Axle/hornblock alignment jigs

[Steve Carter]

Can anyone advise me where I can obtain a set of Axle/hornblock alignment jigs please?
I understand that Puffers do them but I have contacted Chris Parrish and he said he is not trading at the moment.
Any suggestions please?
Thanks

[barrowroad]

Hi Waterloo,

There are a number of basic axle jigs available - London Road Models springs to mind.

However Avonside Works is now marketing the new CHASSIS2 Jig shown in the products section of Sales and Wants.
I declare an interest as a partner in the business.
Please have a look at our website http://www.avonsideworks.com for a full description of the Jig and let me know what you think.

Cheers,

Robin.

[grovenor-2685]

The LRM ones are £3.50, see http://www.scalefour.org/london%20road/lrm_comp.htm
Comet also does an assembly jig, see

LS61.jpg

(its listed in the catalogue under locomotive components).
The LRM and Comet fulfill different functions so you can use both.

Although if you are planning to build a fleet then the Avonside Jig mentioned by Barrowroad is worth considering.
Regards

[Tim V]

Another way of building locos is not to use any of these sort of jigs which rely on setting the wheelbase to the coupling rods, have a look at Scalefour News 142 (is it in the archive Keith ), and build your locos the John Brighton way. I've built several now using his methods and it works

[grovenor-2685]

All the Scalefour Newses are in the archive, and there is an index as well.
Regards

[Steve Carter]

Thanks for the advice everyone.
The CHASSIS2 Jig looks a neat bit of kit but. However, I am looking to build my first chassis kit so will stick to the jigs from Comet and LRM to start with.
I have downloaded the article by John Brighton and will certainly consider that method.
Again, many thanks.

[Allan Goodwillie]

Does anyone know if the Perseverance jigs are still available. I use them for constructing my own models and want to able to recommend them for the system I use, if not I will have to find an equivalent.

Allan

[Russ Elliott]

What did the Perseverance jigs look like, Allan?

[grovenor-2685]

I think that is what 'Waterloo' was asking about in the first post to this topic. We have come full circle
IIRC these were dummy axles with pointed ends you could fit the rods on. I think they have also been offered on and off by others.
The LRM version is £3.50 a set on this page http://www.scalefour.org/london%20road/lrm_comp.htm as already mentioned above.

Regards
Keith

[Allan Goodwillie]

Thanks Keith,

that's reassuring as I can point to this direction for beginners who need the same. I have another query to identify the frame gauges I use, which I had thought were either Comet or Brassmasters, but they don't look like the Comet ones illustrated. Here are the ones I use, they have an inner edge which fits the 6mm cut out exactly which is very positive and they also have the springs attached which are perfect for my own system. Really nice design. When you have a big box full of gauges that you have collected over the years you begin to forget just where and when you bought them.

Allan

[Russ Elliott]

Allan - I think those frame gauges may be Kean-Maygib?

[Jim Summers]

Clever clogs here has kept his examples of what Allan has pictured in the original plastic bag, with the label. It reads "Variflex Axle Jigs for Hornblock Alignment V001". I reckon they space frames to 14.6mm.

Exactoscale did something similar called Loco Mainframe Assembly Gauge P4 Standards Item LM045. I note that it gave 15mm spacing, but they also offered other spacing sections to give even wider spacing, which was not for me.

Both these types need a 1.95mm clearance hole in your frames.

Jim

[grovenor-2685]

The Comet frame alignment jig shown above will work with Top hat bearings in a rigid chassis or with their LS59 adaptors for 6mm wide hornways. I bought it, and the adaptors along with a class 5 chassis which is still in the drawer so I have yet to use them. but they look like they will work well.
Putting the caliper over then they are 14.7 mm wide which with the Comet frames will be 15.5 mm over frames.
Here's the assembly sketch and the adaptors.

comet-2.jpg

Regards
Keith

[Paul Willis]

What did the Perseverance jigs look like, Allan?

Delving in my tool chest, this is my set of the original Perseverance jigs. The springs were included in the package, and used to hold the hornblocks in location in the chassis whilst you wafted a soldering iron in their general direction. These required the correct sized holes in the coupling rods (or the use of bushes) to be accurate.

Axle jigs 001 (Medium).jpg

I also seem to have (more recently) acquired these turned aluminium examples, which have tapered ends so can be used with any size hole in the coupling rods. Although naturally you want consistency along the entire set of rods if the assembly is to go together square.

Axle jigs 003 (Medium).jpg

Flymo

[Allan Goodwillie]

Thanks everyone who has replied. Very much appreciated! I am too late to put further instalments up on the web, but will do when we get back from down south, probably Tuesday.

Allan

[smyles]

The aluminium ones with the spring on the outside I think are old EMGS ones.
Mike

[Paul Willis]

The aluminium ones with the spring on the outside I think are old EMGS ones.

