I was looking for an ON30 Wye switch for some time. I bought one from Cream City, but it didn't match my Micro engineering code 83 flex track (ties too thin and too wide), so I bought an Atlas code 83 Custom Line Wye switch to dissect. Ouch!
I soldered brass
bars across the ends of my Atlas Wye switch and a few on the tops in
the BK skeleton switch fashion. ( This keeps everything in gauge during dissection and rebuilding).
I then used a heat gun and stripped
all the plastic ties.
I find that cutting the copper with a Dremel to insulate the circuit too be a bit sloppy, so I mask the PC ties where I want to keep the copper with a paint marker and etch the areas away where I want to have insulation with ferric chloride. After etching, I clean off the paint with acetone and then polish the remaining copper with a Scotchbrite pad. I then added Plastruct 90746 1/8 x .40 plastic strips to the bottom of my .062 PC board ties (super glued) and that makes them exactly the height and width of the Micro Engineering ties.
I find that cutting the copper with a Dremel to insulate the circuit too be a bit sloppy, so I mask the PC ties where I want to keep the copper with a paint marker and etch the areas away where I want to have insulation with ferric chloride. After etching, I clean off the paint with acetone and then polish the remaining copper with a Scotchbrite pad. I then added Plastruct 90746 1/8 x .40 plastic strips to the bottom of my .062 PC board ties (super glued) and that makes them exactly the height and width of the Micro Engineering ties.
I made a jig for the tie spacing I wanted and
dropped in my custom table saw cut PC board ties. (Yes, I used a 10" table saw to cut them) I soldered them in place with 63-37 solder and a bit of rosin flux.
I am not sure if I like Pliobond glue and the wood ties...they come loose easily... Maybe I'll do all PC board ties... Vance
I am not sure if I like Pliobond glue and the wood ties...they come loose easily... Maybe I'll do all PC board ties... Vance
