Old Ambroid/NESL coach kit

[deemery]

Well, after 8 months on the machine shop, I'm back to this project.  Here's the car body:


And here's the original kit roof, which I'm using for practice in end shaping:

The right side is where I'm working.  I got thinner LaBelle end strips.  I shaped the bottom of the roof, then shaped the LaBelle parts to fit and clamped them to the upper roof.  Next step is to round that stuff over.

add:  Here's the rounded-over end:

You can barely make out some pencil marks on the top and the side of the roof.  That's the old woodworker tip to monitor how much you're removing.  Those sanding paddles, 80 grit and the 120 grit, work GREAT for this project.  Next step is to fill in some small gaps with putty, then start the sand-and-finish work.


dave

[jbvb]

Good progress. I have a half-built Ambroid kit for the same B&M car which came with too short a roof.  I've been thinking of replacing that with current NESL roof stock, but haven't stuck my toe in that water yet.

[deemery]

I did a second coat of sanding sealer and then 600 grit sandpaper.  Then I moved to the spray booth to see the result. I'm using Badger neutral grey primer here.  The underside of the roof is arched, so I stuck it to a toilet paper roll with double-stick tape which makes a good handle.

And a test fit on the car:


For a finished roof, there's still a bit of wood grain on the top, so one more sanding and priming cycle would probably remove that.  But as a practice roof, this is Good Enough.

(James, if you want that roof, you're very much welcome to it.)

dave

[ACL1504]

Dave,

Great job on the roof, it looks fantastic. Well done!

Tom

[friscomike]

Howdy Dave,

The roof came out fantastic. Nice work.

Have fun,
mike