I have some Steam Lococ articulated trucks that need cleaning.
They are plastic & metal combo.
If I put them in an Ultrasonic cleaner will the US action start to ‘unbolt’ the valve gear?
Tanked
I don’t quite understand…what valve gear on what trucks? Do you mean that you want to ultra-sonicly clean the frame and running gear of a model steamer? Immerse the entire frame, drivers, and rods? I wouldn’t, personally, or until I had tested it on a throw-away steamer first. I would use hot water and some TSP, a light mix, not strong as you would to wash a metal door in prep for painting. I would use a soft artist’s brush. Then I would use low pressure (15-20 psi) air to blow it clean and dry after a rinse. Then lube right away.
-Crandell
Ultrasonic cleaners won’t clean the insides of assemblies. The sonic waves will be stopped by the first thing they come in contact with. This is how they work, by the wave impinging on the surface and causing a cavitation to happen. The best way to clean in one of these is to dissassemble the unit and put each individual part in the tank
Well that clarifies something for me. I think Ultrasonic is not a starter for what I am trying to do as I am after the ‘inside’ of the assembly.
What I have is Rivarossi Cab Forward front truck. It has valve gear, & a metal geared gearbox, the latter partially enclosed in plastic. The gearbox is the problem. I haven’t been able to work out how to disassemble it to get at the bearing surfaces.
The Loco has sat around for years & I suspect the plain bearings of the vertical gear in the gear box have hardened lubricant from original days, or some other impediment.
When I turn the gear box components by hand I can feel a lot of friction/binding, & its not the valve gear. I have an identical set up in another CFW & it turns very freely.
Assuming I can’t dissassemble the gearbox and we are looking at cleaning the gear shaft outer surfaces & the metal supports they turn in, what solvent might dissolve this sort of crud, yet leave the plastic alone??.
Tanked
The gear ratios work in the motor’s advantage, not yours at the wheels. That is the heavy preponderance of the resistance you feel. I am not suggesting your drive is ready to go, just that you would normally not be able to turn the drive on even a new model unless you used a lot of pressure and force.
I would mask what I could, even wrapping what you don’t want sprayed with newspaper or something, and then giving the drive (minus the motor) a short spray of WD-40. It should be safe for plastics and paint in the short term, but why take a chance? In any event, something light like WD-40 should soften up any crud enough to brush it away with a tiny soft paint brush and Q-tips. Or, even better, try Dextron III Auto Transmission Fluid. I use it freely as a lube on all my engines because of its great qualities, one being that it is safe on paints and on bare plastics. You have little to lose if it fails to soften the crud. Just wipe it away.
I didn’t make myself clear on this one - the truck is off the Loco, so there is no driveshaft link between the motor & Gbox/Gears.
When I ‘wind’ by hand there is resistance.
The ‘good’ truck out of the Loco can run free on rails, whereas this sticky one binds. Watching the valve gear & sensing the feedback when I turn the different wheels on the set of 4 axles leads me back to this vertical gear shaft.
Here is a picture of the offending unit. It isn’t very clear, but the problem , I suspect, is the bearing surfaces of the vertical gear.
I was considering WD40, but was not sure what it would do to the plastic.
Ideally would like to find a solvent one can immerse the unit in, say, overnight so it can work on the crud & leave the plastic alone - looks like the Dextron might be the way to go.
Tanked
I tried to lighten up the picture to better show the vertical gear…
Tanked
Thanks for making the effort of the photo. It helps. I see what you mean. I would use the WD-40 first. Spray the grear tower, invert and spray again after about five minutes. Let it sit for two or three hours and then see if you have a lot more movement. I suspect it will be greatly improved if still not all that great. At least if you were to then blow it out and re-lube, then run or turn it to work in the lube, you will find soon enough if the unit is damaged or simply dirty and in need of some TLC.
WD40 has its uses but this ain’t one of them. Go to an electronic supply house
–DON’T EVEN THINK RADIO SHACK–
and get yourself a can of PLASTIC-COMPATIBLE NON-RESIDUE TUNER CLEANER.
If you ever want to clean the gunk out of gear-trains or off of a motor’s commutator this is the stuff to do it with.
As regards your RS warning - do they not sell the correct stuff or are there other issues?
I don’t live in a Metropolis where there is supplier choice.
However, last pic below to show the structure - I am still wondering if I can get the gear out?
Nb- there is another metal gear in behind it, at a right angle, on the drive axle.
Actually - the value of close up pics is that one can often spot things not visible to the aging naked eye - On closer inspection of the photo I am wondering now if the plastic ‘bearer’ structure is in fact pressing [bent]? down on the end of the right hand side end face of gear??
If I can get a feeler gauge in there, what sort of clearance should I expect??
Tanked
I finally slipped a thin screw driver between the metal chassis & the plastic gear molding on the left hand side of the picture & popped the vertical gear unit out.
I have stripped the gear box down & cleaned everything & reassembled the truck without the valve gear connected up & there is definitely a problem in the gear box.
It binds on turning by hand & feels as if it is not meshing properly. Even if I can get the gears turning by hand, there is a lot of resistance felt within the gear unit. It feels tight.
It has 2 ‘spiral cut’ ??, [is that the correct term?], metal gears set at right angles.
1 can be seen in the photo in earlier posts, the other is on the axle behind the vertical gear.
The gears do not appear overly worn or chipped or burred, which leads me to suspect an alignment issue.
Being spiral cut I imagine they have to align very accurately in the vertical & horizontal planes.
The vertical gear plastic housing is a tight press fit inside the metal chassis & it has a round lip that pops through a hole in the top of the chassis. This lip seems to be the primary alignment element.
Any thoughts on how I can realign the gears or check if they are too worn??
Thank you
Tanked
Apparently these nice folks disagree with you, and on the very advice of those who manufacture the product. See for yourself. Note item #28, and others, that suggest it will dissolve tars and crud associated with oil and grease.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/wd-40.asp
-Crandell
WD40 will attack you AHM plastic locomotive. I have seen examples of it. WD40, Marvel, & ‘3 in One’ oil are will not be good to plastic.
Jim
I also would reccomend against using WD-40 around plastic. When in my early teens, I cleaned some American Flyer trains with WD-40, it crazed the plastic terribly. Completely destroyed an Alco PA & PB set (Santa Fe Warbonnet),also damaged a Hopper, gondola and boxcar. I still get sick thinking about that 30 years later. WD-40 is a Wonderful product that I have used for many things over the years, but never again around any of my Model Railroad Equipment. Others may have had different experiences, but that is one that I am not willing to risk repeating, myself.
Doug
To me,it looks like that worm gear is worn. Is it like that in the good gear box? The spiral looks rounded instead of sharp.
You may well be correct.
I have pulled the whole thing apart so later today I will try & post a close up shot of the subject vertical & horizontal gear so we can scrutinize them. (BTW, what are the correct technical terms that identify the ‘vertical’ & ‘horizontal’ gears in the set- up I have been showing. I have seen ‘bull gear’ used, ,but not sure which that one is)??
Thanks
Tanked