Retfordlad Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Anyone had issues with the Romford wheel kit that is supplied with the kit .. in my case a GWR Bloater 00 scale....all the axle boxes split when trying to press in the small brass grommet rendering the kit unusable despite taking great care. One for the bin unless anyone has a solution ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Peter Beckett Posted May 10, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 10, 2016 I can't help you with the split axle boxes but I am building quite a few PC77 BR 21 ton Coal Hopper kits at the moment and I always drill out the axle boxes with a 2mm drill held in a pin-chuck, before removing them from the sprue. They then fit perfectly when attaching over the brass axle inserts in the chassis. I would suggest contacting Richard at Parkside to see if you can get replacement axle boxes. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham456 Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 I have never had any trouble with fitting the bearing cups in Parkside kits, so I am guessing you have been very unlucky.you could rebuild it with etched W irons and cast springs, which would give you compensation and all that jazz, but the cost will be not far short of a new kit! So get in contact with Richard at Parkside he gives customer service and does NOT bite Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitpick Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Like Peter Becket, I also drill mine with a 2mm drill bit, Only difference is that I remove them from the sprue first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Bernard Lamb Posted May 10, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 10, 2016 I take the lazy way. To ease the fitting of the bearing I apply a drop of solvent, butanone being the favourite these days, to the hole in the axle box. It softens the plastic thus allowing the bearing to be pushed in and also holds it in place. Being really lazy I keep the brush in my hand and use the handle end to push the bearing into position. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 I take the lazy way. To ease the fitting of the bearing I apply a drop of solvent, butanone being the favourite these days, to the hole in the axle box. It softens the plastic thus allowing the bearing to be pushed in and also holds it in place. Being really lazy I keep the brush in my hand and use the handle end to push the bearing into position. Bernard I've done this in the past, but I find occasionally it traps air in there and causes the axle box to bubble outwards or stretch where it's thin, which looks totally ridiculous! The solution is to forget the romford bearings and substitute MJT waisted ones, no distortion of the axleboxes then. In my experience, Romfords are always slightly oversize and MJTs are a little undersized, which is very useful when faced with over or underzsized holes in various kits. A quick check on a random sample now showed Romford at 2.021mm and MJT at 1.971mm, 0.05mm doesnt' sound like much but it really does make a difference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Another vote for drilling out 2mm here. Waisted bearings are also a help as is softening the plastic with some Mekpak or similar before pushing the bearing in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 When fitting brass bearings into plastic, or wm kits, I always check the bearing for seating and then drill out (if necessary) and then put a drop of plastic cement in the hole and press home with a brush end a la Bernard Lamb. The bearings I use are MT, and have done for the last 5 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retfordlad Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Shot off email to Parkside no reply yet.Also had trouble just gluing the two sides of the underframe to the floor as tgere,are no locating pins or holes so when wheels went in everything bowed outwards.Any recommendations for wheels to use with waisted as the Romford are just too heavy and keep dropping out .. help ! Never had this trouble with Airfix or Peco wagons .. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retfordlad Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Re the waisted MJT bearings anyone point me in the right direction to get these ie company and cat.number there are bearings galore out there .. when I fitted tge ones in the kit literally had to hammer them in. My previous experience has been only with the easy Wonderful Wagons Peco re. bearings ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 http://dartcastings.co.uk/mjt/4009.php Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John Isherwood Posted May 10, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 10, 2016 ....all the axle boxes split when trying to press in the small brass grommet rendering the kit unusable despite taking great care .. when I fitted tge ones in the kit literally had to hammer them in ... Whoaaaa !! I'm not surprised that the axleboxes split !! I'm afraid that you seem to be being far too heavy-handed - we are modelling, not blacksmithying !! Bearing holes - these MUST be cleaned out with a 2mm. dia. drill held in a hand chuck. Then try the the bearings in their holes; place a wheelset between two axleguards before they are fitted to the floor, and measure the distance between the inside faces of the solebars. If this measurement exceeds the distance apart of the locating lugs for the solebars, you will need to remove the bearings and lightly drill the bearing holes with a drill that matches the diameter over the flange of the bearing. That way, you can sink the bearing into the axleguards so that the axleguards are not splayed out when fitted to the floor. If the axle length is not enough to fit in the bearings without a lot of slop, you need to make some 2mm. washers from plastic card to place behind the bearing flanges when fitting them in the axleguards. This will bring the bearings closer together and eliminate excess slop. Never, ever, use excessive force to make parts fit - remove material a little at a time until you get a perfect fit. Regards, John Isherwood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retfordlad Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 As I said first attempt .. at age 60 thought I knew it all about model making seems things have progressed since I moved to the USA 20 plus years ago! I'm used to the forgiving rubberized Peco axle boxes and bearings I'm afraid. The upside is spoke to Parkside this morning and he's sending me replacement bits .. plus waisted bearings. Methinks the kit is older as the instruction sheet was a 'bit sparse' and assumes Modellers know all the current tips and dodges. Thank goodness for RM WEB .... there's no model railway groups for friendly hands on help out here at all ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted May 10, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 10, 2016 Be aware, that whilst P/D kits are very good, none of their instructions are at the Colin Craig/Justin Newitt end of the spectrum, in fact not really at the Airfix 2 bob kit end either. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retfordlad Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Sparse is the word on the kit I have .. great detail but ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
