IRIS 4.5 Foden SWB

Hi all, received Kit One today and im really impressed with the quality of the kit, well worth the wait, haven't done much with it so far just unpacked it and check it all over

Welcome aboard, nope your build brings you as much pleasure as mine.

Hi there and welcome
Your pictures take me back to December 2009 when my first kit for the Foden arrived.  I have kept a diary and pictures of the build so if you have any queries I should be able to help.
All the best
Tom

Shame your carpet is going to get covered in all that mill-scale, flap discs work well. I did mine in red-lead and undercoat, but I have left the top-coat till everything major is in. Good job too as the the steering box and boiler fitting really made a mess. Are you going for a red chassis or a black chassis? Mine is black.

Mike

Thank you atomentor i shall bear that in mind for when i get really stuck (which i know will happen at some stage)

mikero i have decided to go with craft master paint, 1k etch primer followed by Dark Red Primer then for top coat Manchester Red for the chassis and joining parts , The suspension springs will be Black to set them apart a little bit, and im thinking Mid Brunswick green for the Cab, The carpet isn't as clean as it looks further back is my work area where the Blue and Cream NSU is sitting atm and the carpet there is full of paint drips rubbing down dust and anything else that Bike restorations can throw at it

Red and green, what have all the poor souls with Daltonism done to deserve that?

Mike  

I have carpet on my garage floor but despite cleaning it still manages to create a load of dust that seems to be attracted to every item with wet paint on it, especially Craftmster paint in particular!

I see you are only across the Trent Valley from me maybe we could meet up

Best wishes

Ian

Hi Ian yes i agree with the dust, my normal work is bike restoration and dust loves to stick to that paint.

Yes that would be lovely to meet a fellow builder, do you do many of the local rally's?

I have only been to Rempstone and Lincoln locally so far and not completed my road loco build as yet.

Ian

Had a good solid day today working on the chassis, managed to clean the rails and rear/mid cross members up as well as test fit everything together. Hoping tomorrow to take back down and start Etch Primering the parts up.









I have 2 questions though should there be a gap at the rear as i carnt seem to get rid of mine and should the Mid cross member be lower than the chassis rails or level, the drawing shows level but other builds on here look lower

Hi there
Not sure what you mean about the gap at the back but on my chassis the mid rail definitely sits lower by a couple of mm.  The instructions didn't mention it, it was just where it fitted.  Not sure what difference (if any) it would make when you come to fit the water tank etc.

Regards
Tom

Thank you tom, having looked at your picture and enlarged it i can see that the back of your looks like mine does, seems as your self and others have lowered the mid cross member i shall do the same just encase as you say it will affect the water tanks later on, Managed to get a few parts in Etch today but haven't got any pictures the next lot ill prob get is when everything is in primer

Got the chassis in first coat of top coat Manchester Red, just need to leave to harden for a day or two then flat down the top and bottom rail and repaint as the paint ran, other than that im really pleased with the way its all going. Some areas look black on the photo that's just because i use a Manual setting on my camera to try get more accurate color in the pictures

Brillant pictures.
Please keep posting them.

Phil 

Not much to update, Kit 3 arrived today carnt do much with it atm as still busy with kit one

Been pretty busy lately getting kit one re prepped and painted as had a few runs, my self and my dad have came up with an idea to keep the paint int he air so it has enough time to dry and not get marked, We put a bolt in to the lath and put a point on it, this then sits in a hole on the chassis and keeps it int he air thus meaning no damage to the paint.



I have also been busy prepping and primering the Tow bar ready for final assembly and fitting

Finally got all of Kit 1 finished and together, and made a start on Kit 3, Received Kit 9 today the under slung water tank, though i cant do much with it atm as haven't got Kits 4 & 5 so no rear axle or brake in place.

I also managed to pick up of Ebay the Foden Coat of arms, looks very good lots of detail on it

So been quite busy recently, got all of Kit 9 the bottom water tank complete, painted and fitted, and have had the holes plugged up filled with water to check for leaks int he Sight Glass



Have also got all Kit 3 completed and fitted, thanks to Atomenter (Tom), Foden SWB (Nick & Ken) and Steve at STW for there help with the rear suspension, i ended up cutting 5mm of each side the top springs to get to sit level





Haven't got any pictures yet of the Front suspension and Axle but there all in primer and awaiting topcoat, then that is everything up to date and built ready and awaiting the next kit

Russ

Looking very nice indeed, I love that rich colour you're painting it!! Keep the pictures of progress coming, they are always interesting to the rest of us who keep tabs on the forum  

Regards,
tony

Not really much to update at the moment everything that arrived in the last kit is just painting really, nearly ready to assemble all the front axle and steering,

however i sent my hubcaps to steam plates for engraving and enameling, with my engine being red i went for a red logo, and im extremely pleased with the result

Font axle and wheels now fitted, also made a start on fitting the hub caps, as you can just see ive painted these the same colour as the cab will be Mid Brunswick Green, will try and get some better pictures when the hubcaps are fully fitted

Okay time for a small update, The rear axle and wheel kits have arrived and with a lot of building up and taking down the rear Diff is all set up and working lovely.

The rear hub's required a slight bit of trimming down on the lathe as they were just slightly to big thus making the diff lock up when tightened down, with this all sorted Ive fitted the inner wheel and the Wheel spacers, next job is to cut the bolts down to make the studs to fit the outer two wheels.









Ive been looking at the rear hubs that steam traction supplied and im not very keen on them, purely for the fact the front is lovely brass and the rears are steel.

Luckily the old owner of the lathe when he left it my dad also left various bits and pieces with it which included 3 solid pieces of brass just the right diamater to make some new rears. With dads help i have managed to produce one and have started a second, and im hoping if it works to have them engraved like the fronts

Before and After


Steam Traction's Hub


Home made hub


Front and Rear

Thank you for the up-date. Brilliant pictures, please keep them coming.
Just a question about your problem with the rear wheels, keen to know what it was exactly (intrested).
Quote:-

"The rear hub's required a slight bit of trimming down on the lathe as they were just slightly to big thus making the diff lock up when tightened down"

Another question about your frame colour, is it an original Foden frame colour?

Phil.

Hi phil, the problem i had was only on the right hub, when fitted there was a 1mm gap between the hub and the end of where the two shafts meet, so when the thrust washer was fitted and the lock nut tightened down the shafts were being pulled tight. Ive read somewhere others had this problem the solution was fit a spacer washer between the shaft end and end of hub, or send to stw to be trimmed down. Luckally dad got his lathe to work so could do it our self.

As for the colour its manchester red and as far as i am aware not a authentic colour used, i just saw it thought looked nice so went for it, the black and mid brunswick green were decided just by test fitting parts and thinking they would look good

Thank you for your reply, this is the sort of problem is intresting (well to me at least) plus worth knowing (hopefully).

Thanks.

Phil.