Passenger Truck Question

[EZnKY]

And here they are after trimming them from the frets.

[EZnKY]

The front overlay fits in the recess in the Sierra Valley wheelsets like this.  I had to "shape" it to match the curve of the wheels using hand pressure and a wooden dowel.  I glued the brass to the steel using a very thin CA.

You can see there's a small gap between the brass and the steel along the inside and outside perimeters.  My plan is to fill this with putty when I prime them.

[EZnKY]

And here's the back after I glued them in place.  I chucked the axle in a drill and filled the edge of the overlay to match the curve of the flange, but I'm betting I still need to add some filler at the joint.  We'll see when I paint them.

[EZnKY]

Here are two completed wheelsets next to a Louisville Car Wheel Company door stop I found on eBay.

[SandiaPaul]

Nice work...I've been afraid to try the etching, for one of the reasons you mention, getting rid of the nasty stuff, esp. since I have a septic system.

However, with enough of the stuff you have in the background in some of your pics, maybe I could get over that

Seriously I wish there were a bunch of etching vendors that catered to the small hobbyist  type client.

Paul

[Ray Dunakin]

The wheels really turned out great!

[Bill Gill]

Eric, I'm not a chemist. Ferric chloride is a very aggressive acid. Heat tends to hasten its reaction. It can be reused several times, though the timimg will increase.  
It can be neutralized with a base. I believe baking soda ( NaHCO₃ ) is one cheap possibility and so is washing soda ( Na₂CO₃ ). Check a college chem dept for a safe procedure. Many municipalities have strict requirements for disposal and some places have hazaedous waste disposal days but may not take it, but neutralizing it is a good idea when you're done with it before you dispose of it. Add the base carefully to avoid a strong reaction - think baking soda + vinegar  jacked up.

[finescalerr]

Eric, those wheels look extremely adequate. The process you developed and the etched results are, uh, much above average. By the way, young Watkins really does turn out nice products, doesn't he? (Gary Watkins manufactures Sierra Valley wheelsets and hand builds outstanding limited run, ready-to-run rolling stock.) -- Russ

[lab-dad]

Those etchings are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very impressed.
Looks like I may have to learn CAD or at least a dumbed down version.

Cant wait to see more!
-Marty

[EZnKY]

Thanks guys.  I think they'll look okay once they're painted and weathered, despite the flattened depth.  I'm going to try some more ambitious and detailed etchings once I start on the coach body.  Things like luggage racks and such.

Paul - you're 100% correct on heat making a big difference in the etching process.  I used a small space heater to warm up the liquid ahead of time, as well as during the etching.  I didn't do any sort of timed testing, but my seat-of-the-pants guess is warm fluid cut the etch time by 25% or so.  I've also found it only takes a little bit of fresh ferric chloride to "renew" the solution.  Something like 1 ounce of new to 12 ounces of old.  I'm hoping our local recycling center will take the spent solution once I'm done with all of this.  I'll let you know what they say.

Russ - you're right about the wheelsets.  One thing I find really impressive is the dimensional consistency from axle to axle. 

Marty - there are a lot of options with CAD, but if you're going to take the time to learn a program, make sure it's one that can interface with 3D printing, and preferably with CNC milling.  There are so many new possibilities with these two technologies, and unfortunately my CAD experience doesn't include either.  I face a similar learning curve...

[Chuck Doan]

Thanks for the post Eric! I'm glad to see you back. A nifty solution to the problem!

[EZnKY]

So to catch everyone up on the wooden parts, here's what I've gotten done so far.  I was only able to use a few of the parts in the Hartford kit since most of the dimensions are different on the Ohio Falls trucks.  I was able to use the two spring planks and the two bolsters, but all four pieces are going to need to be narrowed to fit between the transoms.  I was also able to use the two outboard end sills that are notched to clear the draft gear.  Everything else I had to cut new from basswood.  I prestained all of the pieces with several coats of Silverwood stain.

[EZnKY]

I put the base color on the wooden parts by spraying the stained wood with hairspray, and then brush-applying Vallejo 70.950 black.  As soon as the black was dry, I rubbed the pieces with a brass brush to "open up" the paint some, and then scrubbed the black paint with water and an old model paint brush.  This left some of the paint in place, but also removed some of it following the wood grain.  I'm hoping it looks okay once everything is assembled and weathered.  We shall see...

[EZnKY]

I assembled the basic truck frames using clamps and medium-viscosity CA.  You can kind of see in the picture that the ends of the transoms and the end sills have a 45° bevel on the ends.  Sanding these was a pain in the...

[EZnKY]

Once the perimeter frames were dry, I began test fitting the various pieces of hardware.  In some cases I was able to use the cast pieces from Hartford, but many of them are scratch made in brass.  I made simple drawings to use for aligning everything - the frame is sitting on top of one.  I haven't glued any of the hardware in place yet so I can prime and paint the bits and pieces first.