I wish to thank all that have responded. What I have learned is 0.040 is too thickness for practical bending without annealing. The pros use 0.015 or 0.010. (I remember someone using 0.005 and putting all the rivets into this. Then using this as a wrapper on 0.010 to give a total of 0.015. The author said the resulting tender shell was very strong.)
I got to meet Roger Chrysler last year at the NMRA booth at TrainFest in Milwaukee. We have been e-mail friends for years. He was building an HO radial car for his layout. (Radial is Canadian for Interurban.) I have had his steeplecab construction postings, printed, in color, for several years. He did not show how he did the roof. The HO model is much thinner. He added a lip to a piece of brass tubing. Then he slid the edge of the roof into the lip, put the whole thing into a vise, then applied pressure. The wide curve for the center was made with a broomstick. I tried to follow a similar technique without the lip on the brass tubing. You have heard of my results. Well, the first roof is done. Only six more 'B' and three 'D' steeplecabs to go. I will finish locomotive 57 (with paint and decals) before I start on 56. Thorin --- In [email protected], <edhav...@...> wrote: > > Thorin, I endorse Ron Sebastian's suggestion for annealing the brass if you > intend to go with the .040 or even .015 sheet to curve it to shape. I used > .015 brass when I built a sub-roof for an old Ideal Models 1/8" scale > roadside diner that I wanted to update. I liked the graphics printed in the > 1940s on the diner sides but the card stock roof posted a problem so I cut > out .015 sheet and annealed it with a propane torch (the same type you'd buy > at a hardware or home improvement store for plumbing or other soldering > work). It then was easy to bend the sub-roof around a form just by hand. I > attached a photo showing that annealing does work quite nicely. The finished > sub-roof was a base for applying shingles. Incidentally, the roadside diner > in 12"=1 ft. form was essentially a "kit" that could be delivered on site in > the 1930s. Only Ideal Models ever made a replica version with the Art Deco > style lettering of the era. The model's detailing came from an "X Files" > episode in which the TV filming set was a diner somewhere . I did a freeze > fame and made a sketch of details. These diners were so common in the steam > era that they would make a nice S scale model of narrow width that easily > would fit into most 3/16" scale layouts because of the small footprint. > Edward B. Havens > Tucson, Ariz. > ---- dphobbies <dphobb...@...> wrote: > > Thorin > > > > A couple comments. > > > > .040 is very thick to be formed by hand or even mechanically with such a > > small footprint as an S Scale steeple cab roof. We have O Scale etched > > brass passenger car bodies that we have formed on a rather large press. > > They are only .025 thick and still pose some difficulty even using steel > > forming tools. A urethane membrane is placed between the female tool and > > the etched plate so the rivet detail is not obscured. > > > > If you roof has etched detail this will pose a problem for you. If it is > > not etched, I would substitute a much thinner piece of brass for the roof, > > probably somewhere in the .015 range. Although that is considerably > > thinner than what was apparently provided in your kit, you will find it > > very robust when soldered in place. > > > > If you are detemined to use the kit part, then anneal the brass to soften > > it significantly to form your bends. > > > > Good luck. > > > > Ron Sebastian > > Des Plaines > > > > > > --- In [email protected], Thorinn Marty <lagthor@> wrote: > > > > > > Good morning, > > > I am assembling a brass steeplecab kit. All of the pieces come > > > flat. > > > The roof consists of a piece of 0.040" thick brass. (Wire gauge 19.) I > > > am > > > supposed to curve it to create a standard boxcab roof: flat with curves > > > only > > > from side-to-side. The radius at the edge is about 1/4 inch and the rest > > > is a > > > wide, gentle curve. > > > > > > I just shaped the first roof for my steeplecab fleet. It was not fun and > > > I am > > > not trilled with the results. (Fortunately a wooden pantograph platform > > > will > > > cover most of the mess.) The piece is too wide for my bending brake. > > > My hands > > > are not strong enough to shape this 0.040 or 19 gauge brass sheet. It > > > is too > > > slippery for my vice to hold with a rod plus I am trying to not damage > > > the > > > rivet detail. Do I need a specialty tool? > > > > > > This one is small at only 3 1/2 inches in length. I plan to build some > > > big > > > boxcabs, starting with a NYNH&H EF-3b. These will be the same width but > > > much > > > longer. > > > > > > I know these lists includes some masters of brass. How do you shape such > > > things? > > > Thorin > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
