Model Engine Works: 009

Showing posts with label 009. Show all posts

Sunday, 6 November 2022

009 Chiemsee-Bahn Style Steam Tram

Following on the theme of the steam trams I had a look at European types and found some really good candidates to suit the new Kato-Peco Small England chassis, one stood out for me, the meter gauge Chiemsee-Bahn tram looked a perfect match for the chassis.

The Chiemsee-Bahn (Chiemsee Railway) is a meter gauge line in Prien am Chiemsee, Germany. It is one of the world's last steam tramways and is said to be the oldest continuously operated steam tramway in regular operation.

It has worked out as a very compact model, and as such, I have ended up adding the couplings to the buffer plates and not using the Peco coupling pockets which I would normally use. It is a superb running model and I think my favorite tram from my ever-growing collection.

To allow for fitting details inside the very small space in the cab that is left after accommodating the chassis and the large weight. I have made the whole of the upper cab including the roof and supports separate from the lower body. This has allowed me to fit a figure with its lower half removed. I used one of the Dapol trackside work crew. It also makes it possible to add pipework and controls if you like.

There is a bit of deviation from the original tram around the smoke box door, this was purely for the structural stability of the roof supports and to locate the upper and lower sections. The smoke box door is printed as a separate part, I used a dart from RT models.

The handrails have small pilot holes formed to give a guide for drilling out to suit the wire used. My choice was 0.45mm brass. There are three small lamps added with the print, two for the front of the tram and one for the rear, I added some clear and red rhinestones to form the lenses on these. There are holes in the front of the bodywork for the lamps, but you can decide if you want to fit the rear one and where to position it.

One of my modifications on the prototype was to abandon the NEM pockets and to fit a set of RT models Penryhn Locomotive couplings, as space is a premium inside the lower bodywork. I have added a similar printed pair to the model on Shapeways now also some location holes on the buffer beams.

Finishing the model was done in oil-based enamels, the black was Revell M09 Anthracite and the green was a mix, not as bright as the original. The roof was left in the grey primer. The lining used is Fox Transfers cream 0.35mm, and this is sealed with a matt varnish.

It goes well with a small tram coach which I converted from an Atlas tram model obtained on eBay.This started out as a Berlin tram in a 1:86 scale which I added a 4mm section between the footplate and the bodywork to raise its height and give it the height to look like a 4mm scale model. Under the footplate I used a Peco wagon frame split in half to extend the wheelbase and some etched brass mesh to form side guards to the chassis. The foot plate being of metal gives it enough weight. Because of using the Peco wagon frame, I was able to fix Peco NEM pockets and couplings directly under the footplate. With the paintwork being superb on the Atlas models I decided to keep it untouched, the additional section that I added was painted in a contrasting darker green and the footplate was lined in red.

I have made this model available on Shapeways if you would like a copy of the print. see the link below.

009 Chiemsee-Bahn Steam Tram (649WKSZ4H) by tdhurst (shapeways.com)

Tuesday, 13 September 2022

009 Coaches Using Moulded Sides

A set of coaches to complement a 009 Beyer Peacock with G.W.R. theme livery.

I decided to replicate a previous coach build using the same Ratio coach sides. My plan was to cut and reform these into sides for a small bogie first coach with three compartments, using a set of Ratio 612/123 GWR Composite coach sides. Also a small six-wheeler three compartments third coach, and a brake/mail coach also a six-wheeler, using Ratio 613/123 GWR Brake 3rd coach sides.

The wheel sets for these would be a Peco GR-106 bogie set for the bogie first coach and three Peco 10ft wooden wagon chassis to form the six wheelers.

The plan with Peco 10ft wooden wagon chassis was to cut the first one in half and use the brake details, then cut a second to fit equally between the first removing the brake details just leaving the axle boxes of the central one. All of the moulded buffers were removed leaving clean square ends to butt together and glue with liquid polystyrene cement. This was done, top down on a flat non plastic surface. This created the chassis frame for the brake/mail coach which was going to be visible.

For the second chassis, I did the same thing cutting a chassis in half, but this time removed all the brake gear and with the remaining axal box from the first conversion I positioned this between the two halves, then with some Plasticard packers added between to create a longer version to suit the compartment, third coach. This coach frame was to have running boards fitted at the height of the axle boxes so details like the baking gear would not be seen.

