Hi Ed --
Not a dumb question.
As you know, I owned a hobby shop for years. We carried at least six
different sizes of silicone fuel tubing. DuBro was just one of the
manufacturers, and blue was just one of the colors. The proper size to use
will require some considerable effort to slide onto the shaft more than just
a fraction of an inch, and should have enough grip that 1/4” of tubing on
the shaft will have more than enough traction to prevent slipping. In
some cases, one might have to sleeve the shaft(s) to enlarge them to a size
that one can find a good size fuel tubing to fit. Using silicone fuel
tubing on shafts with less than 1/4" of usable length is probably not a good
idea, and I would look toward things like the NWSL ball and socket
couplings. That said, there are times when you just can’t get that perfect
fit and adding a touch of instant glue will take care of things. I try
like crazy to avoid that though, as you obviously don’t want any glue to get
into bearings, and occasionally you might want to disassemble the joint.
If I have to (only once in all the times I have done this), I will put the
tubing on one shaft, put a drop of medium CA in the tube and then slide it
on the other shaft, again making sure the shafts line up to each other.
The medium CA gives you a bit of time to get things adjusted. Also, the
shafts have to be chemically clean, as the CA will not stick to an oily
shaft. Roughing up the shaft with sandpaper will also help. If only one
side is a problem, then a bit of glue on just that side is all that you
should do. If ever you have to undue the joint, slicing the tubing
lengthwise with a sharp knife and peeling it away from the shaft will take
care of it.
Also, I use whatever STRAIGHT wire I can get to use for an intermediate
shaft. In the smaller sizes (1/16" or less) I use piano wire. For
larger sizes I have found K+S brass rod to be easy to work with. In case
you are curious, the smallest shaft I have used was 1/32" with the ends
bushed up to 3/32", and that was for an HO tender drive 4-4-0 where I didn't
want the shaft between the loco and tender to be obvious to casual viewing.
Have fun!
Bill Winans
-------------------------------
Dumb question, but I have to ask: Is the tubing ACC'd to the shaft or is the
natural inherant stretch of the tubing sufficient to hold it firmly without
slippage? Thx....Ed Loizeaux
-------------------------------
> First, there are several sizes of silicone fuel tubing. These have a LOT
> of stretch, and you want to get the smallest that you can that you can
> still get onto the shafts.
> Bill Winans
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