Help please. I am a new forum user so may not have the etiquette down but I need help cleaning the seams and sprues from soft metal castings for N scale. What is the best tool or technique? Thanks.
I am not in N gauge but over the years I have used needle files. They come in a varity of shapes to let you get in all of the little tight areas. These are a part of a tool assortment you need to model.
Dave
one of the first things you’ll need is a good set of small files like these
http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=33108
ideally you should have one set for working with castings , one set for working with brass and other metals that are going to be soldered , and one set for plastic and wood . of course that depends what you’re doing . i bought one set and use half of the files for plastic/wood and the other half for metal castings. my wife has a full set of files for any solderable metal so i’ll just borrow one if i need it
why get more than one set ? so you don’t contaminate one material with another . for example getting soft metal filings in a joint you’re going to solder will probably make the joint weaker . my wife is a goldsmith , if i got plastic bits in her file it could cause discoloring when she solders 2 pieces of gold together . i really don’t need to be in that much trouble !
ernie
Thanks, I have files that I use for plastic kits but since I love an excuse to look for new tools maybe I should get a set just for the metal. I have always worked with plastic or wood and metal is a new thing. Do all brass models need to be soldered or can I use some type of adhesive? The reason I ask is that I just bought my first lasercut brass kit and haven’t even opened it yet.
Thanks. I love Micro-Mark. ( My husband hides the catalogs from me when they come in so I won’t get carried away)
Loco - if the kit is a building, ACC (crazy glue) will work as well as soldering. If it is a model car or loco that will move or something that will be handled a lot, soldering is the way to go. My [2c]
Thank you very much. Actually it is a signal tower so beyond having to be careful during installation, it won’t be moving so I will try the crazy glue. (Maybe I will test my glue on a couple of the sprue parts to see how it holds.)
Get some of the medium thickness or gap-filling ACC. it’s a lot easier to control. Do Not apply directly from the container, pour out a little puddle on a scrap piece of plastic or a Pringles can top and apply with a piece of wire or pin a drop at a time.
I use a knife like X-acto and files.
Wolfgang
i just remembered another reason for using seperate files for metal and plastic … if a small piece of metal gets stuck in the file it will scratch the plastic . of course very careful use of a file cleaning wire brush will make this unlikely , but i know i don’t clean my files after every use
ernie