It's taken me over a year, but I finally woke up with the solution that has been learned long ago by fellow modelers...[proof that this COVID situation has a damper on my model-making learning curve for sure, as I can't go to the meets and ask silly questions!] OK, here it is....drum roll...I can connect all the tubings amongst my (increasingly complicated) feed bin complex using tiny rare earth (neodymium) magnets! I have been struggling to attach the tubings which exit the elevators and descend to each bin. I wanted to accomplish this with realistic angles and no obvious bends, also with all of the fine wire tubing supports in place. This is a tall order. Me, bent over the structure, fussing with this, my sore shoulder and all. Tiny parts, lots of gravity, a lot of "hard work" at stake (invested in this model) and therefore...not much fun. Alas, these magnets have been used extensively in modeling steel mills. Why not for feed mills? And they are tiny. At 1/16" diameters, they will fit inside Plastruct TB-4 tubing (1/8" dia). Very affordable as well. Now, I haven't tested this system, but that is coming! As I have 1/8" diameter mags on hand (attempt at my own under the track uncoupling system, read about and learned elsewhere I cannot recall), I did go so far this morning as to cut one in half with the Dremel. Lots of sparks, tough material, vice grips, "neo-dust", ahh...forget it. I will redesign some of the 3D parts in FreeCAD to accomodate the tiny buggers that are soon to be in the mail. I will fix them with some JB. Bomber! The structure can (will be) able to be taken apart for adjustment, cleaning, modifications, additions, etc. Magnet addiction? I can feel it coming! -R
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Roger Rasmussen
Model Fir Tree Aficionado Archives
May 2021
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