andy stroud Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Hi guys I am building some signals for my N gauge layout using MSE components and I'm wondering how to represent the ball that forms part of the finial. These are BR Western region tubular post signals and I would think that the balls would need to be about 1mm diameter. I have tried rolling the balls out of milliput and then pushing them onto the spike but I'm not really happy with the result as they seem to go out of shape while being pushed on. I will try letting the milliput harden first but I just wondered how other people represented these finials. andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 bead of thin or medium thickness cyano adhesive applied directly? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 I can't remember how I did the 'bead' part. The main piece of finial is a sewing pin soldered into the milled brass post. My signals would probably try and maim you before damage occurs to the posts! I think I bought some beads in a jewelry making supply shop that is near where I take my wife to the chiropractors, which allowed me to see and measure. I might have drilled and filed them, but am unable to check. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Smith Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Andy, The finials on my signals are simply an old (over-sized) 4mm scale handrail knob (ball part) with a spike of .5mm phosphor bronze wire soldered in it and filed to a taper in a mini drill : The down side of doing this though is a sharp object that can be used for "self-impalation" when cleaning the track. My friend Andy (D869 of this parish) who has been doing the signals on St Ruth turns the ball and spike from plastic rod (in a mini drill) and glues them to the post tops - the advantage here being that when the are snagged in track cleaning, etc that the item snaps off and does not cause personal injury. The last signal he made I think he used a 3D printed finial for (I know he had some done at Shapeways). Some of his early ones here : http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/595/entry-10969-off-my-workbench/ Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PaulCheffus Posted November 5, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 5, 2015 Hi The Brita water filters contain small balls of varying diameter and I've used these in the past to represent rivets on my sons Warhammer models. Cheers Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBS Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Hi guys I am building some signals for my N gauge layout using MSE components and I'm wondering how to represent the ball that forms part of the finial. These are BR Western region tubular post signals and I would think that the balls would need to be about 1mm diameter. I have tried rolling the balls out of milliput and then pushing them onto the spike but I'm not really happy with the result as they seem to go out of shape while being pushed on. I will try letting the milliput harden first but I just wondered how other people represented these finials. andy Andy,I just file the finial ball and spike out of the rod, using a minidrill as appropriate. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy stroud Posted November 6, 2015 Author Share Posted November 6, 2015 I would like to thank everyone for taking the trouble to reply to my query. There were some interesting and very helpful suggestions there. Last night I made my first signal and today I attached a ball made from a dried piece of Milliput. I think it looks a bit big. Photos suggest that the ball should be about the same width as the main post. I have several more to make and will look into some of the suggestions you guys have made. I like the 4mm scale handrail knob idea and I might also try forming one from a piece of rod. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branwell Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 I used solder balls to make the bottom balls on these (the tops are Ratio). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted November 8, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 8, 2015 For a gantry I made for Copenhagen Fields, I used some tiny beads found in our local craft shop, which I impaled on a pin embedded in the post. Somewhat agressive but look reasonable. I've not heard of any injuries so far... Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBS Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Andy, I just file the finial ball and spike out of the rod, using a minidrill as appropriate. John Further to my previous posting, I have just found a photo of one of mine on the Ashburton layout.The signal post is solid brass rod, filed to a slight taper, with the capping left to the full size and the finial filed from the solid. The (working) board, counterweight and bits are all scratch built from sheet and wire (didn't have any etched versions at the time). The whole is perhaps a little oversize but I wanted to ensure that it was sufficiently robust as signals are so vulnerable when track cleaning. Best wishes, John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 2mmMark Posted November 20, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 20, 2015 Found a photo showing my pin & bead finials. Not as fine as some shown here but dead easy to make. Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Hi, In the MSE instructions, he suggests making them from 1mm brass rod. Well I've done that a t couple of times and yes it does work. However I am embarking on building some square post ones rather than tubular this time and considered that there might just be a better way. Pleased to say that a solution has been found and I'm just waiting for them to be available, which should be very soon. They should be better than anything which is currently available. It is not for me to say any more for the moment but I'm excited. