I've wanted to build the Cat D-8 for a long time but every time I open the kit and look at the tracks I moan a bit and close the box up. I decided to do something about that by making a new set of tracks that would be more like the real ones. I chose to prepare a master from brass and then using two molds to cast a track pad and the links together as a unit. It has taken 44 individual track sections to do a complete set just for one side but the difference, I think is obvious. Now to just get another 44 done for the other side!!
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Here's what the single track piece looks like coming out of a two piece mold. Several have already been made. In the photo is the brass track pad master and two links made of plastic strip stock. At first I tried gluing the pad to the links in a jig but it made sense to try and cast them as a unit so that they would all be the same.
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The combined pad and links are out of the mold.
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And here's the underside of what was cast as a unit. The only thing left to do is clean off what little flash there is and ream out the holes in the links for a pin of 0.080 plastic rod. They are held in place with a small piece of brass craft wire superglued to the end of the rod.
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The combined pad and links are held in place by the pins but they can move individually.
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Here's a look at the finished set of pads for the complete track on one side. The kit tracks are on the other side by comparison.
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And there you have it!