Flat Silver Steel

LBSC recommends that the Guide Bars on my 2 1/2 g loco should be silver steel

sized 1/8 x 3/16. Total length required would about 12 in. I cannot find any supplier of flat silver steel let alone anything like the size either imperial or metric.

Does anyone know where something suitable can be obtained or make any other suggestion for an alternative material.

David B

Flat silver steel goes under the name of gauge plate, available from the usual materials suspects

May also be known as Ground Flat Stock

Edit

A quick look at a couple of the usual suspects does not show that size so you may have to cut from something like 1/8 x 1/2 cutting down the middle  or mill a lot away from some 1/8"x3/8" or cut slices off the end of a suitable width of 1/8" bar

Edited By JasonB on 31/07/2014 20:38:30

Hi David,

I got my stocks from RS Components some years ago as the usual ME suppliers only seemed to have it in the 2 inch wide sections whereas RS have it in smaller sections. Their prices aren't bad either. RS list it under tool steel. I believe it's oil hardening chrome vanadium steel but cuts and machines very easily.

Sheffield Gauge Plate have it in a greater range of sizes but they want £12.50 postage for orders under £200.

I use it for valve gear components as well as slidebars. It's hard wearing even when left soft. Got that idea from Don Young.

John

David , you can get square SS so you could use 3/16" SQ and reduce to 1/8" on the miller. Most engineering supply houses sell this material.

It's also worth noting SS Gauge Plate GFS, are not the same material, either would do your job but not the same composition. See the link below for the differing composition

Regards John

http://www.westyorkssteel.com/tool-steel.

Edited By JohnF on 31/07/2014 21:02:33

Thinking about this, many moons ago in a galaxy far removed from this one I had to slice about 1/2" off a massive stack of gauge plate which was 12" to 15" long and varied from 1mm thick to possibly 12mm thick, as I say this was a long time ago.

These were shim plates to pack a reactor vessel up so cost was no problem.

Somewhere ????????? I will have all the off cuts which are the full 12" to 15" ? length x 1/2" approx wide and various thickness's

Never used any of these and as part of the Mass Downsizing [TM] I can take a selection to Bristol in a few weeks if anyone wants any.

I will only be there on the Saturday so PM me for a mobile number. These will be free to anyone who wants them but please don't be greedy or at least pass them round. From memory it was oil hardening steel. I can check as some of the full strips never got cut and will be with the oddments if I can find a rope long enough to go round my waist and a pocket of breadcrumbs.

John

You have made a very generous offer, one question though, is this material glowing softly in the dark?

Ian

college engineering have square section silver steel in their catalogue and web site.

john

No it was brand new stock, supplied by Cromwell and cut to size before it went on site.

If it had have been ex-site I would have made a reading lamp out of it.

I have a 10" length x 3/4" wide strip of gauge plate and a 14" one as well. College Engineering cost is about £8 per 1"wide x12". Postage would be about £1.50. I can let you have either length for £4 plus the postage on receipt of cheque for total

Sorry - should mention thickness of plate is 1/8th in.

hi david,

on a 2.5"g loco that sees little heavy use (unlike say a 5"g loco used for passenger haulage on a club track) ordinary BMS would be quite ok. ive only ever made my slidebars (in 3.5 and 5"g) from BMS but always case harden same.

LBSC would have specified silver steel because in those days it was readily available in that size.

my experience of operating miniature locos for plus 30 years is that BMS slidebars wear very little given adequate lubrication and the correct oil, and accurate lining up and fitting etc. other parts of LBSC type locos are far more susceptible to wear especially the small end bearing of the conn rod.

cheers,

julian

Hello David and others,

A useful source of thin flat stock [ approx 1 mm thick] which will harden well and cost nothing is a tired hard point woodsaw

Shear off the induction hardened teeth and the remainder has all kinds of uses. It is already semi hard to maintain shape when used as intended, but it will cut with hacksaw blades and can be filed or machined. Other sources in thicker section are exhausted diamond coated tile saws, these are also rustless as they are used wet, and carbide tipped circular saw blades that are beyond recovery.

Regards Brian

Regards Brian

Good suggestions there Brian. I have also got several old pairs of garden shears that must be a hardenable steel.

Many thanks to all who responded to my post. All very useful thoughts and enough to get me going. As pointed out if I ever finish the Southern Maid it will not get much use - my local club does not have 21/2 g and am getting too old to travel much.

Regards to all,

David