My first attempt...

[Jabbatee]

[Gameover]

Looks great! Keep it up. I know the feeling. It never stops. The stuff shotgun and i are building this week is incredible!

[Pappy]

Pretty good for your first try.

When soldering make sure the parts are clean. I use one of those green scratch pads that you use to wash dish's to clean the brass and piano wire. Make sure you have plenty of heat, at least a 45 watt soldering iron. If you are soldering a real thick piece of brass you can even use a mini torch. Use liquid acid flux but make sure you wash your chassis with soap and water after you are done each day.

You want your guide flag angled up just a little so it rides over the joints in the track. Also check your motor to see if it runs faster in one direction than it does in the other so you know which side to put your gear on.

I'd say you're off to a really good start.

[ccobra]

Even though my scratch-built are done on a printer, there is still a lot of satisfaction in watching the chassis go round the track. Then you make a few tweaks to your design by either rebuilding, adding a shim or some adjustment and then seeing it stick to the track like it is glued to the groove in the turns. Only problem left is taking the time to finish mounting the body and trim. Your build looks really good, I like the way you tied the flag support into the motor mount, I think you'll like the results for I really like the results when done in plastic.

[RazorJon]

Another one bitten by the brass chassis bug, your hooked now :banana-dance:

That is a fine job for a first timer :music-rockout:

I bet $5 this is not your last one :bow-blue:

[nhdungeonracer]

You did very well for your 1st one, a lot better than I did for sure.. ;)

Next is making a way to mount a body on it.

[TuscoTodd]

That is a GREAT looking first build!
Congrats!

[HomeRacingWorld]

Yes sir, well done indeed. When using the PM bracket, most often the motor shaft is not long enough to center the axle inside the crown. You might have just enough to make contact, but I don't like to trust it. So use axle collars to set the width or shims.

You are a lot further than my first! :)

[chrisguyw]

A really nice first attempt :text-bravo: ,as you have now discovered, seeing something you have built run around the track is extremely rewarding.

By the looks of the soldering job on your front axle tube, it would appear that you....1/ did not use liquid acid flux, or 2/ do not have a powerful enough iron, or 3/ did not give the iron enough time to fully heat the brass and melt the solder. The combination of the 3 will enable the solder to flow like water......this will let the solder find its way into the small gaps in the joint, and will result in a much stronger, better looking join.

Looking forward to seeing more!!

Cheers
Chris Walker

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Yeah, its great to have so many HRW guys exploring this. I still like my ultralight fiberglass pans, but for the Showme Showdown, I did a pure brass just like everyone else. I have to say, that soldering block from our Ontarion HRW friend sure makes it easier than in the old days. With Marty in Florida coaching (I didn't remember a lot of the techniques), this has been a great time. With the prices of RTR's going into the stratosphere in all but one manufacturer, these brass chassis aren't just fun and fast, they are economical, too. Not to mention how proud you feel when the brass chassis you just finished goes tearing around the track for the first time!

[Broman62]

[bill from nh]

Like everyone else said, for your first build, you did a great job. And you did.:) The more you build, the easier it gets & the better you get. I'll second what Chris, Butch, & others have said. Use plenty of heat. I've found 45 watts is about minimal for chassis building. I usually use a 50 watt Ungar iron, you might not think 5 additional watts means much, but it does. I also own 80 & 100 watt irons, but they don't get used much. For cleaning brass & wire, I like to use the synthetic steel wools. The green pot scrapers are about the cheapest on the market. Several have mentioned acid flux. Yes, you can use it when soldering all brass & steel parts. You have to use it if any of the parts to be soldered are steel or iron, but don't use it on electrical joints. If you're soldering brass to brass, like your front axle tube to the front crossmember & square main rail tubes to the motor bracket, you can also use paste flux like what a plumber would use to solder water pipes. Steel & iron require the acid's etching to make a strong soldered joint, brass doesn't.

You're off to a great start, enjoy your future building.

[strangebrew]

That looks swell to me............If it goes around the track without falling apart...........you did it right! :D

[dreinecke]

That looks better than my third attempt!!! Nice work!

[Lou E]

That looks really good, it's serious motivation and all of the advice is really awesome. I need to just pull the trigger and try one for myself.