# Wooden Ore Car



## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Well I got to piddling with the idea of more ore cars. And of course you can't get anymore from Western Scale Models. So I decided to make my own. Yes you can get some from Ozark Miniatures but at $33 each. I can make my own..
As y'all probably have figured out i am not a rivet counter. So I looked around the internet for different types of ore cars. I ran across a drawing for a wood ore car. I have not seen one of those done. So i figured I would give it a go.
I started with the wheels. I took an old 25 gallon barrel that I cast and it was slightly over size of what i needed. I chucked it up in the lathe and produced 1 wheel. It turned out pretty good. I made a master mold of this and then cast more . I will make a second mold of 4, so i can do 4 at a time...

My first picture id very blurry...


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Here is the body of the car all framed up ready to cast...


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Here is the second ones out of the mold. When casting real wood if I don't seal it, all the trash ends up in the mold. So the first one cast pulls all the trash from the mold.

I did put rivets on the body and I cast the door separate,so it will be functional. I use pins for the hinges


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Here is the frame and the wheels ready to mold.


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## Tom Bowdler (Jan 3, 2008)

Which mold material and casting resin do you use?
How do the wheels hold up over time?
Thanks,
Tom


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

Thanks for sharing and would like to hear a little more about the mold and casting products also as it's something I want to do. What gauge are your carts?

Patrick


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

The ore cars are 1:20.3 scale. They are part of a mining section of my indoor layout and are for looks not usage. 

Ty


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

I am teaching a class on molding if you are near Charoltte NC in January. Its kind of an introductory class.
A lot of the casting is personal preference on what you use. I use products from Reynolds Advanced Materials. There I one about 20 miles from the house . Saves on shipping...
I use Dragon Skin 20 for my molds and Smooth-Cast 320 Series for the parts .. Its just a lot of trail and error in learn how to do it ..

Ty


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Here is the finished product...


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Nice modelling. I take it that the ore car is for single use being an end dumper, perhaps behind a small loco.
You said it was 1:20.3 scale but what gauge are you using for the mine, 32mm?

Andrew


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

This would be a hand pushed ore car. If you look at my other thread you can see the mine cage that it will ride on... I am making all these parts for a mining operation on my layout all static...

Ty


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Looks good mate, love the result.


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Thanks guys.

Here is the first one painted. As always you have to wash the castings and then I primed them with a ruddy red primer. I painted the wood with a desert sand acrylic and them used chalks the darken the colors. Then went back with a rusty rail color. For the metal parts. Once dry dry brushed with a Barnwood acrylic.
Hopefully giving it the crimey look of use in a mine..


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Really beautiful work!


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## rfendler (Dec 27, 2007)

Are you selling any castings?


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Very nice.


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Thanks guys for the comments. Here is a video of it going together...


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

I forgot to load the pictures of the grab bar that I added.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

A really nice model. Great job of casting


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Ty, Very nice indeed.
You don't say what they are mining, but I would have thought that unless the car was brand new, that in any mine they would look a lot more grimy then that.
But after all that work it would be hard to make it look too scruffy.
Cheers,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Looks great!


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## fockewulf37 (Mar 26, 2012)

Thanks Guys for the comments. I agree it would depend on what you were mining to the degree of weathering and color differences. I just went with a generic color until I make that decision . Also wanted pic to show detail to post in my video and on my website...


Thanks ty


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