FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What are the colour finishes available?

A. Coloured parts are powder coated in a glossy finish, NOT painted.

• GREEN is available in the medium shade of the mid-1950s as well as the lighter green shade of the 1958-64 period.
   
• RED is available in a shade that matches well both the medium and lighter red shades of the above periods.
   
• YELLOW is available in the deeper UK Yellow shade of the 1970s as well as the more recent French Yellow shade.
   
• BLUE is available in a shade that matches well both the medium and darker blue shade of the 1970s as well as the later French production.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE SPECIFY  THE DESIRED FINISHES IN YOUR WANTS LIST TO SAVE TIME, CORRESPONDENCE AND FRUSTRATION:-(

Q. Apart from the standard finishes shown in the catalogue, are parts available in non-standard finishes, like Strips in red, Girders in yellow, and circular parts in black ?

A. Many a time it is possible to cater to such requests. In case it is feasible to do so, the minimum order quantity will be 24 pcs of EACH item, and there will be a delay in processing the order.

Q. Is there a minimum order value?

A. Yes, the minimum order value is US$200 / € 190 or Stg £140. Small orders may, however, attract disproportionately high bank charges at your end.

For toothed parts to be custom-made (see section on Gears below), the MOQ is 20 - 24 pcs for Pinions and 40 - 42 pcs for Gear Wheels, depending on face thickness.

Q. What about prices in US$ and Stg£?

A. Current prices in Euro € and Stg£ are 0.91 and 0.83 time US$ prices respectively. This is a notional ratio based on the recent exchange rate band between these two currencies.

Q. What are the shipping and handling charges over and above the cost of  the parts?

A. Subject to minimum order value, the prices shown include shipping and handling to anywhere in the world and are therefore what you pay for home delivery, no hidden costs!

Q. Are any discounts available for sizeable orders?

A. A discount of 10% will be given to handicapped modellers, educational institutions, and for single orders over US$1000 / € 910- or Stg.£ 830-. These discounts are not cumulative, and also do not apply to Outfits 9 and 10.

In addition, a special loyalty discount will be given to regular and volume buyers, at my discretion. There is no need to apply; it will be offered to you.

Finally, special rates will be offered for single orders in excess of US$5000 / € 4550- or Stg. £ 4150-.

Q. How do I send my wants list?

A. You can send your list in the body of an e-mail message, or as an e-mail file attachment in  .CSV or any common spreadsheet format, or by fax. Any attachment should preferably be zipped. Please remember to specify required finishes and configurations [e.g. R/L-hand, Single/Double-braced]. You can easily price your wants list yourself and that indeed is what is preferred, as it tells you exactly how much your outlay is AND saves time and work at this end. But if you wish, your list can be priced and communicated to you within 72 hours.

Before forwarding your list, please double-check to ensure that Parts Descriptions, Finishes, and Quantities, are complete and exact. Finally, remember to add your complete delivery address, including the postcode, zip code, or whatever it is called by the post office in your country. It is also advisable to include your daytime telephone number. A little care saves avoidable correspondence and time.

IMPORTANT: If sending an order as an MS Excel file, please, without fail, do the following:

1. Delete the blank sheets in the file.

2. If using the website Excel file as the template for your order, delete the superfluous sheet(s) as also the unnecessary rows in the used sheet(s).

These only serve to clog the HD storage space, make the files unwieldy to handle, and slows down the computer. For the same reason, I request you not to repeat previous e-mails in their entirety, but just the relevant sections.

Please note: I will NOT reply / attend to any inquiries and orders from first-time callers who do not put a full name and short address footer in their message. A simple id like "Chengheez Khan, Ulan Bator, Mongolia", is acceptable IN THE FIRST INSTANCE.

Q. What is the mode of shipment?

A. Small orders are usually shipped by registered airmail as Small Packets. The maximum permissible weight under this category is now 2-Kgs. Parts are bagged in heat-sealed clear plastic and shipped in sturdy corrugated boxes packed with EPS chips.

