Ideas Wanted


IowaFarmBoy

IowaFarmBoy

Member
I'm diabetic and test my blood sugar then give myself an insulin shot. I end up with small syringes, Plunger covers, needle covers, and lancets (I grind the needle off) and have been everything but the syringes. These are on a 2 X 4 so you have some idea of size. I'm looking for ideas to use these pieces in projects on our model railroad. Here's what they look like.

Projects001.jpg


I tried using a syringe to apply MEK for styrene bonding but it seemed like the needle wa either plugged or too small for the MEK. Ihave used the lancets as scrap metal loads. I painted them an aluminum color andused silicone caulk to stick them on a piece of styrene for a removable load. Here is a picture of that.

GondolaLoad002-1.jpg


Comments? Suggestions? I'm too much of a pack rat to just throw everything out if there is a possible use for it. :D
 
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Hi Larry --

I'm diabetic, and though I don't use insulin, I have accumulated some bits and pieces from used lancets. I also recently concluded a two-year program of injections for another ailment, and have more odds and ends that I've saved from that experience.

My first thought is to use these leftovers as loads or as trackside debris. Great minds think alike and never throw away anything!

- Jeff
 
I never throw anything away either. People are always leaving bags full of stuff for me in front of my trainroom, because they know I'll figure out sooner or later what to use it for. Those small posts could be used for streetlite posts & the other parts could be used for lamp shades w/LED's as lighting.
Flatcar loads, gon loads, truck loads, etc.:)
I use computer parts all over my layout as you've probably seen in my photo's. I spend a lot of time in Craft stores, Dollar Tree & junk stores.:rolleyes:
I'm always on the prowl for a certain item.:D
 
Water Columns. Cut up the unused parts to even smaller bits, paint them in a few shades of rust.
 
Rust-oleum Rusty Metal Primer as a base then various rusty colors of acrylic paint to break up the sameness of the base paint. These trucks look like they haven't had anything other than the primer.
 
I don't know if they are the right size, but those grey painted syringes remind me of howitzer barrels. Perhaps you have a manufacturing business going on your layout that builds the barrels or even the guns themselves?

Good job with the lancets. I don't know how processed aluminum is shipped, but I'd believe that.
 
Getting that aluminum color was another thread months ago. It is light grey primer with silver craft paint over it and a diluted black wash, that was less diluted than normal A/I wash.

I don't know how aluminum castings are shipped either but I also believed the load looked reasonably realistic. Note that the parts are intentionally not perfectly straight in the load. I had them all straight and even and the load looked more toy-like than realistic.

Many, many of the non-syringes parts are already destined for a future model scrapyard. With these ideas the syringes will be cut up and parts will be in the scrapyard, too. And I am eagerly looking for more ideas. Another 3 month supply of these prescription items arrived last week. :) I already have a small storage tub full of them and will be pulling the needles out of some syringes and saving them also.

HO scale dimensions:
The trash can looking parts are 3' 1" diameter by 5' 3" high. I thought these looked like some piece of HVAC equipment with the little ribs all around them.
The syringe body is 23' tall overall and 18" diameter on the longest round part.
The plunger shaft is 9" in diameter and a cross section of it is like a cross as in Red Cross.
The pieces in the gondola are 6' 6" long and roughly 18" square although they are not square in cross section.

On the scrap note, I had a key made today and tried to talk Ace Hardware out of the brass filings from the key machine but they recycle them. That would have made a great open load.
 
is that stuff HO sized? I have some syringes that were left by a previous room mate (never opened and used, still in the medical bags) so im thinking of useing them for something my self (perhaps oil droppers), the howitzer idea sounds kinda neat tho...
 
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