Stage Coach 1848 - John Gummersall - Artesania Latina - Scale 1:10

[John Gummersall]

I decided to take a break from ship building and try a "non-ship".   In this case I selected the "Stage Coach 1848" from Artesania Latina.   I choose this one over other stagecoaches do to it's 1/10 scale.   A little bigger than the other stagecoaches and I (having fat fingers) I like the larger scale models.   For those of you that want to follow along, this will be a very slow build.   It will get completed, but I am not a very active model builder.   I work on them as time permits, so it is going to take some time.    I would suggest checking back every 2-3 weeks or so for an update.

 

 

 

 

Starting in, the first step is to build the four wheels.   More or less a pretty straight forward task.

 

Assemble the wheel rings - four pieces each

 

 

In order to add the spokes, it mentions to use the "full size" diagrams to place the spokes.   Problem is, and this just be the diagrams in my particular model,  the full size diagrams are not entirely accurate as to the spoke placement.    Notice in the two pictures below the spacing between some of the spokes are not the same.   So if you lay the spokes via the diagram, the spaces between spokes will  not be accurate.

 

 

The spokes are made from 4x4mm strips flattened (by sanding) on two of the sides and then cut into 69mm lengths (for the large wheels) and 48mm lengths (for the smaller wheels).

The spacing between most of the spokes are the same, so by using a compass, it is easy enough to find a correct size that will go all around the wheel.    Once you know the accurate space between spokes it is easy enough to go around the wheels and mark where each spoke is to connect to the rim.  For easiest spoke placement, I would suggest cutting a circular hole in a piece of 1" board to insert the wheel axle.  From there the spokes will lie flat on the board and can easily be glued into the axle and onto the wheel rim

 

 

To insure each spoke is the exact same length, use a stop on the saw box.    It will save a lot of time and insure each spoke is the proper length

 

 

 

Adding the spokes to the smaller wheels

and to the larger wheels

 

end results prior to painting

 

 

 

 

 

After a little primer

 

After paint and before adding the trim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

For the wheel treads, instructions talk about using 1x5mm wood strips and wrap them around the outside of the rims.    Problem is (and again it may just be my model) the wheel rims are about 5.5mm wide.   So the 5mm strips will show a little gap.   Instead I used black card stock paper (doubled over) and painted it will black gun stock paint.   Looked pretty good in the end and was pretty easy.

 

Started with card stock paper and made three deep lines with a pen.   3mm, 6mm, 3mm

 

 

Folded up the paper on the lines and glued them together, resulting is a 6mm strip twice the thickness of the paper

 

Folded it over and turned over so the seam will be on the underside, glued it to the outside of the rim, and painted it black.   Looked pretty much like a black metal rim

 

 

 

Instructions then call to cut two 54mm  pieces and two 45mm pieces out of the 4mm brass strips to be used for the interior axle housings.   Eventually these will be painted black.  In my experience (and I am little more than a novice at model building) I hate painting brass.  Even after using an etching primer followed by paint, while the result initially looks good, it does not take much handling (like actually installing the piece), for little pieces of the paint to fleck off.   Based on my experience with the black cardstock on the rims, I decided to use this method on the axle housings.

 

While the instructions call for two 54mm  pieces and two 45mm pieces of brass, in my model the axle housings were actually 60mm and 47mm.   The width of these axle housings on my model were actually 5mm instead of 4mm.  Before you cut these pieces, either out of brass or card stock,  verify the proper length... and maybe a little longer....  You can always shorten them.

 

In this case, same as before.   Line out 3mm, 6mm, 6mm lines, fold on the lines to make one strip and paint black with gun stock paint.   From here you can cut the required strips for the axle housing.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy with the end result and a whole lit easier than working with brass strips

 

Next step is to add all the pins on both sides of each spoke - a total of 192 pins....   Since the pins are 5mm in length and the wheel is 5mm in depth, all 192 pins need to be cut in 1/2 - preferably a little shorter or the pins from each side of the wheel will hit each other.   Just cutting these pins in half is a long frustrating task...  pins are so small, and to cut them in half takes some real patience.   After that you need to drill .5mm holes through each wheel for each pin.   I would not suggest doing this with a pin vise.  There is just no way to drill that many straight lines with a pin vise, and if the holes are not straight, the wholes on the other side will not look very good.   In my case I used a dremel workstation to drill the holes.   Instructions called for a .5mm bit, but I found a .7mm bit fits the nails better.

 

Also I used a special pliers made for holding pins.  Between the jaws are a little hole to hold the pin.   Trying to hold these small pins and drive them into the holes would be very hard with a tweezers or needle hose pliers.   Here is the one I have

 

 

Not really in focus, but you can kinda see the hold to hold the pin in each jaw

 

 

After several long tedious sessions, all the pins were inserted on both sides of each wheel

 

 

I am really glad the wheels are finally completed..

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

Next step was to create clefts in the beams and in the suspension stabilizers.   Instructions call to use  a fine hack saw, with clamps and steel ruler.  Clamp the pieces and then using the saw make the clefts.   Here is where my lack of skill started to show up.   Making a straight cleft in the suspension stabilizers was pretty easy as those part are wide, but making  a straight cleft in the three beams, for me anyway, was really hard.  First off the beams are very narrow so there is not much for the metal ruler to grab on to.  As such when I started the saw cuts the beam would tend to move on me.  Also, in my case, the beams were not perfectly straight.  There was an ever to small bend to them.  Had to look really close to see the bend, but it was there.  End result, while the saw cut was in the middle of the strip at both ends, the slight bend in the middle ended up with the cleft off center.  It looked horrible.

 

Had to go through the process of soaking and straightening out the strips.

