Phil, On Thu, 11 May 2006 17:49:49 +0100, Philip Pemberton wrote: > In message <200605111632.k4BGWoJW017480@fort-point-station.mit.edu> > "Howard Winter" wrote: > > > Ah, you didn't take the mating part from the printer(s) then? I always try > > to make sure I have matching parts > > when I cannibalise something... > > I did, but it's a plastic gear that looks shoddily made at best. Ah... shame! > > These would wear really quickly. If you can't get steel rails (silver > > steel would be good) then at least use > > chromed copper, so there's some resistance to surface wear. Otherwise the > > copper (/brass) will creep away > > from the bearing surfaces. > > Hmm, that would be a pretty big problem. An even bigger problem is the fact > that I can't seem to find anywhere that sells suitable steel rails... How big do they need to be? (Diameter and length) You can get silver steel rods fairly easily, but the problem is that most people sell them in 300mm lengths, which may not be long enough. In the 'States you can get all sorts of metal, including this sort of stuff, from McMaster-Carr - but you knew that already! Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist