Hi,
I'm sure this has been answered before, but how do you file the inside of the pre-cast draft gear box for the coupling on Bachman freight cars to fit a Kadee #5 coupler? Specifically, what tool would you use? Where to buy it? Local hardware shop? I don't want to file off the whole draft gear box and put Kadee box there. Google couldn't help me in coming up with the name of the tool in a few minutes (admitted my Google searching skills may not be the best).
Thanks,
PC> Hi, PC> PC> I'm sure this has been answered before, but how do you file the inside PC> of the pre-cast draft gear box for the coupling on Bachman freight PC> cars to fit a Kadee #5 coupler? Specifically, what tool would you PC> use? Where to buy it? Local hardware shop? I don't want to file off PC> the whole draft gear box and put Kadee box there. Google couldn't PC> help me in coming up with the name of the tool in a few minutes PC> (admitted my Google searching skills may not be the best).
Would a *small* file work? Some hardware stores sell various *small* files. Or you can google for "jeweler's" tools, including small files. Either flat ones or triangular ones.
PC> PC> Thanks, PC> PC> -- PC> - Pankaj PC> PC> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PC> One OS to rule them all, one OS to find them, PC> One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, PC> In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie. PC> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PC> PC>
\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu
You'll go NUTS trying to file out the INSIDE of a coupler box. You're just making yourself a LOT of extra work. I suppose it CAN be done, but it's not worth the effort. The whole box can be removed and replaced with a Kadee box in less than half the time, and it'll be a far better box when you're finished.
If you MUST try this, I think the tool you'd want are 'Riffler' files ... these are curved files, and double ended with teeth on both ends and the 'handle' portion in the middle. They come in MANY shapes and sizes. Any decent hobby shop should have sets of these.
BUT, some things are just NOT worth doing.
Dan Mitchell ==========
Robert Heller wrote:
They could work, except for one little problem. I want to preserve the stud in the middle of the precast draft gear box. This stud has screw hole for the bottom plate. So the clearance behind the stud and on the sides is really small. I did more research in Google, and people have used Dremel tools for various purposes. I don't own one, but does it have any attachment. Like a small rough ball (say 2mm or less dia), that rotates reasonably fast? Then I could get into the tight spaces.
You *could* also use a sharp, fresh xacto #11 blade. Carefully.
Good luck Greg
What needs to be filed? A filed plastic surface will make for a higher friction surface than the original shiny one will and you don't want that with the Kadee couplers. If you have some casting flash then remove it with an Xacto blade flush to the surface. You do want to use a very fine cut jewelers file and clean up the flash on the coupler shank itself including the cleaning of the inside of the hole in the shank of that coupler. The hole is best done with a reamer but even a rat tail file will do a good job. If you want a set of files that gets into small areas, the riffle files work well as well as mold polishing files.
-- Bob May Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less. Works every time it is tried!
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