Hints & Tips No.1708
 

  Source of 16VAC
  

  by Phil McClure
  

  Many modern controllers do not have 16 Volts AC outputs or have a very low current value which slows down trains if you are not using a Capacitor Discharge Unit for points for example. Old Triang/ Hornby / H&M controllers have such an output and can be picked up fairly cheaply at train shows etc. Check the condition of the cable and plug and if necessary get a qualified electrician etc to replace the cord and/or plug.

Hints & Tips No.1709
 

  Fixing Flywheels – Several Methods
  

  by Jack Baulderstone
  

  I fit Athearn Flywheels to Mashima motors using Athearn's universals. There is a difference of 1mm between the universals and the shaft size which I use off cuts of Bic Biro tubes. I use a small dab of super glue in the end of the tubes and a small amount of Super Glue in the centre of the Universal bore to avoid glue getting to the bearings of the motor.
  

  Alternatively Loctite 243 Threadlock or 610 will do the business. Degrease surfaces with lighter fluid or equivalent first.

Hints & Tips No.1710
 

  Fixing Low Relief Buildings
  

  by Lachlan McEvoy
  

  A low relief building can be adhered by either PVA or contact adhesive to stop it moving once located. Several dabs of PVA on the edges of a building on a card, wood or plastic base. PVA has a slow enough setting time to allow for quite a bit of fine-tuning.

Hints & Tips No.1711


 When Painting Plain Plastic Figurines
  By Several Modellers
  I recommend drilling a small hole through their foot/leg and putting a straight pin in it. To paint you can place the pins in holes in the dowel. After you are done painting, you can use the pin to mount the figure to the layout - (Jeff Schultz)
  To make a hole as Jeff suggested, hold a dressmakers pin in some pliers, warm the pin in the flame of a candle, then carefully push it into the foot of the figure. It will cool quickly ( if you do not get it too hot! ) Trial and error will tell you hot it needs to be. Once cool, it should be solid and then clip it off if you do not need it to plant the figure or drill a small pin hole where you will place the figure - (Randy Mackenzie) 
 

 Hints & Tips No.1712


A Quick and Easy Above Pool in N scale


by Gregor Daly




I took a screwtop bottle cap and filled it with resin to simulate water in a pool and it looks like an above ground pool in an N scale back yard.

A note from Trevor
Bigger Screw Tops from Jars (in Australia, plastic fruit containers from "Goulburn Valley" come to mind) could be used for the larger scales with the water being the resin or clear PVA glue)

 Hints & Tips No.1713
  

  Sleeving your wiring with straws
  

  by Michael Miller
  

  

  When I am wiring I use ordinary drinking straws to sleeve the wires. Keeps them tidy and it is easier to use cable clips on the straws. You could even use the straws that bend â€¦ they might be useful in some areas.

 Hints & Tips No.1714
  

  Paint Matching
  

  by Richard Rigby
  

  From bitter experience I have learnt that it is worth keeping a record somewhere of what paints where used for what, important when it comes to matching paint in the future, for repairing that little scratch etc.

 Hints & Tips No.1715
  

  Paint Mixing Acrylics
  

  by Several Modellers
  

  Believe it or not, not all acrylics are compatible, even the cheapie ones within the same brand. Others may not mix well with some other cheapie brands and may tend to clump up a bit. (Rob Bell)
  

  I would try mixing a very small sample of both types of paint and see if there is any adverse chemical reaction. I know that regular latex house paint will cause plaster of the types we use on our layout to set up immediately, before you can even extract the spoon from the mix. (Chris Cole)

Hints & Tips No.1716

Stopping Squealing in Noisy motors

by Several Modellers


You need to add a very sparing drop of oil to the bearing (usually brass) adjacent / closest  to the brushes.  Too much lubricant, depending on the design of the motor, and the oil can get on the commutator  - not a good outcome.

I dip the tip of the pin in the model oil and the little drop that forms on the end will be more than enough, then touch the pin on the bearing/shaft interface and the drop will run into the correct spot.

 Hints & Tips No.1717
  

  Model Antennas
  

  by Trevor Gibbs
  

  Those nylon links such as you would find between pairs of socks or shoes in a shop can be cut and used as aerials for locomotives and taxis. These can be painted with a Tamiya type paint to represent the colour appropriate to your needs.

 Hints & Tips No.1718
  

  Checking out Air Brushes
  

  by Erik Tek
  

  I have been custom painting for 20 plus years. In my opinion air brushes are like a cordless drill. They are all made up of the same parts but assembled and designed in different ways. I would recommend if you can find someone in the area that carries the air brushes you are interested in. Is to go there and see how each one feels in your hand. There is nothing worse in having a tool that does a job, but does not feel right in your hands. I have purchased many different power tools, based on the feel in my hands and air brushes are no different.

 Hints & Tips No.1719
  

  Practicing using an Air Brush (and other tools) Pt 1
  

  by Tom Stuart
  

  When I first got a table saw, a friend told me to make a lot of sawdust. Cut to width, length, dado, and angle cuts on scrap wood to build up your skills. The same holds true for the airbrush. Get a large piece of cardboard and practice small lines and dots, and large coverage. Offcut pieces of 2x2 are about the size of a HO box cars. A 4x4 is about the size of a house. Practice on these until you are satisfied that it will look good on your layout.

