a newbie's take on the A3 switcher

[Prowler901]

Awesome work, Pogo!  I remember having so much fun building the tender trucks.  Keep at it.

Todd

[Pogo_proptie]

thanks prowler.

I'm away from the shop 2 weeks and since I was in the US i did buy the copper plate for the tender side at .040 thickness.. i did get more because the cut of i got was oversize. and I actually have enough left over to do the tender TOP with the same material. although the plan says to use brass..

is there any problem if I use the copper for all of it?

[crueby]

The copper would be slightly  softer and easier to dent, but should work fine.

[Kim]

And the copper will be more expensive in general and softer like Chris said.  But I would think it should work fine for you.  Are you going to use that same 0.040" copper plate for the curved front plates too?  The ones on either side of the coal bunker in the front?

Kim   

[Pogo_proptie]

yes kim, i got an .040 off cut but had to buy the whole thing. since I don't know what i'm doing i'm happy to get more, but i realiaze now that the top was different material on the plan, so i have have enough, even if copper is more expensive, i will  not have to buy the brass plate.. anyway, this will all be around Christmas with the speed i'm doing.

can't wait to go back home to make progress

Pogo

[steamer]

That is coming along nicely!    Welcome!

Dave

[Tin Falcon]

Pogo :
I do not post a lot here anymore. Work has been crazy the last few months. Not a lot of hobby time. I scanned this thread and decided to give a little advice.
This is a hobby not Production work, or a race so work at a pace that is right for you. Secondly expect to make practice / test pieces. I learned many years ago it is a good idea to have a source for hardware before you drill and tap. When making multiple parts with Mutiple setups start out with an extra blank or two. there is nothing worse than blowing a tolerance on a part last step and then having to go through all the steps to make one part. Blondie hacks You tube channel just finished her tender. she also did her boiler so a good resource. some do not like her humor but in my humble opinion worth the watch if you have the time. I think the thing I like best about her is her honesty she shows her blunders as well as her many successes. Nice work you are proving this stuff can be tried at home and one does not have to be a professionally trained machinist. Although it does help at least a bit.

tin

[Pogo_proptie]

Pogo :
I do not post a lot here anymore. Work has been crazy the last few months. Not a lot of hobby time. I scanned this thread and decided to give a little advice.
This is a hobby not Production work, or a race so work at a pace that is right for you. Secondly expect to make practice / test pieces. I learned many years ago it is a good idea to have a source for hardware before you drill and tap. When making multiple parts with Mutiple setups start out with an extra blank or two. there is nothing worse than blowing a tolerance on a part last step and then having to go through all the steps to make one part. Blondie hacks You tube channel just finished her tender. she also did her boiler so a good resource. some do not like her humor but in my humble opinion worth the watch if you have the time. I think the thing I like best about her is her honesty she shows her blunders as well as her many successes. Nice work you are proving this stuff can be tried at home and one does not have to be a professionally trained machinist. Although it does help at least a bit.

tin

Hello falcon

I don't know if my post comes off as ''in a rush'' if it is it's not the intent.. but real life had me away from the home altogether lately so shop time is not only rare. it was impossible. it might be why I sound to hasty for a reader like you but I like to think it is mostly enthusiasm. Also english is not my language so some of my commentary might be a bit lost in translation.

One of the many reasons i went into hobby metal working was to indeed slow my brain down with a price for getting there right now will bite you hard. Yes my take on this is to give it an honest go but I don't even know if I can for sure make it all the way.  but i'll keep going until I win or I don't have fun doing it. Maybe some one here can benefit from my attempt. Yes I watch blondiehacks religiously and could not make this without her (and kim) opening the trail for the rest of us.

happy chip making everyone

[Pogo_proptie]

need help for the soldering

i am trying to do the column and it is NOT going well. couple questions.

i did the vertical bars in brass and the bottom in steel sheet. kinda of half n half betwen the book and what kim did.

