Gaah! Those teeny tiny little bearings.

[Sailor Charon]

Last night I thought I'd have a go at making some bogies for one of the coach kits I've got. (I'm talking about N gauge) I learnt two things.

One, just because you can solder things, that doesn't mean it's the best way to do things. (I tinned the backs of the... help wossname failure... bogie side overlays to sweat them on, and, in all honesty, I'd have been much better off using glue.) Not too much of a worry. After all, two bogies are only a fiver, I can afford to shrug my shoulders and chalk it up to experience.

Two, those blasted bearings are tiny wee little divils that run away and hide when you stop looking at them. And they fall out. Unless I'm doing things wrong - which I quite possibly am - I thought bearings shouldn't be fixed in place. Anyway, they fall out. A lot. And vanish into the ether. Maybe they've turned up at your house? They're small enough to be affected by quantum. So maybe it's the exclusion principle. No, that's socks in the dryer, and explains why 6 black socks come out as 4 black ones, one of which is too long or too short, a short green one, and a long white one... (ahem. Stay on topic, Faye-chan. Use the forks.)

But yes. Can anybody suggest what I can do about the bearings? Other than work in OO or O. Believe me, if I had the money (and the room. Then again, if I had the money, I'd have the room as well) I'd be working in O. I like O gauge. Things have a real presence... (Sorry)

So, once again, does anybody have any practical advice as to what to do with N gauge wheel bearings?

Thanks in advance.

[PaulCheffus]

Last night I thought I'd have a go at making some bogies for one of the coach kits I've got. (I'm talking about N gauge) I learnt two things.

One, just because you can solder things, that doesn't mean it's the best way to do things. (I tinned the backs of the... help wossname failure... bogie side overlays to sweat them on, and, in all honesty, I'd have been much better off using glue.) Not too much of a worry. After all, two bogies are only a fiver, I can afford to shrug my shoulders and chalk it up to experience.

Two, those blasted bearings are tiny wee little divils that run away and hide when you stop looking at them. And they fall out. Unless I'm doing things wrong - which I quite possibly am - I thought bearings shouldn't be fixed in place. Anyway, they fall out. A lot. And vanish into the ether. Maybe they've turned up at your house? They're small enough to be affected by quantum. So maybe it's the exclusion principle. No, that's socks in the dryer, and explains why 6 black socks come out as 4 black ones, one of which is too long or too short, a short green one, and a long white one... (ahem. Stay on topic, Faye-chan. Use the forks.)

But yes. Can anybody suggest what I can do about the bearings? Other than work in OO or O. Believe me, if I had the money (and the room. Then again, if I had the money, I'd have the room as well) I'd be working in O. I like O gauge. Things have a real presence... (Sorry)

So, once again, does anybody have any practical advice as to what to do with N gauge wheel bearings?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi

 

For building up overlays I use solder cream between the layers, add a bit of flux and then heat it until the solder cream becomes silver.

 

I always solder my bearings in.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[Kenton]

most bearings should be soldered in place - or if using plastic frames then glued in place - they should be a tight fit in any case and shouldn't just fall out. Though the holes might be etched too small - even more reason to glue/solder them in.

 

The work shop carpet is a magnet for such things as wayward bearings - even if it is not a carpet the tiny mites have a habit of rolling and bouncing off into the least suspected nook and cranny. A sad fact of any scale.

[Sailor Charon]

Well, thanks guys. It's always good to learn. I don't know why I thought bearings should be loose - apart from that I did - and it's nice to know that I can fix my problem... by fixing them in.

And thanks too for the heads up about solder cream. I must admit I'd never heard of it before, but I can see how it will be useful in the future.

 

Thanks again.

[Oldddudders]

Two, those blasted bearings are tiny wee little divils that run away and hide when you stop looking at them. And they fall out. Unless I'm doing things wrong - which I quite possibly am - I thought bearings shouldn't be fixed in place. Anyway, they fall out. A lot. And vanish into the ether.

Hey SC - how do you think they manage to sell so many? You are not alone!

[scanman]

 

The work shop carpet is a magnet for such things as wayward bearings - even if it is not a carpet the tiny mites have a habit of rolling and bouncing off into the least suspected nook and cranny. A sad fact of any scale.

 

Try not to let them get that far... I have a workshop apron - the lower hem is permanently glued to the bench, so when I sit down the apron anturally covers my lap. I do NOT use the waist strap - has a disastrous effect if I inadvertantly lean backward/get up etc!

