Best Of New Brass EP-2 assembly & Mod clinic

[nkalanaga]

Would a laminating machine work on a metal plaque?

[TiVoPrince]

Nice!
Any scratches or wear on the box should be reclassified as 'patina'. Much like luggage protects the contents sacraficing itself in the process. Creating the illusion of years of careful handling worthy of a rare and precious object.

While recessing the plaque might reduce the damage but at what cost? Short of creating a museum display mounting the buttons and coin in a frame.

I think you have reached the pinnacle of what can be accomplished with planning and perseverance. This project has reset the bar for rescuing important models that might otherwise be relegated to shelf queen status. Your project has inspired me to seek my own project from the brass section of the auction site. Hopefully this thread will result in the rescue of more models.

Congratulations and thank you again for allowing us to follow your start to finish progress of this significant project...

[u18b]

Would a laminating machine work on a metal plaque?

Good idea, but I don't think it will work here.

I use laminating machines for name tags and thus have some experience.
It melts plastic- but the plastic itself does not stick.
What happens is the excess plastic on the laminate (that sticks out past the name tag edge) melts together.
So if you were to trim that excess off, then the clear layers would no longer stick.

In this case, clear excess would not look good.

I have plenty of these plates to experiment with.
Who knows, I may need something as hard as automotive paint.

[u18b]

Nice!
I think you have reached the pinnacle of what can be accomplished with planning and perseverance. This project has reset the bar for rescuing important models that might otherwise be relegated to shelf queen status. Your project has inspired me to seek my own project from the brass section of the auction site. Hopefully this thread will result in the rescue of more models.

Congratulations and thank you again for allowing us to follow your start to finish progress of this significant project...

Thanks.  It has been quite an adventure.  Much more exhausting than I ever imagined- but good.

But actually, I have 9 more to go.   This one was vitally important to figure out all the problems, obstacles, and develop solutions. 

The next ones will not be documented at all like this one was- that would be overkill in the extreme.   And besides, all this documentation (photos, process, and writing) is what has partially slowed me down.

E4 and E5 (which look pretty identical) are next up.


One of the modeling challenges I face is the nose detail.
Milwaukee scrapped the middle grabirons on the nose, and added a kind of shelf.
This detail is not on the Kumata model, so I will have to fabricate it.
It will be a somewhat intricate delicate detail.

I will also have to re-design the headlight since they went to 3 and 4 bulb configurations at this date for safety reasons.

[parkrrrr]

What happens is the excess plastic on the laminate (that sticks out past the name tag edge) melts together.
So if you were to trim that excess off, then the clear layers would no longer stick.

You might see if you can find someone with a Xyron cold laminator who'd be willing to do a test for you. Rather than melting plastic together, those use an adhesive to attach the plastic, so the laminate can be trimmed right down to the edge of the paper. You can even laminate a sandwich of the tag plus a cardstock backing, which you can then separate again after trimming, so that only the front side of the tag (and the back side of the sacrificial cardstock) remains laminated.

[peteski]

Who knows, I may need something as hard as automotive paint.

I think you're onto something.  I once bought (in a car parts store) spray can of a clear coating meant for protecting mag wheels.  If it is designed for harsh applications liek car wheels, it should protect the surface if your plaque.

[nkalanaga]

Scalecoat paint can be baked, and then has a much more durable finish.  Probably not as tough as auto paint, but it may go on thinner.

But Peteski probably has the best idea.  If his suggestion can protect a mag wheel it should be able to protect a display plaque from casual handling.

[Chris333]

9 more to go...   

[u18b]

9 more to go...   

Hahahaha.

Trust me.  I've been thinking the same thing.
I don't want to be working on these for 9 more years.

My goal is to do a minimum of three more by the end of next year.

When I bought these from Kumata, I had no idea in my wildest dreams it would take me a year to do one.

 

[superturbine]

I will chime in and say.....  really really nice work!!

[peteski]

Hahahaha.

Trust me.  I've been thinking the same thing.
I don't want to be working on these for 9 more years.

My goal is to do a minimum of three more by the end of next year.

When I bought these from Kumata, I had no idea in my wildest dreams it would take me a year to do one.

 

I assume that not all are for keeps. It will be interesting what price tag you will put on them (knowing how much work you put into them and that you will never really recoup your investment of time).

[u18b]

No, I'm not planning on keeping any of the 10.  The plan is to offer all 10 kits fully finished over time.  I'd like to be able to have 3 done when I  first make them available- with three different road numbers.  E3 (this one), E4, and E5.  The fourth one will be E2 in the cigar scheme but with only a Box herald (no words).  The fifth one will probably be the experimental scheme on E1.

That would make 5, with 5 different road numbers and 4 different paint schemes.

Not sure what I'll do after that.  I just hope I'm still alive to see the conclusion. 

( months ago, someone PMed me asking if I would sell one of the kits as-is.  I said sorry, no.   I really want these all to be Bearden locos.   Hey!   How's this for grandiose thinking---- I'm hoping for my own page at Spookshow!      )

I'm not sure what I'll do with the RTR.  At a bare minimum, that would be the one I keep.

[u18b]

Having completed the first of these,  I returned to my Kumata book that I am writing.

In doing so, I realised I didn't have many final, final photos.

So here are some.  And the number one thing (having been in the thick of this all the way) that REALLY stands out in some of these shots .... is the wheels.   You guys were right.  Blacked wheels makes a HUGE difference on this locomotive.

Thanks.  And thanks to y'all who have followed this very long thread.   Your encouragement has meant a lot to me.

And your constructive criticism was evaluated and often adopted.

I believe this is a much better model because of this community.

Thank you.

[peteski]

Great photos Ron!
One more comment:I assume that the "round thing" on the center of the boiler room is a stack or exhaust.  If that is the case, a quick dab of flat black paint would make it more realistic.

[robert3985]

Beautiful loco, superb ultra detailed detail-oriented work...

Crappy toy-like track.

Is there a dichotomy here?????