I am considering using a deep dish pizza pan for a TT dust cover. It is 16" in diameter X 2" deep. I will need to cut a hole in the pan to allow for the bridge power structure to clear. I can then use a smaller plastic bowl to cover the hole.
One problem remains howevever, The aluminum pan shorts out the rails so I have to remove it even when I am operating elsewhere on the layout.
Would this be more trouble than it's worth??????
73
Bruce in the Peg
If you find it works, then no problem. I presume no deeper pans of that diameter are available, hence the need for the extra dome for the bridge superstructure. No plastic pans either? Could you make a similar covering the size of the pan (but deeper) out of cardboard perhaps?If not, is there anyway to coat the pan with durable insulating paint or other such coatings?
How about the top part to a Tupperware or Rubbermaid "cake taker"?
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
A few shots from a spray can of Plasti-Dip would probably provide the needed insulation.
But all of this sounds like way too much trouple. Get a clear plastic party tray/cake cover from a place like Party Time. Very light weight, non-conductive and cheap. You might even asl the catering department of your local upscale grocery store if you can have one of theirs.
Cut ring of foamcore, glue to ridge edge of pan. Problem solved. Pan stiffer. All is good.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
You're Canadian! Use your Hockey tape around the edge, for some reason there are three rolls sitting on the desk in front of me right now or Duct Tape, or paint on some liquid electrical insulation tape.
I would be a little concerned about having to put the bridge tower through a hole each time. Damage is bound to happen at some point.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMANI would be a little concerned about having to put the bridge tower through a hole each time. Damage is bound to happen at some point.Smile
Cut extra large hole for TT bridge tower. Glue clear plastic deli container or similar large mouth cup to well clear the tower, yet protect it. Sized right, would also make a great handle.
When we installed Walthers 130' turntable on my clubs layout we got a large, round, clear plastic top from a cake tray. It's about 5-1/2" deep and covers the turntable pit completely. One of our members picked it up from a Bakery for the asking.
Is that a Pioneer, Harmon Cardon, Bic , which brand of turntable? I thought they all came with dust covers.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. But seriously, maybe if you have an old turntable? just a thought.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Blind BruceOne problem remains howevever, The aluminum pan shorts out the rails so I have to remove it even when I am operating elsewhere on the layout.
Can't You cut out the edge, where it touches the tracks and still have it sit properly???
I use a Jewel clear plastic party food tray cover. You have a party, eat the food and instant Turntable dust cover, the one I have will cover the bridge, with no mod's.....I just added a plastic handle.
Take Care!
Frank
On another note...I have a Lisa and a Dual turntable.
Anyone hungry???
zstripe Blind Bruce One problem remains howevever, The aluminum pan shorts out the rails so I have to remove it even when I am operating elsewhere on the layout. Can't You cut out the edge, where it touches the tracks and still have it sit properly??? I use a Jewel clear plastic party food tray cover. You have a party, eat the food and instant Turntable dust cover, the one I have will cover the bridge, with no mod's.....I just added a plastic handle. Take Care! Frank On another note...I have a Lisa and a Dual turntable. Anyone hungry???
Blind Bruce One problem remains howevever, The aluminum pan shorts out the rails so I have to remove it even when I am operating elsewhere on the layout.
Frank, I was to mention those deli trays, also, Bruce, you may try a grocery store or bakery for the clear plastic covers, they are taller for the large round cakes.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
ndbprrOne more reason why turntables aren't worth the trouble and I don't have or want one.
Don't tell that to Mike. He likes them, just installed another! =P
I am wondering why a turntable would need a dustcover. Are turntables and/or their pits such dust magnets? Wouldn't it be better to put a dustcover over the whole layout?
Ed
Dust is not a problem for me, however I find the easiest way to get some unwanted material out of the pit is to give a quick blast of canned air.
riogrande5761 ndbprr One more reason why turntables aren't worth the trouble and I don't have or want one. Don't tell that to Mike. He likes them, just installed another! =P
ndbprr One more reason why turntables aren't worth the trouble and I don't have or want one.
Heh, heh. Yep, that was my 4th one. I have 2 powered, an Atlas under the snowshed in Animas Forks (no fancy covers needed) and a Diamond Scale with a NY Railway Supply Drive in Durango. Then there are two finger-powered ones. One is at Purgatory on the Cascade Branch, about halfway down this page:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/219241.aspx?page=2
The 4th I just finished at Tefft, which is the junction of the Cascade Branch and the Durango-Silverton line. It's written up here:
http://atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/3721/cheap-easy-more-less-turntable
They're all pretty reliable. I've got a suspended ceiling and haven't had any dust problems, but not everyone is so lukcy. A cover is cheap insurance if you need it.
I use this cake cover from Party City (About $4) and is 19" dia. I cut the center out and glued a smaller container for the handle/clearance for bridge tower. Works great.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
farrellaa I use this cake cover from Party City (About $4) and is 19" dia. I cut the center out and glued a smaller container for the handle/clearance for bridge tower. Works great. -Bob
WHY???????
7j43kWHY???????
So Bob could give me the idea to help with a similar idea with the pizza pan idea...
Ehhh, probably not. But that's where I think I got the idea from.
Bob did it to meet his needs, which are likely different than your needs. I don't need a TT cover either, but happy to help out. That's what the forum's for.
mlehman Bob did it to meet his needs, which are likely different than your needs.
Bob did it to meet his needs, which are likely different than your needs.
I didn't mean to ask whether Bob, or anyone else, was trying to meet his needs. I was trying to ask what those needs are. I'm not understanding why a dustcover would be needed especially for a turntable and pit.
