Windmills have been synonymous with the Australian countryside for over 100 years. They are just as much an icon as corrugated iron. No Australian rural scene would look complete without one somewhere in the background.

You will find them near waterholes, dams, rivers, bores and creeks pumping the very scarce commodity which is in short supply in the outback, water. With our very arid regions, the windmill has been an essential item in giving life to the outback.

Their benefits where, almost silent operation and pollution free, no fuel or power bills, move large volumes of water efficiently, self sufficient and require minimal maintenance. They also last for decades in the rugged climatic extremes of the Australian outback.

This windmill is based upon data supplied by Southern Cross windmills and is to their IZ pattern. The mill came in various sizes ranging from 6ft through to 14ft in diameter. Towers varied in height from 10ft through to 60ft depending on the water volume to be pumped and the surrounding areas geographical needs. Large mills could be found on short towers and smaller mills on taller towers depending on each customers needs. Another manufacturer (Yellowtail) made their towers in only 3 sizes, 20ft, 30ft and 40ft but used the same sized mill.

Requirements: Soldering iron, flux, solder, pliers, hobby knife and assorted files.

1. Using a hobby knife carefully cut through the four tabs holding the main tower which is triangular shaped. (Do not cut the ones between the 3 tower sides.) This can be done on a self-healing mat or on a wooden surface such as masonite or similar piece of scrap timber.

2. After “tinning” the outer edges of the tower, fold the tower onto itself so that the two outer edges of the tower meet. Flux and solder the join so that it now stands as a 3 legged windmill.

3. Remove the ladder taking care not to crush it when freeing from the etch and either glue or solder it from the bottom rung and then to the 2nd last rung of the tower face

4. Carefully cut one of the 3 triangular collars at the base of etch and slip it over the tower and either glue or solder in place.

5. Using a section of the wire rod supplied cut it to 65mm in length so that it protrudes about 5mm above the height of the tower and 5mm below it. This rod secures the mill assembly and locates itself in your baseboard.
6. (Note: if you require your vanes on the mill to be at an angle please gently twist each individual piece before steps 6-8.) Using a 5mm section from the leftover wire rod a small hole (20 thou) is drilled through the styrene block so that it can be slipped in place (See diagram) or use the brass pin supplied as an axle.

7. Slip the mill over the rod and put a small dob of solder or glue on the end so that the mill itself cannot fall off the 5mm brass spigot. If the mill will not slide over the brass rod, gently open up the pre etched hole with a drill bit but also making sure that you don't destroy the hub of the mill. Or use the brass pin supplied as an axle (cut it to length).

8. Slip the tail piece of the windmill into the opposite side of the hole drilled in step 6 and glue into place after scribing a centre line on either side of the tail with an exatco or equivalent knife. (Alternatively, if you drill a hole for the tail all the way through the styrene block the front part of the tail can act as the mill spigot if a small brass or plastic tube is slipped over the tail end front to act as a moving hub before attaching the mill head.) Ignore if you have used the brass pin.

9. Drill a small hole at right angles to the mill head centre in the bottom of the styrene block and place it over the one end of the rod cut in step 5.

10. Finishing, paint either silver or grey, affix decals to the tail and weather to taste.

Diagrams to aid modelling.

Using the above pictures as a guide set your windmill into your scene and super detail the area around unit with trees, logs, animals and whatever else suits your taste. Assembly diagram1 using the tail piece as the axis for the mill with a tube to allow free movement. Assembly diagram 2 uses 5mm brass wire as the spigot and axis points.

Soldering - A few notes of guidance.

All metals oxidize over time and brass tarnishes very quickly and makes soldering almost impossible if not properly cleaned and fluxed. The same care taken on the etch should also be exercised with your soldering iron of choice.

In order to get the best possible joint, all brass parts should be thoroughly cleaned before assembly. You can use very fine wet/dry sandpaper to clean the items, brass cleaners such as ‘Tarnoff' or similar products will also aid in cleaning provided residue cleaner is washed off and the units dried carefully.

If items are to be joined they should be ‘tinned' first before soldering them together. Tinning is a procedure where by a small amount of solder is deposited over the item to be joined that has first be cleaned and then fluxed. The flux helps make the molten solder run over the item or through a joint. Once both parts are “tinned” they can be bought together and a small amount of flux applied to the matting parts. With a fresh dob of solder on the iron the iron tip is brought in contact with the items until the solder flows freely around the joint without undue burning or distortion. It only takes a few seconds to do this and any longer points to a problem in a lack of heat, flux or cleaning of the items being joined. Soldering can be mastered with practice and attention to detail. If you like, try practising on the frets that are left from the kit before attempting the main items.

Solder tools, fluxes and special items.
Fluxes: Carr's Red label priced around $10.00 and found in most train shops. Yorkshire plumbing flux available from hardware shops or similar fluxes that are safe for brass/whitemetal.
Soldering iron tip cleaner: Available at Dick Smiths for approximately $14.00.
Solder mask: Carr's Solder mask available for around $7.00. This keeps solder away from parts you don't want soldered together.
Solder Paint: Carr's solder paint/flux, aids by painting a thin layer of flux and ground up solder into tricky areas where neatness and difficulty can be had if using normal methods.
Solder irons: Vary in price and wattage. A temperature controlled iron is worth the extra investment as you can control how hot the iron gets. These are generally around $130.00+.

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