Jump to content
 

Detailing the Dublo Cowans Sheldon 45t crane


Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...

Good news, they have arrived, and I'm pleased with the outcome.

 

£8 per set, plus 70p postage to the UK, and if using paypal I ask that you contribute 50p to the fees, or 'gift' the payment, but recognise that you lose the paypal protection if I do a moonlight flit - and talking of moonlight flit's - I'm off to Germany for Intermodellbau and Dresden Dampfloktreffen  mid week, so there will be a gap in service for about 10 days after Wednesday.

 

I will happily take a cheque.

 

Please PM for details of who/how to pay.

 

There are at present no instructions, I will write something up in the next few days and post on here, but it shouldn't be rocket science.

 

This shows TWO etches (either side) Each pulley is two sides and a centre

dublopully001.jpg.0d61ba29943d0f97b2f50eaff8e90f0d.jpg

 

All the Axles are 12ba bolts (you need 9)

dublopully008.jpg.811132f224d90630f9a3f9f7bc425d87.jpg

 

I'm not quite sure what you call the linking bars at the top of the jib, but they are a compromise length because the Dublo jib is a bit short.

dublopully007.jpg.adc0153b3d33b91f8ebbb512ff177345.jpgdublopully006.jpg.acd0e93fa92f2ed2d6edda5658e3b0a7.jpg

 

Where I've needed to modify the castings I've used a track cutting disc in a mini-drill, and then abrasive tools in the same drill.

dublopully005.jpg.9c2b49c08d4acf687a4d641037531f99.jpg

dublopully004.jpg.9b9ea892668f7f01adf9e6078005cea6.jpg

 

the hook has holes for dress makers brass pins to align the four laminations, the resultant ramshorn is then flooded with solder and fettled with a file when solid.

dublopully002.jpg.b940d2337482d0e86f15790849480fd0.jpgdublopully003.jpg.b814d5a84bad4644157ce6686e3688f4.jpgdublopully009.jpg.e53e0b4aa3b82161e74c90e4814038e9.jpg

Edited by jonhall
  • Like 11
  • Craftsmanship/clever 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

 

Starting some instructions - first off the etches, Obviously there are several ways of doing this, and the simplest would just be to superglue the pulleys together, but I'll describe how I would do it.

 

First off I'll say that all these photo's are taken using the TEST etch, where PPD didn't actually manage to etch any of the axle holes, so the etch isn't laid out the same, and the parts you have should have an etched central hole, rather than a drilled, (sometimes correctly) hole!

 

I use a garryflex block to clean etches before soldering, its an abrasive like a track rubber, and won't leave little glass fibres all over your workbench.

dublopullyI002.jpg.4a9412e5dab74f082f844f5d00757685.jpg

 

Having cleaned both sides of the etch to shiny brass I tinned all the pulley wheel surfaces that would come together using Caars green label flux.

 

dublopullyI003.jpg.3ad90c521e76e56a57f5f9f25712672a.jpg

 

I then made a tool up to help hold the pulley together - I'm not totally convinced this was required, a wooden clothes peg and a couple of cocktail sticks. in fact I have found this time round, that assembling the pulley was just as easy using the cocktail sticks and a wooden block with a hole in it.

dublopullyI001.jpg.d167a0f009f4da7fe92f6cc118df276b.jpg

 

 

 

The pulley was stacked onto the end of a cocktail stick two outer's sandwiching an inner

 

dublopullyII001.jpg.a14912b2372514a935383c98bf30b3a0.jpg

 

 

And then held in a pre-drilled hole in a block of wood to compress all the laminations together. I than added a drop of flux (as much as a contact fluid to help the heat get from soldering iron to part).

dublopullyII002.jpg.2b424dc38cdc6ea02866849832a24129.jpg

 

 

I then used a second cocktail stick to line up the oval holes around the outside - I wouldn't get too hung up about making perfect pulleys, only a few on the outside of each stack can be seen, so you really only need a handful of good ones! Then leaving the central stick in place hold the soldering iron on the part until the solder flows, and withdraw the iron until the part cools, and you can take it off the cocktail stick. Wash excess flux off in hot water.

dublopullyII003.jpg.d545dd872c97c3f1baee8cca91a6ddb5.jpg

 

I then tap the axle hole to 12ba

dublopullyII004.jpg.de55128d147a1f859b3d16948e3be842.jpg

 

and feed them onto a 12ba bolt

dublopullyII005.jpg.e3c106c3f2b7ba108af884c2dd088414.jpg

 

Which goes into my dewalt drill and I turn them against a coarse file to smooth off any remaining etched tabs

