Fat Fingers and Fiddly Little Triangles!

[viaEstrecha]

Old style Spanish loco lamps have this triangle arrangement over the glass - I presume to hold the glass in place yet allow it to be removed for cleaning or replacement with red-coloured glass. Anyway, I've tried making tiny ones for my lamps, using fuse wire, thin copper wire and even the finest styrene profile. My soldering is not good enough and CA glue is messy, and just getting the right length and shape defeats me. They need to be about 8mm per side and in a material about 0.3mm in diameter, and my ability to make anything so small and fiddly is demonstrably non-existent, the results being pretty shabby. I would probably stick them on a lens with Glue 'n' Glaze, so the material doesn't matter.

Any suggestions? I'll have a try at most things, but I think I have to admit my limitations here. Is something like this possible with laser cutting or 3D printing, in which case I could try to commission someone to make them, I suppose?

 

[phils2um]

Looks like a good candidate for fabrication by etched metal. Perhaps if you contacted someone who makes custom number plates?

 

[trammayo]

I always find a that a pair of taper-nosed pliers are very useful.

If you had some stranded electric cable, a strand of that would be OK.

Of course, you wouldn't get the 60degree angle to start off with, but start off with two bends, cut the wire after the second bend (to the correct length), then hold in pliers along the length of one straight and bend. Then do the same after the second bend. Then you should have equilateral triangle!

It works for me with my two bunches of bananas!

 

[Paul M]

Sounds daft, but have you tried painting them? If they're only 0.3 mm thick, perhapsa thick paint line will look good from normal viewing distances

 

[DafyddElvy]

Have you thought about knocking 3 small track pins or similar in a piece of wood, give them a gentle to form the corners of the triangle and simply bend some 0.3mm wire around them?

 

[ebay mike]

My memory is not what it used to be but I had to manufacture something along those lines years ago. For the life of me I can't remember what, but I do know I used dressmaker's pins and a pair of fine nosed pliers.

 

[dunnyrail]

Davids solution sounds about the best, a jig like tgat woukd certainly work with only 1 soldered joint to worry about.

But another option may be a paint fine point pen, available in arty shops. You may struggle to get good straight lines on the lens, but worth a try.

 

[viaEstrecha]

Many thanks for the suggestions. The 3 pin former was the method I first chose, but my eyesight and those fat fingers struggled - I found it hard to achieve a tight angle and the sides then refused to stay straight nor remain joined up! Just holding the thing to work on has been a pain, finding something glue won't stick to or heat destroy - I ended up using a blob of plasticene.

I'll just have to try one more time, with a selection of other wire, though I'm not confident.

With that in mind, I liked the etching idea and so have asked 4D Model Shop in London for advice - they've quoted for an A5 sheet of brass etching (their minimum order), which is pricey but might be worth it if I can come up with ideas for other items to be etched to fill up the space, such as characteristic Spanish embossed lettering for buffer beams etc. I think perhaps this is one time I might have to admit my limitations and resort to cheque book modelling!

 

[dunnyrail]

Many thanks for the suggestions. The 3 pin former was the method I first chose, but my eyesight and those fat fingers struggled - I found it hard to achieve a tight angle and the sides then refused to stay straight nor remain joined up! Just holding the thing to work on has been a pain, finding something glue won't stick to or heat destroy - I ended up using a blob of plasticene.

I'll just have to try one more time, with a selection of other wire, though I'm not confident.

With that in mind, I liked the etching idea and so have asked 4D Model Shop in London for advice - they've quoted for an A5 sheet of brass etching (their minimum order), which is pricey but might be worth it if I can come up with ideas for other items to be etched to fill up the space, such as characteristic Spanish embossed lettering for buffer beams etc. I think perhaps this is one time I might have to admit my limitations and resort to cheque book modelling!

Were you not also asking about number plates the other day? Another thing to add to your sheet of A4 etching.

 

[Paradise]

What is the diameter of the lens on the light?

