MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) I have finally given in to temptation, learnt how to produce 3D models, and uploaded them to Shapeways for production. As with most things these came about as a result of not being able to buy specific items from other suppliers, however I strayed a little into more familiar territories. At the moment I have concentrated on detailing parts for the LNER and constituent companies in 4mm scale, still my primary interest. The shop in question can be found here: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/mike-trice Initial items available include: GNR torpedo vents and gas lamps GNR axlebox/springs GNR 6 wheel underframe fittings GNR sprung wagon buffers LNER restaurant roof vents LNER torpedo vents NER sprung wagon buffers RCH sprung wagon buffers I am in the process of trying to determine the optimum quantities to offer per item. Shapeway's charge an initial $5 handling fee for each item ordered. For small items it is far more cost effective for a purchaser to be able to but items in larger quantities. For example a moulding comprising 40 RCH fitted wagon buffers costs £9.61, however providing a moulding with 80 buffers only increases in cost to £13.85 for twice the number of buffers. Axleboxes are produced with a slot in the back to allow their use with sprung or rocking w-irons fitted with a waisted bearing. At the time of writing the GNR Axleboxes and springs and NER buffers are only available as an "assorted" collection, in large numbers, as once again this is the most cost effective way for someone to purchase some of everything without incurring the $5 handling fee on each item. At some point in the near future I will make the individual items featured in the "assorted" collection available separately. One final comment, a number of the items might appear as having "not been printed" before. This is not strictly true as I order samples of all my models. The reason the "not been printed before" tag might appear is where I have re-uploaded the models to increase the number of items provided in a moulding. I will attempt to upload some images later today. P.S. If anyone wishes to ask me questions relating to items in the shop then here is a good place to do so. Edited February 28, 2020 by MikeTrice 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 RCH unfitted wagon buffer: RCH fitted wagon buffer: GNR unfitted wagon buffer: GNR unfitted wagon buffer with spacer: GNR coach buffer: Prints in this instance are produce in Frosted Extreme Detail and have been sprayed with a couple of coats of Halfords' Grey Plastic Primer and a couple of coats of Halfords' Matt Black. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 GNR 6 wheel coach: 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 RCH unfitted wagon buffer: RCH Unfitted.JPG RCH fitted wagon buffer: RCH Fitted.JPG GNR unfitted wagon buffer: GNR Unfitted.JPG GNR unfitted wagon buffer with spacer: GNR Unfitted with spacer.JPG GNR coach buffer: GNR Coach.JPG Prints in this instance are produce in Frosted Extreme Detail and have been sprayed with a couple of coats of Halfords' Grey Plastic Primer and a couple of coats of Halfords' Matt Black. Might you give a thought to seeing if you can render GW coach square-section buffer bodies and heads/rams? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 It has been pointed out to me, quite reasonably, that my original photographs of the matt black finish do not show the detail very well, so I have lighted them up a bit. RCH unfitted: RCH fitted: GNR Unfitted: GNR unfitted with spacer: GNR Coach: 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Might you give a thought to seeing if you can render GW coach square-section buffer bodies and heads/rams? Nice thought. The buffer bodies would not present a problem but I doubt the heads would be strong enough. The heads really need to be in metal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 The "assorted" GNR wagon axlebox/springs feature the following: GNR No 5 grease with 10 leaf spring: GNR G Oil with top handle and 10 leaf spring: GNR G Oil with top handle and 6 leaf spring: GNR G Oil with side handle and 6 leaf spring: GNR G Oil with side handle and 10 leaf spring. Due to material limitations I have left it down to the modeller to fit handles from thin wire 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 NER Buffer types included in the "assorted" offering. 10.5" 3 bolt with step: 1' 2" 3 bolt with step: Hopper wagon. These are handed: Self contained: Post 1918 buffer: 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 LNER Restaurant Roof Vent: LNER Torpedo Ventilators: GNR Torpedo Vents and Gas Lamps: 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson Jackson Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Very nice! I would love to see some pics of the torpedo vents printed, would be very impressive if you can see the clearance in them as per the 3d drawings. The buffers are also a great idea, well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 Very nice! I would love to see some pics of the torpedo vents printed, would be very impressive if you can see the clearance in them as per the 3d drawings. The buffers are also a great idea, well done. On order but delayed due to me adding later items. Unfortunately there was insufficient thickness to allow me to get daylight with the LNER Torpedo vents. I did try! