# Scratch built lamp posts



## Dan P (May 16, 2018)

Hi all
I thought I’d share my lamp post design with you all. I’m using these in an O scale layout.
I start with a 1/8 x 5/8 washer. Using a form I made, the washers are punched to produce a concave shape.
The inner hole is then bored out using a reamer.
The center portion of the lamp housing is made from turned brass. It’s drilled to 0.120 to accept a common LED. I’ve stepped the bore out to 5/32 with a reamer to allow the LED to fully insert into the brass housing.
Total length of these center housings is 0.2”. The bottom is turned to press fit into the bore of the washer while the upper portion is beveled.
The final piece to the assembly are lower portions are made from brass tubing.
Everything is soldered together and then cleaned up to yield the final product.
More to come soon...


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## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Very nice, but not everyone has the tools you used to fashion the parts, but thanks for posting.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Yeah, very nice, but by the time I've pro-rated the cost of all the tools across the parts, they would be way too expensive for me.


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## sid (Mar 26, 2018)

if ya got a lathe you could spin some copper sheet into a nice lamp shade. google metal spinning. very easy. or brass sheet very thin stuff.


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## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

Very nice work. Use the tools at hand, always.


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

jlc41 said:


> Very nice, but not everyone has the tools you used to fashion the parts, but thanks for posting.





CTValleyRR said:


> Yeah, very nice, but by the time I've pro-rated the cost of all the tools across the parts, they would be way too expensive for me.



I think y'all are missing the point of a model hobby. I think it is great that he can make them. this hobby, It is after all about making things for a loss, other wise it would be a business not a hobby. I once had the frame of an HO scale locomotive in a full scale Bridgeport milling machine.


The lamps look great.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Southern said:


> I think y'all are missing the point of a model hobby. I think it is great that he can make them. this hobby, It is after all about making things for a loss, other wise it would be a business not a hobby. I once had the frame of an HO scale locomotive in a full scale Bridgeport milling machine.
> 
> 
> The lamps look great.


Actually, I don't think you understood the comments.

I think it's terrific that he can make these things. If the purpose is to showcase his work, fantastic. Well done to him.

If the purpose is to stimulate a "can do" mindset among hobbyists, I applaud the intent. But showing what can be accomplished by someone with access to a fully-equipped machine shop, which most of us don't have, may be less than inspirational if it makes people think they NEED a fully equipped machine shop. 

Personally, I don't have one, and don't intend to spend the thousands of dollars necessary to set one up. I'm not afraid of a little "at a loss" scratch building if it suits my purposes, but a massive investment in tools and equipment to do it isn't worth it to me.


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

I purchased a multi purpose lathe, Mill, Drill press from Harbor freight, for under $500.00. I have used it to make everything from train parts, guitar parts, gun parts, up to and including parts for a full sized Ford Tractor. All of the extra tools required are basically hand tools or a belt sander or table top grinder. A fully equipped HOBBY shop does not have to cost thousands of dollars, but rather hundreds.
In addition, MANY of the additional tools I needed for hobby work, like driver wheel puller, I was able to make out of scrap and using the HF Lathe, and basic hand tools.
If you have the multipurpose lathe, you can make just about anything you will need.

In addition to the lathe, I've added a wire feed argon assist welder, for under $200.00, and purchased a few Caswell plating kits to plate parts with Chrome, Brass, etc. for under $30.00 per kit, which does countless parts with very good quality.

A laser printer for decals, then finally I want to add a 3D printer to make plastic parts. 
So for under $1500.00 you can have a very well equipped HOBBY shop. 

Dan


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## Dan P (May 16, 2018)

Thanks all of you for the thoughtful discussion. Yes there’s a point well made regarding the level of tooling one has. I’m also positively inspired by the comments that challenge our sense for what is possible. Personally, I’ve been fabricating all my life and my attitude has always been to execute as best I can the part in my head with the tools on hand. For these lamps, had the lathe not been available I would have looked for an alternative means. I’ve made good use of all the K&S tubing and rod products over the years and I’m betting that the center housing could be made from this material. For me, this hobby is somewhat of a mental chess match, where creative problem solving and strategy are center stage. It’s great exercise for the mind, and the end result is something you can hold in your hand for all to enjoy.
At that, please standby for part 2 of the build.
Best
Dan


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Panther said:


> I purchased a multi purpose lathe, Mill, Drill press from Harbor freight, for under $500.00. I have used it to make everything from train parts, guitar parts, gun parts, up to and including parts for a full sized Ford Tractor. All of the extra tools required are basically hand tools or a belt sander or table top grinder. A fully equipped HOBBY shop does not have to cost thousands of dollars, but rather hundreds.
> In addition, MANY of the additional tools I needed for hobby work, like driver wheel puller, I was able to make out of scrap and using the HF Lathe, and basic hand tools.
> If you have the multipurpose lathe, you can make just about anything you will need.
> 
> ...


