3/4" Scale J1e

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

Moderator: Harold_V

User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My friends
Thank you Asteamhead. Here is some progress on the tender frame. The end buffers beams were silver soldered together. Here we have the front beam cleaned, fluxed, assembled with #0-80 brass screws, and small pieces of solder placed here and there. Everything was evenly heated with the oxy acetylene torch and the solder flowed into the joints.
Tender29.jpeg
Here. the ends have been welded to the center sill and one of the corrugated bottoms was test fitted. This piece still needs to be cut with a slitting saw and bent.
Tender30.jpeg
Here a start is being made on the mounts for the truck safety chains.
Tender31.jpeg
Tender32.jpeg
Tender33.jpeg
Here is the finished profile
Tender34.jpeg
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Here they have been zoomed off with a slitting saw. They will now be silver soldered to the side sills.
Tender36.jpeg
A recess was machined for each bracket on the side sills to locate them for soldering. Then they were fluxed and a small piece of silver solder was placed under the bracket. The silver solder was hammered to about .020" thickness.
Tender37.jpeg
Here the bracket has been set in place on top of the solder. It's always good to place the solder before applying heat if possible.
Tender38.jpeg
And here is the soldered parts. Now for a blast in the sand blast cabinet and they will be looking good.
Tender39.jpeg
Now the slots can be milled. The brackets are 3/16" wide and the slots are 1/16". They will be drilled and tapped for #0-80 model bolts.
Tender40.jpeg
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

The brackets are all soldered in place and some small chain will be needed. I decided to just make the chain which is a simple matter. Sometimes it's just easier to make something than to spend time looking for it. First a mandrel was made to form the links. This is done just like winding a spring. The chain links I wanted here are not round, so the mandrel was made accordingly. The mandrel is 3/16" wide and 1/8" thick. It has a hole on one end to insert the brass wire so it wan be wound around. The wire here is .050" which scales out to about 5/8". A guide is used to locate the wire as it's wrapped around the mandrel. The lathe was set at 20 threads per inch. One end of the mandrel was held in a collet, the other end was supported with a pointed rod into a center drilled hole.
Tender41.jpeg
The lathe was run slowly and the wire was neatly wrapped around the mandrel as we have here.
Tender42.jpeg
And here we have the mandrel, a gaggle of links, and some assembled chain. Each link was fluxed with the flux pen and they were soldered. This was done with soft solder and a soldering iron. The links were held one at a time in a small vise and just touched with the soldering iron. The solder slurped into the joint just a slick as you please.
Tender43.jpeg
And finally, one of the completed safety chains dangling from its mount. The links are all soldered and I think they look pretty good. I will chemically blacken them before they have a chance to tarnish. This goes pretty quick. I think I made the eight safety chains in about two hours.
When you make things yourself it sets you free. You are not limited by what you can buy. And you have the satisfaction of making it yourself. After all we are model builders, not model buyers. 😎 The next time you need some chain, have a go at this. When someone asks, where did you get that chain you can say, "I made it". Too much fun.
Tender44.jpeg
See Ya' later Alligator
Jack
User avatar
NP317
Posts: 4551
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by NP317 »

Outstanding chain results!
And even better that you shared your procedures. I feel edumacated...
Thanks.
RussN
User avatar
Greg_Lewis
Posts: 3010
Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
Location: Fresno, CA

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Jack:
How do you get soft solder to "slurp" into the joints? When I try it the solder runs all over the place.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Steam Engine Dan
Posts: 654
Joined: Thu Nov 18, 2010 5:08 pm

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Steam Engine Dan »

looking good jack, keep er rollin :D
Rwilliams
Posts: 1046
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 2:45 pm
Location: Central California

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Rwilliams »

Jack,

Incredible work as always. Never tire of your presentations.

You mention the use of a flux pen in your recent postings. Interesting bit of soldering tooling that some of us might want to know more about. Can you share a photo of the flux pen and a source for same?

Robert
User avatar
JBodenmann
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:37 pm
Location: Tehachapi, California

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is a bit more on making chain. Probably the hardest part is getting the formed links off of the mandrel. When you wrap the wire around the mandrel it is tight, so in order to get the links off you should make a forked piece like shown here.
Tender45.jpeg
You have to cut off the wire where it passes through the hole on the mandrel. Then place the mandrel and links in the slot as shown here.
Tender46.jpeg
Use a steel rod small enough to pass through the links and drive the mandrel out of the links. It's surprising how much force is needed.
Tender47.jpeg
Then I use some flush cutters to cut the links loose.
Tender48.jpeg
The links are then fitted together and the ends of each link are lined up. They are then fluxed with this flux pen which was purchased from McMaster.
Tender49.jpeg

A soldering iron is used here. The fluxed links are just touched with the iron. About half a second will do. The important part is how much solder is on the iron to get the wanted result. If everything is clean and fluxed the solder will "slurp" right into the joint. Having enough heat is important. Tiny parts are being soldered, so the 100 watt soldering iron used here has more than enough heat. Acid core 50-50 solder was used. I use a sal ammoniac block to clean the soldering iron. The iron should be well tinned.
Tender51.jpeg

Next time some eye bolts will be made to hold the safety chains to the tender trucks.
See You In The Funny Pages🤪
Jack
wewilliams
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:44 am
Contact:

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by wewilliams »

Mcmaster always has the coolest stuff.
User avatar
Fender
Posts: 3084
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 8:33 pm
Location: Chattanooga TN

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Fender »

Jack, I made some chain like this, using your method from an earlier project, but sliced the links, while still on the mandrel, with a cutoff disk in a dremel tool.
Dan Watson
Chattanooga, TN
Asteamhead
Posts: 582
Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:59 pm
Location: Germany, Duesseldorf

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Asteamhead »

Fender,
Good idea for you get finished ends at once :idea:
Best regards
asteamhead
User avatar
Bill Shields
Posts: 10442
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
Location: 39.367, -75.765
Contact:

Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Bill Shields »

And if me ..a damaged mandrel :mrgreen:
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Post Reply