3d brass 3D printed brass Z scale boxcab diesel

[kevsmiththai]

Every now and then this hobby of model railways throws up a pleasant surprise. one such was a delivery the other days from Holland. inside the package from shapeways, inside a drawstring black cloth printed bag (Nice touch!), was a 3D printed GE-Ingersoll Rand boxcab diesel switcher.

 

From a design by Walt-SouthernNscale it is an exquisite representation of the early loco purchased by the New Jersey Central which still survives today in preservation.

 

 

there are some layer lines visible but the amount of detail is self evident

 

 

It is designed to fit the Rokuhan shorty chassis. I found that the locating lugs on the chassis, if used in the holes in the body ends, meant it sat far too high. so a simple mod was done to drop the height down. There is loads of room in the body to fit a decoder or lighting board. The extra weight certainly aids performance

 

 

I don't have the heart to paint it yet it looks so good.

 

I'm going to run it as it is at this year's shows to show everybody how much 3D printing has come on

 

How-to video here

 

 

 

cheers

 

Kev

 

[kevsmiththai]

On the logging line

 

 

Kev

[GDorsett]

How does one 3D print brass?

Eithet way, looks fantastic!

[stevenh]

46 minutes ago, GDorsett said:

How does one 3D print brass?

Eithet way, looks fantastic!

 

I had to look this up too! Seems they create a mould from wax and then pour the liquid brass in.

Or, at least, that's how I saw one site offer it... (https://i.materialise.com/en/3d-printing-materials/brass)

So it's really moulded brass, from a 3D printed wax design 🙂

 

 

Meanwhile, @kevsmiththai, the result looks fantastic!

Edited June 18, 2019 by stevenh

[cteno4]

Might also be one of the electron beam machines that fuses pulverized metal layer by layer. Not sure if lost wax could make those thin walls as well as break out the plaster from the interior of the cab easily. Kevin?

 

jeff

[Martijn Meerts]

Shapeways uses the lost wax method for 'printing' metal items. They basically print the model in wax, use that to cast a plaster mould around it, melt the wax, pour molten metal, and then finish it up a bit.

 

[cteno4]

Whoops missed it was from shapeways. Wonder how they clear the plaster from the inside of the frame. I wonder if they dissolve the plaster. Surprised it works so well on the tin shell. I did lost wax when I was young and while it did great detail on jewelry type things I am pleasantly surprised it works on thin shells like this. I remember trying to copy my mom’s wedding ring done by a famous jeweler friend and I was a bit too aggressive chipping out plaster from some of the little stem details sticking out it had and I broke several off. It was a fun process to do.

 

jeff

[kevsmiththai]

Well I'd figured lost wax casting. Over the years, especially during my 0 gauge years, I used a lot of lost wax bits and there was always some evidence of the plaster mould. I saw mention somewhere that the casting is polished and I wonder if they are putting them in a tumbler polisher before sending them out?

 

Kev

[Martijn Meerts]

They do some work on it after casting the metal, I think you can even ask them to fully clean up the final result and polish it. Not needed for a locomotive shell of course, since optimally you’ll want to paint it 🙂

[Azamiryou]

As for wall thickness, Shapeways has detailed information for what's possible with each of their materials -- including wall thickness, protrusions, etc.

[kevsmiththai]

The CNJ Brass boxcab has been a star at all the model railway layouts I've had my layouts out to prior to the Covid 19 outbreak. Running in bare brass and impressing people with the level of detail and the running quality of a Rokuhan shorty chassis with all that weight on top. But since I got the 3D brass Deki 500 off walt I reckone it was time to get it painted.

 

Now I didn't want to do it in the prototypical Central New Jersey colour sceme as that would rather tie it down to one time and place so i went for a generic green livery colour scheme (Ford Meadow green)

 

It will be a multi purpose loco. Working the forest line on Hakuho (2-0 in the latest Basho), Working the high line on Republic Steel and the docks on Cuyahoga. One loco, three layouts!

 

Seen working the Torpedo cars on Republic

 

 

and posed

 

 

It will get a light weathering. Just a thin wash to pick up all the panel detail. Glazing was done with Krystal Klear as all the windows are all small

 

Kev

 

 

[cteno4]

Really is stunning that it’s done in printed brass at z scale! And then z scale shorty chassis to boot.

 

jeff

[BlaxlandAlex3]

Wow, that is tiny! And the paint looks great.

[Kamome]

I can’t believe that it’s Z gauge. It looks a bit like a Seibu E61, without the pantographs.