3/4" scale F-3 diesel project for NEOLS

[hwboivin3]

Ordered the worm gears today. The gear numbers are.... #13352 and #12854.

The frame is finished with the exception of the 2 cross members that support the batteries and hold the fiberglass fuel tank.

George Santin is building it and he doesn't have a computer. Once I get the frame, I'll post more pics and info.

[steamingon]

Hello
The gear numbers given are the Boston Gear "item code"

Worm 12854 catalog #DH1607 unhardened steel
Worm gear 13352 catalog #D1600 cast iron

Both can be ordered online from Amazon

[hwboivin3]

George machined and handed me the chassis a couple months ago. I've been busy moving a couple machines out to make room for a couple new ones......so I have a free minute to post some pics.

Next will be to get the trucks powered.


Harry

[JohnHudak]

Harry, I'm working on one piece "bolt on" brakes for the F unit trucks, stay tuned...
John

[97470me]

This project really calls for more customers to buy the molded parts and do their own.

I'd be a customer if you offered the shell at a price I could afford.

Gordon French
Roseburg, Oregon

[hwboivin3]

This project really calls for more customers to buy the molded parts and do their own.

I'd be a customer if you offered the shell at a price I could afford.

Gordon French
Roseburg, Oregon

I think the price is great! I spend almost the same price on cell phones, cable and internet every month.


I have had Lionel engines that cost more

[WJH]

This project really calls for more customers to buy the molded parts and do their own.

I'd be a customer if you offered the shell at a price I could afford.

Gordon French
Roseburg, Oregon

I think the price is great! I spend almost the same price on cell phones, cable and internet every month.


I have had Lionel engines that cost more

I've always loved F units, and I always liked this project, but I really have no clue where to go to see price lists, a web page with kits for sale, etc. Is it all done via pm? I realize that we are an incredibly small market, perhaps too small even to warrant a web page, but a web page would be nice!

[JohnHudak]

This project really calls for more customers to buy the molded parts and do their own.

I'd be a customer if you offered the shell at a price I could afford.

Gordon French
Roseburg, Oregon

I think the price is great! I spend almost the same price on cell phones, cable and internet every month.


I have had Lionel engines that cost more

I've always loved F units, and I always liked this project, but I really have no clue where to go to see price lists, a web page with kits for sale, etc. Is it all done via pm? I realize that we are an incredibly small market, perhaps too small even to warrant a web page, but a web page would be nice!

WJH,
I don't have a website, or a catalog, etc.... I actually never intended to sell any.. I just wanted an A-A set of Pennsy F units for myself.
Several years ago, I posted pictures here on Chaski about the process of doing this and I had a few people inquire if I would make a shell or two for them.. I thought that that might be a good way to recoup some of my investment in the project, and so I said that I would.. I think I sold maybe four or five more shells.. I then had another 16 truck frame castings made, so I figured I can sell four more shells. I posted an ad here on Chaski and I think I sold two more "kits" of one shell, one fuel tank, one front apron and four truck frames...
About a year ago, I started a Facebook page for 3/4" scale fans, and posted a few photos of the F's there, after those photos were posted I sold three more kits..
Here's the problem... The mold is starting to show its age, it has a lot of small tears and chunks of rubber missing here and there, as it's pretty difficult to get the shell out of the rubber mold without damaging it (the mold) I figure I might be able to get maybe three more shells off of this mold before I have to make another mold from the wooden master.. BTW the silicone rubber for the mold costs over $100.00 per gallon, and there are more than four gallons of rubber in that mold...
It takes me and the wife about one weekend to make one kit, because of all the coats of glass, allowing several hours drying time between coats, etc.. Not to mention a new pair of pants and a new shirt with every shell, because I'm messy and get the epoxy all over me... Then theres the "itching" for the next two days from all the fiberglass cutting and trimming..
The reason I don't advertise anymore, is because I don't really want to make too many of these.. One here and there is just fine with me, as if I had to make 4-5 per month it would be like a job instead of a hobby.... At $500 per kit, I'm not getting rich, and actually with the cost of the fiberglass sheet, and the epoxy, brushes, gloves, and my several hours of labor I'm probably not making much at all...
One of the main reasons I make them at all, is to see more engines on the highlines...
So to answer your question, I think you can see why I don't advertise..
John

[chooch]

Itching from Fiberglass work. Those in the trade tell me when done work, rinse with Cold water first before washing your self. Cold water seems to close the pores and results in less itching. Just saying what I was told.
chooch

[JohnHudak]

Itching from Fiberglass work. Those in the trade tell me when done work, rinse with Cold water first before washing your self. Cold water seems to close the pores and results in less itching. Just saying what I was told.
chooch

Thanks Chooch, I'll have to remember that...

[WJH]

Hi John, I fully understand where your coming from, and makes perfect sense. What I loved about your shell is that you seamed to be the only person that ever got the front of the F body to look right! I've made molds before with silicone rubber, and I can only imagine what you had to go through! We always had issues with air bubbles, and the trick was to use an expensive vacuum cask to suck the air out while the mold was drying. Although I didn't use fiberglass for the parts, we used just as expensive pourable plastics..
I truly have no idea how people can make a living in this hobby, must be out of love, and not the primary source.

[JohnHudak]

Hi John, I fully understand where your coming from, and makes perfect sense. What I loved about your shell is that you seamed to be the only person that ever got the front of the F body to look right! I've made molds before with silicone rubber, and I can only imagine what you had to go through! We always had issues with air bubbles, and the trick was to use an expensive vacuum cask to suck the air out while the mold was drying. Although I didn't use fiberglass for the parts, we used just as expensive pourable plastics..
I truly have no idea how people can make a living in this hobby, must be out of love, and not the primary source.

WJH,
I sat down with a friend who knows Solidworks pretty well, we had a lionel shell, a few drawings and a lot of pictures to work from and we hashed it out.. He then cut the nose for me on his cnc router, it's solid mahogany..
The roof profile was also cut on his router, but the rest of the body was straight so I just used a flat piece of wood from Home Depot..
Here's a video of the nose being cut.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZC8v0UnWdM
I didn't vacuum the rubber, I was told if you cant do that, then you should pour a thin stream into the mold from 2-3 feet high.. (Try holding 4+ gallons of rubber 3 feet high while pouring it very slowly into the mold...!) I guess the thin stream eliminates any bubbles from making it into the mold.. I did work pretty well though, as I didn't get any...
The entire process of laying the glass took a while to figure out, as I had a lot of voids on the first two shells (scrapped) even now as careful as I am, I still need to do some body work with bondo to fill some small problem areas..
Right now I have the pattern for the truck frames at a foundry, and I'm waiting for 12 more truck castings.. I owe 4 to a customer in NJ as I didn't have enough for him, then I'm going to use 4 on a "B" unit that I made from morphing two shells together.. That will leave me with enough frames for one more shell kit... At that point, I was thinking of just selling the whole business and letting someone else "run with the ball" for a while..
John
Here's some pics of the wooden master..