No argument. But not being made of money (most of us, anyway), that $500, or $1500, is a sacrificed opportunity to purchase something else.

Again, if I were amortizing the cost of the tools over a lot of different things, it would be different, but I can't justify that level of expense solely for my hobby purposes, especially when I prefer to do my scratch-building out of styrene and basswood, which can easily be worked with hand tools.

Anyway, I didn't want this to devolve into a detailed discussion of how to outfit a hobby shop, but just to raise the point that how you approach scratch-building differs based on the level of tooling available to you.


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

CTValleyRR said:


> No argument. But not being made of money (most of us, anyway), that $500, or $1500, is a sacrificed opportunity to purchase something else.


The comment was made that most can not afford THOUSANDS of Dollars for tool.
I simply said I did it for HUNDREDS NOT THOUSANDS. I see countless posts where members have spent HUNDREDS on a single Locomotive, so IMHO Hundreds does not seem out of the reach of MOST here.
Many of the accessories we buy pre-made cost quite a bit, and many could be made by hand, and add to the interest of the builder. Once again I simply wanted to point out that an adequate hobby shop can be very well stocked for NOT thousands of dollars but rather Hundreds. 
I would suggest that if you are a hobbyist of any sorts, get your shop first, then build as much of your hobby as you can to save the money spent on pre-made items.

Dan


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## Dan P (May 16, 2018)

Part 2 lamp post build 
Hi all
Here’s the second installment of the lamp posts. I went with scratch built ones since I couldn’t find anything commercially available with the double lights at different levels. These go onto a shelf layout near the ceiling as the last picture shows.
Save for the center housing of the lamp dome, all parts were fabricated using common hand tools and readily available materials.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I take it the post is wood and you just inserted the leads to the LED into the small brass tubes then ran the 2 wires up the pole and solder them to the brass tubes? You probably didn't even need to solder the LED leads to the tubes! Nice. And they look really great!


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## Southern (Nov 17, 2008)

I like the work that you have done to make that shelf layout. Thanks for posting the photos.


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## Dan P (May 16, 2018)

Yes that’s correct. Using the wooden dowel made it possible to easily attach the extension arms to the light pole. If I went with brass it would have been tricky to insulate everything. Regarding the wiring, since I can only see the posts from one side I decided to run the wires down the inside face of the pole. A better look would have been to string the wires from pole to pole like with telephone poles, but I imagined getting all tangled up in it when it came time to do track cleaning. The wire I used is 24 gauge magnet wire (enameled armature winding wire). It’s super thin without the conventional rubber insulation and I’m betting it would look great on a scenic layout.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Panther said:


> The comment was made that most can not afford THOUSANDS of Dollars for tool.
> I simply said I did it for HUNDREDS NOT THOUSANDS. I see countless posts where members have spent HUNDREDS on a single Locomotive, so IMHO Hundreds does not seem out of the reach of MOST here.
> Many of the accessories we buy pre-made cost quite a bit, and many could be made by hand, and add to the interest of the builder. Once again I simply wanted to point out that an adequate hobby shop can be very well stocked for NOT thousands of dollars but rather Hundreds.
> I would suggest that if you are a hobbyist of any sorts, get your shop first, then build as much of your hobby as you can to save the money spent on pre-made items.
> ...


But if I spend those hundreds of dollars on tools, then I don't have that locomotive, do I? Unless money is no object (in which case, I envy you), it's a question of tradeoffs and individual priorities.

It's not worth it to me to spend money on an expensive tool that I'll seldom use. And I certainly disagree with you on one point: I would never recommend that a modeler go out and buy a bunch of tools to outfit a shop without a clear plan for what you will use the tools for.

If you are really a hobbyist of any sort, you will participate in the hobby in the way that seems best to you, and build or buy as you chose, considering both your budget and level of time commitment desired. Any suggestion that "You're not a REAL hobbyist unless..." is just so much BS. That's the beauty of this hobby -- there's plenty of room for everyone to participate in the way that suits them.


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

CTValleyRR said:


> But if I spend those hundreds of dollars on tools, then I don't have that locomotive, do I? Unless money is no object (in which case, I envy you), it's a question of tradeoffs and individual priorities.
> 
> It's not worth it to me to spend money on an expensive tool that I'll seldom use. And I certainly disagree with you on one point: I would never recommend that a modeler go out and buy a bunch of tools to outfit a shop without a clear plan for what you will use the tools for.
> 
> If you are really a hobbyist of any sort, you will participate in the hobby in the way that seems best to you, and build or buy as you chose, considering both your budget and level of time commitment desired. Any suggestion that "You're not a REAL hobbyist unless..." is just so much BS. That's the beauty of this hobby -- there's plenty of room for everyone to participate in the way that suits them.


