Today I have been finishing the wheels with a carbide burr and priming them.

I hope I have done enough. I have to remind myself that this is not a sleek mainline loco but a working one that doesn’t have elegant fluted and lined spokes. I could also strip off the paint and start again if I don’t like the finished result.

I have decided to follow Polly’s design brief and paint the spokes, counterbalance and hub but leave the rims in bare metal.

The wheels have been primed using a brush and Phoenix Precision 2 pack etch primer. I am planning to finish them with brush painted black enamel.