7j43k7j43k wrote the following post 1 minute ago: mlehman Bob did it to meet his needs, which are likely different than your needs. I didn't mean to ask whether Bob, or anyone else, was trying to meet his needs. I was trying to ask what those needs are. I'm not understanding why a dustcover would be needed especially for a turntable and pit. Ed
Too keep the dust out, say if you decided to put details in the pit like weeds growing up through cracks and you didnt want to risk vacuuming them out every time you cleaned.
BMMECNYCToo keep the dust out, say if you decided to put details in the pit like weeds growing up through cracks and you didnt want to risk vacuuming them out every time you cleaned.
So what happens on the rest of the layout? Do you not put weeds anywhere else than the pit? Or do the non-pit weeds just get sucked up?
It's obvious that a dustcover is to keep dust out. But dust falls ALL OVER the layout. Weeds, I presume, are ALL OVER the layout. What's so special about the turntable pit that it, alone, gets a special cover. It seems to me better to work on dust control for the entire layout.
And, I'd be a bit anxious swinging that big cover around near the detailing on the table bridge.
I can't speak for others but I use a TT dust cover to minimize dirt and grit getting in the delicate gearing on the underside of the bridge, its wheels and the center pivot where the electrical pick-ups are located.
I am still building my layout, sawing, sanding, plastering, etc. Without a dust cover, after initially installing the TT after only several weeks in operation started stuttering as it turned. Then the indexing began to slip. After a couple of particularly frustrating operating sessions I removed the bridge, turned it over and discovered quite a collection of stuff. It took me a couple of hours to partially disassemble the gears and such, clean everything up and put it all back together. I bought a disposable type cake or party tray cover the next day. Now in over two years I have had no problems with the TT. I do vacuum out the pit every few weeks but no other mnaintenance has been required to keep the TT operating up to specs.
If you don't want to fuss with a cover, don't. But I find the five or so seconds to remove it for operations and anothe five or so to replace it when I am done playing is time well spent.
7j43k BMMECNYC Too keep the dust out, say if you decided to put details in the pit like weeds growing up through cracks and you didnt want to risk vacuuming them out every time you cleaned. So what happens on the rest of the layout? Do you not put weeds anywhere else than the pit? Or do the non-pit weeds just get sucked up? It's obvious that a dustcover is to keep dust out. But dust falls ALL OVER the layout. Weeds, I presume, are ALL OVER the layout. What's so special about the turntable pit that it, alone, gets a special cover. It seems to me better to work on dust control for the entire layout. And, I'd be a bit anxious swinging that big cover around near the detailing on the table bridge. Ed
BMMECNYC Too keep the dust out, say if you decided to put details in the pit like weeds growing up through cracks and you didnt want to risk vacuuming them out every time you cleaned.
What's the big deal, if one wants to keep dirt/ dust out of a critical working piece of the layout. Not the easiest to clean the pit or the ring rail. I don't need to worry about that much dust on a club layout w/ an extensive HVAC system, however many garage/ basement layouts don't have that luxury and dust can be quite an issue. Attempting to control the dust for the entire layout would be great, but not always easily done. Thus a "turntable cover"
bogp40What's the big deal...
I'm surprised you think asking a question necessarily creates a "big deal".
Thank you, Robert, for giving two good answers to my question.
I am used to turntables that have the operating mechanism below the table pit--there's just the empty bridge on top. Dust in the pit is just "decorative". I can certainly see that, if the bridge also contains a motor and gearing and there's an open bottom, an internal dust buildup could be troublesome.
7j43k mlehman Bob did it to meet his needs, which are likely different than your needs. I didn't mean to ask whether Bob, or anyone else, was trying to meet his needs. I was trying to ask what those needs are. I'm not understanding why a dustcover would be needed especially for a turntable and pit. Ed
Well, as stated by several others, the Walther's turntable has the drive gear and ring gear on the top of the pit (bottom?) and being a sensitive mechanism, I prefer to keep dust to a minimum in the pit. The rest of the layout doesn't matter as far as hindering operations and in some places the dust helps with the weathering aspect. Not everyone wants or cares if dust gets in the tt pit, but I do. Just my opinion and I thought I would share my solution to those who are interested or haven't realized that it might help with maintenance of the Walther's tt.
Everything that drives the TT on my Diamond Scale/NY Railway Supply set-up is below the table. Still, you don't want crud gaining a foothold. I've not got a problem requiring a cover, but I'd use one if things weren't generally clean due to the suspended ceiling. Once in awhile, some bit I cut off goes flying and ends up in the pit. Maybe I need to use one only when I'm working on stuff?
There are electrical contacts that ride the ring rail that aren't exposed as they're under the ends of the bridge Never a problem other than the once in awhile flying bit, but there sure could be in a less happy environment. Soft metal there too, handling the wheels, so a bad jam could be tricky to get right. You definitely don't want to have to pick crud out of them on a frequent basis or pretty soon that nicely adjusted TT will be unhappy.
And that's really the main issue. A turntable can be a fiddly thing. Once it's right, you really don't want to have to mess with it and it generally works fine. But it takes relatively little misdirected force in normal operation to throw off the NYRS drive from lining up, probably a good thing, as it prevents damage from happening. It then requires a brief reindexing back to the correct "zero" -- all the rest of the finger track locations refer back to the index, so not a big deal. However, if lack of cleanliness caused an issue, I'd throw a cover on it every time just as an easy way to skip the minor hassle.
My phono-plug finger drive ones have fake ring wheels, depending on a slider block for support instead, but they could still jam up if not kept clean.
The rest of the layout? Most of the rest of most layouts is nowhere near as sensitive as a turntable.