[Scratch3rail]

I make no secret of the fact that I buy basketcase trains. Some I refer to as the 'Davy Jones' Locker Collection', but others are just old, and time has done its work on the 80 year old plastic. One reason I love 3d printing is that I can replace many of these parts with only an evening of CAD design. Sometime ago I got a cracked brushplate on a motor. fast forward to yesterday and I finally got around to designing and printing a new one using the metal parts from the old:

 

[Mikeh49]

Cool. How do you decide that your material is suitable for a "structural" application like this (or the E6 Atlantic wheels)? Do you have much of a choice of materials?

 

[Scratch3rail]

Cool. How do you decide that your material is suitable for a "structural" application like this (or the E6 Atlantic wheels)? Do you have much of a choice of materials?

I print in 2 materials, PLA and PETG. PLA is inexpensive, gives crisp prints and is the friendliest to work with from a printing perspective. It sands and paints well in my opinion and can print in the smallest of nozzles for the highest resolution. PETG has higher wear resistance and higher temperature tolerance (I made the motor part out of it). It's also very 'slick', so moving parts are rather like delrin in that regard. Either are equally good as far as being strong enough for a model part at room temperature though.

The drive wheels for the E6 were printed in PETG because I was trying to finish a nearly empty spool, but PLA would've given better detail.

I'm in the middle of some significant upgrades to my printer (Direct drive and eventually an all-metal hot end) which will let me print ABS and Nylon, but PLA will likely retain it's top spot for me for model parts.

 

[AmFlyer]

Nice to be able to print parts for your repairs and projects.

 

[Scratch3rail]

Nice to be able to print parts for your repairs and projects.

On this note, how many of you have access to a 3d printer and would have interest in these designs? I haven't released any yet because I haven't heard much on that front other than pre-printed part requests

 

[richlmurph1947]

I make no secret of the fact that I buy basketcase trains. Some I refer to as the 'Davy Jones' Locker Collection', but others are just old, and time has done its work on the 80 year old plastic. One reason I love 3d printing is that I can replace many of these parts with only an evening of CAD design. Sometime ago I got a cracked brushplate on a motor. fast forward to yesterday and I finally got around to designing and printing a new one using the metal parts from the old:
View attachment 652730
View attachment 652729

At my age (an old man) very jealous of those that are young will grow up with so many neat things. But my generation had many new things come along in the 50's.

 

[OldGabby]

At my age (an old man) very jealous of those that are young will grow up with so many neat things. But my generation had many new things come along in the 50's.

Yeah - like Fender guitars and Bo Diddley!

 

[Big Ed]

Yeah - like Fender guitars and Bo Diddley!

And Rin Tin Tin and Lassie and Bullet.