Burkitt Posted May 26, 2011 Author Share Posted May 26, 2011 Thanks Kris. I used the free version of Sketchup, plus two programs recommended by Shapeways for file conversion - Meshlab and Accutrans - and Netfabb as recommended by BobD for error correction. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted May 26, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 26, 2011 Thanks for the info Paul. Seeing what you have done, and the costings, has inspired me to have a play myself, whether I ever get to the printing stage is another matter though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Paul - if you haven't seen this it may be of interest http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=33372 HIH Jack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks for that link Jack, it's an interesting idea. In the end I scaled the model down from full size using Accutrans. The driving car arrived by courier this morning and it's a lovely little model. All the detail has come out as expected, and the surface is very smooth even on the curves. It needs some careful cleaning of the remaining yellow waxy residue though. A bit of light sanding and a few fine coats of primer should also improve it further. The chassis slightly resembles a banana, but the body is very rigid so when the two are together everything should be fine. I might putting it in warm water and gently bending back to shape too. One of the bogie sides is a bit yellow, but otherwise they have come out fine. Now I can get on with finishing and painting this car, and finishing the design for the intermediate vehicles. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBscale Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner it removes the yellow wax completely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner it removes the yellow wax completely. I have one of those, I will have to try some of my FUD bits and see how they clean up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 The body does look rather good. Will be interested to see how it looks when paint has been applied. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted June 29, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2011 The 1995 stock looks excellent! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailor Charon Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Looks very good indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted June 29, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 29, 2011 The wait was worth it for that, it looks great. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 That looks cracking! I can't wait to see it painted up in all it's glory. Glad to see that FUD is here to stay! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Nile Posted June 29, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 29, 2011 That looks cracking! I hope not! Handle with care,Paul.The material isn't as tough as WSF and can crack. I look forward to some close up photos of the painted model.Looking good so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmthtrains - David Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Looks superb Paul. I hope you are keeping those CAD files, I can see a few orders heading your way for N gauge underground stock! David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks all for your kind comments. David, the CAD files are safely backed up on a steel-cased external hard drive - I'm not taking any chances. The computer I use for CAD work is currently having its screen replaced, but as soon as I get it back I'll upload the intermediate car and make both it and the driving car available to order from Shapeways. I'm also planning to modify the CAD model to make it suitable for OO scale if anyone is interested in a larger version. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted June 30, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 30, 2011 as soon as I get it back I'll upload the intermediate car and make both it and the driving car available to order from Shapeways. Excellent news - thanks for doing that Paul. Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 I've now given the model a careful clean with acetone, which has removed the remaining yellow wax from the printing process and exposed some of the detail which was previously hidden. It now needs some careful sanding with fine grade sandpaper, alternating with thin coats of primer, to get a good smooth finish. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stadman Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I've now given the model a careful clean with acetone, Was told once that acetone can also removes lines from abs prints. Coming along nicely Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Thanks Stadman. When I first tried to fit the body over the chassis they were a bit tight and I didn't want to force them together in case they broke - or got stuck. Having given the chassis and inside of the body a going-over with fine sandpaper, I've now successfully tested the two parts together. I did think I'd have to use small screws to hold them together, but the fit is sufficiently tight that I don't think that will be necessary. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Did the chassis straighten out ok when fitted into the body? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Yes, the chassis is bent but fairly flexible, while the body is very stiff and the fit between the two is tight enough to hold them firmly together. So the chassis straightened out and stayed straight when the two were fitted together. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted July 10, 2011 Author Share Posted July 10, 2011 As well as working on the first printed driving car, I've also been making some changes to the CAD model to incorporate some improvements. I wasn't happy with the underframe details, but couldn't find any good photos of it on the net, so I took a ride to Edgeware to take some of my own. Using them I have been able to increase the accuracy and detail quite considerably. Before After Other modifications to the design have been made to improve the fit between the chassis and body, strengthen some vulnerable parts, and allow more space for the bogie to rotate in. I have also been working on the CAD models for the intermediate cars. The whole lot should hopefully be available to order on Shapeways within a couple of days. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
backofanenvelope Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 This looks very good Paul, well done. I await some pix when you have undercoated it to see how the detail comes out as from the see-throughness of the model it is hard to tell the quality of the printing. Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing more of your work. Tom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Thanks Tom. I've got a couple of coats of paint on now, still several more and lots of sanding to go. I think I'll also need to use a scalpel to remove a bit of paint from some of the details where they have become slightly clogged. I have also tested assembly of the trailing bogie. The fit between the sides and centre was a bit sloppy so I have tightened it up on the design, as well as reducing the thickness of the bogie sides to improve clearances. With modifications to the design and design of the intermediate cars now complete, I have made the 95 stock models available to order from Shapeways. There are three vehicles, the driving motor, the trailer car, and the uncoupling non-driving motor. Each includes the body, chassis, and bogie parts. The driving motor and uncoupling non-driving motor are available in two versions, one unpowered with parts for two trailing bogies, and one designed to be powered with a Kato Portram bogie, with parts for one trailing bogie and sideframes only for the power bogie. They can be ordered from my shop on the Shapeways site http://www.shapeways.com/shops/amr (link posted with permission of Andy Y). Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Hi Paul, This looks excellent! - I have one question though. Can a Tomytec Portram chassis be substituted for the Kato one? They are substantially cheaper than the Kato (at least the ones I've seen), which makes buying a new model just for the bogie a bit easier to justify on my wallet Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobD Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 The design of the Kato and Tomytec chassis are completely different. The Kato one is a motor bogie and Tomytec has a full size motor with cardan shafts and takes up most of the body of the tram. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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