Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
Thanks for the comments guys. I must admit it's been interesting to see the number of 'views' and 'likes', but a bit strange when the thread itself only had my meanderings for a while there...
Anyway, on to tonight's pressing engagement. (Pun intended)
With eight laminations of the coupling rods requiring joggles to make the knuckle joint work I realised I'd need a way to quickly and accurately form the necessary tight s-bend, otherwise it could take me hours. It'd also be a problem as regards accuracy, imposing slightly different lengths in the rods. By the way I should add that this isn't meant as a criticism of the kit in any way - it's a prototype detail that I love and I usually make my models up with coupling rod joints on the knuckle. (Go-on someone; ask...
)
So lets have a quick look at what we're setting out to achieve:
Now in terms of the tool I used some scrap 0.040" (1mm) brass I had knocking about. Well, I say brass, it's awfully soft so I supect it's actually gilding metal. Here it is with the two halves seperated showing the forming surfaces (of 0.015" brass). When the tool is together they're actually around 0.5mm apart - forming the distance between the concave and convex bends shown above:
In use, a coupling rod is carefully prepared to fit as perfectly as possible over the tubular peg (this is the material I'm going to use to form the knuckle pin):
The two halves of the tool are bought together, before being clamped up in my bench vice:
And once seperated again, out pops the finished article:
Time to make the tool was about half an hour and each formed lamination takes about 15 seconds to do. Time well spent, I think.
So I should get the rods finished this week. Which'll be nice...
Steph
Anyway, on to tonight's pressing engagement. (Pun intended)
With eight laminations of the coupling rods requiring joggles to make the knuckle joint work I realised I'd need a way to quickly and accurately form the necessary tight s-bend, otherwise it could take me hours. It'd also be a problem as regards accuracy, imposing slightly different lengths in the rods. By the way I should add that this isn't meant as a criticism of the kit in any way - it's a prototype detail that I love and I usually make my models up with coupling rod joints on the knuckle. (Go-on someone; ask...
)So lets have a quick look at what we're setting out to achieve:
Now in terms of the tool I used some scrap 0.040" (1mm) brass I had knocking about. Well, I say brass, it's awfully soft so I supect it's actually gilding metal. Here it is with the two halves seperated showing the forming surfaces (of 0.015" brass). When the tool is together they're actually around 0.5mm apart - forming the distance between the concave and convex bends shown above:
In use, a coupling rod is carefully prepared to fit as perfectly as possible over the tubular peg (this is the material I'm going to use to form the knuckle pin):
The two halves of the tool are bought together, before being clamped up in my bench vice:
And once seperated again, out pops the finished article:
Time to make the tool was about half an hour and each formed lamination takes about 15 seconds to do. Time well spent, I think.
So I should get the rods finished this week. Which'll be nice...
Steph
