Large Scale Central

Fn3 Push Cart Kit

Al Pomeroy is developing some laser cut wood kits in Fn3. His first will be an Fn3 push cart. He gave me a beta-test copy at TrainOps which I just got around to looking at. It looks to be a fairly simple build, so I decided to give it a go and post this build log.

The first step is to weather the laser cut wood as desired before breaking up the sheet. I decided to use rust solution (steel wool dissolved in white vinegar) which will be followed by and India ink and alcohol wash. I started by immersing the sheet in the rust solution and let it pickle overnight…

The dark spots are undissolved steel which I hope will cause deeper stains. After soaking for 8 or 9 hours the effect was not as pronounced as it has been on Cedar, so I painted on a thick suspension of steel and vinegar from the bottom of the jar…

When this dried I scraped off the steel particles. The wood sheet was quite wet from overnight soaking and was beginning to curl, so I placed it between sheets of paper towel and weighted it while it dries completely…

Meanwhile, I looked at the wheels. Cleaning the mold flash from the spokes was easy with a sharp Exacto blade, but the tread was too rough for my tastes so I decided to “turn” them. I don’t have a lathe, but the wheels easily chuck into a cordless drill. Small files were used while spinning the wheel with the drill to smooth out the tread…

A round file was used to clean the fillet on the flange…

After using the files, 320 grit sandpaper was used to further smooth the tread…

Finished wheels ready for paint. I will clean the tread back to bare metal with sandpaper after painting the wheels…

I will keep documenting the steps and post more as I progress.

Watching… I like the steel wool/vinegar technique. Looking forward to seeing the results of that after you decurl…

Is it possible to mount a 245/45 on this wheel?

You can glue strips of wet n dry sanding papers to Popsicle sticks. The backing will give a smoother tread. A piece of polished steel could be used to polish them by burnishing.

Fun project Jon!

Regarding the stain, for me, it took a week for the steel wool to dissolve in the vinegar. After watering that concentrate down to achieve the desired effect, I painted the solution onto boards, going over them again if needed. But as they say, your mileage may vary. :wink:

I was able to speed it up by adding Hydrogen Peroxide. The extra O molecule aided oxidation; rusting.

Jon, the vinegar/steel wool solutions’ effect will depend on the amount of tannin in the wood. High tannin woods like redwood, cedar, and some oaks will gray almost immediately. In fact, if you are not careful, heart redwood will rapidly turn black. On the other hand, low tannin woods such as pine and basswood will show almost no graying, no matter how long they are exposed to the solution, other than some stains from the rust particles. I have had some success with low tannin woods by first treating the wood with a strong black tea solution, letting that soak in and dry, then applying the vinegar/steel wool solution. The risk with all this liquid is warpage.

John R.

Well, my ears perked up with this post, Jon.

I’m interested in the kits.

Thanks all. The tannin content makes perfect sense. I love the effect this solution gives ion Cedar. I’m pretty sure this kit is cut from Basswood. The steel wool in the batch I am using has been pickling for a long time - close to a year maybe.

Regarding the wheels; I’m not trying to get them perfect, just a little smoother than the cast white metal comes out of the mold. I will try some fine sanding sticks on the tread after painting.

@John B - Al will be announcing price and availability soon.

I’ll be heading down to the shop later this evening to see if the wood has dried enough to move on to the next step. Pictures to follow.

I wonder if adding tea bags to the mix would increase the tannin?

If it interests you at all, I “painted” my bench by simply shaking the water cup I use to clean my acrylic brushes in and then dipping a paper towel and wiping the wood lightly until I achieved the desired effect.

Your pushcarts are interesting, waiting to see more.

Chris

I should have posted these drawings that come with the kit at the top of the thread so everyone would know what the end result is supposed to look like. These drawings are Copyright 2017 Al’s Car & Foundry.

