Pennsylvania A3 Switcher (Kozo)

[Kim]

Hey Dave,
Yeah, I've wondered that too.  It was labeled that way when I got it from Grizzly.  Maybe its clearly labeled so they didn't send out the Old one anymore?  I dunno, but it does make one curious! 

Thanks Dave,
Kim

[gary.a.ayres]

Wonderful fabrication work on that tank. Must have taken great skill and concentration to get everything to line up!

[Kim]

Wonderful fabrication work on that tank. Must have taken great skill and concentration to get everything to line up!

Thanks Gary!
Skill? I'm not so sure, but what I lack in skill I make up for in persistence.  Just look at my reject bin! 

Kim

[Kim]

This is a late update from last weekend.  I made some progress on the side frames.

While I still had the parts dialed in on the mill, I used a 1/8” mill to cut the straight sides of the internal opening toward the front of the piece.  This opening will be used by the steam-Tee for the cylinders eventually.


After that I cut the big chunks out of the frames using the band saw. Here’s where I expected things to go all banannas.


But my stress relieving exercise must have really paid off because I didn’t get any warping as I’d expected. Either that, or I just got lucky - I’m going with the former!


Next I wanted to finish up the steam-Tee opening.  The front part is cut at 45^o.  So I centered up the RT using a co-axial indicator – this was fun!  You can count the number of times I’ve used that on one hand and still have fingers left over 😊


Then I clamped the sides on the RT with the point of the 45^o centered on the RT.  After getting it dialed in to completely horizontal, I used the RT to go up and down by 45^o and cut between my holes.  This worked really well!


And here’s the results of my morning’s work:


Doesn’t seem like much, but that chewed up my whole shop time for last weekend.  Hoping I can finish up the side frames this weekend.  We’ll see!

Kim

[Don1966]

Ahhhhhh! A man and his tools....... just looking in Kim good to see some nice work happening.....



 
Don

[cnr6400]

 

[Kim]

Thank you Don and Cnr,
Appreciate the encouraging comments!
Kim

[Kim]

Well, my lettering finally showed up so this weekend (now last weekend  ) I applied it to the tender. 

Adding Lettering to the Tank

Here’s what the sheets looked like when they arrived.  I ordered double what I needed, so seemed well worth having a spare.  It added less than a dollar to the whole thing – most of the cost was their setup & prep work, plus shipping I’m sure.


I started by washing the false sides VERY carefully with mild soap.  I didn’t want to use anything harsh like acetone (which I often use for cleaning before silver soldering) because I’ve found that it will take the nice new look off the powder coat.  It doesn’t remove it, but it doesn’t look as nice and semi-glossy as before. So, I didn’t do that

I cut the two sections apart and position one of them in EXACTLY the place I wanted it.  The two little pieces of blue tape are to hold it in place.


Next, I took a long piece of tape and placed it along the top to act as a hinge.  After removing the two little pieces of tape that were holding it in place, I was able to flip the lettering up and remove the backing from the vinyl.  I had to be careful here or the little serifs would want to come off with the backing.


After the backing was removed, I flipped it back down and used a burnishing tool to rub all the lettering so the adhesive would adhere to the black paint.


Then I simply peeled off the transfer tape – except by ‘simply’ I mean I carefully removed it a smidge at a time because the little serif edges and other parts REALLY wanted to come off with the transfer tape.  I finally got there, but it was a lot harder than they showed on their video!  I’m thinking that’s because in the video they were making a big sign and the strokes on the letters were an inch wide. Anyway, I got it off, and the lettering looks pretty good.


After doing that to both sides I sprayed a clear coat over the whole thing.  My hope is that the clear coat will help protect the letters and keep them from coming up as easily.  Guess we’ll see.


With the lettering done and the clear coat in place, it was time for final assembly and some beauty shots!




I’m quite pleased with how it came out!

OK, now just the engine to go!
Kim

[Admiral_dk]

Fantastic Tender Kim     one to be very proud off    and the lettering is just the final touch 

[crueby]

Beautiful!!!

What did you use for the clear coat?

[cnr6400]

 

So now you've got the tough bit done, the engine should be a piece of cake, eh? 

[Kim]

Thanks Per!
Yes, the lettering really makes it stand out, doesn't it?

Thanks Chris!
I've been fond of the Krylon Acrylic "Crystal Clear".  They also have a matte finish that I like for some things, but I didn't want this to be matte - more of a semi-gloss kind of look.

Yes, Cnr,
Now I've only got the easy half to go... or is it the easy 3/4?  Sure, I've got WAY more than half to go, but I'm pretty excited about it still!

Kim

[Dave Otto]

Beautiful Kim!
I bet that you are super pleased with the finished tender.

Dave

[Kim]

Thanks Dave!
Yes, I'm quite pleased with it!
Of course, I see all the things that I did wrong or would do better next time, but that's what it's all about, right?  If I wasn't learning and improving, what would be the fun?
But when I stand back and look at it, I'm really happy with it!
Kim

[joe d]

That turned out great   Looking forward to the next bits!

Cheers, Joe