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Carter Bros. Combo boxcar

Started by lab-dad, July 26, 2015, 01:47:51 PM

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billmart

Marty - One of the photos in reply #42 shows lots of square nuts in use.  Where did you find square nuts of the proper sizes?  My guess is you made them.  I've tried to find real threaded square nuts for 0-80 and 1-72 machine screws for a long time now with no satisfaction.

Bill Martinsen

lab-dad

QuoteThe only criticism I can find is there should be a key locking the buffers to the centre beams. This reduces the chance for the coupler to be pulled from the car under load.

Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner!
Lawton, you are correct! I wondered who was going to catch that.
It happens, and i just got lazy. I had planned on them - even had the walnut cut and then it was too late!
Your prize is in the mail. ;)

Bill,
I ended up drawing and printing some square NBW's. And some are from Ozark (ones w/ washers)
The truss rod nuts are .125" square rod threaded 1-72 made on the lathe.
I'm happy to share the drawings so you can print some at shapeways.
They are cheaper than cast ones!

-Marty

Dave Fischer

Hey, kids! Here's how you can make all the nuts you need right at home... and exactly the size and style you want! You will have to do some research on diameter versus height and bolt shaft size, but a trip to the hardware store will do it. First, you have to make a perfect master:

A) Turn the end of a brass or aluminum rod to the diameter of the nut OVER THE POINTS. Give yourself about 1/4" of working room.
B) Cut the bolt stud (if needed) and bevel the edge about 25 or 30°, then cut away the material behind the nut to establish the thickness of the nut.
C) File the flats-- four can be eyeballed fairly easily, but for six I pull the lathe chuck with the rod in it and use the angles of the three jaws to align the file. It may take a while and maybe a couple of tries the first time, but you only have to end up with ONE perfect one.  THEN...

1) Mount the master in a drill press and slowly push the master into a sheet of lead (easier to find than you might think-- 1/8" or 1/4" thick works best) so the back face of the nut is a hair deeper than the surface of the lead.
2) You are going to need some sprue (parts runner) from a GOOD QUALITY plastic kit, yes the stuff everyone ELSE throws away when the kit is done. If you don't know a car/ship/airplane builder, put a note up at the local hobby spot-- you shouldn't have to pay for this at all. The sprue plastic is formulated differently from the builder's rod stock from Evergreen or Plastruct and works MUCH better. Cut 3" to 5" working lengths and heat one end over a candle until melted-- be careful... the plastic will catch fire at just over this temperature (like a marshmallow over a campfire). Press the melted end into the lead mold and hold a second or two to let it cool.
3) Rock the sprue slightly to release it and you should have a perfect copy looking back at you. If the edges are not crisp, the plastic may have been too cool to fill the mold. Cut the nut from the sprue with a single edge razor blade, using the plane of the plastic base as a guide, cutting in a little from all four sides to keep the bottom square-- cutting straight through will create a wedge. Cut off the squished end and make some more.   

I have used the same molds for hundreds of copies before having to make a new impression, and have made some very complex shapes, including slotted crown nuts. This system works best for nuts .040" to 1/4" in diameter. Washers are punched from sheet stock and the nut can be glued on before placement on the model.

Ray Dunakin

Visit my website to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!

Ray Dunakin's World

finescalerr

In scales even as large as 1:32 it might be frustrating to create a decent master but the idea is great. Thanks very much for telling us about it. -- Russ

lab-dad

Thats a great trick!
I have square and hex bar for making functiong nuts.
For castings Im sold on shapeways.
Took me maybe 15 minutes to draw and 50 1" scale nuts cost about $3.

-marty

Chuck Doan

"They're most important to me. Most important. All the little details." -Joseph Cotten, Shadow of a Doubt





http://public.fotki.com/ChuckDoan/model_projects/

Lawton Maner

Marty:

With such a glaring error as omission of the buffer key, in order to stay in the good graces of this forum you must immediately mail the box car to me and start over, correcting the  mistake in the process.

lab-dad

Stripwood, brass & 3D printed parts.
I need some styrene to cover all the bases!



Marty

NE Brownstone

Once, while rebuilding a bakery dough mixer I had to get the shaft out of the beater bar.  The key in the shaft was held in place by a large allen hex screw, which had become welded in place by years of corrosion and sticky dough.  The hex was less than ideal and I knew it would strip out as no allen wrench seemed to make a nice tight fit.  Finally, I took a piece of rod bar, heated the end up to cherry red with a rosebud tip and hammered it into the hex screw quickly forging the end into an exact imprint of the hex.  After letting it cool I inserted it into the screw and grabbed the rod with a pipe wrench that made breaking it loose rather easy.  Sorry, that post it just reminded me of doing it full scale.
Russ
The other, other Russ

Hydrostat

Marty,

it's a pleasure to follow your report. Please keep us informed! Must be some kind of fun to build in that scale, but whoever thinks that it's easier than in smaller scales must be wrong.

Volker
I'll make it. If I have to fly the five feet like a birdie.
I'll fly it. I'll make it.

The comprehensive book about my work: "Vollendete Baukunst"

finescalerr

These little boxcars have a lot of unique details. I built something very similar from card, wood, and some styrene in 1:48 but it lacks all that cool hardware you've created and SketchUp probably wouldn't have helped. Your model looks the way I wish mine had. -- Russ

Bill Gill

That's looking really good, Marty!

lab-dad

Thanks guys!
Your right Volker - it is TONS of fun!
Unc, why not give it a try? The 1/16th crowd is growing.
Go big or go home!

-Marty

lab-dad

The large panel doors are built.
Slow but progress.



Marty