Last time this topic came up WE came up with 6, that's right, SIX!!!
different methods of fixing it, all of which probably work great. One of
the list's greatest moments.
Tom Jarcho
(and by the way, AF steam loco geared axles ARE interchangeable, and most
Flyer drivers are quartered at 88 degrees, not 90 degrees.)
Here are the six methods, plus info on fixing loose tires too:
Steam Loco Wheels
Subject: [S-Trains] 322 Hudson loose wheel
I have had good luck replacing loose drive wheels using steel filled epoxy.
There's gotta be a post on this in the archives.
LOOSE WHEEL
- Remove all rods.
- Remove loose wheel and clean and degrease splined area of axle and wheel
hole and surrounding area. ~91% Isopropyl alcohol is ok for this. Clean
axle splines with a wire brush.
-Push a file into axle splines to try to raise some metal. Cut many gouges
into the wheel hole with the tip of a needle file, also to raise metal, and
give the epoxy something to grab.
-Punch a hole in the center of a small (1"x2")piece of index card; cut a
slit from the hole to the edge with a sharp knife. This piece of card is
to catch excess epoxy in back of the wheel, before the stuff can get into
the alxe hole. It is to be torn away after glueing -- hence the slit.
-Position a make up mirror on the far side of the chassis. Place the
small piece of card on the axle and then finger press the loose wheel part
way into place. The drive wheels must be quartered correctly. All the
wheels on one side of the loco must be 88 degrees ahead of all the wheels
on the other side, or the rods will jam the wheels.Position the loose wheel
so that it is correctly lined up with the other wheels on the loco. Take
your time and get it right. The makeup mirror allows you to see both sides
of the chassis at once.
-Mix up a small amount of steel filled epoxy and apply it to the splined
area of the axle and the unfilled part of the wheel hole with a toothpick.
Work it in well.
-Push the loose wheel into final position on the axle with a c clamp or vise.
-When the epoxy begins to set (2 min or so), yank out the little piece of
card. If there's a drop of epoxy on the outer end of the axle, wipe it
off.
-you can apply mild heat, up to 150 degrees F , to the joint with a lamp
for an hour or 2 while the epoxy is curing. Let the epoxy cure overnight.
-If the wheel isn't quartered properly, pul it off with a wheel puller,
remove the epoxy with a wire brush, etc, and redo the process.
LOOSE TIRE
For loose tires, i recommend Slo Zap adhesive. This has two advantages
over crazy glue :it fills gaps and doesn't set instantly. Pull a loose
tire all the way inward toward the chassis, clean out both sides of the
joint with q-tips, alcohol, fantastik, or whatever, apply Slo Zap with a
toothpick, and pry the tire into place with a flat tipped screwdriver. Now
here's the key: while the zap hasn't set yet, turn the chassis upside down
and finger spin or run the motor so the wheel turns: this makes it easy to
see any shimmy in the tire and correct it
so the tire is straight. If you don't get this right the loco will wobble
down the track like a pregnant duck.
Tom Jarcho
From: "donabrams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [S-Trains] Loose drivers:
All,
I haven't seen this solution posted yet -- it's how I fix them.
Remove the loose driver. Place it on the flat anvil part of your bench vise.
Take a hammer and hit the center metal part of the driver. Use your best
judgement here as to how hard or how many times. The metal is maleable
enough to reduce the size of the hole so that it will grab the axle good and
tight when requartered and pressed back on. I've had no repeat failures.
Don
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Run a 1/8" tap through the wheel hub and it will re-spine itself when you put
it back on. Make sure you have it quartered correctly. Make sure the wheel
and axle are perfectly free of grease/oil (fingernail polish remover and a
Q-tip works good) use a drop of super glue (gel type) now and it should last
another 30 yrs.
I do them all the time like this.
Regards....Steve
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Loose rim - - as already recommended be sure clean and grease free. I apply
ZapAGap or Future Glue with a Micro brush, to the exposed surface of the
white insulator, then lift the metal rim to seat evenly around on white
insulalator with two screwdrivers from underneath (gently) or a wheel
puller. With the armature removed you can check to see how true the rim is
right away. Slower setting glue probably helps, but I can't find any slow
set Z-A-G around here.
