im looking for a 22" Ho radius guage, also for some 3/4 or longer of an inch track nails, could anyone tell me where i could find these? i cant seem to find any
Maybe I don’t understand the question but if you want to mark a curve with a 22 inch radius on your layout just take a nail, a sharp pencil and tie 22 inches of string between them. Drive the nail lightly into the center point of the curve. Pull the string taught and draw however much of a circle you need.
Changing the length of the string varies the radius and if you play around with the center point and radius you can draw in your easements.
If you have a good hardware store have them show you some wire nails or some small finishing nails. You might come up with something thin enough and long enough.
I hope this was helpful.
Or you can build your own trammel using a yardstick. Drill a hole at the 1 inch mark, then another, a little larger, at the 23 inch mark. Tack the trammel in through the 1 inch hole in the center of your circle, use a pencil thru the 23 inch hole and you have a 22 inch radius circle.
There is a company that sells metal track gauges for various radiai, not sure of the name though. Look in tools or track section of Walterhs catalog or Walthers online.
Radius gauges are available at Walthers website.
-Ed
Walthers cataloue has the 22 gauge as well as other radius on page 317. Hope this helps
Go with Redgrey62, I did the same thing with a yard stick. I do all my radius planning with it. (what can I say? I’m CHEAP!)
Yardstick! Now why didn’t I thing of that? Easier than trying to keep tension on a piece of string but if there is an obstruction interfering with the swing of the yardstick string is very easy to shorten.
Are we talking “Ribbon Rail” here? Maybe he wants a track alignment gauge to keep his flex track at a 22" radius. I never lay a piece a track without one.
On to the second part of your question. Instead of buying track nails, I buy wire nails at Home Depot. Some are dark brown and effectively disappear when installed. Others, with steel heads, can be used for hidden track. Of course, a dab of appropriate paint will kill the raw steel look. Lengths from 3/8" to 1 1/4" are available.
yes i am talking along the lines of a ribbon rail here
thanks
could anyone tell me where i could find an HO 22" radius ribbon rail radius guage, i’m having trouble finding one, walthers doesnt have one on the website, or i cant find it, and my LHS doesnt have them
oh and thanks for the tip on wire from homdepot, i’ll try that
Blue Ridge Hobbies has them listed.
http://www.blueridgehobbies.com/
I couldn’t get their search engine to work. But if you click on Domestic Manufacturers, a RibbonRail button will show up, which you can click on.
I don’t know whether they’ve got them in stock, but the web site has a toll free 800 number listed. It’s a 7 days a week number, so you could call before ordering.
-Ed