1:35 Bucket chain excavator Ertmer KB 1

[TRAINS1941]

I am so impressed, not only with this latest assembly but with the entire model so far, that I have no idea what to say. -- Russ

Now that's saying something!! 

Looks beautiful.. Excellent workmanship.

Jerry

[Barney]

Lovely construction work - excellent in all ways
Barney

[Bernhard]

In between some good news: 15 months (!) after ordering I finally got the buckets! I am very pleased, but see for yourself.
And out of which material did the caster cast them now? From 925 silver!
His explanation: because of the low wall thickness of 0.2 mm the liquid metal solidifies very fast, before it can fill the whole mould. He was therefore forced to cast the parts on a precious metal casting machine where temperatures of up to 1'200 °C are reached.
Fortunately, the change of material has no major impact on the price. Only CHF 9 more on the whole order, but the parts are very light.
Quality and dimensional accuracy are impeccable. I only have to adjust the parts a little bit after the sprues have been cut off.
Now I'm waiting for the laser-cut chain plates, then nothing more stands in the way of completion

Bernhard

[Hauk]

In between some good news: 15 months (!) after ordering I finally got the buckets! I am very pleased, but see for yourself.
And out of which material did the caster cast them now? From 925 silver!
His explanation: because of the low wall thickness of 0.2 mm the liquid metal solidifies very fast, before it can fill the whole mould. He was therefore forced to cast the parts on a precious metal casting machine where temperatures of up to 1'200 °C are reached.
Fortunately, the change of material has no major impact on the price. Only CHF 9 more on the whole order, but the parts are very light.
Quality and dimensional accuracy are impeccable. I only have to adjust the parts a little bit after the sprues have been cut off.
Now I'm waiting for the laser-cut chain plates, then nothing more stands in the way of completion

Bernhard

Insane! But the parts look great. How much in total did the parts set you back?

And how does paint adhere to silver?

[Bernhard]

Hi Hauk
For 21 buckets I finally paid CHF 340. That seems a lot in the first moment. But if you consider the work and the quality, the unit price is certainly justified. And exactly with these parts I did not want to save money. Bungled parts would definitely not fit to the excavator.
I don't want to paint the buckets because the paint is rubbed or scratched during operation. I first see if the silver tarnishes naturally. If necessary I try to chemically blacken it.
Bernhard

[finescalerr]

I think the parts are worth the price. Anything less might spoil the model. After all, if you were to place a value on the quality of your work and the time you have invested, the buckets would be inexpensive by comparison. -- Russ

[Lawton Maner]

There are a number of chemical blackening agents which can be used to color the silver.  Check with a company which specializes in supplying materials for the trade and for hobbyists who manufacture custom jewelry.

[Design-HSB]

Hello Bernhard,

please look here there is something to brown for silver.

Just great what you're doing.

[Ray Dunakin]

Those turned out great!

[Hydrostat]

In between some good news: 15 months (!) after ordering I finally got the buckets! I am very pleased, but see for yourself.
And out of which material did the caster cast them now? From 925 silver!
His explanation: because of the low wall thickness of 0.2 mm the liquid metal solidifies very fast, before it can fill the whole mould. He was therefore forced to cast the parts on a precious metal casting machine where temperatures of up to 1'200 °C are reached.
Fortunately, the change of material has no major impact on the price. Only CHF 9 more on the whole order, but the parts are very light.
Quality and dimensional accuracy are impeccable. I only have to adjust the parts a little bit after the sprues have been cut off.
Now I'm waiting for the laser-cut chain plates, then nothing more stands in the way of completion

Bernhard

Outstanding. I've heard of tiny handles and so on being cast in silver for it's higher flowability. But this is just amazing. Congrats!

[1-32]

I will definitely go along with the tone of all the comments.
cheers

[Bernhard]

Thanks for your interest and your advices.

But let's continue now with the middle section of the bucket ladder.

[Bernhard]

The procedure is basically the same as for the upper part.

[Bernhard]

Once again, a jig is milled into a Pertinax plate...

[Bernhard]

... the necessary parts for the two side frames are prepared, ...