Four months now. Sometimes, we've all come across a project where the amount of sheer hard work and frustration make it just not worth carrying on. I hope this isn't in the bin, and that JayCee might one day come back to it, but when it ceases to be enjoyable it's maybe best to just move on.
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'Tis I. The reason nothing has been done on the bike I can only put down to some kind of mojo loss. I can spend plenty of time working out what needs doing and how to do it, but actually getting started is something else entirely. Having operations and chemo for skin cancer hasn't helped either. To top it all an unexpected and enforced visit to the UK really stopped me from being at the bench. All being well I should be back home in a week or so. I really want to get some more work done on the bike and see if I can get it up to my expectations. See you guys soon.
John.Comment
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Great to know that we may yet see some more of your work on this project but the important thing is to get well. Best wishes for your continuing recovery.Comment
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Get yourself well and take care the mojo will return.Comment
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Thank you for the well wishes, guys. As I said, hopefully back to full building soon.
John.Comment
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Hooray ! I am back. At least for the moment. The chemo is finished for now and the crappy side effects are dissipating. Anyway enough of me, there are, unfortunately, members of the forum who are far worse off than me.
On to the build. Carry on from where I left off last time ( last year :angry: ). A goodly amount of scraping, filing and sanding got the bracket thin enough to get it behind the frame gusset. A bit of reshaping was needed on the top edge to get it to fit underneath the frame cross brace. Once glued in place this left a fixing hole in the gusset. A spot of filler, smoothed down and a nut/bolt glued on top and job done. While I was working on the gussets I shaved off the moulded on bolt heads and replaced them with more appropriate nuts/bolts.
Another episode to follow.Comment
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AS can be seen in the above photo, I have fitted the oil tank and associated pipes. When I found the tank in the box of bits I cringed in horror that I had actually shown a photo of it here. It looked as though it had been built by a retarded chimp. Pretty apt considering I have been referred to in those terms (usually by SWMBO).
I removed the first attempt at the fixing bobbins and then cleaned the whole thing back to the plastic. The seam down the centre was refilled and sanded down. I then measured from the rear of the tank (same distance both sides) and then from the bottom upwards. Where the two lines crossed I drilled a hole in each side of the tank. I put a length of appropriate size plastic rod through the tank so there was a good length on each side and glued it in place. After a day or so I could trim the rod to the length needed. I did this by using two cocktail sticks. Putting one on each side of the rod laying flat on the tank. By laying my cutters flat on the sticks I then cut the rod off. This worked better than I expected and the result was a near perfect length for the bobbin. The discs on the end are just two pieces of etch I found in a drawer. No idea what they are for but they are near enough the right size. The rubber bands that hold the bottom of the tank against the frame are just two pieces of thread supplied courtesy of the wife. They are a bit too thick and hairy, but will suffice.
The view of this side of the bike gives a better view of the oil pipes. The feed pipe is the one coming out of the side of the tank and going beneath the gearbox. The return pipe come back over the top of the gearbox and joins the tank in the bottom corner. I have just noticed (looking at this photo that the joint between the outlet pipe and the flexible pipe has gone awry. I glued them together and left it. Mistake! This whole area needs the paint touching up, then I will see what needs doing.
All comments welcome. John.Comment
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Good to see you back and glad your on the mend and feeling better. The bike is looking superb.Comment
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Thank you, Paul. Not quite superb, but hopefully more accurate than when started.
John.Comment
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Just a quick update re the oil tank, which I forgot to put in the last post. Anyone watching this will have noticed that I have not put any lining on the tank. This is for two reasons. Because I have altered the tank by putting on the retaining bobbins the supplied decals for the lining will need cutting up to fit. I really cannot be bothered with this. The second reason is more historical. Despite most bikes in use today having the oil tank lined, when the bikes left the factory the tanks were in a plain metal finish. The few period photo's I have of bikes with this style tank ( they were only used for the last two years of production ) clearly show plain unlined tanks. So, plain it will remain. Now to hopefully do some more.
John.Comment
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Good to see this back John. Glad the skin cancer treatment is done and you're on the road to recovery.
The Norton is looking excellent. I've never built a bike kit but these large scale models certainly look impressive.Comment
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A bit more done to the bike. I am now going to address the frame. I really should have done this at the beginning, but better late than never. Firstly the steering head. This has a flange right down the front complete with a lump that you are supposed to put a supplied screw through. As per the outlined part in this photo.
A session with a razor saw and sanding sticks, followed by a good blather of TET gave me this.
This will be hidden when the front no plate/cowling is on, so I could have left it, but I would know it was wrong. I found out something that I had temporarily forgotten. TET will not touch the plastic this kit is made from. When I tried to slide the steering stem up inside the head the front seam that I had just worked on split apart. Back once more to relying on CA. The next job I tackled was the small fillets in the frame to hold the upper retaining bolts for this new style oil tank. These were completely absent on the model. Some plastic card and CA and I had this.
Small but necessary. The indistinct blob in the centre is a 0.8 mm bolt head. This needs tidying up and painting. Then it might look an integral part of the frame.
That is it for now. As usual all comments, good, bad or indifferent gratefully received.
John.Comment
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Well folks, no update as such. There will be the usual summer recess. Even though I have spent most of my life in this climate (and hotter) the 40c temp and the high humidity are not conducive to sticking plastic. There is no aircon in my modelling room. Besides SWMBO has booked us both on a cruise for 10 days so that is an even better excuse for not doing anything. Hopefully when I return the modelling juices will be in full flow. Until then take care all.
John.Comment
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Have a great break.Comment
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