Wooden ore cars

[finescalerr]

Maybe so but it's beautiful anyway. -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Maybe so but it's beautiful anyway. -- Russ

You took the words right out of my mouth!

[Hauk]

Maybe so but it's beautiful anyway. -- Russ

You took the words right out of my mouth!

I was so taken by my first brass etching that I considered framing it and putting it on the wall!
But then even rubbish artwork looks great on the fret, which was certainly the case with my first etching.

For me, learning to make  artwork for etching took a lot of trial and error, but in the end I have mastered it to the point were etching is an invaluable modeling tool. I can not imagine building models without it. I don't know if it saves me that much time, but my final models are far better (and not at least much stronger) than if I had built them with conventional techniques.

And when you get things right, the etched parts are a pure joy to work with. You can fold up three dimensional parts almost like origami.
Using tabs & slots and rivets with indexing holes it is possible to get things perfectly square and level.

As I am still under the delusion that I am a model railroader and not "just" a model builder I want all my rolling stock to be operational. I am perfectly aware that it is most unlikely that I ever will build  layout, but for some reason I really like the idea.

[finescalerr]

For most guys like us, layouts are better in theory than practice. As a former contributor once admitted in print, his layout ended up being a big model. When it was complete he ran trains on it a few times, got bored, sold it, and started another model! -- Russ

[turtle]

I'm always in awe and amazement at the standards of craftsmanship I see here.
For me - to successfully turn-on the computer is a celebration and then with dismay I see what can be achieved with this "black magic" leaves me deflated  but inspired. One day I'll break into the 21 century  .
Keep at it, and looking forward to progress shots  .

[Hauk]

I'm always in awe and amazement at the standards of craftsmanship I see here.
For me - to successfully turn-on the computer is a celebration and then with dismay I see what can be achieved with this "black magic" leaves me deflated  but inspired. One day I'll break into the 21 century  .
Keep at it, and looking forward to progress shots  .

Got my custom-made bending brakes today (thanks again, Øystein!) and have started to fold up the etched parts. Just a short stint in the workshop, no time for photos! But more progress report soon.

[Hauk]

With etchings and bending brakes in the house, it is finally time for some actual modeling, and not just computer work.

The bending bars make the folding of the long, slender beams easy work. The precise placement of the etched holes makes alignment of the parts very simple.

I use turned brass rivets wherever possible. I really recommend this approach, it makes things precise and solid.

Here are some images:

[finescalerr]

Not bad. -- Russ

[Design-HSB]

Hi Hauk,

and for rounding the back I use the wire end rounding tool, good luck with further construction.

[Hauk]

Thanks for the feedback!

The rounding of the rivets on the back will be a great challenge inside the Ushaped-beams. If you look closely you can spot several holes on the bottom flange of the beams. These holes are for rivets that will hold reinforecment plates, springs & different hardware. Those rivets will be visible from the side, and should ideally have heads in both ends.  No way to fit a rounding tool inside them. But I have a far-fetched idea that I will share if it proves successful...

[Peter_T1958]

Hi Håvard

I've never built a brass railcar, but I'm fascinated by your approach. Unfortunaley I can't understand some of your steps due to lack of own experience in brass work.
Ok, when I built a WW1 tank from scratch some years ago I also designed my own PE parts, but then the rivets were made from heated plastic rod, not brass.

Now I would like to know whether you solder each rivet to the frame, and if so, how do you prevent soldered rivets from falling out again, when you reheat the frame for the next rivet ...

A slightly naive question, sorry

Peter

[Hauk]

Hi Håvard

I've never built a brass railcar, but I'm fascinated by your approach. Unfortunaley I can't understand some of your steps due to lack of own experience in brass work.
Ok, when I built a WW1 tank from scratch some years ago I also designed my own PE parts, but then the rivets were made from heated plastic rod, not brass.

Now I would like to know whether you solder each rivet to the frame, and if so, how do you prevent soldered rivets from falling out again, when you reheat the frame for the next rivet ...

A slightly naive question, sorry

Peter

I should have included more images and a better explanation, sorry for the confusion!

All the rivets are inserted in holes in the etched parts, so the keep everything aligned pretty well before soldering. But you need small clamps of some sort to keep everything aligned during soldering. The rivets are usually in groups

I use a resistance soldering unit (RSU) and this gives a very local and fast heating. In addition I use heat sinks made from tissue paper soaked in water. Sometimes it is possible to clamp down a complete assembly, then it doesn't matter if earlier joints "open" again, they will close when everything cools down.

More pictures will follow!

[lab-dad]

Really inspiring work and very lovely to watch.
Would be nice to have a book of all your images and text.
Marty

[Hauk]

Really inspiring work and very lovely to watch.
Would be nice to have a book of all your images and text.
Marty

Thanks a lot! Hope that my ramblings might inspire more people to try and produce their own etched parts!  

But even if etching is a great timesaver, there is still a lot of modeling to do. Here are one of four frames (support for the wooden hoppers ). Six parts and 18 rivets for each frame. Two frames took the entire evening.

[finescalerr]

You have inspired me. I hope my enthusiasm for the potential of photo etching in general and for your project in particular will help you to keep going. -- Russ