Thursday 11th June

Worklist:
Point actuators - base plates
Generator engine - crank shaft
Gasifier building - lighting

Laurence completed the holes in the initial baseplate by cutting out the servo 'keyhole'. The servo was fitted and it could be seen that without a full-sized packer, the shoulder of the servo fouls the blades of the micro switches. Packers next time Laurence.

Geoff completed turning the crankshaft assembly on the lathe - a very delicate operation following last weeks failures. The excess material on the crank 'disks' was then successfully removed with a grinding disc in order to minimise vibration.

The crankshaft laid in the engine. Whilst the original would have been forged, for a model of this scale (and a moving one at that), a fabricated crankshaft is a sensible alternative. 

Following on from last week, Stephen decided to opt for the generator room walls and features being built off the newly inserted floor, which Geoff agreed would make modelling the interior much easier (and he'll be doing it). This meant the lighting could be mounted on a single baseplate within the roof.
Some retaining brackets were glued to the top of the wall on one side to locate the 'ceiling' panel. The Christmas tree lights were then located on a board cut to size. The lamps were first taped and then wired in place; initially to test the fitting process, but then more permanent tape was used. This proved useful, as some lights had to be moved to avoid tall obstructions. There are 4 lights in each room, with a 9th poked through into the recess behind the double access doors.

The effect with and without the background lights on was very effective.