Brass casting LSP gear

[wunwinglow]

Some African tribal craftsmen use a really neat technique where they encase the wax model in clay but shape it into a peanut shape, model at one end, and a nugget of gold or silver in the other. They fire the peanut metal down, so the wax burns out, the clay hardens and finally the metal melts. They then flip the peanut over, the molten metal runs down into the now empty model cavity, job done! Very efficient as they only need to heat the assembly once! Really important if you have to walk 10 miles for firewood!!

[BloorwestSiR]

There's a store here in Toronto that teaches lost wax casting techniques.

 

http://www.thedevilsworkshop.ca/workshops/#lost-wax-casting

 

My wife and I made our wedding rings there. It's not too far from me so I could check in and see what's involved if you guys want.

 

Carl

[Out2gtcha]

I'm down for anything!!!!

[Guest Smitty44]

If Ernie Gee's working for the manufacturers, he won't have much time for us, especially if he's a one man band over there. I watched a few videos, and that's a bunch of work for a $25.00 set of gear.  I can't imagine how you'd ever make money doing it for modelers like ourselves.

F-18 gear were 35. I know you can sand cast with brass also.

Edited August 11, 2017 by Smitty44

[Guest Smitty44]

Of course Peter from Airscale could probably just make us real ones.

[Gazzas]

I have a question and and idea.  How thick are your landing gear?

 

I have a stalled build of the B-29 by Monogram in 1/48 scale.  Part of the plan for this B-29 was to mount it in a shadow-type box hanging on a wall, with the plane being vertical. 

 

Obviously the main gear would not be strong enough to take the weight of the plane at that angle.  My solution, instead of trying to buy metal landing gear, was to bore out the MLG of the beast and run brass though them. 

 

I have a Ryobi cordless drill.  It can turn at very low speeds...even creepingly slow, and I have used it for model stuff occasionally.  (I've even stuck the pin-vise chuck inside the chuck of the drill when the bits were too tiny to work with the drill) 

 

The B-29's MLG had a cross section around 4.5 mm, and my brass threaded rod had a cross section of 3.8mm.  So, I was going to have to do it with a 4 mm drill bit....  but only after doing a few pilot runs with smaller bits, first.

 

Turning the bit very slowly with the drill, I could feel the bit inside the landing gear between my fingers.  If it started to feel danger-close to erupting through the side, I would gently pull the gear (which weren't perfectly straight) in a direction that would take the ever-thinning landing gear wall away from the danger area.

 

What I ended up with was the original MLG's (I added brass spars to the insides of the wings to take the weight) able to hold the entire weight of the kit with the plane pointing straight up.

 

Anyway...  just a thought.

 

Gaz

Edited August 12, 2017 by Gazzas

[wrbrdmech]

I'm trying to get contact info as we speak for a brass caster that we had some good luck with. If I can source a caster to do some gear work I'll be doing the OV-10 and Tigercat gear first. If those are relatively successful we'll venture onto other subjects as a coop. If you saw the Privateer at Nationals, it had a brass cast nose gear from the caster we used. Keep your fingers crossed that we can get something going soon. I wouldn't hold out for Ernie at G-factor. He's a nice guy and does nice work but is very often incommunicado, not just a recent or current bottleneck.

 

Thanks

Shane

[1to1scale]

Ok gents and gentettes.........................

 

 

 

After a lengthy discussion with an LSPer at the US NATs, and later a discussion about it between a lot of us LSPers at the show, we have all come to the mutual conclusion that there is a BIG need for some brass cast gear around here that looks like may NEVER be filled.

G-Factor looks to have gone incommunicado for whatever reason, and there has been zero response to any number of requests to Ernie and crew, about casting new models of gear.

 

 

With the release of the new HpH Tigercat showing (UHHHHHH!!!) of all things a pinned nose gear (im actually pretty upset about that myself), and the fact that I myself am holding off two, and know personally about 6 other guys holding off building KHMs OV-10s for lack of stable and strong MLG for that kit, I am just putting this out there, so see if there is something we can do as a community about it.

 

That being said, I know as a personal fact that two separate LSPers are already checking into possible brass casters, but I wanted to get this thread rolling to see if anyone else had any ideas on a way to get some LSP landing gear cast in brass?

 

I know for SURE at the top of the list of needed brass gear are the two I mentioned above:

 

- KHM OV-10 Bronco

- HpH F7F Tigercat

What about SAC white metal gear? I saw they had OV-10 gear

[wrbrdmech]

I just received the contact information for a caster that a friend of mine's father in law used to produce finely cast brass products for HO scale railroads like switch signs and such. I'll try to make contact over the weekend or Monday. I'll see what is required for a setup and cost per set. The OV-10 will be the first set we focus on.

 

Thanks

Shane

[Guest Smitty44]

I just received the contact information for a caster that a friend of mine's father in law used to produce finely cast brass products for HO scale railroads like switch signs and such. I'll try to make contact over the weekend or Monday. I'll see what is required for a setup and cost per set. The OV-10 will be the first set we focus on.

 

Thanks

Shane

I'm down for a few! Thank you Shane!

[Guest Clunkmeister]

Hit me up if he needs set up money, Shane. If he needs a bunch, I'm sure there's a few of us here who can share the load...

[Hubert Boillot]

What about SAC white metal gear? I saw they had OV-10 gear

If you have some doubts whether the plastic gear will hold the kit's weight in the long term (and btw Brian showed a way to ensure the correct stance with the plastic LG), you are sure the SAC gear will NOT hold one-tenth of the time the plastic gear will ...

 

I'm in for an OV-10 gear if it can be produced.

 

Hubert

[DeanKB]

What about SAC white metal gear? I saw they had OV-10 gear

Cocktail sticks are a better option

[wunwinglow]

Polystyrene parts might be suitable as masters as it will melt and burn out. The problem then woyld be any remaining ash inside the cavity which woyld stop the mould filling, and how much shrinkage would happen. If those were not problems maybe you could all send your kit UC parts to the casters, they would use them to do the investments and you'd all get brass copies in return. Otherwise someone will need to CAD up the parts, get them made in 3d printed wax, shrinkage allowed for.

 

Not impossible by any means. Other than the price! But most definitely do-able.

[DeanKB]

I'm sure there is demand, but it'll come down to cost.

 

I assume G-Factor stopped because of a lack of profit, but as this would be a non-profit enterprise, I think it may well work out.

 

There are many kits for which I'd pay for quality (sorry, SAC) metal undercarriage legs, especially at the right price.