How to drill locos for Kadee couplers?

I have two Athern Locos I want to add Kadee couplers to.

I know I need a 2-32 screw, and a #50 hole. How to get the hole drilled? Which Dremel drill should I get? Or should I use a normal drill, but which bit?

Reply to
Pat Collins
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The standard screw size is 2-56 (meaning #2 size screw diameter with 56 threads per inch), not 2-32. A #50 drill bit is the specified tap drill bit size to make a hole to be tapped for a 2-56 thread screw. A #50 drill is

0.070" in diameter. You should be able to get a #50 drill bit at a good hobby shop, at an industrial screw or hardware supplier, or a chain like Graingers. In a pinch, if tapping "soft" material (zamac or brass as opposed to steel) for just a short distance, I have made do with a 1/16" drill bit which is 0.0625" diameter, then "worked" the drill a little in the hole to slightly enlarge it, then tapped very slowly using a lubricant, and backing the tap often to break off the chips. Gary Q
Reply to
Geezer

"C> I have two Athern Locos I want to add Kadee couplers to. "C> "C> I know I need a 2-32 screw, and a #50 hole. How to get the hole drilled? "C> Which Dremel drill should I get? "C> Or should I use a normal drill, but which bit?

You can get the bits and taps from the Walthers Catalog

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Given the *small* size of the bits, I'd recommend using a pin vise and NOT use a power tool. Standard Dremel chucks can't hold the smaller bits. You can get a standard (small) three jaw chuck for a Dremel tool though. I'd be real careful using *any* power tool with these small bits though -- they are easy to break. *Never* use a power tool for the tap in any case.

"C> "C> -- "C> Regards, Pat "C> "C> Last Played: Wilderness War, Lock n' Load X2 (via Vassal), Three Battles of "C> Manassas "C> "C> "C>

\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu

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Reply to
Robert Heller

| "C> I have two Athern Locos I want to add Kadee couplers to.

| You can get the bits and taps from the Walthers Catalog

Kadee makes bit/tap sets for each of their recomended mountings. The specific one in this case seems to be,

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than six bucks.

| Given the *small* size of the bits, I'd recommend | using a pin vise and NOT use a power tool.

#'s 43 and 50 aren't particularly small. But a Dremel isn't the tool for hole drilling. Standard drill will be fine. A pin vice with this size drill bit might be a weak choice. Tap, of course, is a hand thing.

CTucker NY

Reply to
Christian

Hi.

Contrary to popular opinion, drilling occasional, small holes with rotary tools, without a drill press, is not recommended. Dremel and most others have too much wobble, which may produce oversized or out of round holes. When drilling zamac, high RPM can clog bit, resulting in breakage. Lubrication with bee's wax helps, but does not completely eliminate problem.

Although more time and effort consuming, a pinvise is recommended for greater accuracy. Drilling and tapping methods are covered thoroughly on my site.

For more details with methods and extensive discussion of problems and solutions, see first site below in drilling and tapping.

Hope this helps.

Thank you,

Budb

Author of:

MODELRAILROAD TECHNICAL INFORMATION

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PROTOTYPE TECHNICAL INFO FOR MODELRAILROADERS (Revised. New address)
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COUPLER HELP GROUP
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Pat Coll> I have two Athern Locos I want to add Kadee couplers to.

Reply to
bigbud

"> | "C> I have two Athern Locos I want to add Kadee couplers to. "> "> | You can get the bits and taps from the Walthers Catalog "> "> "> Kadee makes bit/tap sets for each of their recomended mountings. The "> specific one in this case seems to be, ">

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"> Less than six bucks.

Walthers carries these parts...

"> "> | Given the *small* size of the bits, I'd recommend "> | using a pin vise and NOT use a power tool. "> "> #'s 43 and 50 aren't particularly small. But a Dremel isn't the tool for "> hole drilling. Standard drill will be fine. A pin vice with this size "> drill bit might be a weak choice. Tap, of course, is a hand thing.

I found that using a full-sized (3/8") drill rather a bit of overkill and hard to hold steady with such as small bit. I guess a *miniature* power drill might work better. If drilling in something soft like

*plastic*, using a pin vice might be a preferred choice.

