Mine are always covered with ceramic saucers so are protected from UV except when the railroad is operating.
Todd Brody said:
Mine are always covered with ceramic saucers so are protected from UV except when the railroad is operating.
That’s interesting. How many turnouts do you have?
I’ve always been a fan of either providing a barrier with paint, or using a proven UV protectant like Armor All, or 303. My track has been out in sun, rain and snow, most since 2001, and the only real damage came when I tried to chip ice off a turnout with a shovel.
Three of the AristoCraft 10-foot diameter and 18 of the LGB 1600 series.
Steve I would wager you do not get the UV we do in Southern California.
You are near Spokane right?
Also, using Armorall or 303 will GREATLY extend the life of the throwbars, (as you well know (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif))
Greg
Monthly Average UV Index across the US, wear sunscreen. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Yup, Eastern Washington, the sunny side of the state. We average 180 sunny days each year, and we don’t have to wait for the morning fog to burn off, like you do in Sandy Eggo. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
I am wondering though. Could a new throw-bar be cut from a sheet of PVC, or maybe Sintra.
David Maynard said:
I am wondering though. Could a new throw-bar be cut from a sheet of PVC, or maybe Sintra.
Sure - 3MM foamed PVC board would work. The hole would probably wear out and break open as fast or faster than the stock Aristo one. PVC is pretty weak in small dimensions. You could always laminate on .040 styrene on one or both sides with a little PVC pipe cement to add strength.
Steve, we are talking UV index, not sun… please see the link provided, and see you are in an area typically 4 points higher than southern california. (You can even check month by month). (Nice map Mark).
For your edification, overcast does not always block the UV as much as it blocks visible light. In fact up to 80% of UV can penetrate clouds.
(read myth #5: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/10/living/guide-to-sun-safety/ )
And while I am on the coast, Todd Brody is definitely not, he is way inland compared to my 5,000 feet. So he really gets the heat and UV.
So, yes, Todd (and I) needs to take more care than someone in Washington state.
That’s all from the science desk… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-tongue-out.gif)
I used JB weld. mixed the paste, wait till it got thick then filled the hole. Redrill the hole. It’s lasted outside unpainted for three or four years. There’s enough in the tubes to fix about 500 switches.
Terry
that end is so thin Terry, did you build up the thickness a bit too?
Greg
We all know the problem with these throwbars, but it sure is interesting to see what some of the guys here have done about it.
Terry’s is prolly the quickest and dirtiest fix. I like it. That plus the Armor All and we’ve got a big improvement with perhaps the least investment of time over all IMHO.
Noel’s fix is also very good - he’s something of a mechanical wonderkid. Download his animation articles if you haven’t already!
http://largescalecentral.com/albums/photo/view/album_id/12309/photo_id/109767
Fred Mills - Starwood Abbey - brought this problem to my attention. I manufacture replacement parts for Aristocraft mostly in resin but lately I made some with my professional 3D printer.
To recap, the replacement part must meet these requirements
-
be made of non-conductive material = plastic
-
end tabs must be thicker - as the original design breaks off easily
-
round hole is better at the ends rather than a rectangular slot
-
material must be UV ray resistant
-
material must be as durable as the original plastic and withstand temperature ranges of -30c to +30c. This eliminates any sort of cast resin plastic as it softens at +30c especially if it is painted black
-
brass sleeves must be reinstalled.
Using my desktop milling machine and a scrap of orange acrylic, I made this first example as a test subject. Image is posted in my album.
When I visit my plastics dealer later this week, I’ll see about a color closest to black.
Once the part is past the beta testing, I’ll add it to my line of large scale products. Price to be announced.
Gilbert
GLX Scale Models www.glscalemodels.com
Hi Gilbert, looking forwards to your results.
I have all Aristo switches, and they are powered by air motors, so the end of the throwbar is not shielded from the sun, and I have a thin wire operating the switch. Thus, especially due to the situation that Aristo did not use any UV resistant plastic in the throwbar, my throwbars break and the large oval hole gives me more slop in the mechanism than I want.
GILBERT LACROIX said:
http://largescalecentral.com/albums/photo/view/album_id/12309/photo_id/109767
Fred Mills - Starwood Abbey - brought this problem to my attention. I manufacture replacement parts for Aristocraft mostly in resin but lately I made some with my professional 3D printer.
To recap, the replacement part must meet these requirements
be made of non-conductive material = plastic
end tabs must be thicker - as the original design breaks off easily
round hole is better at the ends rather than a rectangular slot
material must be UV ray resistant
material must be as durable as the original plastic and withstand temperature ranges of -30c to +30c. This eliminates any sort of cast resin plastic as it softens at +30c especially if it is painted black
brass sleeves must be reinstalled.
Using my desktop milling machine and a scrap of orange acrylic, I made this first example as a test subject. Image is posted in my album.
When I visit my plastics dealer later this week, I’ll see about a color closest to black.
Once the part is past the beta testing, I’ll add it to my line of large scale products. Price to be announced.
Gilbert
GLX Scale Models www.glscalemodels.com
I think the link should be http://www.glxscalemodels.com
Tom
Gilbert, please keep us posted. Many of us have Aristo turnouts. And I for one, would like to have these as spare parts, for when “that day comes”.
Gilbert
You really do not need to provide the hole @ the end.
Let the buyer drill the hole he needs, this would leave it solid incase you wanted to tap it for a screw , or just drill a hole.
Great idea.
Sean
So far all my WR and #6 switches use the same throwbar Friar… I have seen pictures of Aristo R1 switches, never possessed one.
Greg
I just took apart an Aristo short switch. I can’t see how a longer one would have a different throw bar, but I’ve got none to check against. The one I took apart has a broken tab as well. I’m thinking of printing a replacement one, so will watch this thread with great interest. I don’t use these switches, but have several, and it looks like many are broken.
I also took a look at about half a dozen small radius LGB switches which have been in the sun for years. No deterioration of the ties as far as I could see, and they look a LOT like the Aristos. But the points are riveted, not screwed to the throw bar. So instead of the throw bar being screwed, we are when the break!