Same here, Bayway Terminal NJ
Southgate 2 Thanks for the response! Great looking critters, Dave. Looks like we all have the same technique for cramming as much weight as possible into those little guys. Dan
Thanks for the response!
Great looking critters, Dave.
Looks like we all have the same technique for cramming as much weight as possible into those little guys. Dan
I just had a look at tungsten putty (commonly used for fishing weights) and I don't see a lot of advantages over lead sheet. I did note that tungsten putty is quite a bit more expensive than lead.
Lead sheet can be tucked into some pretty tiny spaces, and, as someone has already mentioned, it is easy to cut. Here are a couple of examples where I used 1/16" lead sheet to add a substantial amount of weight to critters:
Here is a current HOn30 industrial mule project where the body is made almost entirely from lead sheet. Yes, it is motorized:
Each of these critters weighs more than enough to get good electrical contact and traction. I realize that tungsten putty would make them heavier, but they are fine with the lead.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Because the tungsten is a powder, there is air between the granules. From what I have seen, the tungsten ends up being about as dense as a solid block of lead. However, it may be easier to tuck it into tiny nooks an crannies. Rather the casting a bunch of different lead shapes.
On the subject of lead, there is apparently a reaction between lead and PVA that can cause it to swell slightly. If it is packed in tight it can end up breaking things. I don't think that is an issue if you use epoxy to glue it.
I use sheet lead for weight in everything. I get the sheet lead at the local lumberyard where it is sold as flashing for chimneys and such. I use acrylic caulk to secure the sheet lead. To insure the stickum sticks I wash the lead in hot water and then soak it in supermarket vinegar to put some tooth in the surface for the acryic to grab. I never even heard of tungsten powder, let alone used it, so I have nothing useful to contribute on that matter.
You might want to look into Cerrobend, an alloy of I don't remember what, that melts in hot water. You can order it from McMasters Carr. It is expensive, but melted, it could be poured into otherwise inaccessable nooks and crannies, even in plastic models.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
LION uses printer's slugs or linotype slugs. Gluew them to the botom of locomoyives or other subway cars.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Tungsten puttey is tungsten powder mixed in a putty as a binder. Tungsten powder is just the tungsten powder with no binder.
You can mix tungsten powder with pretty much any binder, white glue, CA, epoxy, resin, Portland cement, plaster, etc. You could mix it with something like plumber's putty to make your own tungsten putty.
Some people mix it with lead shot, the powder fills in the voids between the shot and the binder glues it all together.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
one thing that seems to make a slight difference with lead is the glue that you use ... common white glue is water soluable / permeable ... going to a yellowish carpententers glue, or a two part epoxy will reduce the tendancy of the lead to oxidize over time
Pete, valid concern about plastic's reaction. I do everything you mentioned in your 2nd paragraph too with lead in its various forms. This tungsten idea would only be used in special project, small critter locos where space for weight is at a premium.
I jokingly call the heavy added weight in my locomotives my DC Keep Alives. May sound cheesy, but it really works for me. Dan
I know nothing about the tungsten putty. My concern would be long time contact with plastic. Will it stay where you put it? Will it degrade the plastic shell? I guess the powder can be mixed with white glue but the putty is another thing.
I'm cheap and have a bunch of sheet lead, old sinkers, and wheel weights. Lead is easy to work, cuts easily with an old pair of scissors or utility knife, keeps it's shape, and malleable. I have lined the inside of boilers, cab roofs, floors and even put small pieces on lead trucks and trailing trucks. One of my small tenders ( slope back) has a speaker enclosure made of lead.
Pete.
i use lead alloy bird shot for added weight, tungsten -may- be an option, but right now i have lots of lead, and it's really cheap [i reload shotgun shells]
One of our members, Redhawk 95, posted a topic which eventually included a question as to whether he should put tungsten putty in a loco to add weight.
Huh?
I've known that Tungsten is WAY heavier that lead. I didn't know it was available as a powder or putty until his question prompted an internet search of the product.
My usual go to product to add weight is sheet lead, shot or wool. But there are some small locos where space is so limited that anything that could be done to add concentrated weight would be a viable option (except platinum!).
Has anyone used tungsten putty or powder (sold to golfers) to add weight? How does one secure the powder? The putty is pretty user friendly, so the sellers say.
Thanks, Redhawk 95 for the tip.
Dan