Large Scale Central

V&T Ore Car Project

Ohhh Boo Hoo …No… 3D cad drawn laser cutting here.

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Nice 2D CAD drawing you worked from though.

We’re new Romney WV today, about to go on the “Potomac Eagle” train excursion to Petersburg WV and back, should be fun.

Therefore I’m not cutting brass today, but did (hopefully) manage to figure out the drilling jig for the strip. There’s around 13 holes per car, x 16 sets (2 of which are spare), so this shuold help. Here’s the printed jig,

… into which a set of parts gets placed.

A lasered lid fits over all that, to guide the drilling.

What’s the drilling jig look like for the other end of the bent parts? The ones that are sticking above the guide.

Look closer. The right hand is for the two holes and the left hand for one hole. Drill a set, then swap sides and drill again.

Keep posting Cliff. I love all the detail.

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Nice tool design! keep it coming.

Al P.

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I’m loving it too Cliff - keep posting, please.

Cheers
N

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Thanks guys, your interest is very encouraging. Much obliged.

Our train ride in WV was amazing, I’ll have to post about it maybe tomorrow evening.

Craig, thanks for your question, and Jon, thanks for your answer.

And Rooster I guess I had that coming… :grin:

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Since I’ve had an hour or so to kill before heading back home, I figure might as well do the next jig, this time to hold two pieces together while soldering.

This isn’t hugely neccessary… but if necessity is the mother of invention, I’ve always felt laziness is its daddy. I have to solder 32 of these, and want them to be perfectly aligned, so…

Solder melts around 185 deg C, and this resin is supposed to deal with 250 deg C. But I’m leaving a gap around the solder zone because the iron always gets hotter.

This is a resin I bought when I expected to print masters for making vulcanized ruber molds (for white metal castings). I’m holding off on those for this project though, since the “tough” resin has worked out so well. So I might as well try to use the resin before it goes stale.

Surety says drape a wet rag over each side of your gap but remember. JMHO YMMV :sunglasses:

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Good point. Or clip on a heat sink, if I leave enough room.

[I just made more room, thanks Hollywood]

Silver solder ? Or the regular :thinking:

Just regular, Sean. These parts are purely cosmetic, and I don’t have skills for silver soldering. I was vaguely considering induction soldering, but don’t have enough joints to justify the (gulp) high costs of those outfits.

What, no removable drip try ?

I would be half tempted to skin the thing out with aluminum foil for easy clean up …lol

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Sure but then I’d have to buy aluminum blackener…

Tried out the drilling jig, and it mostly worked.


My cavities are too wide though, so some holes drifted off center. I’m therefore reprinting the base with .006" narrower cavities, but with the tolerances of my shearing some pieces will probably not fit. So I’ll have a wide-cavity base and a narrow one, and hopefully between the two the holes will end up centered. Not a clean approach, but gotta getter done.

so now you even start measuring holes? :roll_eyes:

No, just need the teh holes to be near the strip centers, and not be at (or into) their edge like some of my first pieces. The tighter slots will hopefully hold the strips better so that the holes are centered better.

You are lucky I’m occupied and have to ignore that comment.