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Hornblock Recommendations?


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  • RMweb Gold

I'm rebuilding an O gauge L&Y Pug and am considering compensating it like wot Ian J did here on a 4mm High Level chassis for the same loco.

 

So, what's everyone's favorite hornblock/guide - I won't need springing so if there's some bits I can get without forking out for a complete sprung unit then all well and good. All wheels are insulated so the chassis will be made electrically dead.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

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  • RMweb Gold

Good question!

 

As they are currently sat in an ice-cream tub full of Superstrip at home I can't say say the moment. They are not that fat as the motor/gears are OO (5 Pole X04 type with steel worm/brass gear (Gibson??). They may even be triang thickness .....

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  • RMweb Gold

OK, back at home - they are 1/8" so I hope the Perseverance Variflex hornblock bearing & pivot set will do the trick!

 

I'll study the instructions tonight. Loco is still in the Superstrip, will take all weekend I think, the paint is very old and stubborn!

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Taking into account your 'no or low cost' option it would depend on what your frames are made from. If standard 28 thou brass or N/S then you can use Slaters square slotted bearings directly fitted into slots in the frames. Just fit something to prevent the bearing rotating.

Sandy

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Or you could use 5/32 hornblocks with a tube bearing across them with the pivot pin resting on that, as I've found that a brass pivot pin onto the steel axle can ware out quit fast. A silver steel pin on to the axle should be OK though.

 

PS. cellulose thinners would have been quicker, but you would have ended up with a kit of parts if it was glued together. Is it the Spring Side / 7mm models kit in white metal?

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hmmmm

 

got me thinking now...

 

IF they are basically OO spec axles then OO gauge hornblocks might do the job - I've got some old Perseverance ones in stock .....

 

I'm not sure what flavour of hornblocks you have "in stock" but I'd beware any hornblocks that rely on a round (turned) portion of an axle box bearing on the edge of a piece of brass as a hornguide, viz: |O|. Unlike Sandy's photo above, these have a small bearing surface that soon gets sloppy.

Cheers, Eric Ramsay

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  • RMweb Gold

Here's the Perseverance bits

 

post-6717-0-87208100-1349021688_thumb.jpg

 

I'n mot sure of the pedegree of the loco kit. It's brass, not whitemetal. Basic chassis, steel con-rods with a loop at the end running on a copper rod slide soldered to the cylinders/support bracket. 5 pole X04 type motor with what looks like gibson gears, It could even be scratchbuilt.

 

I like the idea of a tube for the axle to run in soldered to at least one of the bearings.

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I think the tube and rod are for the balance arm in a flexi chassis, not to make a sleeve for the axle.

 

Later versions of the hornblock guides had tabs at the top with a hole in, these tabs were bent at 90 degrees and a piece of wire was soldered to the bearing and went through the hole to prevent the bearing from rotating

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Hello Ian,

 

if you go with the tube bearing you can solder a fixing point to the tube that will stop it rotating so that you don't have to have the horn guides doing any work. Apart from just keeping them at the correct wheelbase.

 

OzzyO.

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks for all your input :)

 

current "plan" is to use the Perseverance hornblocks and bearings for the undriven rear axle (I'll use the supplied top hat bearings but without the dummy hornblock for the front fixed axle). I'm going to source some 5mm (4mm bore) tube to solder to the hornblock bearings, I'll either file a round slot in the face of the tube for the suspension beam to run in or solder an "eye" in the centre for the beam to slip though. This will stop the tube spinning and make sure the axle rotates in the bearings.

 

I'm using the bearings the wrong way round (I think) with the 4mm diameter shoulder on the inside, as it gives a good mounting point for the tube. Spacers will be used to take up any axle sideplay.

 

I'll get the tube from Squires at Wycrail next month, so plenty of time for more "coats of looking at" with this one ;)

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  • RMweb Gold

Invisible ink again?

 

seriously though, thanks for the input, however:

  1. I have the original Perseverance set "in stock"
  2. I'm going to solder a tube that goes from one bearing to the other which will be tied somehow to the suspension beam preventing it rotating, so the bearings will not be able to rotate in the hornguides.

The loco will have a very easy life pottering around my O gauge shunting layout so wear should not be an issue, especially if I keep it all nicely greased (ooer missis!)

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  • RMweb Gold

This is now turning into a build thread, but as I don't intend to transfer this over to my modelling blog I'll just post a quick pic here to show how far I've got:

 

post-6717-0-87548100-1349872791_thumb.jpg

 

The front axle (driven) has received the fixed bearings and I've reamed them just enough to allow the axle to pass through for now. This will be the datum point for the rear axle, which had been cut out to accept the Perseverance hornblocks and bearings. There's next to no sideplay at the moment. I've robbed a spring out of a ballpoint pen to hold it all in place ready for soldering.

 

So, just waiting for the London Road Models jig axles to set the rear in the right place and then it's time to fabricate the support beam etc once I have some 4mm i/d tube to replace the spring and take the beam load off the axle.

 

Thanks to Pete Harvey for the offer of a complete new etched chassis design, if it all goes to pot I might have to take him up on it :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

So after a quick shopping trip to Eileen's at peterborough I now have the compensation in place

 

post-6717-0-76701600-1350907068_thumb.jpg

 

Pretty pleased, got the ride height set dead on and there is some rocking movement, all a bit stiff at the moment but will ease up with use and lubrication.

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