I just got my order of Micro 1017 trucks and I did not realize that they come unassembled. I spent an hour trying to get that little screw in the hole until I dropped the screw. I was trying to find out the size of the screw when I read that I have to tap the hole. I could not believe it; Micro-Trains couldn’t even tap the holes![banghead]
I just happened to have the “N-Scale Coupler Starter Kit” which had the tap ok, but I don’t have anything to hold the tap with. My question is, can I glue the coupler to the truck and what kind of glue should I use? [%-)]
The best glue for the job would be CA, or Crazy Glue. Unfortunately, MT coupler boxes tend to have little holes in them to provide for the centering mechanism, and CA likes to leach into every little crevace, so the result is typically a “stuck” coupler that doesn’t swing the way it’s supposed to.
I’ve never owned a tap, because I figure the plastic housing is softer than the metal screw, so I just apply some pressure to the screw driver, and it bites in just fine.
Thanks for responding. I tried to push that little screw through and I might have done it if it were a Philips head, but I could not hold the screw straight. I was trying to hold it with tweezers while turning the screw when it I dropped it. Lucky I don’t have carpet and my wife has good eyes to find that thing. I’m going to take a drive to Wal-Mart to see if they have a pin vise or crazy glue if not. We used to have an Ace Hardware store, but they closed after Wal-Mart opened across the street.
You’re more likely to find a pin vise at a hobby store with a decent tool department, or possibly in a craft store like Michaels or AC Moore. Check the craft department at Walmart if you don’t see anything in the tool aisle. It’s a sure bet you can order one from Micro Mark, who specializes in tools for the hobbyist.
And don’t bother asking the clerk at Wally World if they carry “pin vises”… I can almost gaurantee they’ll have no idea what you’re talking about… Half the time I don’t think they can tell a tire from from tennis ball.
I doubt seriously if you are going to get the kind of glue available to you to work - modern day trucks/couplers are generally made from either delrin or teflon and both require a special glue in order to get things to adhere together. This glue can be bought but it ain’t cheap and it has to be bought in a quantity that makes it a waste of time to purchase it because you ain’t never going to need that many delrin or teflon repairs.
I thought I had never assembled a Kadee truck mounted coupler so I had to go to my conversion book to find out just what a 1017 was; I then realized that I had assembled one of these as a replacement for an Atlas passenger truck that got damaged. I happened to have a tap and pin vise but my hobby shop prop advised me that the screws are, for practical purposes, self-tapping so you may not even need the tap.
If I were you I would take it back to the hobby shop where I purchased it an use the proprietor’s tools to assemble these turkeys.
While I’ve never applied (successfully) Crazy Glue to MT couplers for the above stated reasons, I have used it to body mount Accumates cut from the trucks on Atlas fishbelly hoppers. These are made from simlar slippery plastic as the MT’s, and I’ve yet to have one fail, even in long trains on a fairly stiff grade.
While I would try to get a pin vise, the only glue I know of that will bond delrin is Walthers Goo. (Which is recommended by Micro-Trains for situations in which gluing is appropriate.)
I don’t recall ever tapping the 00-90 screws on their passenger trucks.
I have had used Tenax7R, or You may want to try Weld-on #3 or #4, if you can buy it where you live. 3 is stronger than 4 and a lot cheaper than buying by the bottle. PT or QT . same chemical as tenax, methal chloride. I have used 4 with no problems.
I finally found a pin vise and threaded the coupler. The screw went in fairly easy after threading it, although it was a little tough to thread. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to re-drill the hole with one of the tiny drill bits that came with it.
Lee was correct about nobody knowing what a pin vise was. I went to a number of stores without any luck, but the poor guy at Lowe’s was totally bewildered and just could not believe what I was describing to him. Finally another patron stepped in and recommended a local RC Plane store, where I paid a hefty price, but I saved shipping and did not have to wait for it.
Got one done and five to go. Thanks everybody for the advice.