MicroTrains couplers - Unassembled

[mmagliaro]

Once at a train show, I saw a fellow from Micro Trains in their booth, assembling couplers.  I think he was just using their plastic jig (the one that anyone can buy), mounted to a piece of plywood.  But wow, was he fast.  I think he was doing about a coupler a minute.
And he wasn't having centering springs fly off into space, or fussing with the parts in the least. 

I guess if you do it a lot, you can get really good at it.

[DeltaBravo]

I hate putting those darn things together. I have have way better things to do with my time. Of course I am still working, so my time is limited. I buy them preassembled.

[learmoia]

I have assembled a lot of them but it got a lot easier when I took a small scrap of 3/8' plywood and cut a 1/2' deep slot in one end. Then I take the uncoupling pin and put it in that slot to hold the assembly while I put it together. That made it much easier.

Bruce Stikkers
St. Joseph, IL

 

Duhh.. that's a great idea!

[nkalanaga]

I agree.  Never thought of it.  I just hold the rear of my 1025 box, and the shank, in my left hand, stick the spring in with the knife blade in my right hand, and slide the cover on, also with my right hand.  Hold the whole thing by the sides of the box, put it on the car, and hold the rear of the box down while I put the screw in.

Of course, I've been using them for so long, I don't think they had their jig when I started!  And I tend to keep doing things "however works", even if newer ways come along, as long as the old way is working.

[Steveruger45]

Yep, my mantra too.  If however you do it works ... it works. Just because there’s a new “app for that” doesn’t always mean it is better or has to be used.   Having said that, in this case I do use the MT coupler jig.  I do find it better for me than hand assembly of couplers, generally.  That idea with the wood block fashioned as an assembly tool is a great idea too.

[Ike the BN Freak]

I use the jig and the tweezers.  Yesterday I assembled 20 pair in just over an hour while catching up on a couple shows

[nkalanaga]

I've never been able to get the tweezers to work for assembling couplers.  In fact, about the only thing I use them for is a soldering clamp.  Being aluminum, solder won't stick to them.

As others have said, "whatever works", and "to each their own".  As a character in a novel I read many years ago said, "There's always an alternative."

[Simon D.]

I use two jewellers screwdrivers.  One small enough so that the spring fits over it.  This is then used to carefully place the spring.  A slightly bigger screwdriver is big enough to cover the end of the spring and then used to tease the spring in fully.  I also put the screw in first into the coupler box as this helps to keep the bits together.

[nkalanaga]

OK, that would work.  I've never tried it, having learned my way long ago, but it sounds good.  I've put springs in other things by threading them on a rod of some kind.