Whilst perusing my sons gun shop recently, I spotted a really useful bit of kit that may be of use to us with a little adaption to our hobby.
It will also set owners on their way to Self-servicing of their locos which is our ultimate aim.
It comes in the shape of a Gun Maintenance Kit, a clam shell polycarbonate box containing a number of useful items to allow immediate and effective servicing, in this case Airguns.
A Microfiber cloth,
A bunch of cotton buds,
Various cleaners and lubes, IPA, Muckoff and Activ8
Silicone and Moly Greases,
It retails for around £30
Now we have a different need but i think the Microfiber Cloth is a nice start, one can lay out the loco in a nice protected manner.
The cotton buds may be useful to us, (seems they use loads on guns) but the smaller cleaner tips with little brush type heads ay be better.
As for cleaners we are on par, IPA for the Mechanicals, pump action Muckoff (a gentle motorcycle bodywork pre-cleaner) for the bodyshells and Activ8,,,,say no more.
We may not use greases etc but a screw top pot for small bits and bobs is useful methinks.
I would also add a scratch pen for cleaning pcbs and contacts etc, a cross head and a flat screwdriver.
The item that costs the most is the case c.£7 but we may find a better deal. The rest is 30-50 pence per item.
Can I have your thoughts on any other items we could include or exclude to give us a Loco Care Pack for retailing at or about £37-39
Just brilliant!
Very tasty Nick
Here’s the finished items, complete with a rather questionable wrist strap!! Oh well it suits all Sorts!!!!
Ha ha!! I always prefer Japanese made items anyway, the’re rather rare these days don’t you know!!
It was a joke by the way, ha ha!
If you were in the UK Norman you would see the x-trail connection! Chris’s car, an x-trail hasn’t room for a cigarette paper when loaded for a show, that’s how these packs have turned out!
Be careful calling ot an X-Trail - People may think it was built in Japan rather than the UK.
That apart I agree
We should call them the live steam X Trail kit,,,The boxes are crammed full, no room for owt else!
Great work - you have my full support
Ok folks the Loco packs are complete and on doing the sums I have come in just on the target build cost at £15. These packs are aimed an new comers who will really benefit of having an all in one starter kit to maintain their locos.
Contents includes the following:
Polycarbonate Clamshell box x1
Layout Cloth x1,
Watchmakers screwdrivers x6,
Tweezers x1,
Super-8 x1,
Loco Body Cleaner x1,
Electro-Mech cleaner x1,
Screw pot x1,
cotton swabs x20,
cocktail sticks x20,
Cylinder service kit x1, (A3 or A4)
Tender plug seals x1,
Oil seals x1, (A3 or A4)
Micro Screws pk of 12 x1,
Instruction/warning sheet x1.
I suggest a retail cost of £39, of which I would require £4 for the work involved.
Postage would be set at £3.95 (UK) per kit regardless of contents. This is very average charge and perfectly acceptable in the UK. Overseas will always be more.
A CD will not fit the package and as we intend to show video help on the site in the future this would be pointless in my mind. Help and How to pdfs are already shown on the site for those whoe need pictures etc.
Agree. To be useful it needs to have the basics+. There is nothing more infuriating than to but a "maintenance kit" and then find that everything you need is an extra and it's just a marketing ploy. We also need to consider size and weight, although as I have said before, I have sotpped using rip-off Royal Mail and use iPost, who pick up and deliver, or for less you drop off at a depot and you could get extra things, like tools all in the same price, rather that pumping p&p up every time.
Then there are instructions. I suggest a set of pdf's on a CD. CD's are almost being given away at the moment and would cost less than printing in colour, so factor the weight and cost into the overall price.
Norman
Noted!!!
Great idea . . add some cocktail sticks . . a very useful item . . .
Great idea on the seal sets and screws.
A tool set would push the cost too high and if needed it can be bought as an extra item.
Lubric-8 can go in but we need to watch the margins as this is a running oil not a maintenance oil.
That's a good idea Nick but what to include...
Your service and steam oils of course, seal sets, a glass fibre pen + re-fills, a mild oil cleaning fluid with a small brush, a set of micro screws for starters. You could include a special tool set but it could make it too expensive then.