3/4" Scale J1e

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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Some time was spent this weekend working-playing, on the journal box lid master. Work sounds like drudgery...as this is so much fun I think play is more of a descriptive term. A while back I hadn't decided which journal box lids to make. I picked this one. At first glance I thought it would be difficult to make, not understanding the snap shut - snap open mechanism. I found a sectional view and realized it is an elegantly simple design as you will see as it goes together. As usual I will be making masters and then castings. Especially as there are twelve of the little fellows on the tender trucks. Here is an illustration from the 1941 Loco Cyclopedia. The journal box lid has three main parts. The main lid body, the hinge, both of which are visible. And on the inside there is a lever. One end of the lever is pressed on by a spring. The other end of the lever presses on a cam on the stationary part of the hinge where it attaches to the axle box. It's a very cool set up.
Jboxes1.jpeg
Here is a start on the main lid body. Just free machining brass. This is the inside.
Jboxes2.jpeg
Here it is plunked down on the axle box for a look. The lid is .070 overall thickness. The front wall is .040" thick. It is .850" Hi, and .830 wide.
Jboxes3.jpeg
Here is a start on the raised rib that will surround the hinge. This rib will also get some bosses for the .048" pin that will hold the whole mess together.
Jboxes4.jpeg
Here what will be the raised rib is sitting on the lid. Once this sub assembly is silver soldered in place, the flat part that is now on top will be machined away.
Jboxes5.jpeg
Last edited by JBodenmann on Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:03 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here is some more progress on the journal box master. Here the raised rip piece has been cleaned, fluxed, and held in place with frogs.
Jboxes6.jpeg
As usual small pieces of silver solder have been placed here and there.
Jboxes7.jpeg
And after soldering
Jboxe9.jpeg
And here the part that joined the two ribs has been milled away.
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Jboxes10.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Now for some tiny parts that had me puzzled. These will be some bosses, that locate the pin, that holds the whole mess together.
Jboxes11.jpeg
The little rod with the hole drilled through is .090" Diameter. The hole is .049"
Jboxes12.jpeg
I had to think about these little pieces for a while. I often talk about a chess game, or a little puzzle and this is one of those instances.
Jboxes13.jpeg
Here the tube has been silver soldered in place.
Jboxes15.jpeg
After a swim in the acid pot the center of the tube was machined away.
Jboxes16.jpeg
Then the work piece was split down the middle.
Jboxes17.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Here a recess is being milled. This recess will fit over the raised rib on the main lid body. After cutting the recess the same 1/8" end mill was used to part off the work piece.
Jboxes18.jpeg
Two tiny little parts, that will fit to another tiny part, that is part of another tiny part. :)
Jboxes19.jpeg
And here is how they fit in the overall picture. You can see how the recess fits against the raised rib.
Jboxes20.jpeg
And here they have been soft soldered in place. As the raised ribs were silver soldered, the little bosses were soft soldered so as not to melt the silver solder and disturb the raised ribs.
Jboxes21.jpeg
And here we have the mostly finished journal box lid. I say mostly finished as it still needs two more parts added. There is a raised area around the raised ribs and the start of one is sitting next to the lid. This will be shaped by hand using files, sandpaper, and the jewelers buffer.
Jboxes22.jpeg
Next time we will finish up the lid and start on the hinge.
See You In The Funny Pages...
Jack
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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Here the raised part has been partially fitted to the center rib.
Jboxes23.jpeg
This is looking much better.
Jboxes24.jpeg
Here they have been soldered in place. Tix solder was used for this final operation as it has a very low melting point.
Jboxes25.jpeg
Here is the finished lid. It's had some work with a 1/8" diameter round ended end mill. Also some filing to massage the raised rib. And a mild zoom with the jewelers buffer.
Jboxes26.jpeg
Now to make the hinge. This will fill the tapered slot in the cover. It will also fit under a pin through the bosses. Inside the hinge will be a spring, and a lever for the snap open - snap closed feature.
Too Much Fun!
Jack
Asteamhead
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Asteamhead »

Hello Jack,
Amazing brass work as always! And doing this another 11 times (or make wax casts?) ... forget about time just for a perfect look 8)

asteamhead
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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
Thank you Asteamhead. You are correct, I will be making molds for the journal boxes as there are twelve of them. The hinge part has been started, here are some snappies. Here the general shape has been made and the hinge has been test fitted.
Jboxes27.jpeg
I got busy and didn't get ant photos of making the slot for the pin.
Jboxes28.jpeg
Jboxes29.jpeg
Here is the pivot part of the hinge. Basically a tube with two ribs.
Jboxes30.jpeg
Jboxes32.jpeg
Attachments
Jboxes31.jpeg
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JBodenmann
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by JBodenmann »

Hello My Friends
The journal box master is just about finished. A few details remain like some lettering and filling here and there.
Jboxes33.jpeg
Jboxes34.jpeg
The lid snaps open
Jboxes35.jpeg
And snaps closed
Jboxes36.jpeg
Time to make the molds
wewilliams
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by wewilliams »

I'd love to see how you make them too!
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Dick_Morris
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Dick_Morris »

Nice work, as usual. I was wondering if you would be adding lettering and how you would do it. I never came up with a good way to apply little letters on my sand castings and didn't work it out until I started doing investment casting with the "waxes" made on a 3D printer.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Greg_Lewis »

Many years ago, well before 3D printers, I found a local shop that made rubber stamps. I provided the artwork and they made just the rubber, without the handle. I also had them make it "right reading," as a stamp would read backwards if you looked at the rubber. Then I made a mold from that using hardware store silicone goop. I then filled that mold with JB Weld. Then I sanded down the backside of the JB Weld bit so it would lie flat on my pattern. It worked fine for what it was at the time.
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.
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Dick_Morris
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Re: 3/4" Scale J1e

Post by Dick_Morris »

rubber stamps
I had that same idea. My sister owned a rubber stamp company at the time, but she was in Phoenix and I was in Anchorage and I wasn't successful in explaining, or she wasn't successful in understanding what I needed.
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