Paul_L's Connoisseur 4F build

Well, Captain Slow is here again .....

A bit more work done on the cab

The floor, and tool boxes bent up and fitted followed by the fall plate - no build pics just the end result, but the instructions were pretty straight forward.

Fall plate raised

and lowered

All completed in under an hour and a half, still clean up to be done. But that will be later as I'm back to work in the morning.

Paul

 

OK - the rumours of me doing a runner were not true, although I was tempted more of which later

We now are allowed back onsite at work, so as the quicker we can decommission and clear the site the quicker I can get my redundancy (and start SWMBO jobs list ), hence very little free time this week.

However some progress was made

Using the steel plate and some Neodyium magnets I sweated the front firebox former and strenghtening piece

Now I started to form the firebox wrapper, Jim has half etched lines marking the center of the curve at each end, and the holes for the mudhole plugs are also on the center line.
Using an 8mm drill shank I formed the first curve - spot on yes were cooking by gas light.

Now the left hand side - whether over confidence, murphy's law, total incompetence (probably this one), I manged to fold the curve, and it was a perfect smooth square corner, pity it was in the wrong place, rather than the holes being the center, they were at the start of the curve .

Trying sort this out has taken me most of my spare time this week, to the point I was away to draw up and create a 3D printed replacement.

Rolling out the curve gave a curved depression, and the start of a crease.
Soldering iron finger burns are nothing to toasting from holding a piece of brass over a gas hob. Yes I know a small micro flame would have been a better source of heat - I actually have a Proxxon microflame on order - it's been stuck in DHL Germany international departure lounge for over a week now
I tried to hammer it flat, and ended up putting marks in the surface, but found using a plastic handled screw driver as a hammer and a combination of the steel plate, and wooden block I removed most of the distortions. This took several annealing / hammering sessions but were back.

Time for assembly

My new bestest friend a cork placed between your finger and the metal - helps maintain pressure without the smell of burning flesh and accompanying bad language and tears.

First up the right hand side - the one I got right

now the left

The solder on the side is where I am starting to fill in the dinks.

The inner seams have been completed

and the posing shot

Time for a very strong coffee

Paul

 

Thanks Guy's

a little more progress

Boiler bands - actually firebox cladding bands

The bands were tinned, then applied to the firebox

Next up the sand box recesses

Just need to bend up the second one then solder up and fit - but I'm cooking tea and if I know whats good for me the soldering will wait

Paul

 

Thanks, only a little more done this evening

The recesses fitted - still needs cleaning

The radiused front edge can also be seen.

I'm not tempting fate any further today.

Paul

 

Take it easy - you could always go for a canine back massage - smear Lulu's favourate food over your back, and she will lick it off while walking up and down your back.
Don't forget to video it, so we can have a good laugh, you'll have a good laugh later once you can bear to laugh.

Take it easy, try sleeping and not looking at your iPad

Paul

 

Some quick progress made this evening after work.

Smoke box formers

The brass front and rear sections cut out and cleaned up.
And rivet detail added to the front

I tacked the spacer to the smoke box rear, then set it square - note the assembly hangs over the edge as the lugs protrude beyond the smoke box rear.

using the front to help hold the second side in place this was tagged, checked for square and seemed up

Checked on the footplate for fit

The front was then soldered in place.

Next up fitting the wrapper - yes I know I'm way off script - the instructions said I should have formed the wrapper and then secured to the front smoke box, then inserted the spacers finally fitting the rear section. Remember i'm still recovering from the firebox episode, and remember Nellie as not being too pleasent an experience. If my way goes pear shaped then I can always dismantle it and do it the right way.

More later

Paul

 

Well it seemed to have worked

Front - still needs a bit more cleaning up

and the rear

Outer wrapper next, but time for bed.

Paul