I recently got a box of Misc train stuff. In the box is about 20 Brass wheels.
I only use metal and have replaced all the plastic ones.
Are these Brass Wheels just as good as my reg metal wheels as far as electrical pick up and as well as collecting dirt?
Harold
Yes. I know brass is metal! I am running DCC.
well, if you use the more common metal wheels, they are made of nickel silver, which is may 90 per cent brass anyways, so no real difference other than appearnce, and maybe crud pickup, the brass will be slightly worse ..
My old MRC C420s had brass wheels (before I changed them to NWSL nickel silver ones) and I would have to clean the wheels considerably more often than my other engines with nickel silver wheels. Similar to comparing brass vs. nickel silver track.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
The problem begins with the brass tarnishing, then proceeds to picking up additional crud. I suspect the effect of micro-arcing is magnified in brass wheels used for power pickup.
I would be tempted to look at plating them, either with the 'contact' jewelry plating approach on the treads or with a small tank setup, or perhaps an electrically-conductive chemical blackener. These are likely not "cost-effective" just for 20 wheels, though, so you may be resigned to painting the sides and cleaning the treads every so often. Do NOT use 'brass cleaner' as it is highly difficult to remove completely ... and don't use something that scratches the tread.
Spray paint them with brown or rust red rattle can primer and then apply rust colored weathering powder. Use them for scrap loads, or place a few around repair facilities.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I like that idea. One day I found a forty year old engine that could no longer run. I striped it down, primed it, half painted it in Santa Fe colors. Put a paint crew working on it and created a great painter scene at the end of a RIP track. It is a highlight.
Hey, Harold! What did u ever find out about that IRDOT signal you were de-bugging?
Cid (Memphis, Tennessee)
Additional details: There are special chemical solutions that plate silver when applied to a clean brass surface - the "nushine" system being an example. Even the smallest bottle of this would probably last a club many years of repeat platings as needed, provided that the shelf life of the solutions is adequate. It is also possible the solution can be prepared periodically from ingredients with longer shelf life.
There are also 'passive' electrical plating systems that use an anode with the right activity on the electropositive scale to produce the elemental silver -- Kroll, for example, uses stainless steel that is minimally affected in the bath. Masking the face areas of wheels with wax or other suitable cheap resist minimizes the actual consumption of precious metal in the solution. (Note that some of these things use cyanide in the bath, so a GREAT deal of care is in order ... this may be perceived as 'too much risk' for electrical continuity, but is far less risk than, say, using Whink for toilet rust stains.)
The getting the parts clean is the big issue. Platers have access to things like piranha solution and electrically-assisted Tivaclean. The good news here is that a little old-school tread polishing likely does the job -- and for most any kind of conductive wheel needing less corroding surface.
I have noticed over the years that silver tarnishes less than in the bad old pre-EPA days when Rockefeller Center and GCT were black buildings. It will still tarnish, but I suspect that nothing more than a little Tarnex on a brush or Q-tip will fix it without pressure...
It is back on the bench while I think about it. Now the LED's aren't lighting I will keep you informed as I decide to go back to it.
MisterBeasley Spray paint them with brown or rust red rattle can primer and then apply rust colored weathering powder. Use them for scrap loads, or place a few around repair facilities.
Before you paint them, take the axle points off with a sander or grinding wheel. Then you will have a blunt axle end that will look more life like then that pointy end. It will still be tapered but better looking.
Overmod Additional details: There are special chemical solutions that plate silver when applied to a clean brass surface - the "nushine" system being an example. Even the smallest bottle of this would probably last a club many years of repeat platings as needed, provided that the shelf life of the solutions is adequate. It is also possible the solution can be prepared periodically from ingredients with longer shelf life. There are also 'passive' electrical plating systems that use an anode with the right activity on the electropositive scale to produce the elemental silver -- Kroll, for example, uses stainless steel that is minimally affected in the bath. Masking the face areas of wheels with wax or other suitable cheap resist minimizes the actual consumption of precious metal in the solution. (Note that some of these things use cyanide in the bath, so a GREAT deal of care is in order ... this may be perceived as 'too much risk' for electrical continuity, but is far less risk than, say, using Whink for toilet rust stains.) The getting the parts clean is the big issue. Platers have access to things like piranha solution and electrically-assisted Tivaclean. The good news here is that a little old-school tread polishing likely does the job -- and for most any kind of conductive wheel needing less corroding surface. I have noticed over the years that silver tarnishes less than in the bad old pre-EPA days when Rockefeller Center and GCT were black buildings. It will still tarnish, but I suspect that nothing more than a little Tarnex on a brush or Q-tip will fix it without pressure...
Plating is a band-aid solution. Most home plating kits are cosmetic and only apply the silvering solution a couple microns thick. On a set of wheels, that would get worn through in rather short order, and you'd be right back to where you started.
Keep in mind the reason you got those brass wheelsets by themselves in a box is probably because a previous modeller removed them from his or her equipment and threw them in a leftovers / scrap box, replacing them with nickel-silver wheelsets. Although it can be true that 'one man's junk is another man's treasure', it's often more true that 'one man's junk is actually just junk'!!
wjstix...Although it can be true that 'one man's junk is another man's treasure', it's often more true that 'one man's junk is actually just junk'!!
Good point.
My opinion of brass wheels is about the same as that of plated wheels: they draw the viewer's attention, and emphasise the fact that they're either an unprototypical material (brass) or too wide to actually look prototypical (plated). For the latter, I'll give locomotives a passing grade, only because they offer a great improvement in electrical conductivity, and limit or eliminate the necessity for wheel cleaning.
While I do have metal wheels on some of my rolling stock, I'm not smitten with their appearance, and absolutely do not care for the noise they make, as it's nothing like that of the prototype.
Plastic wheels aren't prototypical either, but they don't make a racket, and don't draw the viewer's attention to the fact that HO scale wheels and truck sideframes are unprototypically wide.
Wayne
doctorwaynePlastic wheels aren't prototypical either, but they don't make a racket, and don't draw the viewer's attention to the fact that HO scale wheels and truck sideframes are unprototypically wide.
Semi-scale code 88 wheel sets aren't too shabby. I'm on the fence about going full proto 87, mostly due to the amount of steam locomotives I own.
BMMECNYC Semi-scale code 88 wheel sets aren't too shabby....
No, but in regular HO scale trucks, they also over-emphasise the too-wide sideframes on the trucks. A friend uses them, but they can be a little fussy on some turnouts, and I don't really care for their appearance.
BMMECNYC...I'm on the fence about going full proto 87, mostly due to the amount of steam locomotives I own.
Yeah, I had briefly considered Proto-87, but converting steam locos to fit-in, appearance-wise, pretty-much killed that thought, along with the prospect of replacing several hundred feet of track and 70 or 80 turnouts.
doctorwayneNo, but in regular HO scale trucks, they also over-emphasise the too-wide sideframes on the trucks. A friend uses them, but they can be a little fussy on some turnouts, and I don't really care for their appearance.
doctorwayneYeah, I had briefly considered Proto-87, but converting steam locos to fit-in, appearance-wise, pretty-much killed that thought, along with the prospect of replacing several hundred feet of track and 70 or 80 turnouts.
Code 88 is a good compromise for me personally.