What are you buying this Month?

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migalyto said:
If you get a store front going let us know.
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Will do. It's on my list of things to do. Right now I'm just on eBay - It's been tough just keeping up with the few basic designs I have. Once I'm comfortably ahead, I'm definitely going to set up some sort of store. (Mainly because it'll save me on sales tax - right now I'm paying taxes on raw materials, then the end buyer is paying sales tax again.)

I'll have to re-read the forum rules and make sure I don't have to pay for a sponsored profile or something like that.

I'll post some prints of the items you mentioned as soon as I get them printed. Right now, aside from eBay, most of my printer time is being spent making liquor bottle lamps for the bar across the street from me. It's a pretty sweet agreement - he either pays me in cash, or in trade for food. My wife loves the burgers there. That keeps the wife from looking too closely at how much I've been spending on equipment.

I really need to start printing more in HO scale. I've been doing G (Fn3) and O (really On30, but it's the same), and they just aren't as popular. It seems like N is getting really popular too. I just like narrow gauge and larger models.
 
This showed up today, a brass CB&Q 4-6-0 that needs running gear.
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NorthBrit said:
Ex-LSWR B4 locomotive in Southern black livery.
I have to put her in the workshops for a repaint and new name. She will be in Leeds, Scarcroft & Wetherby Railway wartime black with the name 'Oakwood'.

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How do you plan on re-doing the lettering?
Press-on cut vinyl, transfer sheets?
I picked up a few unlettered engines and I'm curious how most people do it.
 
So I fired up the new resin printer. Man, printing in resin is a PAIN. Much more difficult that FDM 3D printers. That said, the quality is remarkable. It looks as good as factory injection-molded components. I printed some items in HO scale, rather than my normal G and On30 - they looked "meh" with the FDM printer (and I have a very good FDM printer), but I think they really came out great in resin.

Also, I always forget how good tiny, factory-made hardware looks. I need to use more of that in my builds.


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J_Mangle said:
How do you plan on re-doing the lettering?
Press-on cut vinyl, transfer sheets?
I picked up a few unlettered engines and I'm curious how most people do it.
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I take the easy route to model railroading.

I use a company called Narrow Planet who make custom made nameplates in metal (no affiliation). Therefore my locomotives have 'unique names'.

Any other lettering/numbering I wet the sheet and slide into position on the model. Let dry then varnish with clear varnish.

If I do any weathering I use my wife's old make-up powders; nothing else.

All 'nice and simple'.

Hope that helps.
 
NorthBrit said:
I take the easy route to model railroading.

I use a company called Narrow Planet who make custom made nameplates in metal (no affiliation). Therefore my locomotives have 'unique names'.

Any other lettering/numbering I wet the sheet and slide into position on the model. Let dry then varnish with clear varnish.

If I do any weathering I use my wife's old make-up powders; nothing else.

All 'nice and simple'.

Hope that helps.
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I want to buy a UV printer so bad, but that's such a niche piece of equipment that I can't rationalize it. Look into what they can do and you'll be amazed.

The custom-made metal is pretty cool. Do they stamp it, or lost investment cast? I've made some custom builder's and number plates int the past for friends. (See the image below - you can see I hit the resolution limit of my equipment at the time with the tiny model - I can probably do it with my FDM printer now that I have a smaller nozzle, but the resin printer is basically built for work like that.) So, now that I've got a resin printer, I can do a better job of it.

I'd really like to get into investment casting - that's how a lot of custom rings are made. They 3D print the ring, then do a lost-investment cast.

Interestingly, pewter can be directly cast into an ABS plastic mold. It is a single-use mold, but it holds on long enough for the pewter to skin-over and allow it to be used.

Another member of my railroad museum owns his own shortline railroad, and has his own small foundry setup. I'm planning on trading him some engineering and CAD work in exchange for the use of his foundry.

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Well, I now have a pre-owned Hornby Terrier on its way. Wasn't going to do it, but since the retailer was holding some of my money anyway, I decided to burn it. The amount in the coupons basically covered the shipping and a little bit of the loco. It's an older one that had the D type coupler. Did some research on converting it to a Kadee and have an idea of how I'm going to do it. She probably has a lot of miles on her, so am probably going to remotor to coreless. Just hope the pick ups and wheels are still good.
 
J_Mangle said:
So I fired up the new resin printer. Man, printing in resin is a PAIN. Much more difficult that FDM 3D printers. That said, the quality is remarkable. It looks as good as factory injection-molded components. I printed some items in HO scale, rather than my normal G and On30 - they looked "meh" with the FDM printer (and I have a very good FDM printer), but I think they really came out great in resin.

Also, I always forget how good tiny, factory-made hardware looks. I need to use more of that in my builds.


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View attachment 224858
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Print stuff to use as "junk". Dented barrels, pallets, stacks of boxes, pulleys, small engine blocks, rusted out car bodies, industrial stuff, etc.

Stuff to use as scene details.

Just an idea.
 
Nice! On RMWEB, we were discussing why the E1 derails. Mine was derailing at a point where my rail had a tiny dent in it following a rail joint. At a fast speed and going forward, it would derail. I fixed this issue with replacing that curve piece.

The Terrier that I just received is receiving some love. It is currently in pieces and I need to figure out how to quiet it down. The drive gear moves around a lot, so I have some nylon washers on order to try to limit this slop.
 


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