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Messages - jerryrbeach

#1
Good morning,

I'm heading out the door in a few to run some errands and get the oil changed in my car.  No significant progress on the layout yesterday, though I did work on a boxcar last evening.  Probably not a lot of modeling today, either.

I hope everyone has as awesome day!
#2
Quote from: Jerry on March 26, 2024, 09:49:41 AMSo good to see you back at this.  I'll be following along.

I think we all get to that point of no work on the RR.  But when it comes back it's kind of like a new day has stated again.

Jerry
Jerry,

Thanks for looking in.  Most of what I've posted are the few photos I did take while the forum was down.  Once I finish posting them I won't have as much material to share. 
#3
Quote from: Janbouli on March 25, 2024, 03:39:29 PMThanks Jerry , maybe doing some of my backdrop anew is a good idea , and I can get the Deluxe products fairly easy, thanks for showing this product.
Jan,

That's a great product.  I used a flat brush to apply it, you need a good coat, but try to get it on as evenly as possible and not too thick. if it is too thick it squeezes out and is difficult to clean up.  I used a damp cloth, but I still have some spots on the sky where it left some marks.  I'll get out my blue paint and get them touched up.  It is really sticky, hard to get out of the brush as well as the microfiber cloth when cleaning up afterward.  It can leave you with sticky fingers if you're not careful to keep it off your hands.  I found leaving the brush in a jar of water with a little dish detergent and letting it soak for an hour or so made the cleanup easier.  


#4
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Tuesday March 26, 2024
March 26, 2024, 10:15:38 AM
Good morning.

I found the key in its usual place, under the mat.  Hard to believe no one unlocked the door earlier this morning.  Anyway, it's open now, though I will admit I made a pretty good dent in the coffee pot. I think I left enough for another cup or two.

I never did get back to grinding up leaves yesterday, probably because I spent more time outdoors enjoying the sunny day than I had originally planned.  Today's plan is to start cleaning the house, though I hope to squeeze in a little bench time, too.

I hope everyone has a great day!
#5
Good morning.

My computer is slower than molasses in January this morning.  It seemed like to took forever and a day just to get logged into the Forum.  I'm not sure why it would be so slow because it was a brisk 23 degrees and sunny to start the day, well above the forecast overnight low of 16 degrees.  The forecast for today is for a high in the mid-40's.  I hope they are right because I have a couple things I want to get done outside later. 

Yesterday I ground up some leaves in the blender to use for ground cover.  That's a messy process, but things were going well until I put the ground up leaves on a cookie sheet and popped them into the oven on low to dry them out.  I got talking on the phone with my sister, and the leaves ended up well past dry, more like charred bits.  The house smelled like burning leaves for much of the afternoon.  I need to have a "do over" today and maybe just leave them on the cookie sheet to air dry.

I hope everyone has a productive day.
#6
I spend most of my time in the summer outside, and my modeling usually consists of smaller projects that can be completed relatively quickly.  I rarely work on the layout, and I might go a week or two without going into the layout room. I noticed one day that a couple of the individual backdrop photos had started to peel away from the backdrop.  I did not think much of it until somewhat later I saw that fully one third of the photos were partially off the backdrop. They were not only coming unglued, they were curling up as they came loose. 



I was unhappy to see this happen, but I knew I could print new photos if these could not be saved. What I did not realize until I examined the photos closely was that the center of the photos was still firmly stuck to the backdrop. I was unable to remove the photos without ruining not only the photos, but also damaging the Masonite backdrop. I was then faced with trying to figure out how to remove the curl from the 50# card stock and re-attaching the photos to the backdrop.



I had used some spray adhesive when I originally fastened the photos to the backdrop.  I used a wall paper roller to make sure the photos were tight against the Masonite, and there were no air bubbles or places that were not tight to the backdrop itself.  I began to think about what I might use that would be strong enough to hold the curled card stock to the Masonite.  It could not be something that would cause the photos to expand or stretch.  I needed to be able to apply it evenly to the backs of the photos.  I ruled out anything in an aerosol can due to over spray issues.  I could not seem to come up with any sort of a solution after an extensive time consuming search.