Try using the triangular file from a jewelers file set laid over some fine brass wire then lifting and folding the wire with a thin blade around the 60 degree file corners.
You may have to secure the bent end so it doesn't lay over when doing the second bend.
Make the ends of the wire overlap then finally clip the ends so they meet. A touch of solder and 'hey presto' a triangle thingamajig.

 

[Paul M]

What is the diameter of the lens on the light?

Try using the triangular file from a jewelers file set laid over some fine brass wire then lifting and folding the wire with a thin blade around the 60 degree file corners.
You may have to secure the bent end so it doesn't lay over when doing the second bend.
Make the ends of the wire overlap then finally clip the ends so they meet. A touch of solder and 'hey presto' a triangle thingamajig.

Brilliant idea

 

[viaEstrecha]

Brilliant idea

I failed with something like this before, as my only 'brass' wire wasn't! I'll see if I can get some at the 16mm Soc show today, to try again.

 

[dunnyrail]

Old style Spanish loco lamps have this triangle arrangement over the glass - I presume to hold the glass in place yet allow it to be removed for cleaning or replacement with red-coloured glass. Anyway, I've tried making tiny ones for my lamps, using fuse wire, thin copper wire and even the finest styrene profile. My soldering is not good enough and CA glue is messy, and just getting the right length and shape defeats me. They need to be about 8mm per side and in a material about 0.3mm in diameter, and my ability to make anything so small and fiddly is demonstrably non-existent, the results being pretty shabby. I would probably stick them on a lens with Glue 'n' Glaze, so the material doesn't matter.

Any suggestions? I'll have a try at most things, but I think I have to admit my limitations here. Is something like this possible with laser cutting or 3D printing, in which case I could try to commission someone to make them, I suppose?


View attachment 306950

I like a bit of a challenge, using some long forgotten math I made a triange in a bit of scrap wood with my trusty pointed caliper. Then some Peco Track Pins and finally wound some 16thou insulated wire round to make a triangke as shown. Not perfect but likely from a normal viewing distance may do the job. Not soldered or glued just interference fit where wire cut. Wire could be from an old trashed motor armature if a reel not in stock. Glued in place with glue n glaze should work. If the option of etching or lazer cut no good how many do you need?

 

[viaEstrecha]

I like a bit of a challenge, using some long forgotten math I made a triange in a bit of scrap wood with my trusty pointed caliper. Then some Peco Track Pins and finally wound some 16thou insulated wire round to make a triangke as shown. Not perfect but likely from a normal viewing distance may do the job. Not soldered or glued just interference fit where wire cut. Wire could be from an old trashed motor armature if a reel not in stock. Glued in place with glue n glaze should work. If the option of etching or lazer cut no good how many do you need?
View attachment 307026

Many thanks for trying, John - I got the 'fiddly' part right, didn't I? You're a star, giving it a go!
This was my effort, using that same method. The best 2 weren't all that bad, but most of my attempts were awful and over time, my wire triangles have started to 'unwind'. When the lamps are lit, it shows up the imperfections more.I've done my sums now, and with needing about 20 triangles for lamps (actually in 2 sizes), plus the opportunity to obtain a 'forever' stock of several dozen brass letters and numbers for coach sides, loco buffer beams etc , I am going to bite the bullet and commission a sheet of worryingly delicate etching. My daughters have kindly offered to subsidise it for my Christmas pressy, so I think I'll take the easy option and spend some less frustrating hours doing the artwork on the computer, where fat fingers are less of a problem.

 

[phils2um]

I am going to bite the bullet and commission a sheet of worryingly delicate etching.

Don't forget to add small tabs at the points of the triangles to bend around the lamp bezels like shown in your pic of the real thing.

 

[viaEstrecha]

Don't forget to add small tabs at the points of the triangles to bend around the lamp bezels like shown in your pic of the real thing.

Goodness me - you'll have me turning into a finescale modeller next!

 

[phils2um]

Goodness me - you'll have me turning into a finescale modeller next!

Just figured that you should include them as long as you are going to the expense. You can always cut them off if you want. It's a lot harder to add them later!