 

dublopullyII006.jpg.49e12252b60a3b3bbf79217c6d6b0231.jpg

 

then the edge of a triangular file to re-make the V groove in any pulleys I have added too much solder to.

dublopullyII007.jpg.9f340ef89323c2d33ac73eb87dcdb25d.jpg

Edited by jonhall
  • Informative/Useful 4
  • Craftsmanship/clever 4
Link to post
Share on other sites

For the hook, again first job is to clean everything with the abrasive block, then tin both sides of the larger hooks, and one side of the smaller

 

dublopullyIlI001.jpg.f255e127b159d98fe9004ded78f3038f.jpg

 

 

Then pin them all together with dressmakers pins - if you have to open the holes out use a jewellers broach, it won't be the end of the world if the lower pin ends up soldered solid, you can always cut it down, but the upper hole needs to be clear.

 

A drop of flux, then an excess of solder to join everything together, than fill out all the steps between laminations.

dublopullyIlI002.jpg.68a58cf738741d5f1b31ca176a1e1103.jpg

 

Once its cooled, file to a smooth finish, and drill and tap the top hole 12ba

 

Jon

  • Like 2
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Onto the donor model, I have used a really big cutting disc (over an inch diameter) in a fairly powerful minidrill  -definitely a job to be wearing safety glasses! . This donor has had its thread replaced by chain, and had a horrible repaint.

 

dublocrane001.jpg.34e4a4f980b91b74f35b3abecf4680ce.jpg

 

First action was to cut through the winding arms and pull them out

 

dublocrane002.jpg.5aded589297e95008bc300d78387203e.jpg

 

I then remembered I probably had to remove the rivet ends as well, so using the disc like a miniature angle grinder, I took off the head of the winding axle, along with the jib pivot, and the pin that holds the spring, which in turn stops the winding handle unwinding under gravity.

 

dublocrane004.jpg.6d405420200bcd1e414288d7ed563914.jpg

 

One fewer thing to grind off on the other side - you may find you need to drift the rivets out - I used a large nail that has been turned into a punch.

 

dublocrane006.jpg.61651381fb5dbd6d5df8459664b95497.jpg

 

At the top of the jib there are 3 more axles/rivets to go, and at least 2 have a moulded 'boss' underneath, once the rivet was out, the boss was ground off as well.

dublocrane005.jpg.fa2931c62bb155fbfde57b260d3d0217.jpgdublocrane003.jpg.e227f742c20bc2b3e5d3d02b72f2caad.jpg

 

The carriage that carries the wheels can be freed by drilling out two rivets with a 5mm drill, and then the crane pivot rivet with an 8mm drill - this rivet is free to turn, if you just end up with it spinning use a BIG screwdriver wedged between the two parts to put it under a bit of pressure.

dublocrane007.jpg.b8a844ee914fd12a3cf6bffee4fa381b.jpg

 

Jon

Edited by jonhall
  • Like 6
  • Thanks 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
5 hours ago, K Hatton said:

Did you get any further with this crane?

 

Also are the detailing etches still available?

 

I've stripped off the paint using caustic soda solution, and then used an angle grinder to empty the inside where all the gears will be, but since its a bit difficult to use a camera and do delicate surgery with the grinder there are no photos of that!

 

I still have a few of the first batch of etches, I've replied to your pm.

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, jonhall said:

 

I've stripped off the paint using caustic soda solution, and then used an angle grinder to empty the inside where all the gears will be, but since its a bit difficult to use a camera and do delicate surgery with the grinder there are no photos of that!

 

I still have a few of the first batch of etches, I've replied to your pm.

 

Jon

I can understand the reasoning.

 

I've recently started trying to combine the body of a dublo crane and the later Hornby railroad crane internals and have been contemplating how to gut the insides of the dublo without causing too much collateral damage...

 

20190606_005724.jpg

20190606_005716.jpg

20190606_003430.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

 

 

 

Last set of instructions posts for me for a while

 

Having drilled out the pivot to make working on the upper section easier, I then needed to re-attach, so out with an M5 tap and I put a thread on the inside of the pivot. The metal Hornby used is easy to tap, but I suppose you could use an M4 nut and bolt.

 

cowans45011.jpg.e7a7662aca87bac73e963ad11c6cd5ba.jpg

 

on the top of the jib we need a hole for the winding pulley. I started by drilling 4 holes roughly where the corners needed to be

cowans45007.jpg.ed34f7f40d85c25e0a0767676330a805.jpg

then roughed out the hole with a jewellers piercing saw, and making to size and rectangular with a coarse file.

cowans45010.jpg.92515e57be25766f88edc848b6a92450.jpg

 

jon

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

 

These 3 cranes have been the test beds for the kit, they don't all have quite enough of the big pulleys, except the most prominent one. All are now for sale at £25 each. They will include the cab roof and sub-chassis, but they won't be fixed so that you can paint the crane. They DO NOT HAVE stokes bogies or match trucks.

