Wood and Metal.........Wow  a old one........ I have a Old Fowlers  motorized slo motion wig wag kit with metal parts...lighted target and copper cowbell.

WOW that neo-lube looks like the stuff to get........Does it rub off or remove easy?......Will cleaning wheels on a rag with alchohol remove it?......I hope not.......

Here is a detailed spec sheet on its makeup ect.
http://www.newmantools.com/chemicals/neolube1pds.htm

solution of colloidal carbon in isopropanol is Neolube from Huron Industries, Fort Huron, MI. It consists of 10.71% graphite solids in certified pure isopropanol and Thermoplastic Resin as a vehicle

Substrates should be clean and dry before application.  A solvent wipe and air dry is usually sufficient.  For critical applications requiring maximum adhesion, the following pretreatment is recommended:



Steel             Degrease, sand or vapor blast and/or phosphate coat.

Aluminum          Degrease, sand or vapor blast, degrease, Meta Etch or anodize.

Stainless Steel         Degrease, sand or vapor blast and/or Granodine 16 (Amchem)

Copper Alloys           Degrease, sand or vapor blast, degrease, dilute nitric acid dip and water rinse.

Rubber                  Clean with appropriate solvent.

Plastic                 Sand lightly, wipe with appropriate solvent.

Total Solids Content, weight percent    3.3% +/- 0.5%
Maximum particle dimension of 90% of particles    4 Microns
Maximum particle dimension of any particle    10 microns
Lubricant    Processed micro graphite
Binder    Thermoplastic resin
Dilutent    Isopropanol
Consistency    Thin liquid
Shelf life    No limit in closed container
Temperature range    -70 deg F - 400 deg F
Color    Black
Flash Point    52 deg F
Coeffecient of friction    0.030 - 0.090

Jim

Foil insulation tape (construction products) works wonders to stop light bleedthrough on cabs and buildings........get the smooth kind without the re-inforcing mesh......Its like having 5 thousandths thick aluminum with a sticky back.

Also works great for details....put it on a model...paint,,,,,,,,then chip away paint to reveal metal underneath.....lather rust rinse repeat.....

Hehhe

Ok now you guys have me wanting to blacken the gear on one of the Hudsons i just got.....Full bottle of Blacken it in hand.......I bought 2 (both Mehano Canadian with Smoke ears?) I flat blacked/re lettered one of them and removed the ears so its for freight now.......Also added real coal...they run good,but the black one needs weathered.

Rich are you able to get good results leaving the parts on?........no missed spots ect?....

By the way the 2-8-0 i blackened seems to have developed alot of slop in the siderods......i wonder if this stuff is good long term......engine has been ran "alot" but it was kept lubed......and the parts were rinsed prior to re-installing.

Sorta hesitant to ruin a Hudson this way.

Jim

Second that.....body is a tube ,front comes off (may have a spot of glue that never holds much due to paint).

It is possible to drill out tender light and make it operational...cut top off a led to make a lens......Looks great.....

I tried brushing on "blacken it" and it just beaded up until it breaks through the "chrome" surface....thats when i pulled it apart and tanked the valve gear and rods.

If it beads up it will leave spots on the part .

Wheel treads off center with axle and or bad quartering.........I just sent a 2-8-0 in for the same reason...brand new.

Set the loco on flat level track and shine a light at the treads where they meet the track and watch it as it creeps under power....also see if at a stop on flat track you have any gaps under wheels....or wheels with little to no down force(not bearing weight of the loco thereby floating around free to click)

Bachmann must be making the wheels with hand tools.......My 6 year old has toys with truer running wheels......These locos wobble and hump up and down
and when a wheel is undersized in OD or the chassis is milled to deep for the axle so that no load is down on the wheel  you get a driver floating above the track until a siderod drives it down....and ....CLICK.

Lack of caring at the factory......In their "top of the line " Locos.......kinda a bummer......Does anyone make Steamers thats wheels run true? Can Bachmann? >:

Jim

I used blacken it on the wheels and siderods of a IHC 2-8-0 and they look very used, but its a pain to strip them off the loco to do.And rinsing is a must ...its a acid.

Ok i have emailed the dealer as a first step.....see what happens.Thanks all...Least my K4 runs great.......(1 outa 3 for spectrum here)

Jim

Thanks fellas........I bought it from a auth. dealer on ebay "The Favorite Spot".....I think they own a hobby shop too.........But i did not get a bill of sale....Would this be a problem Bman? Its less than a week old.

On one ez track set i have the terminal re-railer had a bad buss connection underneath to the power plug ....the train when on that section of track would move the rails enough to break the connection inside stopping the train.......just a shot try wiggling your power plug to the track when the train stops.

Also unplug/un insert one section of track (open the circuit) run train on both sides of this opening and the section where the train stops running will be your problem...

Jim

I can second the Mantua 0-6-0 The new version from Model Powers re-issue Mantua classics is 
a good runner...NO # 393001 Tank Switcher...but i had to add third wheel pickup on the insulated side of the drivers as it was only two wheel pickup on one side and would stall in non powered frog type switches at slow speeds.

Chassis has brass bearings for the axles......quiet smooth can motor drive.Quality little loco.Headlight and rear light, Nice brass swinging bell.

Used a Digitraxx DZ 123 decoder........it gets lost inside the cab.....other decoders (nce) were to long to fit.

Got it for a steal last year at hobby Lobby for $16.66

Jim

Overland runner here........I used metal wheelsets on my tender.....works great.As far as the front pilot.......it is a bit cheesy...what i did was take 90 degree pieces of brass and glue them into the channel on the top of the pilot truck between the vertical post and the axles taking up as much slop as possible pushing the axles into the j shaped hook that keeps them retained.

I have my pilot spring installed ,decoder hardwired and tender backup light operational and she runs fine on my layout.......smoke removed for decoder install on top of casting (nce).

It will run fast or slow no derails.........Good runner and quiet.

Jim

Let me know if you need more help w/this engine.......I have owned 2 and currently run one in dcc.

Hello Guys........Breaking in my new Spectrum DCC Consolidation ,She has a issue.In reverse with a consist of 4 boxcars and caboose...2% grade going up hill.She gets a bad clicking wheel hop...Like its out of quarter?....I have checked the drivers and the spring travel on the drivers that float in the chassis(2 sets have a floating sprung axle in this chasis) and all is well....It seems the second wheelset from the front hops once every revolution just enough to make a rail click.

And the decoder is notchy and horrid speed resolution........as well as the lack of programming options.

Wish it ran as smooth and quiet as my 2 New Hudsons (mehanos).....Im bummed....2 bad connies in a row for me from Bman.

After running for a few hours its no better......Should i keep fiddling or send it in guys?...

Jim

New toys for Christmas....Thats where everyones been....

Working on breaking in a new Bach DCC equip.2-8-0 when she gets here Monday. Also got a Mehano Canadian 4-6-4 Hudson that runs like a watch on the test loop right now(came in mini chefs 10th aniv set)And put a DZ123 decoder in my Mantua 0-6-0 Switch engine.Also just put a MRC sound decoder in my new MRC Santa Fe Platinum F unit.And landscaped some of the layout ,and building a Coal depot.

Hope everyone had a great Holiday season........Now back to the Coal depot.

Jim