In another thread discussion, we talked about the PS1 Yellowstone, and the lack of detail the earlier PS1 Steam have. One can not argue about the ruggedness & brute construction that the PS1 line brings to the table. Often, these early examples can be had at very good prices considering what the latest offerings are currently at!….Even with electronic upgrades, and some beautification mods, you still have nearly a full featured locomotive, and not come anywhere near today’s sticker shock prices,….So, enter our test subject. This is a PS1 PRR K4 that belongs to my good buddy, and loyalty patient Dave ……This is a pretty straightforward mod, and today, I’m only gonna concentrate on the biggest eyesore part of the early PS1 steam, all of those gleaming oober shiny chrome & stainless bits, …..I’ll explain my process, but I’ll also offer DIY solutions to tackle the same job at your home shop,……this job is a lot of fun, and very rewarding if scale like fidelity is in your creed,…..let’s begin with a simple list of tools & materials needed to do the deed, ….
basic assortment of hand tools.
drill & .068 carbide PCB resharps & a tiny centering bit. ( I’ll explain this )
Caswell chemicals black oxide solution, both steel & stainless steel.
800 grit paper & or scotchbrite pad.
WD-40 or your favorite penetrating oil.
compressed air, or a hair dryer
The carbide resharps are tiny PCB drill bits offered all over the popular shopping networks very cheap, and usually in a pack of 10 or 5, centering bits from the same places are dirt cheap as well, and will be staples if you intend to do more than one engine.
We’ll begin by removing the rods, and center drilling the axles for that prototype look, …..no science project here, just use a fine tip black sharpie, mark center, stand back and look at it, adjust the dot if needed, measure twice, and cut once, ….the carbide bit is very sharp to cut, but also very brittle, use very light pressure or the bits break easily…..after center drilling, I just touch the new hole with the centering bit, to clean up the cut, so just touch it, and pull the trigger once, and pull away,….practice on some scrap to get the hang of this, and once mastered, you’ll be a pro,…..afterwards, go ahead and completely dismantle the engine for the blackening process,……Chrome & stainless are the two materials we’re working with. Both are funny creatures to blacken vs. mild steel & pot metals ( zinc, zamac, etc, ) so there’s some steps to take to make them take the blackening process,….I start by glass beading the individual chrome rods, levers, & links. At your shop, you can scratch the chrome surface with 800 grit paper, or equivalent. Abated chrome & stainless take the blackening process, alot more evenly, and quickly,……..obviously we’re not going to blast the chassis, so I scuff the chrome tires with 800 grit paper, prepping it for the bath. Caswell’s blackening solutions are a true black oxide refinishing system, and it is a mild acid, so wear the proper PPE when utilizing this, or any chemical for that matter,…..so to refresh, the steps are: abate or scuff the parts, wash in soapy water, dunk the parts in the solution, rinse the parts, and then immediately apply penetrating oil while still wet,….the trick, and the idea here is the oxide solution has broken down the chrome and stainless, so penetrating oil will wick into the oxide, and give a long lasting durable finish,….after a few minutes soaking in the oils, use either compressed air, or a hair dryer to dry the parts,…Sometimes I have to repeat the process twice to get the desired results I want, ….how long you soak in the oxide, depends on your taste……and that’s pretty much it, reassemble, and admire your work, ……this also gives you opportunity to study your prototype, and add bits that you’d like to see,….for Dave’s K4, I looked at a few K4’s on line, and seen some neat looking crank pin configurations, so as an add on detail, I made him some much nicer crank pin bolts that really helped the look of the model,…..now this much better looking model will travel to Alex M.’s shop for all the electronics upgrades, and then Dave will have one trick pony!….
the bottom picture ( hopefully in order ) shows our star standing proud, completely surrounded in a sea of NYC motive power, but that doesn’t stop this K4 from keeping a smirk, ……😉
Pat 
AFAIK, all wheels sets, drivers and otherwise, are all made in one piece.