The second application of rust solution got me where I wanted to go with it. Tonight I dry brushed a weak India Ink and Alchohol wash to make it a little dirtier. This will be the top sides…

And this will be the bottom / inside…

Al provides some styrene for the iron strapping and tow bar. I painted both on the washing machine with Floquil Rust. I couldn’t find a broom, so I used a brush…

I need to give the wood another day under weight to finish drying. When it’s ready I will glue on the strapping then separate the deck and other parts. I also worked on cutting the brass rod axle. I tried using NMRA Fn3 wheel specs and math to determine the rod length. I screwed that up somewhere and ended up using Al’s suggested method of cut long and trim to fit ending up with a back-to-back and check gauge within tolerance. The axles will not be glued to the wheels until the end of the build. I’ll take the wheels to work with me tomorrow for base color in my paint shop. Since I run constant track power for a lighting buss I will need to figure out an insulator for the axles so the cart can be placed anywhere on my track.

Joh,

As I am dead rail 100% I had not considered insulating the wheels, good point. the best way at this point would be to cut the axle in the center and use a plastic coupling to join the two half’s. another option would be to drill out one set of wheels larger and place a similar plastic bushing in the wheel. unfortunately with first runs of wheels it was necessary to bore out the wheels and super glue a brass bushing in to get the axle hole square to the wheel. getting that out to replace with plastic probably not really viable at this time.

Al P.

All,

These kits will be available for $19.85 + $7.15 priority mail small box shipping for a total of $27.00. I will be assembling kits to order so it will take two to four weeks for me to get shipped. please pm for ordering info.

this was originally developed to be used on my wheel and tie car. when I built the grant line HOn3 version eons ago it came with this type of push cart and wheels.

AL P.

Thanks Al. I think I can probably insert an insulated coupling. One possibility is plastic rod to hold the gap, then heat shrink tubing over the length of the axle between the journals. I never expect the cart to carry any weight, but it would be nice to to behind the speeder that I never finished.

For your insulated wheels; chuck your axle in your chuck and file down the end a tad more than the hub is deep. Cover the recessed axle with CA gel. After the glue sets (I use accelerators) you can file the glue down the same way until it fits the hole then glue it in. Since this puppy won’t be motorized, this method will hold up fine. A lazy guy might use Shrink tubing here … yawn.(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

John - That’s a good idea, but one that I am way to lazy to try :o The axle rod is only .062 brass so there’s not much to take away and I’m not confident I could get everything to fit back together.

On the progress front; I got the wheels painted at work, then weathered last night. Also assembled the frame and pulled the decking from the fret. I foolishly left the deck out of it’s weighted environment while I ate dinner; when I came back down to the shop it was severely warped. I’m hopeful that I can get it to flatten back out enough to glue to the frame. Soaking overnight in the rust solution was NOT a good idea.

One minor setback until I can get tool. I need to use a #76 wire bit to drill the straps for rivets. I have the bit and a pin vise, but the collet on my vise will not close down that small. I found a nice one (Startett 162A) on Amazon that handles 0.00 to 0.040 that will work for about $20. Should be here Saturday.

Film at 11.

Progress Pictures (It must be 11 somewhere).

Wheels and bearing blocks painted and weathered…

I tried something new this time. After spray painting semi-gloss black then detailing with Floquil Rust and Grimy Black I was cleaning my brush with Acetone and decided to use the used acetone as a wash. I brushed it on lightly and let it dry. It lifted the paint completely in a few small spots which I later touched up, but it also crazed the black spray giving it some age. I’ll need to remember that one (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)

I also removed all of the parts from the fret and began assembly. The frame…

The deck (still need to add the rivets)…

Dry fit of deck to frame…

If I remember to take the deck to work tomorrow it will get a light coat of satin clear to hold the rust powder in then the straps get drilled and rivets installed. It’s supposed to be a rainy weekend so some modeling time is in the plan.

So I’m curious Jon and perhaps I missed it. What is the cart for? The Candlewood Valley is a scenic line and I don’t believe there are any mines in the route? Is this possibly a hearse cart for Fred into his final resting place ?

Nope, no mines (other than the land mines that our dog provides). I don’t have a specific use in mind. It comes with a tow bar so it could be towed behind a speeder and used for maintenance.