What is the best material for making handrails for locomotives. I have tried brass but it is too soft; other metals resist sharp bent required and break. I am opened for ideas and tried-and-true results.
RicZ
Dr. Wayne uses piano wire, but I'm not sure of the size or gauge that he uses. I'm sure he'll see this and chime in.
Mike.
My You Tube
I also like the Tichy Phosphor-Bronze wire that Mel suggested.
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It seems to be a good compromise with workability and durability.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
For steam locomotives, I usually use phosphor-bronze wire from Tichy, as many handrails require multiple bends and they often need to match a counterpart, especially on the front end. If you don't get it right the first time, you'll have at least a couple of re-tries before it fatigues and breaks....
For diesels, I prefer piano wire, whether with Athearn's metal stanchions...
...or as replacements for those made from engineering plastic, as on this Atlas RS-1. All of the original plastic handrail portions were removed and discarded, while the plastic stanchions were drilled-out to accept .015" piano wire, bent to match the originals before they were cut apart. This combination give a good to-scale representation and holds up well to handling...
The shape of the end handrails and construction of the plastic stanchions took a bit of thought to get the stanchions threaded onto the wire, so some of the bends had to be made after the wire was in place - a to-scale sketch of the original facilitated making the proper bends...
Wire size will depend on the type of handrail, and a friend who works as a volunteer at Steam Town was kind enough to measure those on an F-unit undergoing a re-build.All horizontal grabirons, and the vertical handrails on the nose, along with the "eyebrow" handrails over the windshield, the vertical handrails at the rear steps, ladder rests, and interior grabirons are 1.125" in diameter. With .011" representing an HO scale inch, .012" phosphor-bronze wire is a good choice.
The vertical handrails at the cab and engineroom doors are 1.5" in diameter, but their ends, where they're bolted to the carbody, are 1.125" in diameter - apparently rod of that size within pipe with an outside diameter of 1.5" - there's a modelling challenge for a rivet counter.
The 1.5" diameter isn't really covered exactly by readily available wire sizes, which often come in increments of .005", as .015" wire is a little too thin, while .019" (an odd size available from Detail Associates in stainless steel) is a bit too large.D.A. does offer .022" wire, which would be a dead-on match for 2" pipe if pipe sizes referred to outside diameters rather than inside diameter.
It's my contention that when LifeLike had their Proto2000 Heritage steam locomotives made, the die makers didn't realise that the pipe sizes on the drawings referred to inside diameters, rather than outside dimensions, hence the undersized piping. Most buyers were impressed by the details (as was I) but few seemed to realise the discrepancy (or perhaps didn't want to bother re-piping their locos).
The combination of poor pulling power and those incorrect details bugged me enough that I was going to get rid of mine, the USRA 0-8-0, but I found a way to add weight to the loco, improving its performance enough to warrant a remake into a pretty-close version of a CNR prototype, including all new piping...
Wayne
Thanks, I want to replace the plastic grab irons on a Walthers/Lifelike ALCO PA-1. The responses above are a great help, but I would further like to know what a should use to achieve the right angle bends (This is where I have had past problems as the wire always seem to break while trying to get a good tight bend). What is the best tool to use?
I use these small smooth-jawed pliers, putting the pressure for bending very close to the pliers...
If you're using piano wire, use a hard object rather than your fingers, to apply the pressure. A machinist's block, the edge of a table, or a hard work surface will work. The farther away the pressure is applied, the less sharp the bend will be.
I used a cut-off disc to put the grooves in the sides of the pliers' jaws, as they were useful for forming grabirons for some cars requiring ones narrower than usual.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
RicZ Thanks, I want to replace the plastic grab irons on a Walthers/Lifelike ALCO PA-1. The responses above are a great help, but I would further like to know what a should use to achieve the right angle bends (This is where I have had past problems as the wire always seem to break while trying to get a good tight bend). What is the best tool to use? RicZ
So what is the trick to getting the bends in the proper locations?
...It looks really good from 3 feet....
It looks pretty-darn good in the enlargement I got when I clicked on the photo...at least 3% better due to the reporting marks, too.
maxmanSo what is the trick to getting the bends in the proper locations?
There are some quite magnificent structures shown in your link, Frank.
I'll self-censor any further remarks to avoid an official reprimand.
maxman So what is the trick to getting the bends in the proper locations?
This method works for model work although the measurements are smaller.
To produce many identical pieces like grabirons I make a bending jig starting with a thin piece of steel like an Athearn car weight. I drill a hole to accept the wire size a little further in from an edge than the length that I am aiming for. Then make a 90 degree bend in the wire and insert it in the hole. Bend the other end of the wire over the edge of the steel and measure the result. If it is too long file the edge of the steel and try again. Repeat until you get the exact length that you want. When filing the edge angle it in slightly on the bottom so that you can overbend the wire slightly to allow for its tendency to spring back. I have multiple holes in my jig and can produce identical pieces in many different sizes.
Mark Vinski