Wow, .3mm translates to about .012", that is thin! As you say, without the bracing, it would have to be much thicker. Thanks! Otto
Brian, if you are able to produce some good looking crossarms, I would totally be in for a bunch of those. There really is nothing like it on the market that I'm aware of. As for other custom projects, can you work solely off of photos?
Now THAT is an interesting concept: are you saying that you make them fully enclosed? Isn't that against the Shapeways "rules"? Thanks! It has taken me a while... I'm staring at the air compressors at the moment with a bit of trepidation... Luckily though, once I have one finished, I should be able to just copy and paste the details (dynamo, etc.) to other designs! We shall see how it actually prints out though, I'm hoping that I'm not being too ambitious
You're welcome Otto. I am always happy to teach what I know if you want to learn! I sure can. As long as I have something that can give me point of reference to give me an approximation or there is something in at least one of the pics that I can use to gain a relative scaling then I can. Send me what you have and I will definitely see what I can do! Technically they are not "fully" enclosed. There are the truck pin holes and then I also hide another hole on the bottom of the car. It is not stretching the boundaries of their rules, but it works. As for the shell, you're more than welcome! It looks like it has taken quite a bit of time, but it will be well worth it!
Doesn't the waxy stuff run though (slowly drip out though said hole)? Also, if you set one of those cars in its side for six months (in like a box perhaps), would the wax move and the car develop a 'list' to port or starboard so to speak? I ask only because I've noticed that if I don't get around to cleaning my models in relatively short order a waxy residue will slowly build up on whatever I have the model sitting on - not much mind you - but over a long time I wonder...
I haven't noticed anything yet, but I am still experimenting with this. Hence the reason these designs have not been released yet. :mwink:
Matt, out of curiosity, when you are in Colorado what part of Colorado are you in? Close to the Greeley/Ft. Collins area by chance?
Vail-ish area generally, so unfortunately not really... I've been to Greeley many times though! - I exhibited a portable On3 layout at the NMRA convention in Greeley in 2009 (if perchance you went to that) -
Oh that sucks. I was hoping to invite you to our local model RR club meetings. I wish I could have seen it but I was in jail that weekend. I was a Weld county deputy Sheriff at the time and I was working before I got sick and tired of being stuck in jail without having screwed up myself and decided to go back to school. :tb-biggrin:
"At the risk of stealing a question directed at Brian here, offhand I would say that pole arms would be feasible. The insulators are well within the resolution FUD can achieve (the grab irons on my cars have a diameter of 3 scale inches). If anything I would be concerned about the strength of bars themselves, they need to survive shipping..." Matthew, I would appreciate your perspective on this also. I will grab some official dimensions and forward them to you and Brian. Whenever I see nice looking pole lines in a model magazine I know they are in HO scale because nothing exists like the real thing in N. When I did my experiment last year I was totally discouraged by the result. The cross arm was strong enough but the insulators did not even print. The machine I was using was a uPrint and it worked fine for its intended application. It would have made dandy HO scale cross arms.
Sounds like a plan! haha Okay cool! I'd be happy to look at them. As for getting discouraged - I totally understand, there are huge differences in resolution, strength and accuracy between the different 3D printing processes. I never thought that this was a practical process for model railroading until I stumbled into "Frosted Ultra Detail" (Projet)...
I have created a basic drawing with the important dimensions. The cross arm dimensions are symmetrical about the pole. The insulator shape is generic. I don't know what kind of detail is possible for an object that is 0.01875" in diameter and 0.025" tall. The pin that the insulator sits on between the insulator and the cross arm would need to be thick enough to support the insulator but thin enough to distinguish it from the insulator, say 0.10". The sway brace in real life is 1.5" wide, 28" long, and 1/4" thick. This part will not scale well. I do not know how small it can be made and still be somewhat durable. The sway brace connects the cross arm to the pole, and needs to be on the side of the cross arm that touches the pole. View attachment cross arm.pdf I can imagine looking at something like this and saying, No way. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Ok. I will have to take a real close look at those dimensions, but I am kinda doubting the feasability. They might have to be a tad oversized. The minimum wall thickness is 0.03mm or about 3 scale inches. For details or indentations or parts protruding from the main model I can get away with slightly smaller, but not much. Just about 1.5 scale inches is about the smallest I can get. I can try and work something up and see what I can come up with to see if you like it.
Hi Brian, 1. I wouldn't try to string wire on them. I once did that with an HO layout many years ago. I am fine with just the poles. 2. I would prefer just the cross arms and the sway braces. I can supply the pole. Depending on the situation, I may want 1, 3, or up to 6 cross arms on a pole. I like the idea of using a wood dowel that I can taper slightly to be more telephone-pole like. 3. I can appreciate the cost aspect. I could use at least 50, and maybe as many as a 100. I am encouraged by your assessment. I collect insulators as a hobby and have several hundred in many shapes, sizes and colors; mostly glass with some porcelain. When I got back into model railroading back in 2004 I was both pleased and impressed with the level of detail N scale had attained in the previous 20 years. I was not at all impressed with the available telephone poles.
My two cents: I think it would be workable, but only if you were okay going with cross arms that were slightly too large - to put things into perspective: the truss rods on my gondolas are 5 scale inches in diameter and roughly the same length you are describing. They are actually surprisingly robust - but they are supported from both ends. The foot stirrups on my cars are closer are 3"x4" or 4"X4" in scale. Most survive shipping, but not all (I'm looking to add reinforcement)... With some creative "sprue work" you might have a shot though
Hoyden, please look at my edited post. I had to read it a little closer after I posted because I realised that I had been paying more attention to my kid pulling at me than my measurements. I'm sorry for that. That one is my fault. The project is still doable, but not at those precise dimensions.
