Ok, so I thought how hard can it be a couple of small pieces, insert a spring, slap a lid on the baby and wallah one new body mounted coupler. Needed a about forty (10 packages worth) so I figured that what the heck I can do that, besides with the money I save I can get another new car (Oh, better make that 42). Hey it's Memorial Day weekend, no work, sit back relax work on some train stuff. 'Sides need to get those 903 couplers assembled so I can get my rolling stock back online. So I sat down at my hobby table at about and proceeded to get all 40 cleaned and prepped for assembly, not to bad so far. Insert the trip pin, grumble, ok. Put the lower shank on and install into draft gear box, easy enough. Install spring..... I couldn't even manage to open the bloody capsule without mangling one spring. Try to get the others separated from one another, scratch another pair. Good thing the looks to be extras in there. Finally get one free and try to install it while holding the assembly together. NOT HAPPENING! Relax, take a some deep breathes, go grab a nice cold Coke (probably not the best idea but I don't do coffee). Return to the bench and try again and again and again. <INSERT CUSS WORDS HERE> FINE! Calm down, pack it all up nice and neatly, and move on to something else. So now that I've dismantle nearly half of my rolling stock may as well weather 'em since I can't mange to assemble and install new body mounted couplers. At least something productive for the day. So can anyone tell me does the little contraception (assembly fixture I believe MTL calls it) and special tweezers actually help? I'd be more than willing to part with the $15 it would cost to buy them at this point if I knew I would be able to successfully finish what I have on hand. I'd losing that initial savings but hey my sanity, or what's left of it, is worth it. The other option of course is to cut my losses and just buy a bunch of the assembled ones. Now I fully understand Loren's statements about the gals at MTL who do that for a living and that Southern Oregon is known for crazy people wandering the streets late at night mumbling 903 903 903.
Yeah, we spend the dollar more and let the little Elves put them together. That's what Oregoneans are for .
I used to buy 903's all the time. I could assemble them in my fingers pretty easy, but the last few times I couldn't get the springs separated. So now I buy 905's. I can still assemble them with no problem, but I can't get the springs apart. They inter-wine with each other. I wonder how the folks at MT separate the springs??? Joe?
I assemble them in batches of 10-20 packs a couple times a year, and store them in in one of my MTL truck and coupler compartmentalized boxes. 1) I use flush cutters to cut all the parts from sprue's and separate the parts into piles. 2) I use flat nose serrated jaw pliers to press the trip wire into the coupler, over a cork coaster. 3) I use 2 needles mounted in wooden dowels to separate springs. 4) I use the MTL assembly jig, I have 2 of them. 5) I use fine pointy nose tweezers to hold the spring and a needle tool to jostle the spring in place in the coupler box. 6) Then I drop the cap on with flat nose tweezers with one hand, and the needle tool in the other, to hold the cap down. 7) And last, I use a Power Zap Fly Tying tool to spot weld the lid on. It takes about 2 minutes a coupler to start, then it gets faster.
I'm glad to hear we are of some use to you Californians! ) 903's are tough no arguement there, but you should see the staff put them together...like machines. I spend the extra money and get them assembled. Robert Ray's outline is about as good as it gets. A pin inserted in the end of a dowl is the best tool for seperating the springs...also taking one of them and flattening the end so it's like a mini flat head screwdriver seems to be the tool of choice here for picking up and holding the springs. Cheers Joe MTL
yes, the coupler assembly jig works well. the tweezers help, but are not that necessary. you will, however, need SOME kind of tweezer to handle the parts. i use the MTL recommended way of picking up springs with the tip of an Xacto knife blade. you catch the spring as close to the end as you can) and press the "free" end into the coupler's space, then use the knife blade to press the rest of it in. put a finger on top and pull the blade away. this can get tedious, but i love those kind of tasks. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL -- do this process in a big box, if you can, so if/when the springs go flying you have a chance to find and use them again. the less clutter on your workspace the better. MTL gives you extra springs, but i've lost enough in one pack that i haven't been able to finish assembling all the couplers. so always save your extra springs!!!!! if you give up, i'll buy some off you, if you have all the parts. like bob, i like to do them in batches. if you find you don't "enjoy" this assembling, then you'll agree that the extra money is worth the lack of grief!! dave f.
Well, looks like the consensus thus far is to either buy them assembled or invest in the jig. So being one who is unwilling to admit defeat, I shall go to one of our local pushers and order me one. I also found an old posting where Joe D, you'd mentioned using the tip of a hobby knife to separate the springs, which seems to help. Rob and Dave F. your pointers and information is also a great help. Thanks guys. Armed with this I feel reinvigorated to try again. Side note: Being able to buying 905's in bulk would be a boon! Hint. Hint. Joe D...
Quoted from David F. "MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL -- do this process in a big box, if you can, so if/when the springs go flying you have a chance to find and use them again. the less clutter on your workspace the better. MTL gives you extra springs, but i've lost enough in one pack that i haven't been able to finish assembling all the couplers. so always save your extra springs!!!!!" Try a couple feet of sewing thread through the spring first, use a seamstress needle. It will not fly away with thread holding it down, but can still be worked into position with the xacto knife, tweezers etc. When fully assembled, pull the thread out. This trick apparently was first invented by Swiss clockmakers from way back.
I have assembled heaps of these little blighters, somewhere around 100 Maerklin wagons converted, and the best tip i can offer for the spring problem is to pick the springs up with an exacto #11 blade and very gently roll the second spring away from the first spring which is hopefully caught tight on the end of the blade. If that doesnt work you can do the same thing by using thin tweezers instead of a sharp blade. I have also had a few dramas with Maerklin coupler "boxes" not staying together after conversion, the tin lid keeps falling off due to not enough plastic to melt the lid back into place. My solution has been to drill out all three pins all the way through to the other side and use plastic rod (evergreen [from memory] or plastruct) and melt both ends for a rock solid fit. Eliot