The central wheels are flangeless, a simple solution and while fiddly to create is an idea that has been used for a long time by manufacturers. These N gauge wheels are so small it is very hard to see if they have flanges or not. I did the removal with a sharp scalpel, carefully scoring around the wheel rim several times until the flange ring popped off. When on the track it looks as any six-wheeler would but has the simple ability to negotiate tight radius curves like any four wheel chassis.

The core of the coach body is formed in 3mm balsa wood, this includes the base and compartment divisions. These are cut and shaped to a template, so they are all the same section. They are then glued to the base at 90º to line up with the coach sides window frames. On the compartment, third coach the thickness at the edges was reduced on both sides to allow for the thinner window frame sections. The coach ends are cut and shaped from 1mm Plasticard again using a template to get them all the same. The plank effect is scribed (not cut) into the surface with a sharp pointed Vee, using the back of a knife blade, then clean off with wet and dry paper to get rid of the burs.

To form the roofs, I have used a cold moulding method with brown gum paper tape, not the reinforced type but the artist's type which comes on a very long roll and is 50mm wide. The former for the roofs is the spray primer can which I later used to prime the model, so nothing special. It is just the right length and curve for the job. The first of 5 layers are stuck in place on the can with masking tape at each end gum side up, lining this up carefully is important to make sure the roof is not twisted. The next layers are all added to this gum side down, dipping in a shallow tray of water to activate the gum. These are cut smaller than the first layer, so they do not cover the masking tape and make it easier to remove when dry. The roof should be left to dry fully usually overnight will be fine. They can now be cut to size to suit the coach body they are to be used on.

The roof is located with some small strips of balsa wood at each corner, the rain gutters are made from strips of Plasticard bent and fixed with contact adhesive, and the roof vents are a set from Dundas Models. Once all was put together and dry, I sprayed it with a grey primer. It was then cleaned off any blemishes. I used a combination of grey and white primers to give different shades of grey on each of the coach's roofs.

The coach bodies and chassis were then assembled onto the balsa wood cores using contact adhesive, and the ends and sides were glued with liquid polystyrene cement. After this a set of running boards were added, one on the bogie first coach, two high on the compartment third coach, and steps only at the doors on the brake/mail coach. This gives a good idea of what the various styles look like. To strengthen the lower boards on the compartment third coach, I used some small wire brackets bent at 90º and fitted into holes drilled in the bottom of the upper running boards when fixed to the coach. The lower boards were glued to these and the axle boxes, which has been a good stable platform.

Next, I added Peco NEM coupling pockets to the coaches, these can sit directly in front of the N gauge coupling mouldings, you will need to open the mouldings out to allow the new pockets to be fitted in the correct positions on the chassis, also a small amount of the pocket mould will need to be trimmed back. The good thing with these is that they sit at more or less the right level to work with other 009 couplings.

Painting, I used a grey primer as the base coat, I then masked off the bottom and interior of the windows to spray the upper sides in white primer. The upper coach sides were finished in a matt mid-cream mix and the bottom and ends of the two passenger coaches were finished in a Humbrol M160 brown. The brake coach was finished in a red/maroon mix giving a deep red shade, the ends of this one and all of the coach chassis and running boards were finished in Revell M9 Anthracite. Handles were picked out in Humbrol brass metallic, and the window frames were lined in the respective coach bottom colours as a contrast to the cream upper sides.

The lettering was added using some Old Time Works gold First and Third signs on the centre door mid panel of the passenger coaches. The brake coach received Guard and luggage on each door and black 2mm MAIL on each side upper panels between the doors. A black lining added a definition between the upper cream and the lower colour, this was done with a Staedtler permanent Lumocolour fine pen and a ruler. All of this was then sealed with an overall coat of satin varnish to all areas of the coaches.

I then added some sheet lead weight to each of the coaches and clear glazing as a finishing touch. The results are good vernation on the wood grain coach I did using this method previously. They look well with the Beyer Peacock. Also, I have a nice simple method of making 009 six wheelers now, I will have to try it on some wagon next.

Monday, 3 January 2022

M.E.W. Island Lighthouse

A lighthouse may seem a relatively easy building to make but to get the cone shape right is deceptively tricky since the proportions of the column have to look correct.
Also, forming a glazed housing for the lamp lens with a suitably shaped roof and balcony around it can be a difficult task to pull together. To this end, I had the idea of fashioning a set of parts that could be used to make many different shapes and sizes of the lighthouse.

