The 36" rod comes with flattened 1" sections near both ends, which I worked to my advantage. The first step was to bend the rod at either end of the flat surface, forming U shaped ends as seen here. This produces a trolley wire length of approximately 32". Once formed, a rudimentary jig on the 2X4 is produced by simply adding a screw at each top corner.
Take 2 more rods and cut off the flat section from each end. The first is placed parallel to the trolley wire with short spacers in between, then solder in place, much the same construction as the crossbars. Five equally spaced spacers seem sufficient to avoid deformation from pan pressure. The dark blue lines drawn on the jig, guide the positioning of the spacers.
Solder the spacers and ends into one assembly.
And finally, place the 3rd rod parallel to the upper rod and solder it at center, above the middle spacer. Position the 3rd rod end over top of the short angled rod above each screw. Bend the short angled rod to match the curve of the 3rd rod and solder in place. A small upright brace at each end adds strength...you could add as many as you like here. And there you have it, your first stringer.
You'll find the speed of assembly increases with a little practice and repetition . Here's the perfect way to improve your soldering skills too. Although every stringer on the layout won't be the same length, I made enough of these standard sized ones to suffice for now. Note that no 2 stringers are exactly alike, but the discrepancies are allowed for in the final assembly.
Making hangers for the stringers is probably the most precise step of all. Luckily they are small and easy to make. Til next time.
Bruce
