Time to strip the engine down....and start prepping for painting.
All the parts and particularly the previously primed parts were washed in a very hot solution of water and 'Citri-Cleen' a very efficient biodegradeble degreaser to ensure no traces of oil were left in the primed surfaces.
Then the fun bit - masking up.
Time was, masking was considered a real pain, something to be got over as quick as possible so that painting could begin. Then, after returning some time back to some serious plastic modelling it soon became clear that the masking is actually the important bit. Getting that right is worth all the effort, the act of the painting itself is the minor part,to a degree that is - well that's how it's perceived now and masking is no longer the chore it used to be.
One thing I did find here though was it's much easier to cut the masking tape around an outline using a fine file than a scalpel. This proved much quicker and left a far more consistent edge.
Some of the parts were used as simple masks too, the over spray being cleaned off with thinner before they too were primed separately.
Three good coats were applied, the first two being rubbed down with very fine scotch brite and the last smoothed using a 'microfibre' polishing cloth. These were left for a couple of days before the top coat was applied. The copper/brass parts in the background had self etch primer thinly applied using a brush. These too were left to allow the etch to really get a grip - apparently if a top coat is applied too soon the etching action ceases.
The small blocks are a carry over from plastic modelling. Small pieces of white faced particle board are ideal for this and with the parts held in place with Blue Tack or similar, make handling so much easier.
To edge the flywheel pit 'bricks' were made from MDF board which is also what was used for the 'stone' plinth. The edge of a piece of board was sanded to a suitable section on the two 'as seen' faces then cut off on the band saw. Treated gently as it easily snaps in thin sections the inner face was sanded smooth then the strips sealed using very thin cellulose 'Sanding Sealer'. This was then cut into brick sized lengths which were milled to length to give a good uniform fit in the rebate.
Once dry fitted they were removed and all given a second coat of sealer before being painted and left ready to fit using PVA glue.
The first hint of a warm day and it was time for the top coat. All painting was done using aerosols. Priming including the plinth used about two and a half 300ml cans and the two topcoats just under two cans of the same size.
Again, some masking utilised the parts themselves. The bearings were washed in cellulose thinner to remove the paint.
They need to harden off for at least a couple of days before reassembly. The keen eyed might note that 3-2-1 blocks truly are versatile!
The base as finished and ready to fit those 'bricks'.
The plinth - three layers of 18mm MDF board - is very solid, no glue just four screws hold the layers together. The grooves were cut using a hand saw against a straight edge. Pleased with the colour of the primer the surface will be oiled and left as is. The out rigger bearing plinth has yet to be made as it's thickness will need to be ascertained after the engine is securely bolted in position.
Getting it all back together went reasonably well though there was a hitch getting it to run. Having had it running nicely previously to see it do half a turn and stop at the bottom of the stroke gave cause for concern especially as I couldn't fathom out why the valve kept moving relative to the piston each time. You may recall that the throttle block and valve rocking shaft had to be fettled to get some clearance. Well after tightening the inlet block bolts fully on assembly it moved it enough for it to just catch the rocker shaft and hold it enough to cause the rocking arm lever to move on it's taper. Literally a few strokes of a riffler on the inlet block gave just enough clearance - probably only around a thou or two but a gap is a gap and off it went - phew!
Next up was to get it running again and get some steam oil in to coat the surfaces to prevent the likelihood of rusting. Two good slugs of oil were injected into the clear tube and the engine run until it worked its way through and out the exhaust.
With it all up and running again it was time for the finishing touches - the oilers
The two on the main bearings are 'pseudo' scale like based on some seen in books and do have a small degree of oil flow control. All the others are semi dummies in that they have a hole all the way through to enable oil to be injected but have no cavity to act as a reservoir.
And that was it - a few domed nuts and it was finished.
Next and final time - finished photos and video.
See Part One here - Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14
