Removing Cast Grab Irons, etc.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a pile of old Blue Box, Walthers, IMR and other cars whose appearance I would like to upgrade before they get weathered. Seems to me that one of the minimal efforts ought to be to replace the cast grab irons with wire ones. The same certainly goes for the stirrups that hang from the corners (easy pickin’s) and perhaps for the cast ladders (probably the most time-consuming). Are there any tips out there on removing these details to flush without significantly goobering up the sides and ends? Will I expect to have to (re)paint more than the irons, stirrups and ladders after the new ones are installed?

John

2

You may want to seek out some of the articles by Jim Six, in various publications, because he has become a master at bringing ready to run and other commercial rolling stock up to greater detailed standards without fundamentally disturbing the factory paint job.

Speaking of Job …it can take the patience of Job to learn to do this carefully but here are a few thoughts. And as with anything else, the more you do it, the more rapid the process becomes. If you have a junker car or two, they can make good practice material.

First, tools. For years I used a standard chisel type blade in an Xacto knife handle to remove factory grab irons and other undesired details from flat surfaces. These chisel blades come in various widths, but even the most narrow is still pretty wide for scale model railroading use. The problem was it was rare to remove ONLY the grab iron and often some surrounding flat surface plastic would be gouged as well.

Then I discovered in the MicroMark catalog what they call the plastic modeler chisel, a single purpose tool. Unlike the knife blade it tends not to dip down from side to side, which is what causes the problem with surrounding surfaces

Here is info. This tool is worth the money to my way of thinking.

http://www.micromark.com/2mm-plastic-modelers-chisel,8175.html

It is possible to make the first few passes with the more gross Xacto chisel blade and then switch to the MicroMark tool once you start reaching the “danger zone.” With care, and yes, patience, you slowly work down into the grab iron. Once I get close to the flat plane of the surface I work ever slower. Six does not do this but once I am almost there I sometimes use a flat type tooth pick to scratch away at the small remaining ridge because at that point you more want to burnish the remaining plastic away rather than really

3

Thanks, Dave. Very helpful. I’m on the MicroMark mailing list so I probably have one of their catalogues floating around here somewhere. I’ll check that out for the chisel. Your response gets printed and posted to my project tips binder. Hope any snow you get today is the last of the season. Grew up in Michigan and recall how old snow became - even for a kid - by the time March rolled around.

4

Hello John,

You might want to get The Modelers Guide To Detailing Freight Cars, put out by Model Railroader mag.

It shows you step by step how to do most everything you want to rolling stock.

5

On grab removal and the like, after I’ve removed most of the grab, I use this X-acto blade:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/790-216

to SCRAPE off the remainder. Very gently. With a fresh blade.

Then, as necessary, I sand with a fine grit, maybe 400 and then 600. Sometimes I wrap a strip over the end of a stick. These sanding sticks look possible, too:

http://www.micromark.com/sanding-twigs-bulk-pack-of-approx-300,9336.html

Ed

6

I just recently comleted and detail update on one of Atlas’ GP-7 be removing the cast on grabs with DA grabs. I tried the Micromark chisel but found this one made by Mission Models to be much better. The best thing about it was the replaceavble tip.

http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/tools/msn/tool_msn_chisel.shtml

http://www.missionmodels.com/home.php?cat=313

7

I like upgrading those old cars, too, but usually intend to re-paint and re-letter them, so I’m not too concerned about damaging the factory paint. In all cases, keep your blades sharp.

For removing grab irons, I use the #18 or #19 chisel-type blades. These can be cut narrower if so desired: use a cut-off disc in your Dremel and work slowly, with frequent breaks, to avoid overheating the blade.
Here’s a cut-down #19:

You can also cut so that the part remaining is to one side or the other of the blade, depending on your particular needs. The wider #18 is also useful for removing the lower door tracks from Athearn, MDC, and Train Miniature boxcars. These can be replaced with more-to-scale strip styrene, placed lower.
If you’re going to re-do the ladders, the side ones are relatively easy, while the end ones involve considerably more effort. I often prefer to replace the entire end if this type of change is required.

Here are two Train Miniature boxcars, with the near one’s original side sill scribed to match the board pattern on the rest of the side. I’ve also added a new side sill made from Evergreen styrene angle. The other car, originally identical, has the scribed sills and an additional piece added below it to increase the car’s height. This, of course, necessitated new ends and, out of sight, new doors. The foreground car also has new doors because the original door tracks were lowered. The doors are parts of two Athearn doors, spliced together.

Here’s the foreground car after finishing:

…and the oth

8

I use a small concave tip chisel from a wood carving set. After a little practise I was able to remove grab irons and ladders quite cleanly. As was previously mentioned, it has to be kept very sharp.

Dave

9

Nice work, Wayne!

And thanks, all, for the ideas. I’m going to have buy some new tools! Oh, darn.

Ed

10

As Doc Wayne does, I make my own chisel blades from used Xacto blades and a Dremel tool with a cut-off disc, (be sure to wear safety glasses if you attempt this). I cut the cutting face with the Dremel then use a sharpening stone and honing stone to sharpen the tip, I also use the stones to keep the edges sharp. In the photo, the smallest one is about 1.5 mm, the red handeled one is about 1/8": http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/[IMGhttp://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv142/modelmaker51/688ee333.jpg[/IMG]:700:0]http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/themes/trc/utility/IMGhttp://i678.photobucket.com/albums/vv142/modelmaker51/688ee333.jpg[/IMG]:700:0]

11

Am wondering what the status of Mission Models is. I ordered a Microchisel and accessories by phone around the beginning of March, but have received nothing. No response to phone messages or email either.

Hal