 

Catches the 'l'il critters' nicely. Not my idea - learned it from a gold- and silver-smith who reckoned it saved him thousands in filings etc that he caught & re-melted...

 

Regs

 

Ian

[Steven B]

Keep them in the packet until you need them, and when you do keep them in a plastic milk bottle top until you're actually ready to fix them in place. A decent pair of tweezers helps when it comes to moving them to the model.

 

I either glue or solder mine in place. If soldering them I fit them to the basic underframe etch before adding the cosmetic axle boxes. A small dab of solder (or solder paste) is all that's needed to hold them in place. If fitting them to plastic (or already made up etched) then a bit of runny superglue does the job. If you're fitting them to white-metal side frames then either glue or fit them "dry" to the hole filled with a bit of flux. A hot soldering iron applied to the bearing (make sure it's clean!) should be enough melt the white metal and hold it firmly in place. Make sure the iron is spotless otherwise you risk filling the bearing with solder.

 

Happy modelling,

 

Steven B.

[Boris]

Another possible tip that I use is to work on a picture frame (complete with glass), this gives you a nice flat surface for checking if things are level and also gives you a hard edge around your work surface which reduces the amount of things that make a break for freedom. Although I think that the apron idea is excellant, although I would be tempted to velcro it to the edge of the table rather than glue it.

[96701]

Keep them in the packet until you need them, and when you do keep them in a plastic milk bottle top until you're actually ready to fix them in place. A decent pair of tweezers helps when it comes to moving them to the model.

 

Steven B.

 

Am I the only one to have small things ping vast distances from tweezers?

[BR60103]

I now put a dab of Woodland Scenics Accent Glue on some tweezers, screwdrivers and such to be able to hold parts in position more easily. The glue separates easily when no longer needed and stays on the tool rather than being transferred to the part.

[Kris]

Solder the bearings in then sweat the layers on one at a time, Once you have done this re check the bearings, and resolder if needed. I find that they move at times destroying the roll-ability of the chassis or bogie.

[hollywoodfoundry]

I have a small herd of little brass bearings that just turned up on my workbench in a very small puff of purple smoke. One of them muttered something about the Tin Space Contin'em, and shuffled of the edge of the bench. The others are sitting there looking very frightened.

 

Are they yours?

[Steven B]

Am I the only one to have small things ping vast distances from tweezers?

 

No you're not - I've had plenty of stuff go "ping". Since I bought a better pair I've had less stuff vanish into the air. Like with most tools, buying a quality product helps you do the job better.

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[corax67]

N Gauge wheel bearings - why they are huge !

 

My dad was a watch and clock repairer as his hobby and watch bearings are REALLY small - to handle them his technique was to have a small block of pure beeswax on the workbench (you can get this at any craft fair these days) and a needle mounted in a short dowel handle. He would stroke the needle point on the beeswax which would deposit enough to allow him to lift the bearing with the needle and place it in situ.

 

The added advantage is that the beeswax flashes off the bearing without residue if you are soldering it into place due to its low melting point.

[ozzyo]

Solder the bearings in then sweat the layers on one at a time, Once you have done this re check the bearings, and resolder if needed. I find that they move at times destroying the roll-ability of the chassis or bogie.

 

 

 

You could also use a old metal axle or two to hold them in place while you solder the overlays in place.

 

OzzyO.

[Kris]

You could also use a old metal axle or two to hold them in place while you solder the overlays in place.

 

OzzyO.

 

I almost always solder up the layers with the basic etch still flat so the axles would not work for me, but if I were to build them up with the frames already folded I would put the axles in.

[ozzyo]

I almost always solder up the layers with the basic etch still flat so the axles would not work for me, but if I were to build them up with the frames already folded I would put the axles in.

 

 

 

Kris,

 

you can sill use the axle to hold the bearing in place even when you do it in the flat. Place the side frame on a bit of wood with a hole that is bigger than the bearing, drop the bearing into place apply flux, pop the axle into the bearing keeping you finger on the other end, apply heat and the solder will run and fix the bearing into place.

 

OzzyO.

[Kris]

Never thought about doing it that way Ozzy. The holes in the frames are generally tight enough to need reaming out a little to be able to even get the bearings through. Once they are large enough I put 4 bearings the face down on the work surface then pop the etch over them one at a time and solder from the rear. This has the added bonus on being less likely to get solder into the cup (when the bearings are only 1.5mm across this is very easy for me to manage).