post is for the railing there is not supposed to be a space in the corner joint. They are supposed to connect exactly at the corner. My correction, lengthening the railing corner post, hides the error somewhat.
Curt, I agree the ore discharge chutes were challenging, not a lot of space to work in. Patience and persistence and I got an acceptable result.
I’ve finished the roof on the tipple. Photos are very telling. I noticed I need to darken the edges of the flashing more. I did darken them, but they need more. The tipple is finished now, except for some weathering. On to the Headframe.
Thanks Curt. I have not weathered corrugated roofing in this manner before. It does look good with this particular model. Thanks for the chute comment. It wasn’t without a lot of patience that I finally got them to look how I wanted. Slow and steady wins the race.