 

Below you see my attempt at clamping the thin strips.   I ended up using the sticking side of duct tape to help hold the stirp in place as I made the cut.   Unless you really are confident in making these cleft cuts, I would suggest getting of additional 3/16" strips (closest to 5mm) and practice, practice, practice before you make the attempt on the real wood.   I did not think this would be a hard task and I ended up wrecking the 3 pieces of mahogany supplied with the kit.   At that point I acquired the additional 3/16" strips for practice and eventual strips.  Dumb you get early Smart you get late  🙂

 

Also, it mentions using a fine backsaw.   I would suggest starting with a fine backsaw, but the eventual cleft will be "too fine".   For the cleft to show up better it is best to follow up the fine backsaw line with a thicker saw resulting is a thicker cleft.

 

Again, unless your wood is perfectly straight and you are really confident in making the cleft lines..... practice practice practice

 

Four strips of supplied mahogany

 

 

 

Resulting clefts in the beams and suspension stabilizers - after a lot of cursing and 'redo's

 

 

After painting them yellow

 

 

[John Gummersall]

Starting to assemble the beams and suspension stabilizers.   I am assuming that it will be imperative to insure this structure is perfectly square (or as perfect as I can get it at my still level).   There weights seemed to do the trick

 

 

 

Resulting in a "fairly" straight suspension 

 

 

 

 

 

[John Gummersall]

Next came the rear axle.  Start with the 9x9mm square wood and drill a 5mm hole in each end and insert the 5mm dowel.   At the end of the 5mm dowel drill a 2mm hole and insert the 2mm dowel.  Paint it up and put aside for later steps

 

 

Started working on the steering struts

 

When gluing the struts together, instructions call to make the gap 5.5mm in order for the haul bar (5.0m) to easily slide.  Prior to gluing the struts together I temporarily inserted two of the brass strips to accommodate for the extra .5mm...  Having done that, I am not sure that is necessary.  In fact I wish I had not allowed for that extra space.  Haul bar can still easily fit between the struts and can move around.  I really hated to see the extra .5mm gap.  In a later picture I will show the haul bar inserted and the gap showing - ugh

 

 

Glued with the strips removed.   In the below picture the three straps with the pins showing are all made of card stock and painted.   The side clamps are the brass strips.   As mentioned earlier, it really is hard to tell the difference and the card stock is a whole lot easier to work with.

 

 

 

 

Next came the haul bar - again card stock instead of the suggested blacked brass.

 

 

Attach the steering struts to the front wheel bracket.   This calls for slitting the front wheel bracket and laying in the steering struts so the lay flush.  Lay the steering struts on to of the front wheel bracket 45mm back from the haul bar.  This is where the steering struts should be inserted into the haul bar.   You can also use the full diagram to help with the placement.   Make some lines on each side of the front wheel bracket and start cutting.  After some cutting, filing, and sanding the struts should lay even in the front wheel bracket.  Below shows the two parts about to be joined,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And all assembled

 

 

 

Edited February 25 by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

Next add the metal (?) straps to the steering bars.    As before I choose to make these out of card stock and paint them.

 

and applied/painted to the steering bars.  To me it really looks like metal and a whole lot easier to make.

 

 

Start making the haul beams by blacking the fittings

 

 

Trimming and forming the haul beams was relative simple with some sand paper

 

 

and final assemble

 

 

Applied to the steering bars

 

 

building the brake system starting with the brake struts..   One hole in one end and two holes in the other end

 

 

Add the struts to the brake bar.

 

Edited Monday at 10:22 PM by John Gummersall

[John Gummersall]

Started working on the brake bar...  For me, this proved to be more of a challenge that it should have been.   Process starts out drilling two 1mm holes in a 2mm round bar.   After measuring where the holes were to be places, I filed a flat spot to help the bit not to wander.   Instructions talk about using a punch to also help steady the bit. I found that pretty hard to do.  Even putting the bar in a vise, it just would not hold steady to take the punch.   Instead I finally got the holes drilled by using a very slow speed on the drill and a stead hand.   By slowly drilling the hole it was easier to get the bit not to wander and start the hole.   Once the hole was started,  with steady pressure,  bit when through.   Secret here is take it slow

 

 

Formed the brake bar into the correct position, and made the brake hooks cut from 1mm wire and soldered them into the brake bar

 

then attached the brake lever onto the brake bar

[John Gummersall]

Next item is to figure out where the brake bar is located on the frame.    Instructions call for it to be 24mm back from the front stabilizer.   Not sure I would trust that measurement - especially with my modeling skills...  Instead I temporarily put on the rear wheels, and with a toothpick holding up the brake struts, it is pretty easy to see where the brake bar should be located.  Basically above  the holes in the brake struts.

 

 

 

Instructions do not call to cut a little channel in the three lengthwise beams, but the brackets (that attach the brake bar) are too small to fit around the brake bar, so you really have no choice.   From the measurement above, mark the lengthwise beams adjacent to the holes, and with a drill bit, create a little channel to hole the brake bar. 

Use the brackets that are used to attach the brake bar as a guide as to how deep the channel needs to be.   When all is done, brake bar should easily fit into the three lengthwise beams.   Brake bar only now needs some blackening.

 

 

Next the three brake bar rails were formed to shape and located on the three lengthwise beams.   Again temporarily attach the rear wheels and position the brake to locate the position if the brake bar rails.   Once located, blacken them and nail to the beams.

 

 

 

 

 

[John Gummersall]

 

Creating the four frame exterior and interior brackets.   This involves curling over the ends of each bracket and then inserting the interior bracket inside the exterior bracket.   Note the resulting hole in the end of the combined brackets will eventually need to be able to fit a 1.5 rod.   Before you are finished, make sure you can fit a 1.5 rod in the rolled hole at the end of the combined bracket.   This will save you a headache later on.