# Sprial staircase



## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

Does anybody know where to buy or how to build a HO scale spiral staircase? The only thing I can find is special order at Walthers.

Thanks,


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

MikeB said:


> Does anybody know where to buy or how to build a HO scale spiral staircase? The only thing I can find is special order at Walthers.
> 
> Thanks,


There are a lot of doll house spiral staircases, but I guess they are the wrong scale.
I saw one someone was holding in their hand, and it sort of looked like it would work with HO.

What are you putting it in?

Don't know if this would work,
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/plastruct-o-90947-stas-48-custom-spiral-staircase/


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

$6.86
Ho 1/87 scale

3 D image click and drag to spin it.



https://www.shapeways.com/product/4...rs-market-1a?optionId=59603792&li=marketplace


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## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

Big Ed said:


> There are a lot of doll house spiral staircases, but I guess they are the wrong scale.
> I saw one someone was holding in their hand, and it sort of looked like it would work with HO.
> 
> What are you putting it in?
> ...





Big Ed said:


> $6.86
> Ho 1/87 scale
> 
> 3 D image click and drag to spin it.
> ...



Ed, 
Thanks for the link. I'll definitely look in to it.
Here's what I'm thinking/planning. The building on the right is my Barnaby's Pizza restaurant. The building on the left is my town hall/ police station/museum. I'm planning on a deck between the two for outdoor seating. I'm thinking of a spiral staircase between the two levels of the deck. Right now it's in a very rough mockup stage with Styrofoam.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Most of the time a spiral stairs are put in because of a space problem. Many are added just for the look.

If you look at that 3 d spiral stairs I posted you can turn it all ways. Upside down too. Look at how it is built.
I does not look too hard to scratch build one?
Either out of plastic or wood.
You just have to get the scale right. 
The pieces you would need don't look that hard to fabricate up?

Styrene or Balsa wood?

I think styrene would be better as you can bend/shape the hand rail easier. Or use wood for the stairs and then the styrene for the hand rail.
I think the hand rail curving around would be the hardest part to make.
But the styrene can be shaped into the hand rail.

Or just buy the one or if you need more height just buy 2.
If 2 is too high just snip off some to your desired height.

Spiral stairs come in all styles, so if you make one it might be better. As you can make the steps a little wider to accommodate two way traffic.


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## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

I have so many options, sometimes I wish I had a 3D printer. At least I have something to study. Thanks for the help 👍


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MikeB said:


> I have so many options, sometimes I wish I had a 3D printer. At least I have something to study. Thanks for the help 👍


Well, you ought to look into one. They're pretty amazing devices, and getting cheaper all the time. Even with the cost of resin, my $500 model has already paid for itself in about 16 months.


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## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> Well, you ought to look into one. They're pretty amazing devices, and getting cheaper all the time. Even with the cost of resin, my $500 model has already paid for itself in about 16 months.


I am starting to read about them. How do you like the resin printer? From what I've read you get finer detail with them, but the odor from it is making me shy away from it. Plus, it seems that having to treat the resin as hazardous material is also a draw back. I'm still in the investigating stage, but hopefully later this year I'll get one. Don't know if it will be a resin or a filament printer.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MikeB said:


> I am starting to read about them. How do you like the resin printer? From what I've read you get finer detail with them, but the odor from it is making me shy away from it. Plus, it seems that having to treat the resin as hazardous material is also a draw back. I'm still in the investigating stage, but hopefully later this year I'll get one. Don't know if it will be a resin or a filament printer.


The odor is a downside, but not a show stopper. I wouldn't set the machine up in my living room, but mine is in the basement and the odor has never been noticeable outside the basement. Since I put an activated charcoal filter over the printer's exhaust fan, the smell is only noticeable out to about 3 feet from the printer.

Not sure what you mean by treating the resin as hazardous material. I wear gloves when I handle uncured prints, but that's 1) to protect my hands from the alcohol bath and, 2) because the raw resin is amazingly sticky and impervious to soap, so it saves my hands from being sticky for hours afterwards. I have also heard it can be a skin irritant, but so can a lot of things in this hobby. Otherwise, no real precautions are necessary. 

The significant post-print processing is to remove excess resin, which can otherwise cure and ruin your print.

There are also studies that show that filament printers throw atomized pieces of plastic into the air. These are as carcinogenic as cigarette smoke.


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## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> The odor is a downside, but not a show stopper. I wouldn't set the machine up in my living room, but mine is in the basement and the odor has never been noticeable outside the basement. Since I put an activated charcoal filter over the printer's exhaust fan, the smell is only noticeable out to about 3 feet from the printer.
> 
> Not sure what you mean by treating the resin as hazardous material. I wear gloves when I handle uncured prints, but that's 1) to protect my hands from the alcohol bath and, 2) because the raw resin is amazingly sticky and impervious to soap, so it saves my hands from being sticky for hours afterwards. I have also heard it can be a skin irritant, but so can a lot of things in this hobby. Otherwise, no real precautions are necessary.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info. I would have to put it in an upstairs spare bedroom, (no basements where I live). Looks like there's advantages & disadvantages to both. I keep thinking that with HO scale, the resin one would produce better results. 
If you don't mind me asking, which model printer do you have? Any precautions on disposing the alcohol/resin?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I have an Anycubic Photon. I print a lot of 25mm figurines, which are a little larger than HO scale, so I've probably made 200+ prints already. My son is also a whiz at TinkerCAD, so he has designed several parts for me. However, Google Sketchup works just as well, and is much easier to learn. Even counting the cost of resin, rubber gloves, paint filters and shop towels, mine paid for itself in about 8 months (average cost of a mini is about $7; if I print it myself, about $0.45. You can find a lot of free designs on the net; many things sold by Shapeways can be purchased as a digital,file rather than a printed object, which saves both material cost and shipping charges.

I would say, in a spare bedroom, shut the door and open a window and you probably won't even know it's there. It only smells when it's actually printing.

I have never actually disposed of bulk resin. I wipe up with a shop towel after printing, and that just goes in the trash. After every 10-ish prints (and each failed print) I filter the resin with a paint filter, which again goes in the trash. The resin I store in the tank, and replenish it as necessary as it gets used up. If your printer is in a room full of sunlight, then maybe you would need to pour it back in the original bottle for storage; in my dark basement, it isn't a problem. As long as you keep using the same brand and type of resin, you can mix old and new.

For the alcohol and the water, I keep both in covered Tupperware containers. When they get too grungy, I just leave it open, letting the water or alcohol evaporate. Then I wipe out the sludge with a shop towel, which also goes into the trash.


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## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

CTValleyRR said:


> I have an Anycubic Photon. I print a lot of 25mm figurines, which are a little larger than HO scale, so I've probably made 200+ prints already. My son is also a whiz at TinkerCAD, so he has designed several parts for me. However, Google Sketchup works just as well, and is much easier to learn. Even counting the cost of resin, rubber gloves, paint filters and shop towels, mine paid for itself in about 8 months (average cost of a mini is about $7; if I print it myself, about $0.45. You can find a lot of free designs on the net; many things sold by Shapeways can be purchased as a digital,file rather than a printed object, which saves both material cost and shipping charges.
> 
> I would say, in a spare bedroom, shut the door and open a window and you probably won't even know it's there. It only smells when it's actually printing.
> 
> ...


Thanks a ton for all your information and help. It's very much appreciated!! Research continues, and soon will make up my mind.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

My pleasure!


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