I worked out what went wrong with the wheels. My test set of wheels that I thought where MTs where in fact atlas. That's why I broke a truck trying to fit a wheel set in. Believing I had it wrong I added 70mm to each side of the truck (140mm in total). That's 0.875mm in N scale. So if fox valley has a wheel set that is MT+0.875mm then they will fit a treat. I have now put MT in my original set of trucks and they fit perfectly, the V helped and the 'snap' in. I have some possibility's to help. I have revised the models so now they will all print correctly. I have added sets of 2 and 4 trucks to my Shapeways page, it is possible these may print in strong and flexible which is cheaper. Bobthebear has also given me a box of Trix metal wheels that measure 15.0mm tip to tip. Between the Vs the trucks you have measure 14.32mm so they should fit. I could send them if anybody is havving dificultes getting wheels to fit? I have 21 available. -James
Great, I will add it to the list. Thanks. This should be fairly easy to create from the stuff I have been doing. -James
I have had no experience with Bestine but I did find I got some warpage in my chassis before and after the Goo Gone but the main body was so ridged it held it square. -James
What's so hard to understand about using Bestine????? It won't warp your model, and it'll clean the wax off better than anything else. It's available at Michael's or your local art supply/graphics supply store. Get some. Cheerio and SHEESH!! Bob Gilmore
Bob, my nearest Michael's is about 3,300 miles away. . And nobodye else does it eather! I miss the states! -James
Here's the current state of my other (not-shattered) chassis. I don't know if it's any more (or less) warped than it was when I got it, but I'd say that it's basically in the same "as delivered" ballpark - Once again, it wasn't the warpage that foiled me. Prior to my various soakings, I was able to fit it into the shell with minimal difficulty. Where I ran into problems was trying to connect said chassis to said shell after the Goo Gone / Bestine treatments. At that point, it didn't fit anymore (length-wise or width-wise), and during the process of trying to force the issue I shattered it into lots of little pieces ("it" being the broken / non-pictured chassis). Once broken, I did try CA'ing everything back together. But given the overly tight fit along with the warping, said CA repairs failed (as far as being able to fit it to the shell without all the CA repairs re-breaking). Note - not pointing any fingers at anyone but me! Just documenting my misadventures, so please calm down Cheers, -Mark
James- I just received the wheels I ordered and initial indications are good. They slipped into position without undue force and don't seem to have any side play, yet roll freely. They are [drum roll please, I'm in show business]... Fox Valley FVM 3603 - 36" wheels w/.563" axle. The package says they are for Atlas & Rivarossi. Disclaimer: I haven't yet done any of the necessary cleanup/painting yet so things MAY change but I think I may be in the ballpark. Cheers! Bob
As a rescue possibility, you could easily make a new properly fitting floors from sheet styrene, and just add the dangley parts from the warped/broken floors. A second layer of styrene, as a center beam inside would give you extra rigidity, and provide more meat for the bolster pins to grab onto.
Phillip, I have added two models to my Shapeways shop for the water bottles. One with ladders and one with ladders and small parts. http://www.shapeways.com/model/1504784/up-water-tender-ladders.html?li=shop-results&materialId=61 http://www.shapeways.com/model/1504...ll-parts.html?li=more-from-shop&materialId=61 Shapeways has a minimum charge per model of $5 plus the material volume, that's why these seem expensive. Sorry there is nothing I can do about that. Hope that helps. -James
It's not a rant. It's pointed to assist those on this thread who want to get rid of wax on their RP prints the most efficient, least invasive way. James, sorry about your location. The other name for Bestine is Heptane...that's what it is. You might be able to find that. I also use it to clean parts before painting...plastic, resin or metal. That's the beauty of it, it doesn't dissolve or interact with most materials our models are made out of, but it cuts grease and wax like crazy. Some guys are using rubbing alcohol to get rid of the wax, but don't soak your parts in it for more than 5 minutes. Use a small, stiff brush, like a boar bristle brush to work the wax off your part as just soaking won't do it. Cheerio! Bob Gilmore
After studying material safety data sheets, I decided to use Goo Gone and a good long soak. The parts just went in the soup. I'll know tomorrow how it's gone. This will be a slow process for me as this is the first paint project since I lost all my modelling tools and supplies in a divorce 7 years ago. I'm planning on acrylic paint (Tru Color) and have a new Paasche VL on order to do the honors. Masking tape & fluid, decal solvent, small brushes...Boy, I lost a lot of stuff!
After a 24 hour soak in Goo Gone, a wash in Dawn dish soap & rinse, all is well. One curious thing I did find is that the floor boards do not seem to be interchangeable. One is ever-so-slightly longer than the other and bows slightly when attempting to seat in the one shell but sets right down in the other shell. Fortunately the remaining floor fits nicely in the shorter shell. Just to be clear, the difference would be cured with a emery board in an instant so consider that nit picked. The Fox Valley FVM3603 wheelsets are still a decent fit. They pop in easily and are loose enough to spin freely yet don't fall out. I also want to clarify my earlier choice of Goo Gone over Bestine. Bestine is actually heptane and as such is VERY flammable. It is actually more dangerous that gasoline for taking ones eyebrows off with a source of ignition present. Since both a gas furnace and water heater are nearby it did not seem wise. Goo Gone worked quite well, it just required more patience for a good soaking vs a quick wipe with Bestine. Congratulations again, James, for a job nicely done.The detail is even more impressive with the wax gone! -Bob
Your welcome Bob, and thanks for the updates and the wheel info. I can't wait to see the finished result! -James
