Adding weight


P

plasticman

New Member
Hi, I have been trying to find cradle weight for my Model Power GP-40. For some reason, I cannot find this part.:confused: What are my alternatives? Lead shot? Silly putty? B'B's What do people use to add weight in there loco's? Thanks. Oh.. its N scale.
 
anything that fits is good. to add weight, I've used lead shot, pennies (HO) , BBs and even commercial weights.
 
I found some soft lead that was 1/2" wide & 3/32's thick in rolls at Home Depot not to long ago. I used it by sandwiching double faced tape between each piece to hold it in my engine. I have HO, but it would work in N I'm sure.
I've also used hex nuts, fishing sinkers(lead), small pieces of 1/4" thick by 1/2" wide flat steel cut to the right length for the car I was putting it in, & many other items. Just use your imagination & secure it.

Larry
 
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I work in HO scale also, but you can put weight into the inside of the shell of locos, up in the roof. IF working with dash9's I like to put weight up into the radiator section and in the cab, just under the windows, where the cab sits on the chassis, but out of the way of the drivetrain.:cool:
 
speaking of "anything" ....visit a local tire shop and see if they will give you any old used tire balancing weights. They are very soft (not sure if they are lead anymore) and you can carve them easily, hammer and bend them to fit darn near anything.
 
Car weights are still lead in most places Ken. You can opt for less toxic metals in some more specialized shops however.

I just posted a thread about using powdered Tungsten, which is approximately 1.7 times heavier by volume, then lead. However, to use it, it must be mixed with a glue, or epoxy.
 
Ken, that's not true. Lead presents two major hazards to hobbyists:

1. Handling. Lead surfaces have a very fine, almost microscopic dust. Any time you're handling lead, you should wear latex gloves and wash your hands and face well after you're done. Ths includes things like lead shot and lead fishing sinkers as well as lead weights in locomotives.

2. Shaping or grinding lead. Anything that disturbs the lead surface will generate a considerable amount of lead dust. Without having an industrial quality respirator, you should never shape or grind lead. You are increasing your risk of inhaling lead dust many fold by such activities. Inhalation of lead dust is the chief cause of cancer, not ingestion.

You should also never smoke, eat, or drink while handing or working with lead products. There are alternatives to lead that are much safer for model railroad use. Why exposure yourself to a known, potent carcinogen if you don't have to?
 
well, Jim, having studied it from an industrial perspective for many years, I can tell you that most of the so-called concerns of lead are grossly overblown.

I don't have the time to explain the more recent and much more substantiated science to everyone here, such as that the specific material inhaled is more likely to be totally inconsequential to the fact that some or any foreign substance was inhaled, so we'll just let the sleeping dog lay.
 
It take allot of lead to be really toxic, but the Tungsten weighs more, and is less harmful.
 
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