Who makes 1 1/2" scale Builders and number plates?

[JohnHudak]

I had a number plate 3d printed in sintered stainless steel/bronze from Shapeways. You would need to model the plate and export to an acceptable file size for the site.

One plate (1-1/2" scale) cost about $35 in 2016 however I understand their pricing structure may have escalated since then. I silver soldered a mounting bracket to the back of the plate without issue.

Brennan

Very nice plate Brennan, What class of locomotive is PRR #109?
John

[JohnHudak]

I didn't want to reply until my experiment was complete.

Here is my builders plate just out of the tank and steel wool'd a bit.


IMG_20201231_113332.jpg


I will clean it up a bit more and decide how/if I want paint it.

The process is similar to Cris Ruby's; toner transfer and etch. However, I didn't etch with acid, I used electrolysis.
Salt water
Stainless steel electrode (minus)
~6V and ~2A
I can't give you a time as I kept losing the positive electrode wire. It was maybe 8 hours. I need a better method of attachment to the plate.

Nice job Brennan (he knows I've already seen it )!

Awesome work Karl, Can you describe your process a little more detailed? It's something I'd like to try..
Thanks, John

[BMC]

Thanks John and Karl.

To answer John's question, No. 109 is an E6s that was originally built by Bill Baty and completed in 1995. As I understand it, Mr. Baty deliberately chose a non-existent PRR E6s number in order to grant a small bit of modeler's license to deviate from the prototype. The engine is currently in the middle of a rebuild which includes a new boiler.

Brennan

[kenrinc]

I did same as BMC. Designed in Fusion360 and then exported as an STL file and printed on a 3D printer to verify design and make sure everything was good. Then off to Shapeways printed in bronze. I believe these are investment cast but not entirely sure. Note to self: make sure you check the size before you press submit Pic below shows some practice prints and then the as received plate from Shapeways....

Ken-

[KarlKobel]

John,

Not my original work - I found a lot of info on the internet. Search for Electrolysis.
-I started with an 0.060 brass sheet.
-I bought some toner transfer paper (used a lot in home brew PC boards).
-I have a laminator and used it to transfer the toner to the brass. I have seen instructions of using an iron to to this, but I was unsuccessful).
-A plastic tank (Tupperware) was filled with very salty water, enough to cover the plate.
-The positive terminal of a power supply is connected to the brass plate. I had a bit of trouble here. It would be better if the connection is not in the water. I might of been able to etch deeper if the connection stayed longer. The wire and mounting hardware etched away in the water.
-The negative is connected to a stainless steel plate. It was just luck that this connection was not in the water.
-I set the power supply at 6V and turned the current up to max (2A). The power supply went into current regulation and the voltage dropped. I have seen examples of people using a 12V battery charger.
-When the power is turned on, you should see bubbles coming from the negative plate and I could see the 'flow' of the water between the two plates after it became dirty.
-I don't know long the process took due to the failure of the positive connection.
-The depth is about 0.010

Here is a more cleaned up picture.

I'm going to try again to see if I can get a deeper etch, but if I fail, these are usable,

Karl

[JohnHudak]

Thank you Karl, I think I’m going to give this a try...
John

[KarlKobel]

I'll post them again after I paint them.
Post your results if you try.

skid-roe - I didn't mean to hijack your thread...

[Dick_Morris]

I don't have a source, but there here are a couple of options for the process.

One can do etched plates by using a laser print onto slippery magazine paper and transferring the toner to a piece of brass with an iron. My first efforts were OK but I didn't pursue the process enough to see if improvements could be made on my first efforts adn using the toner transfer paper would have probably given a better result. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=86459&hilit=etching

I have a couple of sets of beautiful number and owner's plates for my Consolidation. They were 3D printed and investment cast for me by a friend in the U.K. who I met through a shared interest in casting. He described the process in a Youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDl3vzZy0qQ. One of the volunteers on the ARR 557 restoration did the 3D drawing using Freecad to create a replacement builder's plate for the full sized locomotive. The wax for the model was printed from the same drawing at 1/8 scale. The builder's plate is 1-1/8" diameter.

[mikeyg]

I've used the same company that Robert Dustin used.

Flex-o-graphic Printing Plate Co.
33 Arctic Street
Worcester MA. 01604
508-752-8100.
Contact name is Debbie

An artist friend of mine did the graphic as a PDF and I let Debbie know the size. Ask for thick stock. Mine were 1" diameter and cost me $29.

The material is aluminum just as Robert did. The are simple to cut out and paint. A dab of silicone will keep them in place.

[jscarmozza]

After a lot of trial and error I got 2 usable builder plates, now comes a very fundamental question, how do I attach them to the smoke box? The thought of trying to drill eight 3/64" holes free hand and tap them 0-80 doesn't appeal to me. Mikeyg suggested gluing the plates on with silicone, but I haven't had much luck using silicone as glue, any other methods?
John

[LVRR2095]

Why eight bolts, and why 0-80? Every builders plate I have seen on full sized locomotives was held in place by two screws or rivets.
Bigger screws will not be noticable.

Keith

[Bill Shields]

if i were doing 0-80 it would take 8 bolts to get 2 that did not have broken taps in the holes..