Service Truck Kitbash

[PHPaul]

I've been struggling with the hinges.  The 3D printed ones work well, but they're  YUGE!

I got some smaller plastic tubing and discovered upon working with it that it's ABS and pretty much impervious to styrene-type glue.  Nothing would stay glued in place.

Tried some UV-set superglue this evening, and I think that's gonna work.  If it does, I'll post some pictures.

Lotta other stuff going on before Winter weather sets in, so it may be a while.

[PHPaul]

Well, much like Thomas Edison, "I have not failed, I've discovered at least 3 ways that will not work."

Superglue looked promising but didn't bond well to the styrene.  Very little effort required to pop a hinge off, would never have survived opening and closing.

I guess I'll have to try Charles' method with brass.  Need to check my inventory, pretty sure I'll have to lay in more brass tubing.

[Jürgen M.]

I've made good experiences in using regular Revell modeling glue with styrene! Have you tried that?

It takes a little bit longer to bond than glueing plastic parts of a kit but it does work.

Maybe it helps!

 

[PHPaul]

15 minutes ago, Jürgen M. said:

I've made good experiences in using regular Revell modeling glue with styrene! Have you tried that?

It takes a little bit longer to bond than glueing plastic parts of a kit but it does work.

Maybe it helps!

 

Testors styrene glue is my go-to and works perfectly on styrene-to-styrene joints.  The problem is two-fold:

1.  Dissimilar materials.  Trying to glue PLA (3D print material) or ABS (small tubing) to styrene is not working for me.

2.  Very small contact area on the joint.  While either Testors or super glue would probably work over a larger area, there's just not enough strength in this application.

[Biggu]

Epoxy ? The two-part stuff in the tubes??

[Jürgen M.]

OK, that's a difficult arrangement. Sorry, I must have misunderstood that.

For PLA I use a super glue but I can't recall having glued PLA and styrene before.

[PHPaul]

I got to thinking about my hinge problems and thought more about the lack of contact area for the glue.  I'm trying a modified version of Charles' approach using ABS tube along the full length of the door and brass pivots superglued into holes drilled in the body.

The full-length tube seems to be providing plenty of contact area and the joint seems solid.  Looking at the picture, I think the tube needs to be mounted ON the door as opposed to beside it so the door will fit flush.  I'll try that in the morning.

[Biggu]

I will be looking forward to the update and how this idea works and personally I think it is a sound plan ……

[PHPaul]

Still flip-flopping on mounting the doors.  Plan C works well but still looks pretty chunky.  Letting that simmer for a while to see if a better idea bubbles to the surface.

Meanwhile, I started on a knuckleboom crane several months ago and never quite figured out how to get it to fold as compactly as the real thing.  Coincidentally, a neighbor who works on cars had one parked in his yard for some repairs (hydraulic leaks) and I got a chance to look at one close up and get some pictures.  The solution was obvious once I saw it.  So I 3D printed the necessary parts and retro-fitted my first attempt:

Stowed.

Unfolded.  Propped up until I can snug up the joints just enough to hold it in position.

Fully extended.

Now that I have the concept figured out, I'll either fine-tune this one or build another to go on my International 4300 with the log trailer.

[Biggu]

Nice, that looks spot on, Paul.... are you possibly thinking self loader for the logging truck?

[PHPaul]

51 minutes ago, Biggu said:

Nice, that looks spot on, Paul.... are you possibly thinking self loader for the logging truck?

I have a Prentiss style loader on the straight truck.  I'm thinking of the knuckle boom making the 4300 more of a multi-use truck.  Crane would be useful for loading stuff onto a flatbed for instance.

[Biggu]

10 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

I have a Prentiss style loader on the straight truck.  I'm thinking of the knuckle boom making the 4300 more of a multi-use truck.  Crane would be useful for loading stuff onto a flatbed for instance.

Oh for sure. I was just thinking it may be a bit light for a logging truck. Your idea for a deck truck is spot on ! Its a beautiful piece. And will look really good mounted….

Jeff

[PHPaul]

 

Final iteration of the knuckleboom crane.  I re-designed and re-printed the main boom 3 times before I got the pin locations for the hydraulic cylinders right and got full articulation of the folding boom.

Right now, the rods slide freely in the cylinders, hence the props to hold it in the extended position.  I'm hoping a coat of paint on the rods will provide enough stiction to hold it in position.

I have come up with Plan C for the doors on the service body.  Just waiting on some materials to arrive.  I'll post pictures if it works as envisioned.

[Gary Chastain]

Outstanding fabrication work, its a gonna look good. 

[BK9300]

Great progress, Paul!

[PHPaul]

Thanks, Gents.  High praise coming from this company!

[Biggu]

VERY accurate... well done !!

[Pete68]

Nice work I like the Paystar 

[PHPaul]

 

Mounted on the truck.  Just a little plumbing left to do. 

Still working on doors for the service body.  Not 100% satisfied (primarily due to non-scale size of components), but have pretty much exhausted my options.  I'll post pix when I get one side finished up.

Edited November 22, 2024 by PHPaul

[PHPaul]

In case anyone is curious/interested, the "hoses" are made from this 28ga wire from Amazon  Comes in various colors and a nice little dispenser box.

[Gary Chastain]

Paul, that looks outstanding, well done sir

[Rockford]

Very clever stuff, looks the part. 

[BK9300]

Awesome progress, Paul - looking really good!

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Nice scratch building! 

[Gary Chastain]

I just realized you shortened the hood to a 5100 , if I got that correct.