 Hints & Tips No.1720
  

  Practising using an Air Brush (and other tools) Pt 2
  

  by Ross Matthews
  

  You should wear some sort of rubber-like gloves anyway to keep your hands cleaner and avoid any reaction with thinners etc on your skin. The thin latex gloves are cheap protection for you, especially if you have tiny cuts in your hands.

  Hints & Tips No.1721


Using an Air Brush in Noise Sensitive areas
  
 
  by Mike Bauers
  
 
  If you live in a confined apartment block or similar, you could need a silent air supply due to ‘condo-like’ rules. I started out a pump-style garden sprayer hooked up to a regular air-line regulator and an in-line filter for good measure, attached to its hose. I bought it with the eye towards making more conventional use of it whenever I later got a house. It needs to be manually pumped up to use, the charge lasts for about two models in HO and is absolutely silent in use. Admittedly I was spraying with Floquil and Scalecoat paints at 12-15 pounds with the tank pumped up to about 50 pounds, most often with my Badger-150. I lived in an apartment with a nice porch on the second/third floor in a split-level complex. I would do my painting on the porch, in a large cardboard box.

Maybe it sounds too unconventional but it sure worked well for me.


                       by Evan James
  

   Think about going the air bottle route. Any industrial gas supplier could probably help you and the bottle would probably last a year or so.
  
 

      Hints & Tips No.1722


 Clearances Pt 1
  
 by Several Modellers
  
 
  Many Railway Modellers have an interesting tendency to try to pack in as much track as possible into their “worlds”. There are a couple of points to be very wary of when it comes to clearances
  Tunnel Mouths - A tunnel or bridge cross beam should be high enough to clear your highest piece of rollingstock. Many US modellers have been caught out with for example with recent models of Double Stacked containers. Similarly tunnel mouths on curves should have sufficient side clearances for the longest rolling stock pieces on your layout to take care of excessive overhang as can occur on Model Railway Curves.
  
 
  Double track curves - Curves should also have sufficient side clearances for the longest rolling stock pieces on your layout to take care of excessive overhang. Relying on the geometric separation of Set track radii is sometimes not adequate. If you are using set track then making the outer track a very short section (The Peco ST203 Special Short straight/Hornby short straight for example or an Atlas track short section) will ease the problem of rolling stock side swiping each other around curves.

Hints & Tips No.1723


 Clearances Pt 2


 by Several Modellers

 
  Edge of Board – Unless you have a sheet of Acrylic, having track near the edge is inviting a problem if it gets knocked. Murphy's law dictates that it will wind up on the floor with resultant misery. (A note from Trevor – I have a very good relationship with my local picture framer and I have been able to get a lot of acrylic sheet offcuts, 4 ft long and free! They cannot use them but are usually gratified that we can!
  
 
  Point motors - Should be mounted where practical underneath the points they are controlling.

Hints & Tips No.1724

Window shades for passenger cars


 by Marlon Medina
  
 
  
After looking at some photos of prototype passenger cars, I noticed that the windows shades were almost the same colour as plain Manilla folders. I cut them into 1/2" strips, and long enough to slightly overlap the end windows. I drew a guideline 1/8" from the top edge. I then made pencil marks that lined up with the posts between the windows. Then, using a small square, I drew lines from the guideline to the bottom of the strip.

Hints & Tips No.1725

Using an Air Brush Changing Colours with Solvent Based Paints
  
 
   by Mike Bauers
  
 
  
 A method with solvent paints is to plug in a bottle of clean solvent, run some of it through the airbrush. Then back-out adjust the needle to make the airbrush blow back into the bottle of solvent.
  
 Covering the nozzle of the air brush with your finger will direct all of the air flow back into the bottle of solvent. You need to first back-off the needle to prevent your finger from being punctured by it. Save the dirty solvent for weathering use, including the occasional thinning of your pure weathering colors for spraying to have more variety in your weathering.
  
 
   That is where the use of some colour cups instead of just paint bottles with an airbrush is useful. Swish the front end of the airbrush into an shallow pool of solvent [a dish perhaps and the inner cone will be cleared of fresh paint. You are now ready to change colours…
  
 When you are done, do the airbrush maker's suggested tear down and complete cleaning of the airbrush.

Hints & Tips No.1726


 Using Aluminium as a brace
  
 
   by Alan Warner
  
 
  Aluminium angle is extruded and not drawn so the inside is a perfect 90 degrees. A small length by 1.5″ X 1.5″ is ideal to set up the corner of buildings on the inside or outside of the angle. Simply apply the glue and clamp in place on the inside or outside and allow to set overnight. Cover the corner you are using with some masking tape just in case the glue you are using takes a liking to the aluminium.  

Hints & Tips No.1727
    Using up incomplete kits
    by Alan Warner
    I had an old Airfix house from last century, the roof got lost. How I don’t know so I simply turned it into a building site.
  
 
   Hints & Tips No.1728
    Making Frosted and Tinted Windows
    by Several Modellers
   
For frosted windows simply sand the clear plastic with fine grit (220 or finer) sandpaper. Nice, smooth finish. Put the plastic on the frame with the non-sanded sign to the outside.
    
I used to use white poly. to cover lavatory and factory windows.
    
To make tinted windows. I use scrap plastic, paint it black, then glue in over the window. it looks like tinted glass. that way you cannot look in and see nothing.