# 150' 220kv SLT



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

This was my weekend project. It is my own design in HO scale, laser cut from .018" thick Laserboard. At first, I was skeptical of the material strength and had 2nd thoughts on my design, but as things went together, it became apparent that it is quite strong. The un-opened can of Coke weighs 13.6oz. I actually had an un-opened tall can of Monster energy drink on it, but was too chicken to leave it while taking the picture. The finished Steel Lattice Tower (SLT) stands about 21" tall. Next will be paint and assembly of the insulators and line attachments. I plan to shrink down the design to N Scale next.

-Eric

www.shadowhobby.com


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Didn't know what your thread title meant, and really
confused since my Dodge Ram is an SLT.

But, now that you have completed it that is some
fantastic work. There's no way I could get it that
well done with my shaky hands. Can't imagine
assembling in in N Scale.

Don


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

DonR,

Thanks for the comments. My hands aren't as stable as they used to be. I made this whole tower self-aligning with tabs and notches. Small as the parts may be, they fit nicely. With a toothpick application of carpenters glue, you have plenty of time to fiddle. If your fiddling isn't done before the glue sets, you can pull everything apart, wipe off the un-dried glue and start again.

*ISOLATOR BUILD*
The next installment here (see pic) is my approach to making the line Isolators.

• I laser cut two cards with disc sets (small and large)
• The two sizes of discs were alternately stacked on a dressmaker's pin. 
• The pin serves as the alignment tool and will remain in place as part of the final assembly. 
• I then wicked each stack with thin CA glue to lock everything in place once properly adjusted. 
• Before the CA cured, I wiped away any excess. The key is to use thin CA.

It took about 5 minutes for this Isolator stack.

Regards,

www.shadowhobby.com


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

Small update.

Painted the tower with gray primer and got some outdoor shots. I also added the "concrete" footings as well. Next update should be the completed tower, with transmission lines and insulators.

Thanks for looking!


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Absolutely awesome. Even more so knowing that
it is N scale. 

Don


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

Thanks Don. We are still in HO scale on this build, N scale will be after this one wraps up. I laser cut a 2nd HO tower that fits all parts onto 3 sheets of 8.5 x 11 (for easy mailing).


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

Insulator strings painted. Airbrushed porcelain parts with Vallejo air rust acrylic, and the mounting studs are hand brushed with Tamiya medium gray (XF-20). I think they simulate the prototype quite well. It takes about 10 minutes to stack the discs on each string. There are 6 insulator strings on this tower. I found that if you poke the pin into the disc hole while it's still attached to the card, you can pop it out without the need of cutting out each and every disc. A quick wipe across the sanding block and they are ready for paint.


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

A quick dark color wash for the insulators and a test fit to the tower. Next, we should have some "cables" rigged up for power.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Impressive work! Stands square too!


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

So here we are. The finished product. It will be available for sale as a kit on my website in the next week or two. 

Thanks for the comments Cyclops! It does stand square. I took time in the design phase to make it self jigged with tabs and notches.

Here are the final pictures. Enjoy!


----------



## Dano (Aug 26, 2012)

Nice work, but I have to say it, that Coke can is out of scale!


----------



## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Fine looking model. That laser does a nice job.


----------



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Posted by HobbyShadow: It will be available for sale as a kit on my website in the next week or two. 

Very late on commenting but that is an amazing electric transmission line. I went to your website and could only find letters for sale. Do you have other kits and products?


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

You sure had me 'fooled' when I saw those first pics.
I just couldn't convince myself that you did the
fine details of creating telco cables with in line junctions.

Not only fantastic model work, but your 'trick' photography
was excellent.

Don


----------



## Shadow Hobby (Jun 26, 2015)

Thanks for the comments guys!

I have been working on the instruction sheet(s) for building this kit. Wood, I am still working on getting things going. I will be adding items once they become available.

Here is a sample of the instructions:


----------



## Wood (Jun 9, 2015)

Please let us know. I'll start my windmill farm now....


----------

