3D printed MR Brake
Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2020 10:56 am
I've not been active in the hobby for a good few months, and it's surprising how developments move along so quickly when you're not looking. 3D printing is just one of the areas that have advanced recently. I was given a Bill Bedford MR Brake van before the virus hit so I thought I'd make it the first victim of my "Shelf of Shame" attack. On opening the box what surprised me was that it appeared to be a semi RTR model. I know a printed kit should be like that, but to an old school kit builder like me it was a pleasant surprise.
The kit took me about 10 evenings to complete - but really it should have taken a lot less. I made some mistakes, and hit a couple of problems which I wanted to share so others don't trip over the same stones.
The main problem was in fettling the brake gear etc to get the wheels fitted. I'm used to carving and cutting soft plastic kits, but this material is far more brittle. I managed to break the footboards and pull rods by being too heavy handed.
Once repaired I realised the printed underframe meant I couldn't use my usual Brassmasters' axle spacer.
So I made one up with plasticard using an old (I think Bill B) jig, and attached an inside bearing.
It did the trick. Normally I would add lamp irons etc, but I decided not to drill into the body because of my previous setbacks. Also I didn't use the supplied buffer heads as I couldn't get them to spring so drilled out some MRTs instead. I didn't trust the strength of the hooks either so replaced them - which is a shame as they're terrific.
I know it's relatively early days for 3D printing, but it really felt like I had a glimpse into the future for our hobby with this kit. I like scratch and kit building, but this technology is an exciting advance for our hobby. I just need to be less heavy handed with the material!
The kit took me about 10 evenings to complete - but really it should have taken a lot less. I made some mistakes, and hit a couple of problems which I wanted to share so others don't trip over the same stones.
The main problem was in fettling the brake gear etc to get the wheels fitted. I'm used to carving and cutting soft plastic kits, but this material is far more brittle. I managed to break the footboards and pull rods by being too heavy handed.
Once repaired I realised the printed underframe meant I couldn't use my usual Brassmasters' axle spacer.
So I made one up with plasticard using an old (I think Bill B) jig, and attached an inside bearing.
It did the trick. Normally I would add lamp irons etc, but I decided not to drill into the body because of my previous setbacks. Also I didn't use the supplied buffer heads as I couldn't get them to spring so drilled out some MRTs instead. I didn't trust the strength of the hooks either so replaced them - which is a shame as they're terrific.
I know it's relatively early days for 3D printing, but it really felt like I had a glimpse into the future for our hobby with this kit. I like scratch and kit building, but this technology is an exciting advance for our hobby. I just need to be less heavy handed with the material!