Loose hub - - remove all the way off axle, clean axle and inside surface of
hub with 91% pure Isoprophl alcohol, lightly set wheel on axle's end in
properly quartered location, "paint" inside surface of hub with ZapAGap (use
Microbrush not Q-tip, no fuzz left behind), close vise across hubs and axle
to set fully onto axle, be certain to measure correct gauge (distance
between wheels, 18.5-18.75 mm back of flange to back of flange). I allow
overnight drying just to be sure fully cured. If you can slip the hub back
onto the axle real easily with your hand, then other measures recommended
work OK. I sometimes find it helps to remove the other side's driver, and
swap sides (left driver to the right side, right to the left). Follow the
same procedures as above. Quarter one side, thinly coat inside survface of
hub with glue, and set with vise. Come back later and do the other. The
swapping of sides for the drivers gives them both a "fresher" seat on the
axle. You'll probably see that right away when you try to press them on
with your hand in their new quarter position.
From: "Rhett T. George" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
- Greeting`S' -
Like Philip Johnson, I have had one wheel loosen on the axle (along
with many tires loosen on the wheels). As Chris suggests, I clean
away oil, grease, and dirt with a solvent. Since the wheel is loose,
it can be removed from the axle for cleaning. Then I used "LocTite"
`Stud and Bearing Sealer,' careful to have it contact only the axle
and hole of the wheel and careful to get the wheel quartered. That
was for or five years ago on a 332 - no problems since.
Cheer`S'
Rhett
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I have found Devcon makes an excellent product for
repairing loose 'AF' drive wheels. I used this product to
repair a loose wheel on a '312' engine last year.
This product is also used by the Utility I work for and is
specifically made for these types of repair.
It is similiar to Loctite but rated better.
It comes in two strengths. Superlock '2609' General Purpose and
Superlock '2680' High Strength. Their web site is listed below.
http://www.devcon.com/sitemapframe.html
X-eGroups-Return:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Gerald R Dobbs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
A quick and easy way to tighten a lose wheel to the axle.
Using a small brass shim .001" or thicker as required, around the axle,
shim should extend out beyond the axle and pinched (and twist ) together
to form a point to guide the wheel on the axle, quarter the wheel and
press the wheel on the axle. Shim stock assortments are available at
auto supply stores and/or hardware stores.
Jerry 77-11644
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hi Tom........... a while back there was a lengthy thread about loose
wheels, and in one of your messages, you made mention of quartering
the wheels to 88 degrees. I would like to know how this comes
about. I know I've read this same statement by others in the past,
and I also know I've read that it's not true ! Perhaps in the world
of ACG s-gauge, it works, and works well, after all, the front ends
of the side rods are considerably elongated. But as someone who does
steam locomotive restoration and maintenance for a living, the 1:1
stuff uses 90 deg. EXACTLY for quartering. The only thing I can
think of for where the 88 deg. comes from is perhaps ( and I'm not
certin about this because none of the locmotives I've ever worked on
have Baker or Walschart valve gear ) from the positioning of the
crank arm for out-side valve gear ( the crank that mounts on the main
crank pin ). The 2 deg. difference on our s-gauge chooch's works
out to about 0.011", not a lot, and since I don't do a lot of s-gauge
requartering, I'm not sure if it makes a difference in the way they
run or not. So that's my 2 cents-worth on the subject ! Oh, yes, and
I much favor NOT upsetting the axles or wheel holes, it can make the
wheels wobble if the upsetting is over done and if the axles are re-
worked too much, they don't go thru the frame holes very well.
Loctite 272 is the ticket, it doesn't set up as fast as "SuperGlue",
you don't end up with your fingers stuck together or to the parts,
and when the surfaces are properly prepared, it's about a zillion
times stronger. So there, now I've got in 3 cents worth !
Regard"s",
Smitty
S-Trains list sponsor: http://www.americanflyertrains.com
All the Flyer you desire...books and accessories too!
To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list send a note to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
