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Ron

On 18/01/2010 16:01, wrote:
On Jan 18, 7:52 am, wrote:
On 18/01/2010 12:33, N_Cook wrote:

wrote in message
...
On Jan 17, 2:07 pm, wrote:
a few close-up pics would help, uploaded to a site somewhere.

It is antique but thats not important to me. I just want it running
properly. I don't have picture capability. Lenny.

The wheels may be cast metal so no brute force to them

They may be 'Mazak' and in imminent danger of crumbling to dust, so no
severe heating and cooling. I have several vintage O gauge locos and
other items which show cracking ad crystalisation in the castings.
I once left a pre-war Dinky Toys racing car on a window sill in direct
sunlight, a few days later it was just a pile of fragments except for
the axles!

Ron(UK)

I never heard of "Mazak".Is this the equivalent of what I've known as
"white metal"? It is non ferrous, absolute crap,very brittle and it
will crumble if stressed. Lenny

It`s an aluminium/zinc alloy, also called Zamak in the US, typically
the material which mass produced diecast model cars are/were made. Early
mixes lacked some kind of stabilising agent which led to it decomposing
with age (crumbling and cracking with shiny crystals appearing in the
cracks)

It`s not 'white metal' in that white metal is generally much softer and
has a very low melting point - some varieties actually below the boiling
point of water. Woods Metal is one such alloy I understand, generally
used for casting war gaming figures etc. It`s also used in engine bearings.

Ron(UK)