i did get the solder going T1000 on me and going liquid in an instant and figured I was done and that was easy. but once i cleaned it up realised that the is 0 adhesion to the brass part. so my main question for you is mostly this

is my mistake trying to mix 2 metal and it will never work?, or the brass was just to cold because its much thicker in this instance.

https://www.modelenginemaker.com/index.php/topic,8552.msg191481.html#msg191481 this is the part i'm describing in KIM's process.

next test for me is to try but heat mostly the brass part. and if that fails, try and solder 2 scrap of the same metal.

thanks in advance, i know you guys will steer me somewhere

POGO

[crueby]

Both parts need to get up to temperature  and be fluxed, so the heavier part needs to get more flame than the lighter one. For mixing metals, main issue is things like copper wick heat away faster, so they need more to compensate. If one gets hot quicker, the solder may tend to run just to that one, but if you keep heating the second one will catch up and take it too. Sometimes I  use a pointed rod to draw the solder onto the second part as it catches up. Might need a little extra flux at that point.

[Kim]

What Chris said.  Both parts have to get hot enough.  If only one part is hot, the solder will melt and adhere to that one, but not the colder one.  So make sure you play your flame on both parts, but more on the one with more mass.  However, make sure and watch the brass part carefully. The steel parts can take more heat without melting into a puddle. But if you get the brass parts too hot they will melt and not look like what you want.  They can get red-hot, but just don't keep the heat on them when you see them starting to get red.

If the solder isn't wicking under the part when the solder is melting, the parts may not be clean, or the flux has dried out too early.  That can happen if you're heating with too small of a burner or too indirectly.  It if takes too long to get the parts up to temp, the flux will all be burned away and you'll get black sooty gunk in where you want the solder.  Sometimes daubing a little more flux on there with the pointy stick like Chris mentions will help.

I'd clean up your brass & steel parts and try it again before I gave up.  It might take a couple of tries to get it right, but you'll get the hang of it.

Kim

[Pogo_proptie]

i made one that finally held and then, all other keep failing.. so i'm dumping the steel plates and remaking them in brass and try tomorow to do the soldering.

if they are fixtured too tight i don't think the wicking effect takes place so i just had the idea to suspend it from the spacer to open up that space a couple of thou. so hopefully tomorow I have something to show other than tiny diveboards full of silver goop.

the simple idea of doing a boiler just became really scary   

[crueby]

One trick that works great to get wicking space is to take a sharp prick punch and make a few 'dots' on one of the pieces. That will raise just enough of a bump to give you good wicking room for the solder. I do that whenever I'm soldering two wide flat pieces together.

[Pogo_proptie]

hello again

kinda of a big update as I have been busy.

i made the bearings, and my first silver soldering job and have kinda one bogey working for now



had to thin down some scrap as the steel was not fun at all to solder mixed with the brass and it was not too long.



this is quite the learning curve, matter of fact when filling the exess bit, one of my leg let go so my technique is evidently still lacking a lot.


this was the result so far

on to the bronze bearing



test fit seems okay



and the family picture



now the side bearing was ''easy''



this part i was happy with my solution



vice in a vice and a tilt box to get the 3 degree required seems to have worked

this method was used for the 4 bolsters and gave me these




see the center drill mark on the top part where I almost made the hole for the spring on the wrong face. they will forever live with my shame under the frame

now i do have a rolling bogey but honestly it's feels a bit stiff. i only have Quinn's excellent work to compare but mine just goes and stops before hitting the end of my little rails..i think i will have to redo the suspension bars.  what do you think i made this little video after a bit of adjustment with made them much better than the first assembly.

i also need to shorten a lot of tiny screws later

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSccr8_5sSA" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSccr8_5sSA</a>

if you are still here thanks for watching.

[Kim]

Wow! That is quite an update, Pogo!  Lots of good progress! 

I think your truck (boogie) runs well.  A little oil on the bearings would probably help it some.  But I wouldn't bother with that till after you've painted things.  Oil always causes problems for paint 

Kim