For my prototype samples, I made a short cone and medium sized cone-shaped tower with which we all associate a lighthouse. I also did a building-style lighthouse with a cylinder shaped tower structure attached, as a comparison to the others. The main materials used in the construction of these buildings was 2mm, foam board, for the base, straight walls and flat shaped formers where required, thin flexible cardboard for anything that needed to be curved, and 50mm wide brown gum paper tape to reinforce the structure (not the reinforced packing type but the smooth art and framing tape). The glazing was a combination of recycled clear acetate and 30mm diameter clear acrylic tubing. I tried both on the lamp lens housing and found the acrylic tubing the best. Doors and windows I obtained from a set of Wills building accessory parts.

The basic cone shape is easiest to form as a flat shape on paper round a skeleton former. This is then reinforced with further layers of paper or gum paper tape which although relativity thin is very strong, and when slotted into the base and balcony is a very robust structure. I have shown a link to a document describing how I formed the cone shape. These can be made to any height that you may think suitable for your particular model. Of course, you can work with a straight cylinder if you wish although this will not fit into the slot in the base. If so a card ring can be cut and added to the bottom of this to do the same job. This is also the case if you wish to make a building with the light fitted to the roof.

The plinth is a cylinder which I have formed with a round disc made to the inner rim diameter of the printed base. I found that 2 or 3mm foam board was a good material to form this in as it is easy to cut for this disc. Two or three layers should be bonded together create a solid base, then thin card cut into a strip 15 to 25 mm high will form the wall. This should be overlapped three or four times to give strength and thickness. It is then possible to add an inner core of a height suitable to hold the LED just under the lens tube. I have found that this gives the best lighting effect with the lens.

The lens tube is a clear “Bic” pen outer casing that is cut to a length of between 40mm and 60mm. The top 20mm is grooved with a small round file forming between 4 and 6 equal rings in the top 20mm section. I found that turning the tube in a drill chuck made this much easier to do. I have allowed clearance in the balcony floor hole to wrap the middle section of this tube in gum paper tape which allows the forming of a stop at the bottom to position the lens at the correct height.

Forming the Lamp housing is done using a short section of 30mm diameter x 2mm wall clear acrylic tube. The height of this is not fixed and can be to suit your particular model. I would suggest that the lower section is covered in paper gum tape or similar material to stop light bleeding, which also gives a good line to form the windowsill ring around the top of this. This windowsill ring needs to be the same thickness as the proposed vertical glazing bars( I made my version 2mm height x 1mm deep).
The glazing bars can be made in many different ways. For my prototype models, I used 8 vertical bars 1mm x 1mm white plasticard bonded with super glue. It just needs an overlay fitting to the upper part of the outer clear acrylic cylinder which will give the impression of glazing bars. This could be as I have done vertical glazing bars or diamond pattern bars, offset glazing bars were also used in some lighthouses to allow for flat glazing panels.
To guide the installation of these glazing bars, I made a small cylinder of paper to fit inside the acrylic tube and marked the 8 vertical lines equally spaced on this.
I also used a paper ring to form the inner finish of the lower lens housing which is much easier than painting the inside of the tube and gives a nice crisp line at the top.

Doors and windows
I used doors from a Wills set of parts, and also windows and outer frames on the lighthouse building prototype. The openings in towers are formed with just a cutout and some acetate sheet bonded straight to the inner wall surface. The cutouts in the paper for both doors and windows have the edges sealed with PVA before painting.

The printed parts are a roof, balcony, and base ring.

The roof is an eight segment metal clad dome with a ball finial cap. The cap itself has a pilot hole for the addition of a weather vane or lighting conductor to be added. Under the roof, a rim is formed to accept a 30mm diameter clear acrylic tube which forms the lamp housing.
A balcony with railings around the outer edge has a trough formed in the top surface to take the bottom of the 30mm diameter clear acrylic tube. It also has a slot to take the cone formed at the base, with corbels on the outside of the cone for supports to the balcony.
The base ring is designed to allow the cone to sit within a rim in the top surface, and the bottom has a rebate around the outer edge to locate it onto the separate plinth. This plinth is useful to allow the removal of the structure when in place on a layout or diorama making it easier for the permanent fitting of an LED lighthouse lamp fitting.

