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Tab removal technique

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romiin:
 I was wondering what technique anyone uses to pry tabs open without breaking them.   I was wondering if heating them a little bit before prying.   And what type of pry tool.   I would rather ask a dumb question first ,than break it first. Loco

starfire700:
I am sure that everyone has a different opinion on this. I have never used heat, as it can damage surrounding painted surfaces.
My number one suggestion is to take it slow. Start with a knife or very thin screw driver to get it started then go to a larger screw driver. Try to bend the tab the minimum necessary to release it from the slot. The nickel plating on tabs, such as on strap headlights, unfortunately makes the material brittle and easy to break when bending. The tabs on chrome Lionel 1700 Jr streamline coaches are worse, because the chrome plating makes them hard and brittle.   
If you are able to successfully get the part off and are ready to re-assemble, once again, take it slow and only re-bend the tab the minimum required. In some cases where positive contact is required to electrically ground the part, a minor twist on the tab may be an option. Practice is the best way to learn how to handle tabs. Even tabs on new parts can be brittle from plating, and easily broken if bent too far. Good luck!

Terry:
I agree with what Jim said. I've never considered heat.

A few points. . .

If you're restoring, you might not need to take everything apart. For example the base of a tank car or to take apart the sides and ends of a box car.

You don't have to bend all the tabs to a 90 degree angle.

Sometimes it's easier and safer to bend one tab out, then move the part to open the tab on the other end.

A really sharp wood chisel works great for getting under tight tabs to bend them up. It will also go right through fingernails and result in a bloodly mess. Always work with the effort pointing away from you so you don't hurt yourself.

I also use small screw drivers, and I have a dental pick that has a knife edge on it.

I try to twist all tabs when I put things together rather than bending them flat.

When I have to bend the tabs flat, I use a hardwood chopstick. A screw driver can slip and scratch the paint or stab you. A wood stick won't do as much damage.

If you brake a tab, hot melt glue - think glue gun - can be used to glue the parts togther. If you don't have one already, I have really come to hate the thin sticks. Get one with the 1/2 inch diameter glue sticks.

The biggest thing is what Jim said - Go slow.

romiin:
 Thanks for the knowledgeable tips. Nothing like practice, like you said Jim. but nice to go into it with a few tips. Thanks.. Curious how they put these trains together back in the day, must of had jigs. It would be neat to see an assembly line at work back then. I'm sure it's all robots now.

starfire700:
I believe that Lionel, AF, Marx and other toy factories employed many day-workers also many women, some experienced, some not so much. Tab and slot construction is kind of a no-brainer, as long as you know which parts to put together. T and S assemblies were not made to be taken-apart for service or future restoration. T&S was a one-time fastening method, that streamlined assembly, much faster and more economical than rivet or bolt/nut assembly.

 I am sure that future restoration or rewiring due to insulation loss was not foreseen, but Lionel must have realized at some point the whistles in their Junior /027 and 263W type Vanderbilt tenders would require cleaning and lube at some point. 1689T/W tenders usually will come apart and re-assemble without tab-loss as long as you are careful. However, the tabs underside a 263W or 2263W type tender are difficult NOT to break, as they are a thicker/harder metal. Poor-planning for what was part of "top of the line" sets.

When we made Marx Trains in the 1990's, most of our car and loco assemblies were T&S like the vintage originals. We were lucky to have some of the original plans from Marx in Miami. The litho material we used for most cars was actually thinner than vintage Marx .010. Tabs were very easy to bend and re-bend due to this thin material.

(I would have to ask Sheldon about the  physics behind why thinner material is more elastic than thicker material...LOL)

 The cow-catchers/pilots on some of our locos were much thicker and some were chrome/nickel plated. The tabs that secured the pilot to the bottom edge of the sideboard were hard to bend, often resulting in a slip that scratched the sideboard. Un-bending these tabs was even more-difficult due to the hard-brittle nature of this material.     

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