Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 must each have a base-line two inches and a quarter long. The ends of Nos. 1 and 2 must curve up to meet the circle, and Nos. 3 and 4 are perpendicular lines from ends of base line to meet the circle (as shown above in [Fig. 2]). Now place these on your cutting-board (No. 14 in [list] of materials) and with a very sharp knife cut them neatly and carefully the required shapes. Nos. 1 and 4 must be left quite whole in the centre; Nos. 2 and 3 must have their centres cut out round the inner circle. (In cutting do not try to make a continuous cut, or your knife is almost certain to slip and spoil your work; do it by successive ‘digs’ with the point of the knife, in the manner adopted by a gardener when cutting round the edges of a flower-bed with his spade.)
We are now in a position to make the body of the boiler. For this, take a piece of thin card (2c in [list]); it should be seven inches long (the length from K to L in [Fig. 1]), and about eight inches and a half wide. This must be rolled into a cylinder, and is then ready for fitting into the ‘raise-ups’ 2 and 3. No. 1 is then placed at the front end and gummed on, and No. 4 at the other end and also gummed on. No. 2 should be one and three-eighths of an inch from No. 1, and No. 3 be one and seven-eighths of an inch from No. 4. These ‘raise-ups’ should now all be fixed in their places on the foundation, and fastened at the bottom edge with the thick solution of gum (No. 3 in [list]), being held firmly to the foundation by elastic bands (No. 6 in [list]). These bands must not be too strong or they will flatten the boiler. In all gumming, pins should be freely stuck round to hold the parts in the desired position until they are dry. Our model will now present [this] appearance. The short perpendicular lines with knobs marked a represent pins; the lines marked b represent elastic bands.
Fig. 3.
When this is firmly stuck, two other pieces of thin card should be prepared to connect the ‘raise-ups.’ One must be one and three-eighths of an inch wide, and the other one and seven-eighths of an inch, and long enough to reach from the ‘foundation’ on one side, over the top, to the ‘foundation’ again on the other side. They must exactly follow the shapes of the ‘raise-ups,’ and should be cut to exactly fit, but not before the previous work is quite dry and firm. When prepared, gum in position; they are called ‘over-raise-ups.’ Several folds of cotton must be wound round the part marked a b c d to hold it while drying.
Fig. 4.
The next process is to well coat it with paint of the desired colour. If we are copying one of the South-Eastern Railway Company’s engines, the body will have to be painted ‘chrome-green’; if one of the Brighton Company’s, it will have to be painted ‘yellow-ochre.’ As the latter is liable to become soiled, we will select the former, and commence by mixing our colour. We shall require two penny cakes (No. 4 in [list] of materials). They should be placed in a small tin or earthenware pot (one of Liebig’s extract-of-beef pots answers the purpose admirably), a little water is then added, and one of your cakes may easily be softened with a large paint-brush (No. 5 in [list]). Make your colour of the consistency of cream, so that it works freely. It may be mixed while the previous work is drying. When all is ready, paint the boiler and ‘over-raise-ups’ evenly with it, and let it dry; a second coat is applied in the same way, and usually a third and fourth coat. The front and back ‘raise-ups’ (Nos. 1 and 4) are not painted chrome-green. The body being evenly painted, and dry, we proceed to ornament the boiler with some fine lines; these are made by cutting with a sharp knife eight narrow strips of paper, the exact width being, of course, very much a matter of taste. You will require a ruler to guide your knife, and you must place your paper on something smooth and very hard (not wood) while you cut, or the paper will curl up. These strips must be about nine or ten inches long. Six are to be painted black and two vermilion; immediately after painting them, just shift their position a little or the edges will stick to the material on which they are laid, and they will break when you attempt to lift them after they are dry. When dry, place them as follows: First take a black strip, gum it, and stick it exactly midway between raise-ups (Nos. 2 and 3) quite round the boiler; on each side of this, and about three-eighths of an inch distant from it, gum a vermilion strip; next gum and place two black strips similarly, one on each side, about an inch and a half distant from the centre strip. The three remaining black strips are to be thus placed: one at the front edge of the front ‘over-raise-up,’ a second at the back edge of the same, the third at the front of the back ‘over-raise-up;’ the three last will then be exactly over the raise-ups Nos. 1, 2, and 3. We now require two strips of card the exact length of the space between Nos. 2 and 3 ‘raise-ups,’ and not quite half an inch wide; paint them well over with ‘chrome-green’ like the boiler, and when dry edge with a black line, using the smallest paint-brush for this black line. These are to be gummed at the lower side of the boiler touching the foundation, and meeting the boiler obliquely, thus:—
. The position of the strips is shown at a. In all gumming use plenty of gum, but let the greater part be on the side hid from view.