Painting and finishing sprayed the printed parts and paper parts with a grey primer and then applied the render or paint finishes.
To achieve a render finish on the main tower I have come up with a mix of one part acrylic white paint, one part white powder filler and one part PVA glue, with a spot of washing up liquid to break the surface tension of the PVA. When mixed together a small amount of water is needed to create a smooth paste like texture, this is then stippled in place with a stiff brush. Once dry it can be over-coated with acrylic paints and then weathered.
Weathering was achieved with a mix of acrylic colours yellow ocher, sap green, Payne’s grey, and white. These were applied in thin washes and by dry brushing There is also a rust wash and staining in areas around the railings and balcony, which was done with enamels thinned and dry-brushed.

Lighting unit
The lighthouse simulated rotating lamp effect unit by Mini Lights can be purchased in several different versions and they give a very realistic flash to a static light source. My first sample unit was mounted on a plinth that raised it up into the core of the cone to just under the lens tube. I found it focused the light better by adding a small upstand around the lamp. It is much easier to have the base for the lighthouse separate, so this can be added to the landscape and wired in without risking damage to the lighthouse model itself.

The power for my unit was from a 9V battery. I mounted this in a switched battery box, these are quite freely available on the internet. The units are rated to run on a 7- 13 volts regulated DC power supply or 9 volts battery. To further aid the changing of the battery I added a pair of low voltage plug connectors between the light unit and the battery box.

List of suppliers:

Mini Lights Lighthouse simulated rotating lamp effect unit by
https://www.mini-lights.co.uk/mlshop/lighthouse-lighting-effect-unit.html

4D Model shop London 30 mm dia Clear acrylic round tube 330mm
https://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Item/Clear-acrylic-round-tube-330mm/ITM2040

Any good art shop supplier.
Gummed Paper Brown Paper Tape Picture Framing Canvas / Gum Wet 200m x 50mm roll
(note not the reinforced packing tape).

3D Printed Parts
Model Engine Works on Shapeways
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/model-engine-works

Cone pattern development document.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/155N8zx6Zl3zm1o4C4EalgVkWx7qNqEor/view?usp=sharing

Sunday, 24 January 2021

009 Atlas Tram and Coach Conversion

There is a really nicely modelled Atlas Editions Bern steam tram and coach out on sale at the minute, which with a little careful conversion makes a very detailed steam tram engine and coach set for 009 modellers. The main additions are a Kato 11-110 chassis to motorise the steam tram engine and a set of Peco G-106 bogies. There are also a set of Peco GR-103 NEM pockets and some 1mm Plasticard to form some new interface parts to put it all together. The good thing about this is, if done carefully no intricate painting would be needed to get a really detailed pair of models.

The main difficulty with this conversion is the dismantling of the two models. I found that some parts were glued together more affectivity than others. This can cause some breakages as the plastic used is quite delicate. I found that the worst areas were the railings on both the tram and coach, which broke in several places.

I will start with the coach as that is the simplest and a good starting point to get a feel of the conversion. I removed the wheels, dummy bogies and couplings. The metal used to form the floor of the coach is quite soft and can be cut with a razor saw. The couplings are held on two small metal tabs under the end beams. These need to be cut off in line with the underside of the floor.

The steps are formed in quite thick plastic and to allow enough swing on the couplings it is a good idea to reduce these on the backside, and soften the inner edges. I ended up having to re-fix one of these as it was not glued on well.

To fit the bogies, I created a new subfloor in 1mm plasticard which fitted between the steps and the break gear in the centre of the coach. I left the original threaded lugs used to fix the coach to the display base in place and drilled two holes in the new base to allow for these. The other two lugs to fix the dummy bogies in place I had to remove. This was done by drilling, using progressively larger drills. Once at the bottom face of the floor I formed a countersink to allow clearance for the free moment of the new bogies.

To mount the Peco G-106 bogies all that is needed is a hole of the correct size, and they will just clip in place. These were formed by drilling a clearance hole larger than the bogies require in the subfloor. A packer is then made to sit below this which has a smaller hole suited to the bogie's clips. This needs to be fairly small and inbound of the wheels which need to swing freely. I glued this in place under the hole in the subfloor, lining it up the two holes, which formed a small rebate above the hole in the packer.

