Author Archives: Justin

Small Tool Caddy

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Justin

How often have I been working on a project somewhere around the house or garden, and needed a box of screws, a few bolts and washers and some small tools. During the project I invariably need a few smaller tools, … Continue reading →

Posted in Tools, Wood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Small Tool Caddy

Wooden loco

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Justin

This is the result of my attempt to “3D print in plywood” – converting the 3D printer file to 2D, printing it onto paper and gluing it onto plywood. It’s not meant to be glamorous – it’s a first attempt. … Continue reading →

Posted in 16mm, 3D printer, Garden Railways, Wood | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Wooden loco

3D printing on a 2D printer

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Justin

One of the great things about having a 3D printer is the vast online library of things that one can print. Sites such as thingiverse contain everything you never knew you needed – from an airbrush stand to Lego bricks … Continue reading →

Posted in 16mm, 3D printer, Garden Railways, Trains, Wood | Comments Off on 3D printing on a 2D printer

How to fail at painting something to look like steel.

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Justin

The short version: don’t use car touch-up paints for large flat areas. I bought a wagon for my garden railway a few years ago. I thought it was an oil wagon but it turns out to be a model of … Continue reading →

Posted in 16mm, Garden Railways, industrial archaeology, Trains | Tagged , , | Comments Off on How to fail at painting something to look like steel.

A 3D Printer diary – Slicer settings

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Justin

I was getting poor quality prints on my 3D printer. There are a number of possible factors: The surface texture of my prints is not as good as I would like. That’s the subject of this post. Sometimes the first … Continue reading →

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A 3D Printer diary – Slicer settings

Running on air

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Justin

I am building a steam locomotive from a kit. Last week, I tried steaming up for the first time, and it was a very exciting success. The instructions discuss correcting the timing, and then running in. To do the timing, … Continue reading →

Posted in 16mm, Garden Railways, Trains | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Running on air

First run of my loco

Posted on October 30, 2020 by Justin

I am building a live steam loco. It’s a kit from Roundhouse Engineering, and it’s relatively straightforward to build. Last weekend I lit the burner for the first time, raised steam and tested to see if it would run. The … Continue reading →

Posted in 16mm, Garden Railways, Trains | Comments Off on First run of my loco

Help me understand the British Political System

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Justin

An American friend asked me today, the day after the 2019 UK General Election: I think it might be useful to explain some background to our archaic system of Government. Great Britain traces its system of legislature back to William … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments Off on Help me understand the British Political System

Starlock Washers

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Justin

Long ago, I promised myself that I would build a steam loco. Progress is slow, but it is steadily progressing. The loco I am building is a kit from Roundhouse Engineering, and it has nice clear instructions. By the end … Continue reading →

Posted in 16mm, Garden Railways, Trains | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Starlock Washers

Launching Windows programs on AWS

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Justin

A friend of mine is using Studio 2.0 from Bricklink to create digital models in Lego. He is particularly interested in rendering (creating real-looking images of models that only exist in the computer). The models are complex, and include transparent … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Lego | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Launching Windows programs on AWS