Cow catcher almost off

[alexweiihman]

I have a k-line K-4 and its cowcatcher is comming off can anyone help me.

[1688torpedo]

  Hello Alex!    I read somewhere that the Cowcatchers on K-Line engines are Soldered on & are not one piece constuction like most engines of their type. Your best bet may be to e-mail Lionel & explain your situation to them & see if they'll be of help to you. Other than that, I'm not sure what else you can do. Take Care & let us know what happens.

[alexweiihman]

I sent a email, im crossing my fingers

[otftch]

I have repaired a lot of older Lionel cowcatchers by using this mehod.There is no (NO) glue that will hold them by itself.I drill two holes in the main casting and then two more cooresponding holes in the broken part.The hard part here is drlling the holes so that they line up correctly.I use 18 guage wire for flower stalks purchased at a craft store for the next step.Cut two small pins just a little short of the depth of the holes on both side of the repair.Make the pins a tight fit into thier holes and remove them.Mix up some epoxy and put a little in the holes on the main casting.Now insert the pins and put a little in the holes on the other piece..Run a small bead of epoxy along the whole edge of the broken part.Now put the parts togther using the pins for alignment.When the parts are correctly aligned put them together and set the whole thing aside and let the glue cure completely. You can use JB weld or PC-7 epoxy type glue to glue the parts together.When the glue has completely dried you ready to go.The pins add a lot more stregnth to the repair.I have not had one come off again after repairing in this way.Work carefully and neatly to keep the glue from oozing out around the repaired area.It can be filed off later but care here saves that step.

                                                                                    Ed

[bfskinner]

Otftch said "The hard part here is drlling the holes so that they line up correctly." That's for sure! Basically I agree with his method and materials. My slightly different technique is to drill the holes oversize so that the newly fashioned pins enjoy a little "slop" in their holes.

First I roughen-up the pins slightly to give them more "bite" on the epoxy, rather like rebar in concrete. Next, I clean everything thoroughly with acetone and try to handle the pins only with tweezers to avoid getting any skin-oil on the surfaces. (Don't breathe the acetone vapors or use near any source of ignition.)

Then I put some of the oozing epoxy into the holes as best I can, and also coat the pins. With any luck, when you start reassembly, their broken edges will align the pieces ultra-precisely because the pins are free to adjust themselves just a little inside the slightly oversized holes.

Clamp it with whatever works (I often use rubber bands) and let it sit for a full 24 hours. (You can shorten the time somewhat with the heat from a lamp or a hair dryer, but I prefer a full "natural" cure. When the cure is complete, the entire unit (both parts, the pins, and the epoxy adhesive/filler) will be essentially one solid piece. This has never failed me; whereas I have never been able to precisely allign really tight-fitting holes in the mating parts no matter how hard I tried. My method is relatively easy, by comparison.

[palallin]

One way to make aligning the holes easier (but not perfect) is to put a couple of small dabs of paint or White-Out on the part just where you want the pins.  Quickly but carefully fit the parts together, then separate them.  You should have matching dabs of color now on both parts.  If you centerpunch the dabs precisely in their centers, you should come very close and need little slop.

[Craignor]

Hi,

Buy a package of J B Qwik Weld at Home Depot.

Its a two part epoxy that bonds in four minutes. I had a K-Line Scale Mikado that the cowcatcher came completely off in shipping.

 A few minutes with J-B Quik Weld and its as good as new.