For larger orders, delivery through India Post international courier service SPEEDPOST is available to North America, U.K., Western Europe, and ANZ, subject to a shipping surcharge. The present surcharge rates per kilo are:

North America   ...   ...   First Kg US$25, then US$11.50 per Kg
U.K. and ANZ     ...   ...   First Kg £ 18.00, then £ 5.50 per Kg
Europe   ...   ...   ...    ...   First Kg € 25.50 then € 6.00 per Kg

SPEEDPOST delivers parcels in 5-7 working days worldwide. I strongly recommend this service. INDIA POST  also provides web links to destination countries on its portal site to enable you track your parcels.

ORDERS FOR PARTS EXCEEDING 3.4Kg WILL BE SHIPPED ONLY BY THE ''SPEEDPOST'' SERVICE.

Q. What is the delivery period?

A. Goods are shipped out within 3 - 15 working days depending on the inventory position. Reasonable stocks of all listed items are always maintained, but please remember that there are now more than 1300 - (yes, 1300+!) - different items in the range, not to speak of a variety of finishes!

Postal transit periods have been generally found to be as follows:

DESTINATION	DAYS
North America and United Kingdom	7 - 14
Continental Europe	7 - 14
Middle and Far East	7 - 14
Australasia/New Zealand	8 - 15
Central and South America	15 - 20

Due to the festive season, delay in postal deliveries to the western hemisphere will be experienced from mid-December to mid-January. We will have to bear with the situation. Customs examination at the destination country may add 2-3 days to this, and this takes us to the next question.

Q. Do I have to pay any taxes and duties in my country?

A. Apart from the green Customs label CN 22, all parcels bear a prominent sticker reading "THIS PACKAGE CONTAINS SAMPLE COMPONENTS FOR EDUCATIONAL CONSTRUCTION KITS". In my experience, shipping parts to some 21 countries, I have found that this declaration is sufficient to ensure that your purchases come to you free of any import levies.

Q. How do I pay?

A. As I am a hobbyist and therefore do not qualify as a "merchant" for this work, I am not in a position to take payment off a credit card as yet, except as provided below. Therefore, to minimize and, in most cases, eliminate bank charges, simplified systems have been evolved to facilitate the payment process. Buyers can now pay:

• From the UK by personal cheques sent to a mainland U.K. address.
   
• From Europe either:

By a bank transfer in Euros sent to my India account via a bank in Brussels, Belgium. Transfer instructions will be provided at the appropriate time. The intermediary bank's handling charge of €25 will be added to the order value. OR By a direct Stg. £ transfer to a bank in the UK. Transfer instructions will be provided at the appropriate time. The receiving bank's handling charge of Stg. £ 12 will be added to the order value.

• From Canada by personal cheques or Money Orders in equivalent Cdn$ [amount will be advised] sent to a Canadian address. Canadian buyers maintaining US$ bank accounts can send a US$ cheque or Money Order to the same address.
   
• From the USA by personal checks [must clear before shipment] or, preferably, Western Union Money Orders [the printed type] in US$ sent to a mainland Canadian address. WU Money Orders can be bought cheaply at numerous outlets, including supermarkets and shopping malls. To know more, click this link. Large-value orders can also be paid by direct SWIFT transfer to my account, adding US$25 as intermediary bank fee.

You can, of course, always pay from anywhere in the world by a direct wire or SWIFT transfer into my local bank account in India. I will credit you with the exact amount received, local bank charges will be borne by me.

Full details will be provided individually, so please indicate your preferred mode when sending your want list.

PAYPAL

I can also accept credit card payments from anywhere via PAYPAL but in Stg. £ only. The order will be invoiced in this currency and the PayPal handling fee of 4.9% + 20p will be added to the bill. This should especially suit buyers from South America and Asia-Pacific areas, but it has also proved very quick and cost-efficient for European buyers.

The e-mail id for payment will be advised individually. To register for this service, please click here.

IMPORTANT

Please note that, on account of high bank collection fees and other attendant costs, I cannot accept payments by way of bank DRAFTS, cashier's checks, AND money orders directly. If you want to pay in this form, the payment MUST be sent to my account handlers in the respective currency areas. Just ask before going to the bank and full details will be provided.

A FEW WORDS ON TOOTHED PARTS

Practically all 38DP spur pinions and gears may be made to mesh with each other taking advantage of the various slotted and diagonal holes incorporated in many of the standard parts. This flexibility provides the model-builder with an extremely wide range of ratios.

