Recently I was watching a video online and saw a pilot version (not painted) of a steam engine. It got me thinking on what metal it is made of. My guess is Aluminum, but if anyone knows what metal its made of, it would help a lot if you told me! Thanks!
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As far as I know, they are diecast and exactly the same as the "regular" versions only instead of painted, they are only sprayed with clear coat and no paint. Of course, the add-on details are brass usually.
Zamac. Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium. A common die casting material.
Lou N
Welcome aboard! First off, I want to mention your avatar does not meet forum rules and will probably be deleted soon. Recommend you read the rules before you do many more posts.
Lionel's "Pilot" locomotives are the exact same engines they produce for their catalog, except they are not painted and only a clear cote is applied. Not sure the thought process on this, but without paint all the details of what makes up a high-end Lionel engine are shown. The engines are basically die-cast with brass and plastic details added.
Because of the clear cote on the engines, they are not good examples for repaint.
CAPPilot posted:Welcome aboard! First off, I want to mention your avatar does not meet forum rules and will probably be deleted soon. Recommend you read the rules before you do many more posts.
Lionel's "Pilot" locomotives are the exact same engines they produce for their catalog, except they are not painted and only a clear cote is applied. Not sure the thought process on this, but without paint all the details of what makes up a high-end Lionel engine are shown. The engines are basically die-cast with brass and plastic details added.
Because of the clear cote on the engines, they are not good examples for repaint.
What metals are in diecast?
"Zamac. Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium."
These die-cast locos are made of a zinc alloy; "Zamak" (not "Zamac") is one of them. Wikipedia: "The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed: Zink (zinc), Aluminium, Magnesiumand Kupfer (copper).[2] The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamak alloys in 1929. Zinc alloys are popularly referred to as pot metal...." (They are not "German" in origin.)
Contaminants like lead - a very small amount will do it - can lead to "zinc pest" (a warping and crumbling) in cast zinc parts. You'll read about it here regularly.
No aluminum and certainly no magnesium; unsuited for the job and expensive, these two metals are also very light, and a die-cast loco is very heavy, which is a clue.
"What metals are in diecast?"
Any metals can be "die cast"; it is a process. The dies - the "tooling" - receive the molten metal, and when it has cooled enough, the different parts of the die (two or more) are opened and the part is released, then cleaned of extraneous flash and the like.
Die casting is usually done under pressure, as this forces the metal into all the small places (for details in a model's case) in the die. Spinning is also used in more craftsman, "hand made" processes.
D500 posted:"Zamac. Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium."
These die-cast locos are made of a zinc alloy; "Zamak" (not "Zamac") is one of them. Wikipedia: "The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed: Zink (zinc), Aluminium, Magnesiumand Kupfer (copper).[2] The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamak alloys in 1929. Zinc alloys are popularly referred to as pot metal...." (They are not "German" in origin.)
Contaminants like lead - a very small amount will do it - can lead to "zinc pest" (a warping and crumbling) in cast zinc parts. You'll read about it here regularly.
No aluminum and certainly no magnesium; unsuited for the job and expensive, these two metals are also very light, and a die-cast loco is very heavy, which is a clue.
"What metals are in diecast?"
Any metals can be "die cast"; it is a process. The dies - the "tooling" - receive the molten metal, and when it has cooled enough, the different parts of the die (two or more) are opened and the part is released, then cleaned of extraneous flash and the like.
Die casting is usually done under pressure, as this forces the metal into all the small places (for details in a model's case) in the die. Spinning is also used in more craftsman, "hand made" processes.
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