The bogies were adapted to suit the steps, by using a set of the Peco GR-103 NEM coupling pockets and cutting these and refitting them to form a long bar type mount instead of the moulded L shaped arrangement. I then glued this to the opposite end of the bogie to the existing NEM pocket. By doing this it had a long enough reach to work with the steps. It was then just a case of fitting my preferred coupling in place.

With this arrangement the coach should be able to negotiate track curves around 200 to 230mm (8 to 9”) and it is a really nicely detailed coach.

The steam tram takes a little more work to dismantle it. The boiler, funnel and pipework are all glued in place then fitted to the base which has to be removed at the bottom, and the side railings are very awkward to get off without breakage. In the end, I removed the roof and windows above the waistline. This allowed me much better access to the bits, but I still had to carefully break the funnel off the boiler. I carefully saved all the bits for re-assembly later, then using the existing base as a template I marked a piece of 1mm plasticard with its shape. I then marked some centre lines on the new base and added a template of the Kato 11-110 cut out.

Once this is cut out and fits in place OK, some stops to position it is needed on the front and back of the cab. It sits 1mm below the original base and there are a couple of ridges on the ends of the bodywork which gives you a good guide to position the stops. A new floor needs adding above the chassis to make it easier to fit the boiler and pipework back in place. This needs to be a fraction smaller than the original base and is supported on a couple of strips fitted to each side, which are about 5mm wide so the whole floor will be raised up by 6mm. The boiler will need to be reduced by this 6mm also. This is just about level with the existing body sides so does not look much different from the original arrangement.

The one item I could nor repair was the side railings, they were just too brittle small and fiddly to work with. A new pair of railings were made from brass wire soldered together. To make these easier to assemble I formed notches in the 1.5mm poles to allow the 0.7mm handrails to sit in, which were all held in place by Blue tack on a cutting mat, then soldered in place.

Removing the roof first makes the fitting of the internal pieces much easier. I assembled it dry then painted the floor and fitted everything back in place before putting it in the body. The railings I had reformed in brass wire and painted silver before adding to the body. This meant that there were four poles to locate in the holes on the underside of the roof and the funnel to glue back in place with the cab ends.

The couplings are a bit tricky to fit, I decided to add NEM coupling pockets. These need a hole making in the correct place, so I sat the body on the chassis and lined up the coach bogie with the skirts to mark the hole position, drilled a hole and filed it out to suit. The pockets can then be pushed in from the back and glued in place.

The body is a little lightweight with the original base removed, so a couple of strips of lead were added to the new floor and also a bit in the boiler for good measure, which seemed to make a difference.

It makes a really nicely detailed set, and the steam tram goes well with other bits of rolling stock.

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

4mm-3mm Scale Photographic Diorama

An important part of displaying and photographing my models is the Diorama backdrops they are shown on. I have found that something with a raised track on an embankment or over a small bridge is useful as it allows for eye level shots.

They do not need to be large and are also a good way to display items of stock at home or at shows, a very good way of practising scenic techniques without committing to a full layout. They can be formed from any light and rigid material such as polystyrene or Polyboard. For my recent ones, I have been using 25 mm polystyrene bonded between outer skins of 4 mm plywood. This gives an extremely light and rigid block which may be shaped with a sharp blade. A sharp short pointed kitchen knife if you are allowed one of these.

I have left the base plywood as a rectangular piece and the upper skin has been pre-cut to the shape of the track bead, this makes it much easier to work the profiles of the surrounding landscape into the polystyrene core block.

I usually, work from a plan sketched on a piece of wallpaper lining paper; this gives me the position and scale of the main elements of the scene, roads, rivers, rocks, structures, walls, fences, gates and trees. For my latest scene, I have used a small stone bridge, the kind that would be used on an embankment to allow for a small lane or river. This has given me an excuse to add a kink in the track plan, always more interesting than a straight piece of line.

After cutting out and gluing the plywood and polystyrene together with PVA the glue they were cramped together using a workmate vice, it is best to leave this overnight as the PVA takes some time to dry between the polystyrene.

While this is drying the stone bridge was formed so the landscape could be carved out around it and make sure we get a snug fit. Other elements like fencing and trees can also be pre-made at this time. For this scene, I have used a combination of stone walls, wire fence, and hedges.