For a well-researched article on meshing gears, I refer you to the write-up by Prof. Georges Spinnler of the AMS published in the 1990 edition of IM. You can also read with profit the monograph entitled "Meccano mathematics of gearing" published by the NZFMM and available from Don Blakeborough. Don is also the author of the magnum opus Encyclopaedia of Meccano Parts, popularly known as EMP.

There are even ways to mesh Helicals with Contrates, Bevels with Spur Pinions, etc. etc!  For tips on oddball ways of meshing toothed parts, refer also to Alan Partridge's booklet "Techniques of Meccano".

At present, apart from the two Geared Roller Bearings, I provide the following range of toothed parts:

Standard module parts

Worm	Right & Left hand
Short Worm	4-pitch
Narrow Worm	Meshes at standard spacing with the 60t Gear!
Spur Pinions  ...  ...  ...   ...	10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30t
Spur Gears     ...  ...  ...  ...	38, 45, 50, 55, 56, 57, 65, 66, 76, 95, 133, 152t
Toothed Discs ...  ...  ...  ...	133, 152t
Toothed Rings ...  ...  ...  ...	152t
Contrate Gears    ...  ...  ...	19, 25, 50t
Bevel Gears [Standard] ...	16, 21, 26, 42, 48t
Bevel Gears [45º] ...  ...  ...	12, 16, 24, 48t
Helical Gears Right hand	10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, 30, 35, 36, 40, 48, 60t
Helical Gears Left hand	10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, 30, 35, 36, 40t, 48, 60t
Gear Rings     ...  ...  ...   ...	133/95t,  95/57t, 171/133t
Gear rings [internal teeth]	95t, 133t
Rack Strips	3-1/2'' [42t], 6-1/2'' [78t], 12-1/2'' [150t]
Rack Segment	114t nominal - 4 segments to a set
Contrate Segment	96t - 4 x 24t segments to a set
Standard Module Parts for the Triple-Flat Axle System
Spur Pinions	11, 12, 15, 19, 25t
Spur Gears	38, 50, 57t
Contrate Gears	19, 25, 50t

Large Toothed parts [20DP]

Pinion   ... ... ... ... ...	10, 20t
Worm    ... ... ... ... ...	4 pitch
Gear Wheel ... ... ...	80t
Toothed Disc ... ...	80t
Toothed Rings  ... ...	80, 120, 160t
Toothed Spoked Wheel    ...	120t
Spoked Gear Wheel   ...	120t
Rack Strip   ...	6-1/2'' [41t]
Ball Thrust Bearing Toothed Disc	4'' [80t]
Ball Thrust Bearing Toothed Disc	6'' [120t]

Sprocket Wheels	14, 18, 28, 36, 56, 73t [BTB 4'' Toothed Disc]
LTQ and compatibles [16DP]
Large Toothed Quadrant	192t - 108t
LTQ Rack Strip	6-1/2'' [32t]
LTQ Rack Strip	12-1/2'' [62t]
LTQ Worm	4-pitch

All toothed parts can be provided with other tooth numbers and configurations, but in that case the minimum asking quantity will be 20 - 24 pcs for Pinions and 40 - 42 pcs for Gear Wheels of each sort. If you need something special, ask me for a quote!

USE OF SMALL 45º BEVELS IN COMPACT DIFFERENTIALS

While the range of 45º Bevel Gears [including the standard 26t] provide the scope of creating a wide range of drive ratios, the 12t and 16t sizes are particularly useful in building compact differentials. Dr. Paul Dale of St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia, has done some experimentation and this is what he has to say.

" My version using 12t bevels was based around Wheel Discs/Bush Wheel/Gear ends so it was just as high as the traditional version.  It used 1" Double Angle Strips (with  centre hole, part 48e?) for the cross members so it was a little narrower. It might be possible to reduce the height, but I could not see how.

At the centre, I didn't have space to put any kind of bearing so the half shafts would have to be fairly carefully supported (the cross axle fitted nicely between the half shafts and it *might* be possible to machine a very small central collar to fit or even to drill shallow holes in the cross axle).  Of course some adjustment was required during assembly to get this one working."

Here are some photos provided by Paul of the trial differentials he has built.

I would also like to hear from others who have also experimented with these 45º Bevels!

REPLICA & SPECIAL PARTS

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