MECCANO compatible pieces, any ideas?

[Mel KParticipant @melk41196]

Hi, my first post on this interesting site. At Christmas, we bought our little lad 2 vintage Meccano sets, 'set 3' and 'Highway Construction' which are absolutely smashing but seem to be lacking in the longer flat struts that would be useful for cranes and larger projects.

Having visited B and Q etc, they seem to have some metal pieces that could have hole drilled and ends rounded off (for safety) that might do the trick, but is there any other source or system that is compatible with Meccano?

Thank you in advance and have a great new year.

[Mel KParticipant @melk41196]

[Flying FiferParticipant @flyingfifer]

If I remember correctly there was a similar thing called Juneero but like Meccano I believe it died years ago. !`m afraid fleabay is about your only alternative nowadays. Meccano was also made in France so if on holiday there keep your eyes peeled.

Pity the old "junk shops" seem to have passed into history as well.

Alan

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

There's usually some to be found at car-boots.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

This odd (it has no owner details) website has plenty for sale new:

**LINK**

Neil

Edit: there are details on the 'contact us' page.

Edit: also a useful source of delrin gears of approx 38 DP or 0.67mod (I seem to recall that no one is quite sure what the Meccano standard actually is…)

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 09/01/2015 21:09:38

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 09/01/2015 21:15:29

[Keith LongParticipant @keithlong89920]

Mel if you do an internet search on "meccano parts" you'll come up with a number of folk that can supply either genuine "old" parts to add to the sets or modern reproductions, usually in a choice of colours. Meccano is still being produced and you can find themed kits in places like Argos and Toys-R-Us. Apart from that jumble sales and charity shops are worth keeping an eye on. fortunately just about any Mecanno bits you can find will be useful additions to any sets, as you ALWAYS just need one more of a certain bracket or strut!

Good hunting.

[norman valentineParticipant @normanvalentine78682]

When I was a kid I loved and hated Meccano. I loved what could be built but hated how I used to catch the tips of my fingernails under the parts that I was attempting to join together.

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

Try this link or go bigger link

[John RuddParticipant @johnrudd16576]

Mel,

you have a message

[Nick_GParticipant @nick_g]

.

There was a prog on TV not so long ago about the Meccano factory. It's still in production (at the time anyway) and I seem to remember that the factory was now located in France.

I also remember them saying that the production runs of parts were manufactured in imperial to make them 'backward compatable' with existing parts.

Nick

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

There are some dealers for Meccano parts, plus active societies.

You could try this:

**LINK**

 

Edited By V8Eng on 09/01/2015 22:25:07

[Bodgit Fixit and RunParticipant @bodgitfixitandrun]

Meccano was the root of the slang phrases "Bog Standard" and "Dog's Bo….x". They originated from the box sizes of Meccano which were "Box Standard" and "Box Delux".

I have also heard it siad but not totally sure but the mini suspension was designed using Mechano.

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Try my cousin at **LINK**

Russell.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

When the Sky Tower was built in Auckland, the engineer built a demonstration model in meccano, in his garage, to show how the crane would build it's self as the tower rose, and when it reached the top, and the job finished, it disassembled it's self and lowered it to the ground. Have a friend, a structural engineer, and he used his Meccano number 10++ in some of his engineering projects, I suppose today he would use the computer instead.

Meccano is still widely available, also some stuff that comes from China, but that seems to have 10 mm pitch holes, and used 4 mm bolts.

Ian S C

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I had a Meccano chiming clock with synchronous motor also made of mecanno on our stand at the Chiltern Model Railway show today. One other exhibitor mentioned he had just completed a 7ft tall longcase clock in Meccano and is now designing the chiming mechanism. Most of the young visitors (over 7) recognised it as Mecanno and a good proportion hoped to move over from Lego when they were older (best not to start before 9).

At our club show we have for years had the West London Meccano group along with loads of models and a couple of specialist traders. Most model engineers I ask had Meccano as children.

Meccano is very much alive and available both new and second hand. It is made in France and India and I think in Argentina. They now do a radio controlled car kit too which at last is getting a mix of some of the modern technology kids of today want.

I think it has a good part to play in introducing children to our kind of model engineering by making their own parts. Starting first with plastic then aluminium predrilled with pilot holes, move to marking out and drilling (will really show the improtance of accuracy) making pulleys, and finally gear cutting. I'm sure that having a few parts they made themselves in their models will enable them ot show off to their friends and encourage them to do more.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

If you are within travelling distance there is a Meccano exhibition at Kew Bridge Steam Museum in April, called 'The Magic of Meccano Show'.

Usually dealers are there, plus lots of models, not forgetting the full size engines to see, it makes a really good day out.

I've put a link for the event:

**LINK**

 

Edited By V8Eng on 10/01/2015 20:46:31

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

In the US you can get a Meccano robot that has an onboard camera and can be controlled via wi-fi

Neil

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I don't see the problem. It is available here:-

http://www.meccano.fr

I would expect they would post to the UK. As to using look alike – I wouldn't go there as they are usually made of thinner material and "not quite the same"

BobH

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Further to my last post – ToysRus apparently sell it (Oh, can I say that!!)

BobH

[john jennings 1Participant @johnjennings1]

Some how I got involved with both Meccano and Juneero.

The latter was a metal modelling system that used up the raw materials used and except on a scrap basis did not provide to reuse and re-cycle all the parts.

The raw was mild steel strip, rod and angle and sheet (including rather nice corrugated metal) and was smaller dimensioned than Meccano. The rod in particular was rather skinny. Gears and wheels (and tyres) and nut and bolts were also available.

The material was worked with a rather natty guillotine/punch/folder that would punch holes and crop strip and angle to length and 90 deg bend strip. A useful tool but eventually mine went blunt and was thrown out. A hammer powered punch/jig coped with holes in sheet metal and a bending jig would bend rod and strip to various radii (I think I have still got this some where!) . Sheet metal had to be cut with rather cheap snips and reallyvneeded more skill than I had. A rather crude die was available to thread the rod (6BA?)

Juneero probably fostered more real skills than Meccano but it was for ever wanting more packs of raw material. The results , although not holely like Meccano , were never super realistic. It was surprising it last as long as it did.

I also seem to remember that there was another similar modelling system though more expensive. It had what now seems a neat feature of its metal processor in that it could punch rows of square holes so that you could cut nice internal holes and trim to a line without much distortion. Does any one remember what this was called?

John

[FMESParticipant @fmes]

There's usually plenty on eBay

[Mel KParticipant @melk41196]

Wow, what can i say? Thank you all so much for your useful replies, so much to check up on.

[Mel KParticipant @melk41196]

Wow, what can i say? Thank you all so much for your useful replies, so much to check up on.

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

When I was little my Gramps bought me a "Trix"set , similar to meccano, probably not compatible but I had loads of fun with it

Mick H

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

A friend (95 and still building models mostly by touch) told me that as a child he bought Trix from Woolworths as it was cheaper, unpainted, and available in packs of 2 or 3 items. That must have been about 1930.

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