Ten-Wheelers and Consolidations

[bob turner]

Those are "Car Works" - for trolleys. Really good work on their part.

Cut metal yesterday, but this cold has my enthusiasm level down around 50%. Maybe I will post a shot of the taper section tomorrow.

[bob turner]

Here you go:

823881A7-543D-4561-BC6A-4E005FD1DFB6.jpeg (1.23 MiB) Viewed 9693 times

[bob turner]

The taper is ready for end trimming - I promise better photos.

About a month ago I asked the Google about brass tubes and got stunnung rsults at reasonable prices. Today I can find nothing anywhere in simple .035 wall 2" brass tube. McMaster-Carr has something close, at $35 per foot. The days of using brass tube for O Scale boilers may be at an end. We may have to graduate to a rolling mill. I have one in my hangar - I will give it a try.

[rex desilets]

Gogle is strange that way. But, never fear, you'll be inundated with brass tube commercials

[Roy]

The days of using brass tube for O Scale boilers may be at an end. We may have to graduate to a rolling mill. I have one in my hangar - I will give it a try.

With the smaller scales, and the thinner boiler stock required, you can simply roll boiler sections on your thigh. At thirty-some thousandths, you may be able to use several layers of leather on a hard table.

[bob turner]

Maybe you can, but I am not that good. Not even sure a slip roll will do the job. I will try next week.

[sarge]

A miniature sliproll will do them very nicely.

A full-sized one is limited by the diameter of the centre roll; you can't go smaller than that diameter and there is the problem of getting the result off the roll once closed, some full-sized ones have a hinged release for the centre roller so you can slip small parts off, but not many I've seen.

For the smallest diameter courses, I've had the best luck using dead-soft rather than half-hard sheet, the latter is easier to kink.

Thin stuff can be nicely formed with a rubber roller the stamp-pad crafters use to lay ink on stamps (at the stores like Michaels and AC Moore). I lay the sheet on an old typewriter pad and roll it out. A mousepad actually works decently, typewriter pads getting a bit scarce for some reason. Again, soft works more smoothly. That stunt I've saved for laminations like superheater covers; never done a boiler course like that.

All for what its worth, of course...

[Roy]

The days of using brass tube for O Scale boilers may be at an end. We may have to graduate to a rolling mill. I have one in my hangar - I will give it a try.

With the smaller scales, and the thinner boiler stock required, you can simply roll boiler sections on your thigh. At thirty-some thousandths, you may be able to use several layers of leather on a hard table.

Maybe you can, but I am not that good. Not even sure a slip roll will do the job. I will try next week.

Horseshit. You're more than good enough. For the roller, I use a rem of hardwood dowel, from the local Home Depot(or, whatever). I turn it to the desired diameter, in my trusty Unimat. I could also turn a taper, if I want. I like sarge's ink roller idea, too.

I'm not arguing against special tools, but I know they can be prohibitively expensive. I picked up the thigh rolling tip, on a British website. The Brits are bigger on scratch building, and building from craftsmen-type kits. They know better the satisfaction which comes from such work. When I think of the entirely pre-painted and pre-finished "model kits" sold here today, I wonder what the point is. They require nothing more than snapping or screwing together. It's actually more expensive for manufacturers to sort and package the parts, rather than sell a pre-assembled model. The builder literally adds negative value to the finished model.

[bob turner]

I think I have the hardwood, and I definitely have the .032 sheet. I'll pay postage both ways for a rolled section of good contours. I have tried what you describe; photo after coffee.

[rex desilets]

The days of using brass tube for O Scale boilers may be at an end. We may have to graduate to a rolling mill. I have one in my hangar - I will give it a try.

With the smaller scales, and the thinner boiler stock required, you can simply roll boiler sections on your thigh. At thirty-some thousandths, you may be able to use several layers of leather on a hard table.

Maybe you can, but I am not that good. Not even sure a slip roll will do the job. I will try next week.

Horseshit. You're more than good enough. For the roller, I use a rem of hardwood dowel, from the local Home Depot(or, whatever). I turn it to the desired diameter, in my trusty Unimat. I could also turn a taper, if I want. I like sarge's ink roller idea, too.

I'm not arguing against special tools, but I know they can be prohibitively expensive. I picked up the thigh rolling tip, on a British website. The Brits are bigger on scratch building, and building from craftsmen-type kits. They know better the satisfaction which comes from such work. When I think of the entirely pre-painted and pre-finished "model kits" sold here today, I wonder what the point is. They require nothing more than snapping or screwing together. It's actually more expensive for manufacturers to sort and package the parts, rather than sell a pre-assembled model. The builder literally adds negative value to the finished model.

Ah, but the buyer can say "I assembled it myself"

[Rufus T. Firefly]

When I think of the entirely pre-painted and pre-finished "model kits" sold here today, I wonder what the point is.

What kits are currently in production that are entirely pre-painted and pre-finished being sold today?

I just finished an All-Nation Armour reefer kit that had pre-painted sides, but that kit was made several decades ago.

I basically tossed the rest of the kit into a parts bin (made a different car from those parts - not yet finished) and scratchbuilt the rest of the reefer using some of the metal All-Nation details.

BTW, anyone order anything from the new owners of Grandt Line? Running low on some small bits...

[Roy]

When I think of the entirely pre-painted and pre-finished "model kits" sold here today, I wonder what the point is.

What kits are currently in production that are entirely pre-painted and pre-finished being sold today?

I was speaking of kits I've seen at Walmart and Hobby People, which are not for model railroads. However, Athearn blue box kits used to fit the description.

[bob turner]

I have a good-sized slip roll. Need a fork lift to get to it- maybe try tomorrow. Here you can see my attempt at rolling over hardwood. Not gonna happen in my shop.

24BBA05E-871C-4388-AE0A-2AE8F6119051.jpeg (1.4 MiB) Viewed 9534 times

[bob turner]

Bump. I am still working on this. Almost finished a Cab Forward boiler for Bob Stevenson. This will be my fourth Harriman ten-wheeler, and my sixth boiler. Two were failures, including the most recent one. Forgot to check my drawing before soldering the straight sections.

[bob turner]

Long story short - started this a couple months ago. Got the taper started and sort of trimmed, forgot to look at my drawing, soldered on straight courses, and voila - another scrap boiler. So Tuesday night I made a new taper, and last night turned two more straight courses. Ready for solder, which may happen tonight.

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The one in front is scrap. Might work for an SP C-2 Consolidation.

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