Yeah I've toaster my fingers a few more times than I care to remember! lol
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Good reply Becky. Bending is the only method I have found as well. Heat works, but is somewhat risky on the piece, the heat often travels faster than we may realize.
You gotta bend em'. That's the only way I've ever been able to remove twist-on short shank latch couplers. A little heat helps if you can figure out a way to apply it without scortching the paint. But if you don't care to save the paint, then heat em' with a candle. Either way you may have to replace them. OTTP sells couplers and lots of other replacement parts, or you can often buy them in quantity on the bay. There's not much choice for the brakewheel stem, it has to be bent back straight enough to slide out on it's own. But brass bends easily, a lot easier than the steel in the couplers.
Speaking of bending metal, here's a tool that comes in handy. I took a small flathead screwdriver and heated the shank about 1/4 inch from the tip flare. Then using pliers or a vice bend the shank to a 90 degree angle so that the flat surface of the screwdriver blade is sticking out to the side, not up and down. Also, make sure the shank is well rounded at the bend. This gives you a good tool for getting under tabs and lifting them up. If you place a piece of thin cardstock under the screwdriver's pivot point, it won't scratch the paint.
I have been trying to clean and remove rust from my father's 808 accessory cars. They are in very good shape, but the latch connectors are rusted and I can't figure out how to remove them from the cars without doing damage. Is there a way? I tried to separate the box car top from the base, but the brass brake rod won't fit through the hole in the base. Any suggestions?
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