With shapeways making printing in brass a reality some test items were ordered a month ago, and today turning up in the post are side-frames and couplers. With the brain now working overtime with new ideas about printing the detail parts for the steamers. The J & Ja need pony trucks so that will be a focal point to get started, Plastic was never going to really work as the trucks are best heavy! Perhaps all the fittings to the boiler etc as well.
Taken from shapeways about printing brass (See https://www.shapeways.com/materials/brass)
Gold Plated Brass and Polished Brass both go through extensive hand polishing to give them a smooth, shiny finish. Polished Brass has a bright yellow coloring and, with 22k plating, Gold Plated models will resemble authentic gold objects. They are both perfect for jewelry and precious objects.
Raw Brass has a rustic matte look, with rough surfaces and some tarnishing (color spots). It is great for antique-looking objects, functional parts, jewelry prototypes, and metal models that you’d like to polish and finish yourself.
Brass models are fabricated using a complex five-step process. First, the model is printed in wax using a specialized high-resolution 3D Printer. It is then put in a container where liquid plaster is poured in around it. Once the plaster sets, the wax is melted out in a furnace, and the remaining plaster becomes the mold. Molten brass is poured into this mold and set to harden. The plaster is broken away, revealing your new product. Raw Brass is briefly tumbled. Polished and Gold Plated Brass are carefully cleaned and hand polished. Gold Plated Brass goes through a final electroplating process for an outside coat of 22k gold. Please be aware that polishing and plating can wear down or fill in very fine details and edges.
Like all brass, our Polished and Raw offerings will tarnish over time and may need to be polished.
The products right after arriving. The gold covered sideframes won't be painted, but glued to a likelike pa-1 chassis truck sides.. after I find one someone may be willing to sell :P
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| NZ120 DQ/QR Bogie Sides, Printed in Brass - Coated with 22k Gold (HDR) |
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| NZ120 DQ/QR Bogie Sides, Printed in Brass - Coated with 22k Gold (HDR) |
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| NZ120 DC Bogie Sides, Printed in Brass - Polished (HDR) |
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| NZ120 DC Bogie Sides, Printed in Brass - Polished |
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| NZ120 Brass NZR Couplers & the W Wagon (HDR) |
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| NZ120 Brass NZR Couplers & the W Wagon (HDR) |
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| Zm's giving the couplers a go |
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