"> "> "> CTucker "> NY "> "> ">

\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu

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Reply to
Robert Heller

\/

The best choice is a mini drillpress. Relatively few modelers have those, as decent ones are expensive.

The next best choice is a hand pinvise. It's slow, but versatile, and usually gets the job done with minimal drill breakage. It's also inexpensive.

Ordinary electric hand drills are far too clumsy for use with drills smaller than 1/16".

A motor tool ("Dremel", etc.) is more suitable, but it takes a steady hand, a decent drill lubricant, proper technique, and some experience, to drill small holes with one AND get good results without breaking a lot of drills. Even then, the spindle of the average motor tool lacks rigidity, and often has too much 'run out'. The Dremel 'drill press' attachment is nearly worthless!

Stick with the pin vise for 'starters', and get a drill press if/when you feel the need for it.

Dan Mitchell ============

Reply to
Daniel A. Mitchell

Time to stop by a decent (not Harbor Freight) and pick up a set of HSS drills. Most places carry a set from #1 to #60 in a box. Get a set of taps while you are there from the smallest that they carry (usually a 0-80) to a

8-32 at the minimum. Next, get a MicroMark or equivalent drill press. All of this costs a bit of money but you will find that all of this will become a very useful set of items. Drill the holes under power and then put the tap in the chuck and HAND TURN the drillpress chuck to start the tap. Don't forget to use some lubricant (motor oil works fine!) when doing any work with the drillpress and you won't break drills and taps very often. I've got taps that are 40 years old that I use regularly and they don't break because I watch for chips getting lodged in the hole, back out the tap frequently to clear the chips out and lubricate the work as I go. Patience and watching what yo do are the watchwords to live by when drilling and tapping. When drilling, don't turn the drill too fast and apply enough pressure to get a nice curl out of the hole rather than dust and the drill will last longer.

-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?

Reply to
Bob May

Pat Collins wrote:

I cannot recommend Dremel tools for drilling. The Dremel is a high speed low torque tool that relies on speed to cut. Small twist drills want to be turned at a modest speed (say 500 rpm) where as a dremel turns at 25000 prm. Granted, the newer ones are variable speed, but by the time you have the variable speed set all the way down, the dremel doesn't have any torque. I have drilled and tapped my share of Athearn's using just a pin vise. Nicer, if you have one, is a real drill press, but the pin vise will get the job done. Around here the TruValue hardware stores will sell you a package with a tap and the right tap drill for a couple of bucks. They usually have 2-56 but you may have to shop around. Couple of tips. Check the Kadee website or the Walther's big book. Kadee publishes a list of "what fits what". You can save a lot of filing and fiddling around by purchasing the Kadee coupler recommended for your locomotive. Be sure the resulting coupler is electrically insulated from the locomotive chassis. Athearn's are "hot chassis" locomotives. Double heading them with conductive couplers doesn't work, you get a short from rail to rail thru the couplers. Coupler insulation can be acheived thru the use of plastic couplers, or by mounting a metal coupler in a pure plastic coupler box, secured with a nylon 2-56 screw. After installation check coupler height against a gage. Then make sure the magnetic "gladhand" doesn't catch on turnouts. As a general rule, if the gladhand is too low, the coupler itself is too low. There are exceptions to this rule but not many. If you have a good eye and a steady hand, you can secure the Kadee knuckle spring with the tiniest dab of Duco cement to keep it from popping off.

David Starr

Reply to
David J. Starr

On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 01:39:03 UTC, "Pat Collins" wrote: 2000

I have had very poor luck with pin vises. I have trouble holding them straight while applying enough pressure and break small drills. I have had much more luck with a micro drill, sold by Micro Mark and better hobby shops. It is a spiral shaft with a small chuck. It has a knurled ring that rides up and down the shaft and causes the shaft and drill to rotate. Much less trouble holding things in line. They do eventually wear out.

For larger drills, such as a #50 I use my large drill press and a sensitive chuck. The sensitive chuck fits into the drill press chuck and handles small drills. I set the drill press on a low speed, lower the quill to the proper height and use the feed on the sensitive chuck to feed the drill. It is a very precise and controllable method.

Reply to
Ernie Fisch

Thanks for all the replies!

Truly what all usenet should be - thanks again!

Reply to
Pat Collins

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