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Hi, In the MSE instructions, he suggests making them from 1mm brass rod. Well I've done that a t couple of times and yes it does work. However I am embarking on building some square post ones rather than tubular this time and considered that there might just be a better way. Pleased to say that a solution has been found and I'm just waiting for them to be available, which should be very soon. They should be better than anything which is currently available. It is not for me to say any more for the moment but I'm excited. Hi, Well I'm delighted to report that I have now received the sample prints from Alan Buttler at Modelu - truly amazing! I've used his finials in both 4mm and 7mm before but I wasn't relishing the prospect of making 10 in 2mm scale I can tell you. Now I don't have to and whilst you can clearly see through the slots in both 4mm and 7mm I wasn't really expecting this in 2mm scale BUT YOU CAN! Now how can I photograph the little blighters? I'll see what I can do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I wouldn't want to go near mine when track cleaning. The posts are 2mm square brass with a proper dress making pin fitted into a centre drilled hole with a brass bead added. They're more likely to remove the flesh of an arm than move themselves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 Hi, Well I'm delighted to report that I have now received the sample prints from Alan Buttler at Modelu - truly amazing! I've used his finials in both 4mm and 7mm before but I wasn't relishing the prospect of making 10 in 2mm scale I can tell you. Now I don't have to and whilst you can clearly see through the slots in both 4mm and 7mm I wasn't really expecting this in 2mm scale BUT YOU CAN! Now how can I photograph the little blighters? I'll see what I can do. Right I've ordered an adapter so that I can use my old telephoto lense on the Digital SLR and am investigating this focus stacking thing, so by end of next week... The posts are brass and should be suitably robust, the customer will just have to be careful when cleaning track! Experience tells me that the finials will bend and spring back to shape but too much and they break of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted July 16, 2016 Share Posted July 16, 2016 I look forward with great anticipation to seeing these, Stephen, in the hope that they will be suitable for my CR Stephens & Sons etched signal posts. As Association members will know, i have developed a system to make these easily 'plug in' so that removing them for track cleaning is a simple matter. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D869 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 My finials for St Ruth are most definitely 'sacrificial'. I prefer this approach - it not only removes the chance of painfully impaling yourself but also reduces the risk of damaging the rest of the signal if you do accidentally catch the finial. The first signals that I did had finials turned from 1.5mm Plastruct rod. More recently I've had some done in FUD and FXD by Shapeways using 'print it anyway'. We have had several finials break off during track cleaning etc. Usually we manage to retrieve them and glue them back on but a few have been lost without trace and I have a set of ready-painted spares for this reason. Our signals are not easily removeable. I suspect it would get more difficult to do this as the number of arms increases - we have three four brackets, three of them with 3 arms plus another signal with a working mechanical route indicator. Regards, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Hi, Best photo I can do is attached Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caley Jim Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Unfortunately, these are too short and fat to be any use on Stevens & Sons signals! Ah well, it will just have to be the brass rod, minidrill and needle files! Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Hi, They are for GWR of course! If by some chance you have a CR finial or know someone who does, you could try organising Alan to do a scan of said finial, which he can then print to the desired scale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Hi, Both types of GWR finials are now available on Modelu's website, priced at £1.75 for 5 plus P&P - I've already ordered some! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Hi, Both types of GWR finials are now available on Modelu's website, priced at £1.75 for 5 plus P&P - I've already ordered some! Both types have now arrived. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Llangerisech Posted September 3, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 3, 2016 Thanks for the pointers Stephen. I ordered some from Modelu and now I can inspect them, I can only recommend them heartily. They are actually hollow in the centre with the correct slits in the ball , which is quite remarkable given the scale. I was also ordering some of the figures which are equally fine. The singalman with tablet pouch is great for my layout and the loop on the pouch is incredibly fine. Painting will probably double the thickness. regards Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Freeman Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Don't forget he's also doing GWR signal lamps in 2mm scale which are capable of illumination by fibre optic filament if you drill through the lens with a No 80 drill (carefully). I got a few photos of this on my signalling thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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