MT coupler springs

Is it just me or are those little springs easy to loose? Is there any way to keep them from flying across the room?

Joe

 

Mustangman. Welcome to the club. Do you have a MT coupler jig? I just spent the last 3 days assembling 4 couplers. Most of the time chasing those little springs. I have found that a flashlight will light up the springs on the floor and make them easier to find. I recovered all but 2. I know of no way to easily assemble those little things. Maybe somebody on TrainBoard can help both of us out. I have 2 more engines and 3 cars to change couplers and dread it.

Isn't it amazing how far those little springs travel.

 

Try assembling them in a clear plastic bag. Or get a plastic box rectangular in shape and large enough if you cut out the short sides you can get your hands in. Then put a piece of Saran wrap or other clingy plastic film over the open top.

 

The system I use for iserting MT coupler springs is:
Pick them with an exacto blade by putting the blade across the outside end of the the coil, about three spirals in.

I'm right handed so the exacto knife is in the right hand and my lefft hand index finger is held over the spring being held by the exacto blade.

The end that is away from the blade is inserted down into position first. Then moving the blade to the left and compressing the spring you push it down into position in the space remaing in the slot. All the time keeping your left hand index finger close over the spring. If it pops out of the slot it will bounce off your finger and greatly reduce your search area.

Once the spring is successfuly into position, keep a finger over it while you are fitting the box cover into position.

I have found that lately the box covers on MT couplers do not snap into position and a Hemosat or a pair of tweezers is required to hold the cover on while you are manipulating your soldering iron to fuse the cap on.

Haven't lost a spring in a long time. But Murphy's law states that any Nscale object of that size being assembled, must be dropped on the floor at least three times and searched for and found, before it can be successfully assembled.

I think that the Mt mounting jig is the answer for persons with fat fingers and shaky hands.

 

Hey Joe,
Boy, have I been there and done that!

Two suggestions .....
1) Con your Dentist out of some of his used intstruments, especially the ones with long skinny tips. Slip the springs over the tip allowing you to compress them into position.
2) Work over a carpet with a VERY(!) Short pile, e.g. indoor/outdoor. Then use the flashlight as suggested above, but lay it on its side on the carpet so the spring will cast a long shadow.

 

Thanks guys. All those suggestions sound valid. Will try them

 

Guess I'm the lazy one, but whenever I can, I buy them assembled... seems like I can put together a I-M covered hopper kit faster than I can assemble a M-T coupler.... Thats one thing HO has over N, most HO equipment has a coupler box ready for an assembled KD#5/#58. But then again, it's not easy to body mount a coupler on a N scale covered hopper!!! Long Live the M-T 1035!!! (with lo-pro wheels!!)

 

forget about the assembly jig. It's useless. What's the most difficult task when assembling a coupler ? To hold the coupler boxes, pull out the two coupler parts and insert the spring. Right ? Right ! Ok, let's do it my way. Take a piece of plywood and a Micro-Trains truck. Also you need a nail without head which exactly fits inside the truck bolsters hole.
Now take a piece of styrene and glue it onto the plywood. Add double-sided sticking tape to it. (sorry, it's a bit difficult to explain, but you'll understand what I mean soon).

Take the lower part of the coupler box and press it on the sticky tape. Now assembly the pin and the two coupler halfs (shaft and shank ??). Put it into the coupler box. Now the truck comes into play. Hook the truck to the coupler you wish to assemble. Mount the truck to the nail. This keeps a gently pull on your new coupler and therefore keeping the hole for the spring open. Since the lower part of the coupler box is sticking to the tape it can't move. Now you have both hands free to easily mount the spring. After closing the coupler with the upper coupler box part you can use a small soldering iron to melt the lower and upper part together. Can you imagine the height of the styrene/sticky tape ? It's exactly the height the new coupler should be mounted above ground. Take the existing truck and measure it.

Need a hint on how to mount the spring ? Enter the spring on one end using a thin wire. Place the spring in the opening and slowly push the spring into the hole using a small knife. At the same time pull out the wire. That's it.

I'm able to assemble 5-8 couplers in 10 minutes like this. Already did around 100......

Sorry guys if confusing you. English is not my mothers tongue.

 

One thing to keep an eye out for on the 1015/1016 couplers, is that they provide shims for the couplers that look almost like the box covers. The box covers have larger holes and several indentations on the inside side that snaps them on the boxes themselves.

The shims have no identations on either side. We are still leagues above the older version of these couplers where MT recommended you use a heat source, like a soldering iron, to melt the box top onto the box. I can just think of the disasters that happened there.

I still put a touch of CA on both sides of the coupler box, where the lid meets the body, just to be on the safe side.

When pressing together the lid and body, always listen for two clicks, one for each side.

I use the jig for putting together the 1015/1016 types. The jig is almost useless for the 1128/1129, etc., types.

 

To keep the springs from flying away borrow a needle and thread from your significant other. Run the thread thru the center of the spring then go ahead and insert it into the coupler. After you put the top on, pull the thread out.

[ 18. July 2002, 19:55: Message edited by: Johnnie C. Scott ]

 

Hey Redneck, that's a pretty good idea! Makes we want to go out and buy a set and assemble them, but I'm too much like the other guy who buys them pre-assembled. But the next time the lid flies off the draft box and that spring goes soaring through the air and lands on the dog's back, I'll use your technique to re-install!

 

"One thing to keep an eye out for on the 1015/1016 couplers, is that they provide shims for the couplers that look almost like the box covers I still put a touch of CA on both sides of the coupler box, where the lid meets the body, just to be on the safe side"

Sorry for misleading you nmtexman, I should have been more precise. I was refering to the two pair packs of MT2004 & 2001 couplers that do not come with shims. They are the ones that have boxes that the lids do not snap onto.

Good point about the extra shims that come with the 1015/1016 bulk packs for those new at fiddling with some assembly required couplers.

Also good advice about gluing the lids of the boxes down. I've tried ca many times for this and other purposes, but I never could make ca work for me. I prefer to heat solder the box lid on as I found that I could manipulate a soldering iron carefully enough not to make the mess you refer to.

I Did find a new super glue to use instead of ca however and it is so strong that I use it to glue body mount couplers on. It is made for Home Hardware and is called Home Bond Super Glue. It cures instantaneously, so you have to be very precise in mounting stuff. I glued a better looking kitbashed smoke stack on a Bachmann Northern once using this glue and unfortunately I put the stack on slightly off center. I could not break it loose and I had to cut it off.

Aren't some people simply marvolous being able to assemble all those couplers in just five minutes...and having done 100 already and.....and....