2-6-0 Horwich Crab

Very nice job Stew, have been following your progress with interest, been building a 2 1/2" gauge Crab for a while, there's a picture in my album. on hold due to moving house and imminent redundancy and early retirement.

Hope to be able to get on with it soon, you have spurred me on to paint my (almost finished) tender, keep us posted with your further progress.

Keep up the good work.

Dave

Looking great Stewart! Thanks for the progress report.

Time for an update, this lock-down has certainly speeded things up:-

Chimney, Smoke box, door and saddle

Trimming smoke box to length

Smoke box saddle fabrication

Completed smoke box door

its begining to look like the finished loco now

Stew

I've just read 50 Famous British Locomotives by Peter Herring and your crab is in there. I see that it is the angle of the cylinders that is responsible for the nickname. What ever would Stevenson's Rocket be called at that rate?

Hi Stew - Your Crab is coming along very nicely and the build quality to say nothing of your rate of progressive is most impressive! I notice that the smokebox has been painted. Would you be able to give a brief account of what surface preparation was carried out, which primer have you used and the make an type of black paint, (presumably a heat resisting grade) and not least, your method of application i.e. brush, aerosol or spray gun.

Keep up the good work

Thanks for your comment old mart

Greensands the smoke box is not painted it’s made from welded seam mild steel I think it must have been hot rolled hence the black surface. For my other loco I used black engine paint from Halfords on smoke box and chimney just two coats. For the tender and rest of the loco the brass gets a coat of acid primer followed by two coats of precision paint followed by two coats of clear lacquer from hobby craft I use a wide soft artist brush again fresh hobby craft I can’t get on with spray cans. I try to do one face at a time keeping it horizontal to reduce the risk of runs it takes a long time doing it this way but it’s the only way I can avoid runs

Hope this helps

Stew

Edited By Stewart Hart on 22/05/2020 18:34:04

Stew - Would you recommend putting a primer on a mild steel smokebox before painting with Halfords engine black and if so, would this be a standard red oxide as again sold by Halfords?

Hi

I think I used primer on my first loco it’s stood up to many steaming I do know I was very careful to get everything cleaned and oil free using a gunk type solvent and white spirit

Stew