Wire for an F7 A and B unit (rails, irons)

[frog]

I am painting a Athearn F7a and b unit in the Atlantic Coast Line Black and Yellow color. I have done a few freight cars and a couple of cabooses but this is my first attempt at a loco. Besides being a fan of the old ACL the paint design is quite less complex than some.

The side grills I have hand painted a couple of coats of grey, 1 part paint with 4 parts thinner. They look pretty good, better than leaving them completely black.

I plan on using .015 inch wire for the rails at the doors and the steps aft; I think this is the correct size? In using plain wire the base flanges would be absent of course but at least the rails would be there, better than nothing I would think.

As to the wire, I found a boundless supply from an old wire brush lying around, so with that I want to go futher and install grab irons on the front right side of the a unit, 5 I think, plus other locations if I am able.

From pics I see wire (I'll call it that) above the windshield, a couple in front on the sides of the panel, possibly other places as well. My source for this are pics of F7 units on google, some show more than others.

Would correct spacing for grab iron mounting holes be .20 inches? The best guess I can do by measuring the molded ones on boxcars I have.

A bit of a trick in forming the grab irons so they are bent downward but I think I can do this. Otherwise they are going to look more like staples that are just stuck into the shell.

As for securing, I plan to drill the holes all the way through and apply super glue from the inside of the shell. Is this recommended?

Thank you for you input and any advice on maybe a better way.

 

[Cjcrescent]

BLMA, (or is it BMLA), has come out with a drilling template for HO-scale EMD & GE locomotives. On the same template they have IIRC, 18, 20 22, 24, 28 & 30" holes. It also has the correct spacing for all.

You merely tape it to the side of the model into the correct position and drill away!

But why form your own, since there are many vendors out there with them? They aren't that expensive.

While .15" is the correct size wire, after they are painted, I find that FOR ME the .15" looks "clunky". Therefor I use .12" wire for mine, and after painting they look correct. Especially if they have to be brush painted and not spray painted. YMMV!

 

[frog]

The template sounds good as well as the pre-made irons. I am cheap I guess, just hate paying more for shipping than the actual cost of the order. If there was a shop here I would get my things from them, but there isn't.

I enjoy making my own things when I can. I delight in turning useless things into something special with a little time and effort. Lots of times they don't look as good as the "store bought" but it is what I have to work with.

The template isn't too hard to make, just use a waxed tray, pins, and a strand of wire, meausure with a micrometer to get your x and y points, then put a pin prick into your sheet at the desired locations. Rather than drill through it I just put a pin mark on the shell through the sheet, then drill from there.

If I had one of these templates I would of course use it, but sometimes one just has to make do.

You raise a good point about the size of the wire after painting...I do have some .010 music wire I might use although I had it in mind for the windshied wipers along with a black strand off a paint brush.

 

[Cjcrescent]

The .010 wire, again FOR ME is just too thin, unless you really put the paint on thick. But since you like to make things, go for it. However, why not use something a little more durable than the tray? I would get a sheet of thin K&S brass, which is sold in places like Michaels, Jo-Anne's, Hobby Lobby, ie most arts & crafts stores, and make something that is more durable and will last many years into the future.

I'm all for saving money, (I love the skrill of the bagpipes as much as any other Scotsman), but there are some things that the work needed to make something, isn't worth the perceived savings. I used to make my own grabs as well. But I discovered that, between the cost of the wire, the number that turned out unacceptable, due to mistakes etc, it was simply easier and cheaper to buy them.

 

[frog]

I am using the .015 for the irons, the .010 is for windshield wipers I am trying to work on.

The tray was the way I made my homemade template way back, you can do the same with a sheet of glass and tape I suppose. The wax in the tray made it easier to prick the clear sheet plastic for you hole locations once you had them laid out. Once done, the sheet can be used over again.

Even if you have the template you spoke of you can still use the clear plastic to make one that will flex in case you need to go over the top as in an F7 unit hood. Also you can cut out areas where you need to if the edges are in the way. Just use the brass template to pattern your holes in the plastic one. I use the stuff that is in the collar of new dress shirts, it works well.

If though I walked into a well stocked shop that had premade grab irons and wipers I would get them if they looked good. Most of the grab irons do but I have seen some wipers that looked only so so, in that case I can make some just as good, just takes time.

Many are rejects so I make a lot of them and use the ones that are closer to matching. I was lucky to have an old metal brush that had .015 wire, so in that case cost is not a factor.