The Dunsel Line shops are predominantly (literally) a virtual operation at this point. Naturally, most work done there is done on the computer.
I’ve decided to take a brief break from designing the Form 5 coupler and go back to an earlier project: the Q scale (1:45) snowplows for the 3200s. Previously I had stated that I would produce the snowplow “blades” from cardstock and glue them to the 3D printed frames I’d produced. I’ve decided to scratch that idea and just have the whole thing printed as a complete piece. This opens up the product for anyone else who would desire to reequip their MTH 3200s and/or 2-rail them.
On Sunday I went back in and added the blades and accompanying parts.
I think they look pretty good. And, better yet, they pass the tests for Frosted Ultra Detail. They’re ready to print!
Not so fast. Wait a minute… Where are the nuts holding the blade to the frame? They’re in my 3D model and they’re of a size that’s printable in FUD.
This is Shapeways' preview image. As you can see, the nuts pictured in the 3D model are not present here.
This is really starting to piss me off. This is the third time parts have gone missing when I've uploaded a model to Shapeways. (I am not blaming Shapeways for this error.) Somewhere in the conversion from the .skp file to .dae (done in Windows via "File" > "Export" > "3D model...") parts go missing and I still can't figure out why.
I'll delay printing until I solve this constant issue.
But in other, non-virtual, news I've begun fabrication of the car floors for the 3200s. I'm using 0.060" Evergreen styrene.
The holes drilled in the floor mark where the trucks will be mounted. If you have a sharp eye you've noticed that one of the holes doesn't line up with the line drawn down the length of the car body. This is not an error. The hole is correct, the line is off on that end by about 1/16". Since I won't be reusing the trucks the cars came with, I'll have to build my own and I'll be purchasing a set of wheels from NorthWest Short Line soon.
The 3200s are equipped with 28 inch wheels. In 1:45 scale, this comes out to a diameter of 0.622 real inches. 30 inches in O scale comes out to 0.625 real inches. The 30 inch wheels will therefore be 0.003 inches too wide, but I'm willing to settle. Once I get the wheels, I'll acquire a pair of cheap trucks for the floors to sit on while work progresses.
On your model, check to view the back sides (I think control K?). Then look closely at your bolts for strange internal geometry. I had same problem where one rivet wouldn't print. Had some strange internal structure that messed it up. Might be the problem. Also, what is the size? I figure about 7/8" in diameter by 3/4" tall (in real size) is about as small as you want to go. Hope this helps!
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