A Chequered Chieftain at #10

[Stephen White]

Mark, you seem to have had an unfortunate run of incompetent and arrogant young gentlemen. Fortunately, I rarely came across such beings, perhaps because they didn't get into the Royal Tank Regiment in the first place or they were very soon sorted out with some "advice" from their troop sergeant. Richard, apologies for taking your build thread a bit off topic.

More relevant, you might be interested in the other KB Topic, on Priming and Painting here:

http://www.armortek.co.uk/Forum3b/viewt ... fbf51e49cb

[Richard Goodwin]

Stephen, many thanks for the link and the additional info re rusted tracks. I have a picture of 03 EB 20 with painted tracks following the fitment of new tracks so mine will be all satin black, as will the lower hull. Pictures to follow tomorrow.

[Mark Heaps]

Stephen,
These "incompetent and arrogant young gentlemen" developed into very capable officers and leaders of men. Being Cavalry they some-times initially would not listen to the advice the troop sergeants were giving them and we as REME had to set them straight and use the methods we had at our disposal.
They only screwed up once and they learnt from it. After their initial "mistake", there was never one who I did not respect or who I would never have confidently followed into battle.
Mark

[John Clarke]

I beg to differ there Mark

Citing.

Captain Louis Edward Nolan, delivering that order that led to the Charge of the Light Brigade...Leading an attack on the wrong guns.

He certainly screwed up. Well that's what history tells us.

The action being summed up as.

"It’s magnificent, but it’s not war; it’s madness’

[Richard Goodwin]

Now thinking ahead to track assembly, I have a few newbie questions which i hope the more experienced of the community would be kind enough to provide some guidance. I apologise now if these have been discussed elsewhere and I've missed it! Questions are as follows:

1. Is it worth giving the track pin, washer and cotter pin, a thin dusting of etch primer?

2. Should the track pin be lubricated and if so, with what?

3. Should the cotter pins with the exception of one on each track be on the inside of the track?

4. Should the pad securing nut be secured with Loctite blue and should it have a washer under the nut?

Many thanks in anticipation

Gents, I think the original questions I asked above have been lost in the noise so grateful for some guidance please.

[Stephen White]

Richard

1. Yes - suggest you read the KB Topic I recommended.
2. No - ditto. Lubrication is a magnet for contamination which will increase wear.
3. Yes.
4. Yes and no, the pad isn't going to rotate so not necessary. The real ones had a split washer if you wish for total realism.

[Richard Goodwin]

Richard

1. Yes - suggest you read the KB Topic I recommended.
2. No - ditto. Lubrication is a magnet for contamination which will increase wear.
3. Yes.
4. Yes and no, the pad isn't going to rotate so not necessary. The real ones had a split washer if you wish for total realism.

Stephen, many thanks for your reply. I had read the articles beforehand and as I said earlier, I'm playing catchup with the blog. Taking each point in turn:

1. I had sprayed etch primer on both the washer and track pin but found the track pin very difficult to insert and when I removed it, most of the etch had disappeared. The etch added extra thickness to the washer also and made it more difficult to insert the cotter/split pin in the track pin. I had tried this on several links with the same result. Now the only way this will work is if you put a thin dusting on then it all fits, hence the question.
2. I understand that using grease on the track pin will cause increased wear due to it retaining for the lack of a better word, rubbish, but surprised that a dry lubricant isn't used instead. Surely metal on metal isn't good and will cause significant wear as well?
4. Thank you for the info about the split washer. i didn't know that and will get some on order now.

[John Clarke]

This model is going to cost fortune
200 m3 spring/split washers, What ever next?

[Stephen White]

Richard, etch primer works best with the thinest of applications, so a light dusting is all you need. Yes, some will rub off but usually, the pin won't rotate in relation to the link on one side and so you end up with some protection remaining.

You can use a molybdenum dry lubricant but it's pretty expensive and really not necessary. I do use moly inside the gearbox and on the axle spindles but avoid wet lubricants like the plague. This has been longstanding advice from Armortek although I don't believe it's been re-validated recently. On a real tank, the track pin wear is very significant and pins do get that "crankshaft" effect but I've not experienced any significant wear on the track pins. I'd suggest that with a wet lubricant, the risk of erosion is greatly increased, if you're intending to run on anything other than a hard surface. There are some very "high mileage" models that are run on sandy conditions and they may experience increased wear but for most conditions, it really isn't a problem.

Stephen

[Richard Goodwin]

I have also decided to attack some of the track pads at the same time. These were taped together in batches of 12, rubbed down with a grey Scotchbrite pad before being degreased and then etch primed.

So with the track links now etch primed and allowed to harden off for a few days, it's now time to consider painting. As I've said previously, my tracks are going to be satin black and I hope that most of this stays on since this lady is going on parade! I'm going to airbush this paint on to get as thinner coat as I can to prevent interference from moving parts where possible. I've never used an airbrush before despite having a Badger dual action airbrush for years so this will be a first for me. Bearing in mind that paint job I'm doing on this lady, the track links are possibly the best place to start learning on. I will be using acrylic paint from the Vellejo MECHA Colour range because it is supposedly has resistance to impact and scratching and in particular, 74.642 Primer and 69.042 Pure Black, both of which have a Satin finish. I'll be doing a trial on 8 track links first, to make sure everything can be assembled once complete.

Primer coat on

Top coat on

Primer and top coat on

The next step will be to finish off with a coat of Satin varnish and then do a trial fit......fingers crossed!

I will be using a different cotter pin for assembly from the stock item; 1 x 6 Stainless since when wrapped around, the longest leg just reaches the eye of the pin.

Comparison between 1 x 10 and 1 x 6 cotter pins

[Richard Goodwin]

Richard, etch primer works best with the thinest of applications, so a light dusting is all you need. Yes, some will rub off but usually, the pin won't rotate in relation to the link on one side and so you end up with some protection remaining.

You can use a molybdenum dry lubricant but it's pretty expensive and really not necessary. I do use moly inside the gearbox and on the axle spindles but avoid wet lubricants like the plague. This has been longstanding advice from Armortek although I don't believe it's been re-validated recently. On a real tank, the track pin wear is very significant and pins do get that "crankshaft" effect but I've not experienced any significant wear on the track pins. I'd suggest that with a wet lubricant, the risk of erosion is greatly increased, if you're intending to run on anything other than a hard surface. There are some very "high mileage" models that are run on sandy conditions and they may experience increased wear but for most conditions, it really isn't a problem.

Stephen

Thank you for the confirmation Stephen; it is appreciated!

[Richard Goodwin]

This model is going to cost fortune
200 m3 spring/split washers, What ever next?

Try 10 litres of white vinegar, 6 rotary wire brushes, 6 hand wire brushes and 3 cans of etch for the track links although in my defence, I did spray in batches of 10 and it sure is difficult to reach every nook and cranny!

[Vince Cutajar]

Looks like this is going to be a detailed build log. I like. Keep it up.

Vince

[Richard Goodwin]

Looks like this is going to be a detailed build log. I like. Keep it up.

Vince

Thanks Vince.....I'll try!

[Armortek]

......... I do use moly inside the gearbox and on the axle spindles but avoid wet lubricants like the plague. This has been longstanding advice from Armortek although I don't believe it's been re-validated recently.

Still very much our advice.
Unless you have a sealed environment, over time contaminants will mix with the wet lubricant and in-effect act as grinding paste.
Kian