2Railing An Weaver VO-1000 Doable?

[Jay Criswell]

Jon,

All of that may not be necessary. Probably easier if you just sent me the frame and trucks.

Jay

[bob turner]

Post a photo of your tiny boring bar. I agree - drilling is not good. I have had some success with crankshaft drills and reams, but only in conjunction with shouldered axles.

[2railjon]

LOL, Jay!! That’s probably the best idea as us ex-Marines tend to get in trouble when we think too hard!

Please PM your address and I’ll send you the frame and trucks and we’ll go from there!

[Jay Criswell]

Old Infantry guys have similar problems. It's not your job to think, your job is to follow orders.

Bob,

Turns out I had to make some fairly small bushings today (who the hell told Sunset to use 3.5mm axle stock on the lead truck?). I used the .093" (minimum starting ID) but I have some that go smaller. Reamers are fine but I can get more accuracy with a boring bar. Actually, I can screw up more too. Using pin gauges really help, especially when you're getting close.

The first photo shows what happens when you get careless or to aggressive.

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Jay

[big bad jim]

Jay,
I'm curious what the minimum wall thickness is that you would deem feasible to turn to? And would it be feasible for something like a +/-1" diameter ring?

Jim

[Jay Criswell]

Jim,

I don't understand the question. I turn tires all the time and they are, basically, rings.

Jay

[Jay Criswell]

Jim,

I've been thinking more about your question.

A ring that's around 1" in diameter? How long? How thin? What kind of material...brass, steel, etc.?

Jay

[bob turner]

Thanks! Now I have to visit your shop! I have been grinding my own, and am not good enough to get down to axle hole size. I do bore the tires with a bar.

Jim - I make tires roughly the same thickness as USH. It takes forever, and I consider it work, not fun. It was fun the first four or five locos . . . A 1" ring would be a 48" tire, not a very useful size.

I have a few "stock size" tires, and might be willing to share. Most are 57" or 70". All are steel. Steel is, as far as I am concerned, the only material for train wheels.

[Jay Criswell]

Yeah, tires are a pain. At first it's kinda fun. The fun wears off quickly.

Jay

[2railjon]

Jay, thanks for the address! The VO-1000 is on the way!

[big bad jim]

Not tires....fan bases and guards for EMD locos. Like there:

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I would consider doing the guards (the top part that gets clipped on) from etched metal, but I'd always be concerned about getting a truly round result without a kink at the joint. The base would be a different story altogether as it flares out to form the mounting flange.

Yes, PSC makes some of the fans as brass castings. I've purchased any number of them. I'm not totally impressed with the examples I have on hand. I'm not opposed to castings, I just don't know that I can get them thin enough to look achieve the look I want. I'm also not opposed to the idea of a resin casting (or injection molded part) for the base. Mostly just gathering info at this point.

The prototype has a wall thickness of about 1/4". Diameter across the opening is 48". Proto heights of the two rings are +/-5". So scale wall thickness of .005" x 1" diameter x +/-.100" height. I don't really care what the material is, but I suppose it would be nice if it could be soldered.

Jon, sorry for the thread hijack.

By the way, Cannon offers a flared gp20 fan in HO, that features a turned housing. It appears to be aluminum.

[Jay Criswell]

Jim,

Turning them might be possible, more as a labor of love or the challenge but hardly viable for commercial sales. How many would you want (need).

Jay

[Jay Criswell]

Oh yeah, master/mold for investment casting (lost wax) probably wouldn't work out either. .005" is just too thin for a mold. Actually, you might be able to make a mold but good luck getting the wax out of said mold.

Direct burnout of 3D prints might be an alternative. We'd need to run it by Terry.

Jay

[bob turner]

Does this mean you guys have a source for photo etching? I have a data plate I would like to duplicate.

As thin as that cowl is, I would think a set of dies acting on annealed brass tube would do it quickly. It would take hand trimming, so not commercially viable, but what the heck? It's a hobby.

While we are talking castings, did you see the discussion of Lionel GG1 truck sideframes crumbling? The 3-railers are paying $100 each for a single zamac sideframe. I suggested a non-shrink mold, done from a slightly expanded but not cracked Lionel piece. The castings are about twice the size of an SD40 truck in height and volume. I was guessing $50 for a mold and $30 for each casting?

I must admit - once I advanced the idea, all interest stopped. Still, intriguing!

[Jay Criswell]

Bob,

The last thing I want to get involved in is, dealing with Lionel guys or anything to do with a GG1. Not worth the stress.

Jay