Balanced Air Brakes from Scratch

by Daris A Nevil

Build Gallery

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  I started with the air tank. It is constructed using 2 inch diameter PVC pipe (schedule 40) with a pair of caps. A hole was drilled and tapped for 10-32 threads to accept a Clippard fitting. An adhesive dot was placed over the hole before painting.

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  PVC glue was applied to the threaded hole before inserting the Clippart CT4 1/16 hose barb fitting. Be careful with the glue. As you can see it will remove paint.

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  Here is a spread of Clippard parts used for the balanced air brake system.

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  In an effort to save money I decided to cut brakes from a ring of aluminum purchased from [www.mcmaster.com McMaster-Carr]. The pipe has a 4 inch inside diameter and a 6 inch outside diameter.

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  A 1/2 inch width of the aluminum pipe was parted off on the lathe. Here it has been blued and marked for cutting.