Once again, safety pin technology will be handy. This time to support the junction box on the pole.
In my electronics lab tonight developing miniature electrical connectors using spring-loaded contact probes and copper decals. I will need two of them to install into a tiny box for mounting on the power pole. The probes permit solderless connections that can be easily connected or disconnected by hand (i.e., no tools or de-soldering needed).
SeeYou190 Every update I read on this project makes me want to take a stained glass class at the adult education center! . -Kevin .
Every update I read on this project makes me want to take a stained glass class at the adult education center!
.
-Kevin
LOL I primarily took stained glass classes with my wife so I could incorporate glass technologies of all kinds into my model railroading kitbag. In the process I found that a lot of stained glass tools and materials are also useful in model railroading like the crusher (frit maker), calibrated sifters, E6000 glue, Diamond Tech grinder, SG assembly tray, and aluminum L-brackets. This display case is what I decided to start with.
Living the dream.
Better close-up.
LED lamp looks nice when shrink wrap covers both leads and the safety pin. I haven't heated the shrink wrap yet. I will add an electrical junction box to the pole to facilitate connecting the LED wires to the '3-phase' pole wiring.
Experimental version.
Zinc-plated steel safety pin is ideal for a lamp fixture. A few modifications to the pin, including electrical insulation, and concealing the wires will work.
Three-phase insulators mounted on the power pole with neutral on the side. Lighting support will also be on the side above the neutral line.
Here is my small breadboard test circuit In the light. The LED is still lit. The entire dimmer electronics will fit on a small circuit board the size of this breadboard.
Working on lighting. Miniature LED's will be mounted on the power poles to provide lighting to the hoppers. This is the quarry company's security lighting. The '3-phase' lines on the power poles will be small guage electrical wires and the 3-volt power supply, LED series resistors and auto dimmer circuit will be located behind the back sky panel. I do all my own electronics including custom circuit boards.
This is what the loads will look like.
In order to load the hoppers with HO scale gypsum, I have visited the old abandonned gypsum hoppers in Hantsport, Nova Scotia to see first-hand typical prototype ore sizes. Ten centimeters is quite a reasonable dimension, so I will load the model hoppers with Grade 0.2-1.2 mm.
Particle size ranges for each sifter are provided by the manufacturer Aanraku Glass Studios Located in San Mateo, CA. The finest powder particles are less than 0.2 mm, then 0.2 - 1.2 mm, 1.2 - 2.7 mm, 2.7 - 5.2 mm. Pieces that don't go through the largest sifting mesh are greater than 5.2 mm.
Full day of hobbying today. First activity is crushing and sifting Nova Scotia gypsum into four grades. Some of this will be used as ground cover and hopper loads in the display case.
Crimping beads and HO scale hand rails make good power pole components. Headed to the Bay of Fundy now to prospect for materials for my display case.
Also working on the gypsum hillside around the tunnel portal. From this power pole, the lines will pass through the tunnel so some equipment will be built to simulate this.
Working on enhancements to the treeline and building wooden power poles.
First gypsum pile drying well. Bottom and two back sides are flat and orthogonal to each other. I have more to build and this one will be topped with glass overburden tomorrow.
First section needs a bit of drying time.
Building the corner gypsum stone wall for placement on the left side of the tunnel portal. I'm using real Nova Scotia gypsum, homemade gypsum 'plaster ' particles, and quick drying wood glue. To get a perfect right angle corner I am setting up on a Morton Glass Works assembly tray. Amazon gift cards allow for the necessary height and keep the glue off the tray.
richhotrain The OP has a DeWalt saw and that is a pretty good brand. Seems to me that DeWalt blades would cut just fine. No need to limit your purchase to Freud.
The OP has a DeWalt saw and that is a pretty good brand. Seems to me that DeWalt blades would cut just fine. No need to limit your purchase to Freud.
DeWalt doesn't produce their own blades. They're re-branded generics for the name only.
Freud is a reputable blade manufacturer; who specializes in high end and pro-sumer blades only.... (and the competition ...for us)
This space reserved for SpaceMouse's future presidential candidacy advertisements
I have a circular saw, a mitre saw and a radial arm saw and quite a stack of blades I have inherited over the years from different people. I watched a couple of You-Tube videos on how to sharpen your own blades and gave it a go on an old dull blade I had. It didn't take long, in fact, it would have taken longer to take it to the shop to get done, not to mention the cost of driving there. I have now done several myself as the results of doing them myself are amazing if I do say so myself.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
DeWalt even is sadly now just a name, part of Black & Decker. My new DeWalt cordless drill, while lighter because of the Li-ion battery pack, is no where near as ruggedly made as my old 18V one. I used to by DeWalt for anything I planned to use over and over (one shot tools I'll never use again - Harbor Freight, even their worse are good enough to get one job done) becuase if you looked on ANY professional job - always DeWalt. That old 18V drill is close to 15 years old now and has built 2 layouts and various other things around the house and is still going strong. It's been accidently dropped - no damage. I have my doubts about the new one lasting as long. Even so - the tool may be well enough made but the blades aren;t always the same. Once in college my stereo was out for repairs, I wired an otherwise mediocre boom box into my good speakers and - HUGE difference. The issue with the boom box wasn't a poor quality amplifier, it was poor quality speakers. Put a good blade on an otherwise mediocre saw and you get a completely different animal. Put a cheap blade on the best saw in the world and it becaomes one of the worst saws in the world. (replace saw blade with appropriate attachement for ANY sort of power tool and this holds true).
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I guess one can't assume that a new blade is in perfect condition for the job. I suppose that is why they make files and sandpaper.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
GraniteRailroader OldSchoolScratchbuilder Bought this brand new blade today. If you buy another blade in the near future, go for the Freud. They're a decent pro-sumer type blade (and we sharpen them pretty often for our service customers).
OldSchoolScratchbuilder Bought this brand new blade today.
Bought this brand new blade today.
If you buy another blade in the near future, go for the Freud. They're a decent pro-sumer type blade (and we sharpen them pretty often for our service customers).
Alton Junction
rrinker That whole display is really coming together now, especially the test lanscape one with the ore hoppers, that actually looks really neat. I don;t think that's exactly what I was picturing after the first post of this thread, but it's turning out to be a really neat piece.
That whole display is really coming together now, especially the test lanscape one with the ore hoppers, that actually looks really neat. I don;t think that's exactly what I was picturing after the first post of this thread, but it's turning out to be a really neat piece.
Thanks Randy. I like the hoppers too. The mirror makes it look like there are more than three. The dark gray crushed stone on the ground is shale from Walton, Nova Scotia, the white gypsum in the corner and foreground is from Cheverie, NS, the processed gypsum plaster in the hoppers is also from Cheverie (I make this from raw gypsum by calcining in my oven) and the reindeer lichen is from Walton, NS. I gather all these materials myself during my hikes along the coastline of the Bay of Fundy.
GraniteRailroader
Good to know, I have a Freud blade, 60t ultra finish, in my Amazon list to use when I cut my second door to finish off my dual-purpose workbench (yes, this is how sloow I am at building things - the first part is almost 2 years old now, the second part frame is also 2 years old now, I just never worked up the courage to cut the other door to length, plus it needs its 3 coats of poly after it gets cut).
The Avanti line isn't the Avanti you're familiar with from 5-10 years ago. The name and rights were sold, and now they're just a cheap knock off from China... Low quality carbide and terrible tolerances for the flanks and top.