knitpick Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Arguably off topic as not about wheels - but . . . it is the OP's initial attempt. I find that a little extra weight helps. For the Bloater, I'd suggest bringing the weight up to around 2oz - over rather than under. With a closed vehicle like the Bloater I'd put the weight inside, glueing down securely prior to adding the roof. For open vehicles, then either the weight has to be underneath - or you a load need to disguise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefrk Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Arguably off topic as not about wheels - but . . . it is the OP's initial attempt. I find that a little extra weight helps. For the Bloater, I'd suggest bringing the weight up to around 2oz - over rather than under. With a closed vehicle like the Bloater I'd put the weight inside, glueing down securely prior to adding the roof. For open vehicles, then either the weight has to be underneath - or you a load need to disguise. I would add too, drill some 3mm 'breathing' holes in the floor of a van. Depending what glue is used the fumes need to escape over time, (bowed sides and roof as evidence). But back to the OPs problem. Markits bearings are just right size for the job, drill the axlebox 2mm and the Markits bearing just pushes in lightly and square (important), it shouldn't need any solvent which can soften the plastic which then turns brittle. I have kits made this way years ago and some have axleboxes which are now cracked and some broken, newer ones done as described without solvent are still perfect. Just my experiences. Dave Franks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted May 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2016 Goes without saying, change the PD buffers/coupling hooks/vac pipes for Daves. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted May 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2016 Shot off email to Parkside no reply yet.Also had trouble just gluing the two sides of the underframe to the floor as tgere,are no locating pins or holes so when wheels went in everything bowed outwards.Any recommendations for wheels to use with waisted as the Romford are just too heavy and keep dropping out .. help ! Never had this trouble with Airfix or Peco wagons .. I recommend glueing the chassis halves to the floor, then letting them harden before putting the wheels in. Once they're set, you can spring them apart gently to get the wheels in, and you won't then get that effect of the sides bowing out and the wheels being too loose. If necessary, put the wheels in initially to set the alignment, then remove them. If you've built the kit and the sides are too bowed out, you should still be able to correct them with very gentle finger pressure, working along the length of the sides, possibly softening the join with the underside with a bit of solvent. Do persevere as Parkside kits are in general great fun to build and there are only one or two tricky builds in the range. The Bloater makes into a very nice model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad McCann Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I would add too, drill some 3mm 'breathing' holes in the floor of a van. Depending what glue is used the fumes need to escape over time, (bowed sides and roof as evidence). But back to the OPs problem. Markits bearings are just right size for the job, drill the axlebox 2mm and the Markits bearing just pushes in lightly and square (important), it shouldn't need any solvent which can soften the plastic which then turns brittle. I have kits made this way years ago and some have axleboxes which are now cracked and some broken, newer ones done as described without solvent are still perfect. Just my experiences. Dave Franks. That's a fair shout and worth 'bearing' in mind. That said, I usually stick the roof on last anyway after an overnight wait whilst the superglue for the steel ballast goes off. There's me still learning from 'the Master' ;-) Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharris Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 That's a fair shout and worth 'bearing' in mind. That said, I usually stick the roof on last anyway after an overnight wait whilst the superglue for the steel ballast goes off. There's me still learning from 'the Master' ;-) Dave. Don't forget that in gluing the roof on, you'll be introducing more solvent vapour into the cavity. Trapped solvent can be slow acting and catch you out - Monday, a week ago, I tried laminating some plasticard which I intended to sand down to a complex roof profile - on Friday everything looked fine - a nice flat solid block of plastic. Last night when I got it out to start shaping it (8 days after laminating) it had started to warp and delaminate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted May 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2016 Must admit I've never had any problems with just pushing in the bearings as supplied, with no drilling ... I do add a little solvent into the hole, but only to soften the plastic enough to "grab" the bearing. In more recent builds I have done what Dave suggested and drilled some holes in the floor to allow fumes to escape. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retfordlad Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Nice tip about drilling solvent fume vent holes. And I forgot to weight the van .. flip ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retfordlad Posted May 11, 2016 Author Share Posted May 11, 2016 Any recommendations as to what to use as weights .. I do recall old Triangle Hornby stock containing thin metal bars .. Any recommendations as to what to use as weights .. I do recall old Triangle Hornby stock containing thin metal bars .. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted May 11, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2016 1 and 2 pence pieces. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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