Man I apologize for making a comment at all. You simply have not understood what I wrote. The comment "Hobbyist of any sort" was intended to mean regardless of what your hobby is. NOT YOUR ABILITY.

Once again, The original statement was it costs THOUSANDS to equip a shop like Dan P, or myself has. 
I made the statement TWICE, now a THIRD time, You can do it for HUNDREDS not Thousands,

You asked "How do you buy the Locomotive ?" 
You can buy several over the years with the money you will save by making your own parts.
Quite the contrary, money is an object to me, however I also realized early, that the initial small investment would over the years save me MUCH more than I had spent.
My work career was Factory mechanic for 30 plus years, and I had the use of company equipment, I realized early on, to do any job cheaply, and professionally, YOU NEED THE PROPER equipment. So when I decided to build me a home shop, I invested in my shop first. Which has saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the past 30 years. In my shop, I have supported all kinds of hobbies, from Auto repair and cart building to guitar repair and building, Radio and television restoration, Antique phone restorations, and my very well known Marx restorations. NONE of those would have been possible without a proper shop, that cost me barely HUNDREDS of dollars, and in addition, has generated revenue by the repair, and building, and sales of those items over the years. 

Moderators, please note, My post was MISINTERPRETED by CTValleyRR, and subsequently called BS.
I tried to explain as best I could. 

Dan


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## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

I was going to post that it looked like too much work, then I remembered making an HO scale air horn using a plastic sprue, a drill press, and an Exacto knife.


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## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

OP, all those who commented on the tooling and tools you used probably did not realize that you had set up a production line to knock out many lights. Nicely done!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Panther said:


> Man I apologize for making a comment at all. You simply have not understood what I wrote. The comment "Hobbyist of any sort" was intended to mean regardless of what your hobby is. NOT YOUR ABILITY.
> 
> Once again, The original statement was it costs THOUSANDS to equip a shop like Dan P, or myself has.
> I made the statement TWICE, now a THIRD time, You can do it for HUNDREDS not Thousands,
> ...


I apologize if I misinterpreted your post. It sure did sound like you meant it that way.



Nikola said:


> OP, all those who commented on the tooling and tools you used probably did not realize that you had set up a production line to knock out many lights. Nicely done!


No, actually, I realized exactly that. It is irrelevant to the intent of my post.

For the OP (and others), I really did not intend for the discussion to head in the direction it did, nor was I trying to disparage your excellent work. Your "look what I did" thread was not an appropriate place to start this discussion. I will go away now, and leave you to share your accomplishments in peace.


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## ogaugenut (Dec 27, 2012)

Dan (Panther)


I am interested in the multipurpose lathe/mill that you mentioned. I cannot find it on the harbor freight site. Do you have a model number or link?


Thank You
Bill


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## Dan P (May 16, 2018)

CTValleyRR said:


> Panther said:
> 
> 
> > Man I apologize for making a comment at all. You simply have not understood what I wrote. The comment "Hobbyist of any sort" was intended to mean regardless of what your hobby is. NOT YOUR ABILITY.
> ...


Please forgive me, as I was not aware I was being inappropriate by posting this thread. Please advise where future scratch builds should go. As a new member, I’m curious if this forum promotes threads of this sort. 

Best 
Dan


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## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

OP, in my opinion you did nothing wrong, although I am not a moderator here. If you did I am sure a mod will weigh in.

In my life I have spent dozens, hundreds and thousands of dollars on tools - manual and power - and machinery I might only use once, if at all. Why? Because it is my thing. I love tools, even more than I do model railroading.

To each their own. We are all different and the diversity is the spark of life. We see different people doing different things in different ways. That is how we learn and grow.

Furthermore, myself included, we could very well tend to be a bunch of grumpy old men that spend way too much time in basements and attics.


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## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

Dan P said:


> Please forgive me, as I was not aware I was being inappropriate by posting this thread. Please advise where future scratch builds should go. As a new member, I’m curious if this forum promotes threads of this sort.
> 
> Best
> Dan


Dan,
I think you mis-read the comment from CTvalleyRR.
Please start a new thread with a new project, I like your tutorial.

Have you made any track signal housings?
I need to upgrade my HO temporary signals.


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

I think the Dan's got mixed up.




CTValleyRR said:


> I apologize if I misinterpreted your post. It sure did sound like you meant it that way.


This is what I meant.

https://tinyurl.com/ya6hxzjt

Dan


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## Panther (Oct 5, 2015)

ogaugenut said:


> Dan (Panther)
> 
> 
> I am interested in the multipurpose lathe/mill that you mentioned. I cannot find it on the harbor freight site. Do you have a model number or link?
> ...


I purchased mine a few years ago, so it may be higher now. I'll check for model number.
Dan


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