First crack at a brass fret model!

So I received the 'Jidenco' 15/20 ton S.R. ballast wagon kit today.....time to dive in and 'fill me boots' (perhaps with concrete, judging by Jidenco's reputation!), so here goes. This is the kit as received.

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......and the 'instructions'! About as rudimentary as the MTK white metal models instructions!

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So first I cut the wagon inner base/sides part out, cleaned up the attaching tabs, and 5 minutes with the 'Hold 'n Fold' produced the wagon inner, to which the outers solder separately. Don't know if this is how other wagon kits are done, but this is the 'Jidenco' method. I'm using a phosphoric acid flux, so fluxed and soldered the four corners, then clean them up with a fine file thus. At the same time, I cut out the four outer sides and cleaned up the tabs ready for tinning.

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Next step was to tin around the edges of the four outer sides and do likewise to the outside sides of the inner box like this. I am finding that there is not quite enough heat from the soldering iron to properly melt the solder neatly, so I'm going to break out the blowtorch for this next job. Although I'm an Electrician by trade, in my working lifetime, I've done quite a lot of plumbing work including sweating immersion heater flanges into copper cylinders, so using a blowtorch is nothing new to me. Here are the parts ready tinned for assembly, this will likely be tomorrows job now.

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Had a late start to the project today as I've been out walking in the Peak district, followed by a pub lunch. (I'm teetotal, so still got a fairly steady hand!). Anyway, down to business. First job was to flux the outside of the inner panels, then the inside of the outer panels, drop into place in turn, and gentle heat with the blowtorch resulted in this below.

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.....and from the underside.

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It wasn't difficult to achieve a good solid set of side and end panels in this way, so next job was to bend up the side channels using the 'Hold 'n Fold', clean, flux and tin one edge of each, clean flux and tin the area of the body underside where these were going to be soldered onto, then again with the blowtorch, warm gently and all is bonded together thus.

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Next it's the turn of the buffer beams to be fitted. These needed some opening out of the holes for the buffers, then I cleaned, fluxed and tinned each end of the beam inners and each end of the side channels, placed the beam in position with a little heat and application of solder. The other end was done in the same way, then holding the body on end in the vice (gently!), clean, flux and tinned the area where each buffer was going to fit, and each buffer, dropped into place, a little heat again, and all done. So now things look like this.

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Next, it's the turn of the side frames and axleboxes, so having bent each side frame to 90 degrees, I decided that rather than use the plain holes predrilled for the wheels, I would use some 'Top Hat' pinpoint bearings, so opened out the holes, then soldered in the bearings from the inside, opening out the white metal axlebox castings slightly to fit over the outside of each bearing. Having done that, it was time to solder the side frames into position, so the usual clean, flux and tin, then gentle heat from the blowtorch, and all done as below. Axlebox castings were fixed using superglue, quick and simple.

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Rooting about in my bits box, I came across a pair of rather tarnished (ex lima I think!) wheelsets of the correct diameter, so dropped these in for a trial fit......all seems ok so far.

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....and trying it the right way up to make sure the wheels are level. (Also tried it on the rails).....

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I know that assembling a brass fret model mainly using a blowtorch is not everyones idea of the way forward, but all I'll say is that I've found it much easier and somewhat quicker to solder parts together, and no problems with cold joints. Obviously, you must be very careful in controlling the heat, a touch too much, and you'll have brass bits all over the floor, so not recommended unless like myself you've had a lot of experience with a blowtorch. Fortunately, when I did my trade training in the early 60's, there were no such things as 'crimp lugs' for cable ends, so we were taught to solder it with the blowtorch, and I still think it's the best way to do it. Hopefully, I'll be able to make further progress on this model tomorrow.
Keith.