I like to use the drivers because I don't have to worry about whether I have one or two or… in series. With each of those I would need a different resistor value to keep the current managed. With the driver it doesn't matter. But… they appear to be delicate.
While I working on the aircraft restoration I'm also working on the engine house. Today I got the wheel lathe almost completed. The pictures look almost done, but it's not. The right headstock is not glued in yet.
Let's start with this image. I'm using the new ABS-Like photopolymer which is gray and not translucent. It makes it easier to see details without having to prime it. The resin is tougher, more resilient and appears to be a little less crisp in detail generation. You'll notice in the pic that the right side bolt on the base didn't print. I went back to the drawing and found that the counter bore floor was missing. I'm not fixing it on this model. It won't be too noticeable in the engine house. I am correcting the drawings so they'll be good for any others. Notice too the cleats on the face plate. I positioned them to fit my extra Pennsy J3a driver set. Those drivers were 63" in 1:1. While the resin is stronger, it still didn't stop me from knocking of the two levers on the control panel.
There was a tiny center mark on the drivers' axle so I was able to enlarge it with my smallest center drill to make a true tapered center point on the axle that would suspend it from the lathe's centers. Here was the unit with both faceplates with the drivers in between centers. I have made the carriages with a piece that extended all the way across. This did work because the drivers extend below that point. I removed the extension. I also had to remove a cross-member in the frame since it too blocked the driver from seating. I didn't realize all of these barriers since I didn't fit a driver on the SketchUp drawing. BTW: real drivers don't have traction tires.
To fit the driver's width I had to slide both face plate units inwards. They're still in contact with the pinion gears, but not full face. I'm assuming that in 1:1, those gears would slide along with the headstocks.
Before painting I made my own operating handles from some 0.014" guitar string and knobs built up from layers of Bondic. Bondic is terrific for making knob handles since it cures so quickly under the UV LED.
I glued it all together and then realized that I needed to paint it and didn't want to have to mask the driver set. So I broke the CA'd glue joint, removed the drivers and painted it. I used Tamiya Dark Iron as the base color. I then freehand airbrushed the face plates, gears and shafts a dark metallic mix that simulates steel. Lastly, I masked the areas around the drive mechanism and sprayed it a nice light blue that I already mixed up. I dry brushed the gear teeth with some chrome silver. It works, but I'm not 100% satisfied with the look.
\I'm going to raise the entire lathe on a simulated concrete base so I don't have to cut into the machine shop floor. Here's a good test of the new resin. The crank handles on the left tool post are still there. The ones on the right all broke off. The new resin is definitely tougher. On Monday I'll put it back together and make a concrete base. I it will be done. I may print some tiny bolts and stick them in those holes.
I printed a whole set of new light bases only to find out that I printed the earlier version where the stem was not connected to the body. New ones are being grown as I write this. More on this on Monday.
Happy weekend!
