Ratio coach kits

Hmm, well, no. London Road Models made mine, but I haven't seen them advertise recently. I think the EU or the 'elfin safety boys' were trying to clamp down on manufacturers who were not CE marking their stuff. Another example of the 'jobsworth' mentality now ruining so many small firms. You could make your own (this is legal it seems) and as it really only involves a 30A 5V transformer, a few switches and some overload protection it can't be too difficult. No electronics are involved. Maybe some one on this group has a design. The wonder of the device is the foot switch control which leaves you both hands free to position parts. The actual operation is somewhat akin to spot welding and heat is applied only to the parts being fixed for the length of time required to melt the solder

I think we are getting a bit off topic now.

Alistair W

Reply to
Alistair Wright
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: The actual operation is : somewhat akin to spot welding and heat is applied only to the parts being : fixed for the length of time required to melt the solder : : I think we are getting a bit off topic now. :

Far from it, I think we are very much on topic - after all this group is within the uk.rec.models.* hierarchy... ;~)

Reply to
Jerry

There was the former Harrow model shops range of LT/ Metropolitan Rly stock now produced by Radley models.Gradually the range is being produced in Resin instead but I believe some kits in stock are still the white metal versions .

G.Harman

Reply to
damduck-egg

I got mine some years ago from London Road Models but I hear that they have stopped supplying them, possibly because the units they sold didn't comply with EU regulations. However they are available in the USA from a company called American Beauty, whose products are in the catalogue of a UK company called International Tooling Ltd based in Hertfordshire. See:

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that page you can download pdfs from the American Beauty catalogues. However I would imagine they will be very expensive and even the basic model has a power of 250 Watts about 4x that of the London road models one. I also wonder if they are for the USA 110V mains.

If you do follow this up can you keep us informed on this group of how you get on?

Alan

Reply to
Alan Dawes

I'm wrong the lowest powered American Beauty model is 100W.

Alan

Reply to
Alan Dawes

I was fortunate to get one made by a private"hobby" manufacturer just before the various regulations made it not worth their while to continue. While searching the only option seemed to be ordering from abroad. American Beauty is a somewhat strange name for a tool firm and searching for the name on the web will need some care in what may turn up.They do seem to be the main supplier for hobby use in the US. There is a job lot on ebay at the moment despite the statement above.

110V-120V but being simple devices I don't think the frequency difference will matter too much for the few seconds one is used under load so a building site transformer could easily be used to supply one. Alternatively there is a 240V available from Australia if this page is still active.
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G.Harman
Reply to
damduck-egg

Not much help either, but mine is the old Exactoscale one. At least you have another brand to search for!

Or make your own...

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For the "hot end" I made up a handle using a wooden file handle and a pin vice bored out to take 4mm carbon rod, connected using some extra-flexible silicon wire from Maplin. I found the Exactoscale one could get too hot to hold, and I suspect that was partly due to the poor design of the rod holder (a TV aerial connector!) Carbon rods are available from welding shops (apparently!) or Eileen's Emporium.

To my mind, an RSU is an essential bit of kit, and it's a shame that they are no longer produced commercially due to the Effin Safety and compliance rules.

Reply to
Paul Boyd

I would have thought that a soldering gun could be quite easily adapted by adding some thick wire and a probe as described above. They work on the same principal after all.

Jeff

Jeff

Reply to
jeff

In article , Alistair Wright writes

Thanks Alistair. Had thought (feared) I might have to go down that road. Wonder if a spot welder would do it.

David

Reply to
David Littlewood

In article , Alan Dawes writes

Thanks Alan. Had found American Beauty, hoped to avoid buying from overseas, will consider it.

David

Reply to
David Littlewood

In article , snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk writes

Not seen that one, thanks.

David

Reply to
David Littlewood

Thanks Paul.

David

Reply to
David Littlewood

Unfortunately parents didnt lay down copies from before was born ! No, but may get them when read 10 years worth of MRC and all Modellers Backtrack (got half of them so far) and from about 2000 back to the release of Backtrack.

SNIP

But the chassis for most whitemetal and all the brass kits that have built have been soldered. Also the brass body for loco kits is soldered. Tis only the whitemetal bits that have epoxied. Will the plastic kit build help me with etched - that have yet to find out exactly. But it has already taught me to get photos of what I want. Yes, to everyone else this is obvious, as indeed it should be, as indeed I do for locos. So thats one mistake out of the way. It may not help most people, but am not most people.

Cheers, Simon

Reply to
simon

SNIP

Am most interested in the 30's, that way there are still many pre-group (esp LNWR) as well as Staniers wonderful locos. So do buy available RTR and kits for others. However one big advantage of kits over RTR is that it forces the builder to look at the loco in detail. As the research as progress gets them to realise just how a particular engine varied over its life. Choosing the livery forces learning of liveries - down to is it a straight or curved corner. Choosing the number to get a particular location adds even more interest and forces more learning. Means at the end of it, not only have a unique engine but have gained a lot of knowledge that is likely to remain in memory compared to just take loco out of the box.

When it comes to the paint job, recon theres cabinet quality and theres layout quality. Can do layout quality of locos and am content with it. Did see a wonderfully weathered coach at show recently. Fellow does professionally build and paint coach kits although this was RTR. Weathering was so subtle...must confess was extremely impressed - in awe. .However, am not put off doing own, its down to compromise and personal enjoyment.

Cheers, Simon

Reply to
simon

Arc not spot. I have one built from Maplin parts It cost £23 in total. The Transformers come with the mains side wound you just add Various windings from 3 to 10 of Thick copper wire

Reply to
Trev

Which principle is that? A soldering gun is nothing like an RSU. A soldering gun is just a soldering iron with a different shape tip that heats very rapidly. I've always considered them a gimick and totally unsuited to delicate modelling or electronics work.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

I always thought that the principle of the solder gun was low voltage and high current through the resistance of the tip of the gun to give a very high temperature - much the same principle as an RSU.

You might get success if you take the tip out and use the gun body as a power supply for an RSU setup but it might be at an uncontrollable high wattage setting which would be useless for delicate RSU work.

Jim.

Reply to
Jim Guthrie

Well how do you think they work then??

Soldering guns are basically just a transformer with a very thick secondary winding, exactly the same as an RSU. The secondary terminates in a smaller gauge tip that gets hot when the high current passes though it, due to its higher resistance. See the similarity?

If you remove the tip and replace it with heavy duty leads and a suitable probe you actually have an RSU.

The only drawback is that it will not have adjustable power unless you either use a power controller in the mains input, or arrange some kind of variable or switchable resistance in the leads of the secondary.

Regards Jeff

Reply to
jeff

OK. You just weren't very clear about the modifications in your original post.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

If you can try it out and let people know the results, I'm sure there'll be some interest if it works!

Reply to
Paul Boyd

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