I'll be installing my first Tortoise soon so your tip is timely. But what is a hemostat??
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Used to pinch off blood vessels in surgery. You can buy needle nosed, with bent nose, tweezers that must be squeezed to open the two jaws. Same thing essentially. But it is a nifty tip, Grampy. Thanks for posting it. I think something like this could be used if one is all thumbs with soldering feeders, too. The tips of the hemostat or tweezers also act like a heat sink.
-Crandell
Thats a good idea. I fed it through with a kink in the wire to prevent it falling through but hemos a much better idea.
Hemostats are a surgical clamp.. useful also for holding small parts and, umm, burning parts..
Chris
Been doing mine that way for years. 'Discovered' it after the first one hit me in the face while trying to get things lined up. As for actually setting the machines, here's how I go about it. This isn't linked to my website yet as it's not quite finished..
Setting Up The Tortise
I too feed mine down from the top but I've always just wrapped a piece of black electrical tape around the wire to keep it from falling through.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
I googled hemostat and found www.widgetsupply.com which has a plethora of hobby tools. I have already ordered a hemostat along with some other items. The knowledge shared on the forums is priceless.
Thanks !!!!!,
rolleiman wrote:Been doing mine that way for years. 'Discovered' it after the first one hit me in the face while trying to get things lined up. As for actually setting the machines, here's how I go about it. This isn't linked to my website yet as it's not quite finished.. Setting Up The Tortise
Your method is fine, however I found a very simple method.
I place the turnout in position and push a needle thru the throwbar. I then lift the turnout and put it aside. The needle stay's put and marks the postion for the 3/8" hole. I then drill the 3/8" hole for the actuating wire. I then drill two holes approxamatly 3" from each side of the 3/8" hole and down thru the centerline of the cork road bed. I insert two finish nails down thru so they are sticking out of the bottom of the layout. Then, from under the layout, using a straight edge I draw a line from nail to nail, which give me the track centerline. I eyeball the totoise machine to position it after putting the turnout in position above and hanging tha actuating wire down thru with a kink at it's top which gets cut off anyhow.
Jules
Heres mine. Tortoise template mounted to a piece of arborite. 3/8 dowels mounted on both sides. Use the dark arrow to line up with track center line once hole is drilled for throwbar. If I need to use it under layout I put a small hole/nail thru the track center to give me a track center marker from underneath.