Reproduction UC Track availability?

[ron]

On the subject of casting new track,I have several sections of N O S track , this morning I was looking for a single link to get a quote on, of interest is the makers name Malco, just wondering if this is the same firm here in Aust that made cast iron cooking stoves under the name of Malles ?, next all of the track that I looked at had A 42,I gues this was either Army? or Aust, and the 42 was simply the year,
Next one is a strange one, every link is numbered differenty this section is numbered 70.27/16.48.79.1.13.70.74.20.14.6.1.20.66.18.62.20.61.no w the question is how many moulds did they use and was this system of numbering a form of quality control? in other words if say number 70. was faulty that would tell them that mould 70 was buggered,
Sorry for this little rant but its all part of our interest I feel,
Regards Ron

[Lynn Eades]

I have looked at some track here and came to the same conclusions as you, that the moulds were numbered, so that any problems could be quickly isolated.
PS. Its not a rant, its good thought provoking material. If people like you didn't do this stuff the forum would be usless and boring.... and,.. we wouldn't learn anything.

[ron]

Hello Lyn,
Good to hear from you,thanks for your comments, now all we have to do is find a few moulds,you never know it may still be possable,but in the meantime I will see what I can do with a pattern maker,I canot see a problem with the machining,its only time after all, by the way did you locate a steering wheel? Regards Ron

[ron]

Hi Lyn please check your P M
Regards Ron

[David Ellery]

Hi guys, good subject this one, which in time is going to effect all of us one way or another! In regards to using new metal, is it not worth melting down the old track or does the process destroy the make up of the material ? As those who would be committed to buying new track ( and numbers I'm sure would help with the price ) could literally throw into the pot what buggered track they do have. Lynns right with the drilling side of it, I'm still mucking around with my drill press and jig so as to drill out flogged track ,I don't have the drill depth, the original holes are oval so those that I done have taken alot of work for not to much gain. Some of the biggest wear is to the side of the toe's of the track where it meshs with the next link. So even though I may have tightened up the track along the length a bit it is still sloppy with sideways movement.

[ron]

Hi Alex I dont think that there are any grinding marks on my unused track but will check it in the moring, I have quite a bit of it and will have a good look, Regards Ron

[cantankrs]

Originally Posted by ron

Hi Alex I dont think that there are any grinding marks on my unused track but will check it in the moring, I have quite a bit of it and will have a good look, Regards Ron

Hi Ron,

Appreciate you looking into that.

I believe the links must have had feeder and riser and possibly runner metal protruding from them. Depending on the thickness of this attached metal from the pour, it would have been broken off or sawn off and if it was impracticle to leave it without further finishing they'd have ground the worst protrusions off the link.

Also look for fairly straight thin broken off or ground sections, often along long edges where flash may have been removed where the drag and the cope (the two parts of the mold) were joined together. This is known as the parting line. Sometimes the sharp sand corners on either side of the parting line break off a bit before the drag and cope is assembled and this results in what would have been a bit of metal protruding along that seam. These parting lines may appear not all in the same plane because a mold may consist of not just 2 but 3 or more parts (not counting cores).

[inserted 8/6/2010 - Another reason for Parting lines to not appear in the same plane is if the cope and drag faces are not in a flat plane - they may slope in plane too. As far as I can work out, in sand molding lateral thinking is the name of the game. The shape of the object to be cast dictates the complexity of the mold and so long as the basic rules of creating a functional, safe, mold are followed, and the simplest outcome (for economy) is chosen, then how the mold is comprised is left to the talent and skills of the foundryman. Just as important as the ramming and extraction of the pattern/pattern-pieces is the cutting of the feeder, runners and risers so that the metal flows in the desired manner and contaminants are trapped where they are of no consequence, and weight of the metal keeps the casting filled during cooling, and shrinking is controlled as much by design as possible.]

Look at anything cast in metal and it usually has such marks unless it was machined and/or finished all over.

Drop forged (stamped) items like spanners, etc also have evidence of flash most of the way around that is still fairly obvious. yadaa yadaa

Alex