A Simple Holding Cradle

[steve howe]

I'm sure many experienced modellers on here will have something like this in their armoury. I have been promising myself to make one for the last 20 years! A spate of underframe works recently prompted the need for something a bit more secure than the usual blocks and bits of steel bar wobbling about.

 

The photo is more or less self-explanatory: 2 lengths of 20mm aluminium angle about 380mm long clamped together and drilled 6mm clearance, one piece also had countersunk holes drilled for wood screws. The base is an offcut of ply, not too thick, covered in 3mm foam sheet. I think C & L sell something similar, although thick felt would do. Similar strips of foam were glued to the inside faces of the angle. One piece is screwed to the base through the foam and the second is simply aligned with 6mm bolts and nuts.

 

Half an hour to make (not counting glueing time and tea) and a really handy addition to the general clutter on the bench!

 

 

Steve

[The Johnster]

High tech by my standards, Steve; I am currently using a pair of old caps from spray cans to hold steam locos upside down for working on them.  Some combination of them at the requisite distance apart with the cab, chimney, and dome locating in them does the trick excellently.  

 

I have a sort of channel cradle bent up out of stiff card which does for holding coaches and vans; opens can just lie on their tops by and large!  There are also a couple of cradles carved out of bits of expanded polystyrene for holding coaches and vans by their roofs to allow paint or varnish to dry on the sides.  

 

Lo fi, but they all work!

[JDW]

Mine are simpler still.  A pair of (new!) sponges with a channel cut in them to hold the loco.  Currently a pair or washing up sponges with rough scouring surface on the bottom, but it makes little difference, so long as they are deep enough to cut a channel out of!  

[teaky]

Excellent Steve.  Thanks for posting that.  I'm going to pinch your design and make one of those for myself. 

[RexAshton]

Excellent Steve.  Thanks for posting that.  I'm going to pinch your design and make one of those for myself. 

Me to. Thanks to the OP for the idea.

[t-b-g]

Another distinctly low tech solution is to use the foam that protects the edges of things like kitchen worktops.

 

Mine came from Mr Enterprising Western of this parish but it should be obtainable from anybody having a new kitchen fitted!

 

Edited to add that yours is much more elegant and somehow "proper" and I wish I had one!

Edited January 31, 2018 by t-b-g

[timbowilts]

Another distinctly low tech solution is to use the foam that protects the edges of things like kitchen worktops.

 

Mine came from Mr Enterprising Western of this parish but it should be obtainable from anybody having a new kitchen fitted!IMG_20180131_210947_hdr.jpg

 

Edited to add that yours is much more elegant and somehow "proper" and I wish I had one!

Somebody was selling this stuff on eBay, that's where I got mine, can't afford a new kitchen being a decidedly poor pensioner now

 

Tim T