 

PM if interested.

 

Jon

 

cowans45012.jpg.f1fcd2f06d2eac071a41ea7b7962f63a.jpg

  • Like 4
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

AS I've finally pushed all the part built development models through the workshop to as finished as I'm going to make them, I've also bought another Dublo Crane on ebay to provide a second Stokes bogie and match truck. 

 

cowansrunner002.jpg.3b6396731bc098e3a4c0d98da0ea18d0.jpg

 

cowansrunner001.jpg.0dc6d7c45101417107f88467302f1d2b.jpg

 

I think its fairly well known that the jib is a bit short, presumably to fit into a standard box, or round trainset corners...

 

cowansrunner007.jpg.fa9254d307891fdac140a43b79bd3396.jpg

 

so this leaves the jib a bit short on a scale length match truck, unfortunately what I hadn't appreciated was the problem is compounded by stokes bogies that are too LONG!

 

cowansrunner005.jpg.145407801c2d2b0782e496b7ab786849.jpg

the 'superstructure' (if you can call something that, when it doesn't get above solebar level! ) seems to be about 4-5mm extra either end, but the wheelbase seems correct. 

cowansrunner004.jpg.c8e8c43a60462c2acf58df339169266d.jpg

 

which I guess would be easy enough to chop off from either end, and I was already thinking about new etched 'bufferbeams' for the stokes bogies. but what to do for the match truck - a scale length one will only barely catch the jib, but will anyone (who has the skill to build it) want a shortened truck?

 

cowansrunner003.jpg.7838c177167b343d9ef69d5415eb04be.jpgcowansrunner006.jpg.1470ec9d80e9fde191eb21036f421068.jpg

 

 

Jon

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Ben Alder said:

Shortened truck sounds the way forward -are you planning an etch for it?

 

Well that's what started me wondering what needed to be done.

 

8 hours ago, jimwal said:

Or what about a scale length jib?. Due to the taper it doesn't seem feasible to lengthen the existing jib. Then everything else can be right. The carriage is the correct length and as Jon says the bogies can be altered.

 

I agree lengthening the existing jib is out, which leaves make the match truck fit, or draw a match truck and jib and having built two of the D&S 15t jibs (which are a lot shorter) and the Rod Neep for Gordon Ashton Ransoms Rapier, I'm not sure that I have the skill to design, or inclination to build, a jib that length.

 

It moves the project from a quick dress up kit, to why stop at the jib, and go the whole hog for a full kit.

 

Jon

  • Like 1
  • Agree 1
  • Friendly/supportive 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Jon,

 

Great job, much appreciated.

 

My thoughts if you were to go further, would be the jib as the other items are easier to scratchbuild (an LNER 22t plate wagon could form the basis of a match wagon). 

 

I fully understand if you have done enough with this project, many thanks.

 

Jim.

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 13/09/2019 at 08:00, jonhall said:

.... not sure that I have the skill to design, or inclination to build, a jib that length.

 

Surely the perfect subject for 3D printing - anyone with those skills / equipment up for the job?

 

I'd have one like a shot !!

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 8 months later...

I've finally got around to some gears - these are laser cut, and for the most part surprisingly successful. I might eventually work them into masters for  a set of cast whitemetal items, but until then, its just a little progress to record.

 

cranegears001.jpg.10af96ed3ace1136eca3e76cde675196.jpg

 

cranegears003.jpg.ff19367c4012feeef70ad0e924c4e069.jpg

 

cranegears002.jpg.b612642fe0792f6a2d7849546010de48.jpg

 

cranegears004.jpg.4e69cb1ce9374177712fdf4c09880145.jpg

 

Jon

  • Like 6
  • Craftsmanship/clever 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 11/07/2020 at 18:58, jonhall said:

I've finally got around to some gears - these are laser cut, and for the most part surprisingly successful. I might eventually work them into masters for  a set of cast whitemetal items, but until then, its just a little progress to record.

 

cranegears001.jpg.10af96ed3ace1136eca3e76cde675196.jpg

 

cranegears003.jpg.ff19367c4012feeef70ad0e924c4e069.jpg

 

cranegears002.jpg.b612642fe0792f6a2d7849546010de48.jpg

 

cranegears004.jpg.4e69cb1ce9374177712fdf4c09880145.jpg

 

Jon

 

Jon,

 

Count me in if they ever become available.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

Edited by cctransuk
  • Agree 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...