Quite possibly identical, but definitely not from the EMGS...

I had a brief six months of membership and modelling in EM when I was about sixteen years old, but then I discovered P4 and the rest is history

Flymo

[Will L]

I also seem to have (more recently) acquired these turned aluminium examples, which have tapered ends so can be used with any size hole in the coupling rods. Although naturally you want consistency along the entire set of rods if the assembly is to go together square.

Axle jigs 003 (Medium).jpg

Flymo

Pretty sure mine, which are steel but look just like these, came from Jeremy off the sales stand at a show I like them, you use short lenthgs of cable insulation striped from layout wire to hold the rods in place against the taper. I think you will find that, if need be, they work with different size holes in the rods, so long the holes are centred correctly.

Will

[Paul Willis]

I also seem to have (more recently) acquired these turned aluminium examples, which have tapered ends so can be used with any size hole in the coupling rods. Although naturally you want consistency along the entire set of rods if the assembly is to go together square.


Flymo

I like them, you use short lenthgs of cable insulation striped from layout wire to hold the rods in place against the taper.

That's a cracking tip to know. Simple when you think of it, but it stops all of that struggling with needing three hands to hold the rods, the jigs, and chassis itself.

Thanks!

Flymo

[DavidM]

Alan wrote:

I have another query to identify the frame gauges I use, which I had thought were either Comet or Brassmasters, but they don't look like the Comet ones illustrated. Here are the ones I use, they have an inner edge which fits the 6mm cut out exactly which is very positive and they also have the springs attached which are perfect for my own system. Really nice design. When you have a big box full of gauges that you have collected over the years you begin to forget just where and when you bought them.

Alan, I have a similar set of jigs to yours and I'm fairly sure that I got mine from Exactoscale - probably 15-20 years ago.

One of the problems with the old Perseverance jigs was they were made from steel and got badly corroded if you forgot to clean the flux off them - in the inevitable excitment of getting your hornblocks all aligned and wobbling up and down! I got a new set after building my first few locos and chemically blackened them to provide some protection, but then discovered the spigots for the rods varied quite a bit in diameter, so abandoned them.

I now use the Avonside jig and have found it to be the best solution I've encountered, well worth the expense!

David Murrell

[Re6/6]

Being slightly OT, I can thoroughly recommend the 'Avonside' jig. It has proved excellent at the first attempt using it. Although it's been a considerable investment, it has proved itself for my first 'decent' chassis, a prehistoric etched diesel kit with thick mainframes and no slots for the horn guides. It has turned out to be 'idiot proof' as far as I'm concerned. I write with no connection to the manufacturer, only as a very satisfied customer!

I'll be looking forward to trying it out on a rather finer quality chassis.

006.JPG

[Allan Goodwillie]

Thank you both,

I do appreciate that these jigs work well as far as I have been told, but I have no personal experience of them, as yet. I am concerned about the sheer cost of all the commercial bits and pieces " required " to build a good chassis, as it may put off beginners at the early stages of building. I would not want to put anyone off buying one either, but I would like to illustrate a method, which will give good results for fairly low cost, with a high degree of success and precision. One of my jigs can be used in much the same way. I am going to get some more information up on the 4um this week in the starters section.

Chassis looks good so far - looking forward to see how you get on, you may want to have a look at some of my other jigs to see how to deal with other problems, which may arise. Is the locomotive operating yet?

Allan

[allanferguson]

I've written this out already, previewed it, then hit the back button to amend it, whereupon it disappeared. This is version 2, and may differ from version 1.

I go along with Allan Goodwillie about the cost of some of these jigs (and I have some of them). So I humbly offer the gadget I'm using for my current project. It's a piece of 19mm MDF marked and pilot drilled from the coupling rods. The holes are then drilled 3mm in the pillar drill, to ensue perpendicularity, and lengths of 1/8" silver steel were pressed in. I used the lathe, but could probably have used the pillar drill again. It is important that the rods are parallel and perpendicular to the MDF.

I found it to be a useful aid to building and erecting the frames, which are held accurately and reliably by the rods. Drawbacks --- The MDF is affected by the flux I use; and of course they only suit the one locomotive.

Don't look too closely at the soldering on the frames! Oh, and I'm not previewing this, so I don't know what it'll look like

Allan Ferguson

Frame Jig 3.JPG

[grovenor-2685]

I have tried the preview - back button combo, does not seem to make anything disappear for me?
But you are not supposed to use the back button, when you preview your composition window remains open below the preview so you just scroll down, edit, preview again if you need to, until you are happy, then Submit.
Regards
Keith

[Russ Elliott]

The assumption that a 3mm drill will remain 'on centre' through a 1.5mm pilot is a confident one.

Would this be overegging the pudding? :

frame-jig-alt.png