American Model Builders Laser Art 85' Wood Roundhouse

Started by Oldguy, July 24, 2019, 10:19:55 PM

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Oldguy

Quote from: jerryrbeach on September 20, 2019, 06:33:24 AM
Bob,

It looks like the finish line is getting closer with the roof panels coming alone nicely.  I am curious why you chose to use stone rather than cinder ballast.
My cinder ballast is 100% magnetic, so it was a no go.  My plan is to add a fine topping layer and then dust on some soot powders.  I'll try all this on a trial panel to ensure that I am on a decent path.
Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

Oldguy

#46
I managed to brace the underside of the roof decking.  Still has a little warp to her, but should be manageable.  The taller pieces are 8x16" that will sit on the four beams.  Everything else is 1/8".  I went ahead and painted this side flat black.
The smoke jacks are a royal pain to put together being that they are mainly self-adhesive bits.  I'll have to "smoke them up" a bit.  They really look good, but  . . . .  I shouldn't be too down on AMB, but how hard can it be to figure out how long to make the parts so that they meet at a joint?  I have put together two and have one left to go.  And they stay like this until they are added to the roof section.  They get pushed through from the underside and glued.   This means that the roof deck would have to already been installed, along with it's complement of joists.  And since the slopey part of the hood is parallel with the tracks, it means that the entire structure could have not been attached to the base board to install the smoke jacks.  FYI - this is step 15 and the final step in construction.  The conundrum is that the lower front door frame member has the track going over it.  So how to solve the puzzle?  If I had to do it over again, I would have used Atlas track as it is loose in the ties.  Cut the track inside a bit and add a longer piece than the ties would indicate and slip the rail over the lower sill.  Kinda like a latch bolt.  It would hold the front section down.  Want to remove the roundhouse, slide the track back.  Oh well.
The last photo shows the front and the lower sill in question.  The doors fit in the space below the windows and above the door sill.  It also shows the quirky window construction.  I'll need to add three pieces of 8x16" on top of the existing material for the roof deck to set on.

I'm still fiddling with stone color.  It looks like it will be more of a black dry brushing.  My idea of a fine back material didn't work all that well.
Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

jerryrbeach

Bob,

Your struggles with this kit remind me of a line from the movie "Josey Wales".  "I will endeavor to persevere."  Your perseverance is definitely paying off, looks better each time you post your progress.
Jerry

deemery

On my roundhouse, I  had a similar problem with large roof panels warping.  I also wanted to make the roof removable, so I played with small powerful magnets that, at least in theory, had enough strength to hold the roof flat.  See http://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=1617.0


dave
Modeling the Northeast in the 1890s - because the little voices told me to

sdrees

I am close to the point where I need to place the roof on my roundhouse project and I am thinking that I want to be able to remove it also.  I am using scribed basswood and am very concerned about warping and what to do with the roof joists.  In the mean time, I am working on the interior detail and installing lights.
Steve Drees
SP RR

Oldguy

Quote from: deemery on September 22, 2019, 11:00:41 AM
On my roundhouse, I  had a similar problem with large roof panels warping.  I also wanted to make the roof removable, so I played with small powerful magnets that, at least in theory, had enough strength to hold the roof flat.  See http://modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=1617.0


dave
I remember that build as I had that same roundhouse with thoughts of modifying it.  Your build changed my mind.  I do have a collection of rare earth magnets and will be looking at options.
Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

Dennis Bourey

Looking great Steve. You did a beautiful job........Dennis
Dennis Bourey
dpbourey@comcast.net

Lake's Region RR
(Happy Modeling)

postalkarl


Oldguy

I added some stippled oil colors (umbers and siennas) but it looked like the ground around here come October.  Great for fall leave litter.  I just added some powders to cover it all up, since the oils were still wet.  So, I calling the floor good.
The smoke jack tops were a royal pain.  Cut the four sides off the carrier sheet, expose the adhesive backing and try to get them to stick to each other and not to anything else within a 2 foot radius.  I found it was easier to just remove the backing off one piece and attach it to another, basically forming 1/2 of the cap.  Add some glue, let set overnight.  then put the other half to it and glue.  Mine look, and are rough, so I'll need to do some major rework on them.
Next was marking the roof deck for my rolled roofing application.  Since the strips are 3' scale feet wide, I decided to mark off line 2'9" for guides.  I have an ancient contractors calculator so I could easily come up with all the measurements quite easily.
One of my major faults is being too focused on following instructions in an orderly fashion (well, for the most part).  And these front windows have been bothering me for some weeks now.  But, me being the idiot that I am, I never really gave the first page of the instructions too much notice as it was mainly a historical overview, not how things go together.  And in the mayhem of building, this page got buried in the kit box now full of extra parts.  Well, there is a photo of the front wall.  And it doesn't look like what the instructions had me build.  Apparently, the folks at AMB got the upper door frames all wrong.  The windows should be up front, not towards the back.  So anyone wanting to build this, ignore the middle notch and placement of the post between the front windows above each door. 


Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

postalkarl


ACL1504

"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

Oldguy

Karl and Tom, thanks for the encouragement. 

I just couldn't stand it anymore.  I removed the front set of windows and reset them towards the front of the wall.  Now all roof supporting joists will be behind the windows not in front.  One nice thing about Flamingo glue is that it stays flexible, which made it easier to cut through the joints.

Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

Oldguy

Progress has been slow but steady.
Once the front windows had been moved, it was time to install the front barge board.  These old hair clips provide just enough hold and grip area.
I added my standard roof of 220 grit sand paper.  I cut it 3 feet wide and each strip came just a little over 30 feet long.  Lines were drawn 2'9" apart, giving a 3" overlap.  Considering the minimal slope, it made sense to tar the rolled roofing joints. 

Each side has a rear door and one decides which door style goes where.  You pretty much have to have them open as the backside is nothing but self-adhesive backing.

Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

Oldguy

Next up was getting the smoke jacks attached to the underside of the roof deck.  Once those have set, the upper bands can be added.  Even though there is self-adhesive, I added some glue for insurance.   Not a lot of material there.
Then the pyramidal caps.  I will need to add some spackle once these have set as they look a bit rough.
I added some 1/8x1/8 rare earth magnets to the corners and front and rear of each stall beam, for a total of eight.  Then it was a matter of find some thin steel.  I wound up using a Campbell soup can lid cut into strips, then cut to length.  I made sure that I glued down the outside of the can as there is some coating on the inside.  I'll find out tomorrow how this all works out.
Bob Dye
Livin large on a pond

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

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