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted June 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) Looking forward to the Restaurant Car Vents. They are such a pain to represent (well for me anyway). Thanks Mike for bothering. I think this 3d stuff is a huge step forward for modelling. Phil Edited June 2, 2016 by Mallard60022 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Rixon Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 The GNR wagon-buffers look excellent, many thanks for those. I have two questions about the buffers. First, what distance are you allowing between the buffing face and the back of the bore for the spring (since this affects the spring rate)? Second, where the buffer bores need to be opened out, what are the inside and outside diameters as printed? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueeighties Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Might be a daft question, but why does everyone have to use Shapeways with their daft postal rates. Is there no one UK based? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 The GNR wagon-buffers look excellent, many thanks for those. I have two questions about the buffers. First, what distance are you allowing between the buffing face and the back of the bore for the spring (since this affects the spring rate)? Second, where the buffer bores need to be opened out, what are the inside and outside diameters as printed? The main body is the area containg the spring, so it varies for each buffer depending on the length of the buffer body. Where I have found this a problem and the spring too short I have simply stretched the spring slightly. Likewise the inner bore dimension varies. I take a cross section of the buffer and indent the bore by 0.3mm each side. Whatever remains is the bore used. Hope I have explained that correctly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidw Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Are these available now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted June 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2016 Are these available now? Yep, mine are due for delivery in a few days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JCL Posted June 4, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2016 Might be a daft question, but why does everyone have to use Shapeways with their daft postal rates. Is there no one UK based? Not daft at all. I don't know of any other site that deals with both the printing and the commerce side of things leaving us to do the designing. And yes, postage is expensive. Living in Canada, our local factory is in New York, and, unless there's something I particularly want, I tend to wait for a sale or free postage before buying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JCL Posted June 4, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2016 Mike, for the want of rescaling, do you think the S and 0 gauge modellers might be interested in some of these products? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 Mike, for the want of rescaling, do you think the S and 0 gauge modellers might be interested in some of these products? Probably, however for the buffers they would need to have turned heads available as separate items. When investigating the possibilities for 7mm I failed to find any, but I am sure there are some out there somewhere. Some of the dimensions had to be "adjusted" to suit Shapeway's minimum thickness. For example the buffer ribs had to be thickened although this is not noticable on the finished 4mm mouldings. For 7mm they could be taken down to a more accurate dimensions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Mike, for the LNER torpedo vents in particular, can I suggest a slightly smaller diameter 'stem' ? If I've drilled a hole slightly off line, its always handy to be able to extend the hole in the right direction to adjust, with the resultant oval hidden underneath the vent - on yours it looks like it would be quite a big hole, and not under the footprint of the vent, so would need filling and re-drilling. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 Jon, the mounting pin is currently 2mm. There is a flange above which is 2.2mm diameter. I can reduce the diameter of the mounting pin but I might have to thicken the flange. Will investigate reducing the mount to 1.5mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 (edited) Reducing the mounting pin diameter to 1.5mm seems to have passed Shapeway's automatic model tests so on that basis I have re-uploaded with the smaller pin and re-ordered samples. Interestingly the reduction in material volume has also resulted in a price drop. I just hope they now pass Shapeway's manual checks. Edited June 4, 2016 by MikeTrice 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Excellent and useful items. It is a shame that I find myself on such a tight budget at the present time; I hope the range will be around for a while, as I could certainly find uses for wagon and coach axle-boxes and buffer shanks and torpedo vents. Might the GNR 6-wheel coach axle-boxes/springs be more economical if they could be offered as a set sufficient fro 6 coaches? I shall have to try for these and buffers. Also, I'd love to see you do the same for GER, but I suspect that does not correspond with your own modelling needs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 Edwardian, I tried uploading 6 sets of GNR 6-wheel coach fittings but they kept blowing Shapeway's upper limits, however I will re-evaluate when I get my sample through. Jason, just attempted a 7mm version of the LNER Torpedo Vents and they seem to work fine. I can even reinstate the daylight between the central cones and wrapper. Anyone interested? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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