Vac. hoses/steam heating
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Vac. hoses/steam heating
Completing a rake of 4 & 6 wheel carriages which will be semi-permanently coupled, I'd like to show the hoses joined together. Does anyone know of a suitably corrugated wire to represent the hoses? I'm thinking of braided guitar wire as a possibility, but wonder if it might be a bit stiff and not hang realistically.
Steve
Steve
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Steve,
It's been suggested before by others and I'm in the process of trying it, so have a look at 'jewellers gimp'. It's available at 1mm diameter which is about the right diameter.
Bryan
It's been suggested before by others and I'm in the process of trying it, so have a look at 'jewellers gimp'. It's available at 1mm diameter which is about the right diameter.
Bryan
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
I method I've used for a long time and I take no credit for as it was described probably in MRJ many years ago. Fishing line, probably about 6lb, is wrapped around a wire of suitable diameter and then plunged into boiling water for a short time. On removal the line will have formed into the shape needed and can be cut to length. The coil remains flexible and could have one of those tiny neodinium magnets glued to the end so that it will connect with a similar one on the next vehicle (if you get the polarity correct). Sorry that's a bit vague as I made a lot in one go years ago and have forgotten the details. Hopefully this post will jog somebody into posting chapter and verse.
Tony Comber
Tony Comber
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
I wouldn't worry about the corrugations - you have to blow up photos of the real thing very, very big before the corrugations become visible.
When rendered in 4mm scale, the corrugations tend to look clumsy. If you want texture on the hose, a more subtle effect can be achieved with paint - a hard brush and/or tacky paint.
Having said that, Dave Franks gets wonderfully subtle corrugations in his cast pipes...
As for hanging realistically, that will be difficult to achieve as, when coupled up, the vac hoses are not hanging - they swoop up at the end. That means you will need to use a wire which can be bent, and will stay bent - rigid in other words. All my North Sunderland stock has rigid vac pipes which swoop up at the end (and are corrugation-less), but the vehicles have spent their lives as display models so far; I'm almost certain that if they were run in a train, the vac pipes would foul those on the next vehicle. I did consider the magnet route, which Jim SW and others have done, but will it work for high-level pipes such as those on carriages? - will you get the realistic bend shape?
When rendered in 4mm scale, the corrugations tend to look clumsy. If you want texture on the hose, a more subtle effect can be achieved with paint - a hard brush and/or tacky paint.
Having said that, Dave Franks gets wonderfully subtle corrugations in his cast pipes...
As for hanging realistically, that will be difficult to achieve as, when coupled up, the vac hoses are not hanging - they swoop up at the end. That means you will need to use a wire which can be bent, and will stay bent - rigid in other words. All my North Sunderland stock has rigid vac pipes which swoop up at the end (and are corrugation-less), but the vehicles have spent their lives as display models so far; I'm almost certain that if they were run in a train, the vac pipes would foul those on the next vehicle. I did consider the magnet route, which Jim SW and others have done, but will it work for high-level pipes such as those on carriages? - will you get the realistic bend shape?
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
If I were to do this I would use silicon covered wire because it is extremely flexible with a mini magnet on the connection end as per Jim S-W. Remove the wire from the cable and just use the silicon sleeve.
John
still building parapets
John
still building parapets
Slaving away still on GCR stuff ...
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Thanks guys,
Being lazy I hadn't done my homework so I dug out John Chamber's post https://www.scalefour.org/forum/search.php?keywords=magnet&t=3654&sf=msgonly which made all clear! just need to source the tiny magnets now!
thanks for responding.
Steve
Being lazy I hadn't done my homework so I dug out John Chamber's post https://www.scalefour.org/forum/search.php?keywords=magnet&t=3654&sf=msgonly which made all clear! just need to source the tiny magnets now!
thanks for responding.
Steve
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
https://www.first4magnets.com/ is a good source of very small magnets.
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
I use elastic cord and small magnets for connectable vacuum hoses. More details here on the specific types used: https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=164&t=7786&start=25
Cheers,
Liam
Cheers,
Liam
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Purely out of curiosity, how does it work when a hose on a standpipe meets one on a bufferbeam?
Regards
Noel
Noel
Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
I could make you some of these if you are interested:
The light grey bits in the graphic are magnets. They are auto-coupling but need a push downwards with a shunter's pole to disengage.
The light grey bits in the graphic are magnets. They are auto-coupling but need a push downwards with a shunter's pole to disengage.
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Noel wrote:Purely out of curiosity, how does it work when a hose on a standpipe meets one on a bufferbeam?
This (scroll down a bit...)
http://www.d8233.org.uk/ww130413.htm
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
billbedford wrote:I could make you some of these if you are interested:
Fixed coupling.jpg
The light grey bits in the graphic are magnets. They are auto-coupling but need a push downwards with a shunter's pole to disengage.
Looks interesting Bill, my coaches have the tall standpipe. What sort of price are we looking at?
Steve
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Stuartp wrote:Noel wrote:
Purely out of curiosity, how does it work when a hose on a standpipe meets one on a bufferbeam?
This (scroll down a bit...)
http://www.d8233.org.uk/ww130413.htm
My enquiry was about how the magnets work in that situation [which I have since been told they do, but coupling requires assistance from the operator].
Regards
Noel
Noel
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Ah, understood. Sorry.
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
This may seem like a daft question, but don't these magnets have a N and a S pole so what would bethe result of getting carriages the wrong way around? Or do they have each end t'other way around and keep the carriages as a fixed rake?
Slaving away still on GCR stuff ...
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Stuartp wrote:Ah, understood. Sorry.
No problem. I was a little startled by the hoses being connected but no coupling in place - I assume [hope?] it wasn't normal practice .
Regards
Noel
Noel
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Re: Vac. hoses/steam heating
Yes I was always told to couple the hoses last that way you have control of the brake. I have one colleague who knows exactly what noise a vacuum pipe makes when you rip it physically out of the headstock though ...
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