The bridge and parapets have been formed in Wills embossed plastic sheet random stone with corbel sheet forming the coping's, the bridge was made in two halves so it could be glued back together again under the trackbed when fully painted and weathered. A base coat of a dark buff colour was used, then further thinned and dry brushed coats of grey, charcoal and earth brown were added, further thinned and dry brushed coats of grey and olive green finished the paintwork off. This should not look uniform but also be in the right areas. The dark charcoal staining on the upper parts of the stones, the green staining around the base and some run down from the coping’s, some areas of buff should still show through the other thin layers of paint.

When the base has dried, I used a sharp short pointed kitchen knife to carve the polystyrene to shape following the profile of the plywood trackbed as a guide. I then used the pre-made bridge to gauge the hole needed under the track for it to fit correctly with the capping’s level with the top of the track.

A rasp file was then used to take all of the sharp edges of the plywood and blend it in with the polystyrene. The edges of the block were then smoothed with some 240 grid sandpaper.

The next stage was to give the whole diorama a durable shell to apply the decorative finishes too. I have used a brown gum paper tape; this is available form art materials suppliers. I use this for lots of cold moulds forming in my projects, and by building up multiple crossed layers on a former, it is very strong and durable when dried. I used about 6 layers on this diorama, formed in two stages, letting each application of about 3 layers dry before applying the next. Ones it dries it contracts and tightens on the mould.

Next I added the track, Using Peco 009 rustic flexible track formed into the shape I required, this was bonded to the upper plywood surface with PVA glue and held in place with small clamps overnight till the glue dried. Once dried a couple of check rails were added to the curved sections each side of the bridge, these also extending over the bridge and were held in place with some track pins. The sleepers were predrilled before these pines were pushed in place with some pliers. It was necessary to bend the check rails to shape before fitting them. I painted the sides of the rails with a dark grey & brown mix of revel oil paints to take the shine off the new track work.

The bridge could now be fitted in place ready for the landscape base material to be added around it. The two halves were bonded together with polystyrene cement and then glued in the correct position on the diorama using some contact adhesive.

For the landscape base I used a mix of plaster filler, PVA glue, and mixed brown powder paint into the mix. This gives a pre-coloured base paste which does save painting the landscape before applying scenic materials such as static grass and scatter materials. It also has the advantage of a stronger plaster that can be applied in a thinner layer which is there for lighter, and if you work it after you have finished the scenery it does not show white through, just a soil colour. The more PVA you add the smoother the mixes surface will become and the longer it takes to dry. Add as little water as possible to form a thick paste, as a dryer mix is easier to apply.

After letting the base landscape mix dry my thoughts turned to add the track ballast. I wanted a fine stone for this and came up with fine dry building sand which has been sieved. I then added some grey powder paint to this and mixed it dry. Because of the colour of the sand, this did give me a darker coloured ballast, this was not a problem as I wanted to dry brush a lighter grey over some areas and other parts will be covered with static grass. The powder was added round and between the track dry and a medium sized paintbrush used to spread the ballast in and around the sleepers. This was then fixed with a glue mix off 50% PVA and 50% water; a small drop of liquid soap (washing up liquid) is also added to allow the glue to flow through the powder. The glue mix was applied with a syringe; two lots of glue were applied, leaving the first to dry overnight.

The landscape materials were a mix of 3mm late summer dry grass and 2 and 3mm mid tones of green static grass, I used some sponge scatter in patches to give depth to the landscape colour. A rock outcrop and banking was formed using some small sandstone shards crushed up into 4mm scale rocks and bedded in the plaster before it set.

Trees were formed with wire armatures which I painted with a plaster mix similar to the landscape. A mixture of landscape material ware used to form the foliage, these included Woodland Scenics foliage and sponge scatter added to the armatures with contact adhesive and PVA glue. Some small trees ware formed with a bamboo trunk and lichen sprinkled with sponge scatter applied over the top. This method was also used to form gorse bushes with the yellow flowers being added by using a yellow acrylic paint dabbed over the top and upper sides of the bush.

For the fencing I used lollypop sticks cut to a suitable section and length and drill with some fine holes through which I threaded a grey cotton thread, leaving this long to allow the fitting of the fence posts before drawing the thread tight and sealing it with PVA glue.