Supplier of 2mm Loco driving wheel Axles

[Ray BydeParticipant]

Does anybody know of a supplier of 2mm plain ended axles for loco wheels? I have looked on the Alan Gibson wibsite, but not found anythimg.
I see the Society store do advertise what may be a suitable axle, but I have been on the waitlist for some time now, and really want to get on with converting my Heljan 1361 saddletank, which uses 2mm axles.
The other option of course is to use 2mm silver steel, but how to cut accurately to length with simple hand tools?

[Paul WillisParticipant]

@Ray Byde said:
Does anybody know of a supplier of 2mm plain ended axles for loco wheels? I have looked on the Alan Gibson wibsite, but not found anythimg.
I see the Society store do advertise what may be a suitable axle, but I have been on the waitlist for some time now, and really want to get on with converting my Heljan 1361 saddletank, which uses 2mm axles.
The other option of course is to use 2mm silver steel, but how to cut accurately to length with simple hand tools?

It doesn’t list them in his catalogue, or at least I can’t find them in the latest downloaded Alan Gibson catalogue. But Colin supplies 2mm plain ended axles in the bogie/tender packs. If you don’t have any yourself, give Colin a call and ask him if he’ll sell you a couple loose. Or see him at ExpoEM?

If push comes to shove, PM me your address and I’ll pop three in the post to you – I have plenty of spare 2mm axles sitting around. Just be careful though – I model in P4, so you may need to check that they are suitable for use in EM

As for making your own from 2mm silver steel, it’s a piece of cake. All you need is a scriber or pair of calipers for marking the axle length, a piercing saw with a fine tooth blade in, and a fine file to nap off any burr on the end of the axle. After you’ve marked the length, hold the rod firmly – a jewellers vice is ideal – and gently saw through the axle. Work on the outside of your scribed line. Don’t put too much downwards pressure on the blade, let it find its own pace and cut. Spit on it frequently. And just run the file around the cut end to take off any sharp edges to make it easier to press the wheels on the end.

It’s probably taken me longer to type that out than it would be to make a 2mm axle!

Hope that you find a solution, and do report back…
Cheers
Paul

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