I realized I was simply stuck with a mess and I could not figure out how to repair the damage.  I was afraid my only solution might be to unbolt the modules so I could get behind them to replace the Masonite backdrop itself, and then start over with another set of photos.  I would not even walk into the layout room because it was so depressing.  My motivation to work on the layout was gone.  The layout sat completely untouched through the winter of 2022-23. It was a long time before I began to wander into the layout room and once again search my brain for a solution but nothing I thought of seemed feasible. 



A few months ago Dave Emery posted photos of a building he had completed.  He mentioned that he had used an adhesive called "Back Scene" to fasten the sign to the front of the building rather than white glue.  He also indicated that it was designed for fastening backdrop photographs to the backdrop.  I started researching this as a possible answer to my problem. I found this was a British product, and had limited availability in the US.  I ordered a bottle from Hobbylinc (no affiliation other than as a customer), to see if it would solve my problem. 



After reading the instructions I brushed it onto the back of one of the least curled photos and pressed it against the backdrop.  It curled away from the backdrop with little delay.  I used a wallpaper roller and pressed it with my hand until it seemed to stick.  However I noticed it again came off the backdrop within a couple minutes. Obviously, if I was going to have any chance of success I needed to hold the photo against the backdrop for a longer period of time. I had a few smaller pieces of Masonite lying around.  I grabbed one, pressed the smooth side against the backdrop and wedged it in place with some weights. I pulled it off several hours later and the photo stayed securely against the backdrop.  It took me the better part of a week to ten days to get all the photos re-fastened to the backdrop.  I do have some places where the Back Scene got onto the sky above the photos.  I also have a couple places where I got a little on the front of the photos and the photos lost some of the ink, leaving the white card.  None of this cannot be repaired easily with a little paint, or that cannot be hidden with scenery. 

#7
Greg & Jan,     

Since we've got quotes within quotes on both your posts, I'm going to start fresh. My lack of motivation to work on the layout (or even model) was triggered by so many of the photos coming loose from the Masonite backdrop. The layout sat completely untouched through the winter of 2022-23.  I did not model much of anything for a long time.  Finally I dragged myself out of the hole I had fallen into and started working on some freight cars.  That was a struggle, and there were still days, and sometimes a week or two, when I did almost no modeling. 

I'm not sure where I found the motivation to start modeling regularly again.  I did make a concerted effort to immerse myself in as much model related material as possible.  I watched YouTube videos, chased down Facebook groups, and rejoined a railroad historical society.  I was hopeful that I might find something that excite me enough to overcome the inertia and start building something.  I can tell you that in my case working on a small project and seeing it come together helped.  One small success led me to continue (in fits and starts) to reach for another small amount of success, and so on.  It was a long road, and it seemed more like work than a hobby until I began to once again enjoy both the process as well as the end result.  

The rebirth of the forum and my desire to contribute to this group as we try to rebuild so much that was lost has also helped motivate me.  I'm sure that both of you, as well as many others facing the same issue, will find a way to move forward in a positive direction.
 



 
#8
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on March 23, 2024, 10:43:10 AMI'll bet you used a LOT of printer ink.  I need a small background piece for the area of the layout I'm working on.  I'll look thru the LARC site and see if anything would fill the space.  Thanks for posting this. 

Jeff
Jeff, I did go through a couple cartridges of both black and color ink.  I did some financials after finishing up and I calculated that including the disk, ink, cardstock, and adhesive I spent about $200 to print and apply the photos to the backdrop.  I have quite a few additional photos that I printed out but did not use for various reasons, that are included in that cost.  Those are included in the cost.  To put this in perspective, my layout has a little less than 40 feet of backdrop.  I did a little research into buying a one piece printed backdrop from a commercial supplier.  The cost depended a great deal on what material the photos were printed on, and how involved it was to set up the photos for printing.  The least expensive one I found was in the neighborhood of $600.   
#9
Good morning.

Like Curt, I started the day with a walk.  I walked to the barn to feed the cats, and then walked back to the house.  Low 20's outside, snowing lightly earlier this morning, right now the sun does manage to pop out occasionally, apparently only enough to move the temperature to around freezing if the forecast is correct.  Looks like yet another day to stay inside and work on the layout.

I cast another large rock mold yesterday that I need to move forward as I continue to try to "rough in" some basic scenery. Even though I used fast setting hydrocal, while hard, the casting still feels cool and a little damp so I cannot fasten it into place yet.  At least I can move forward with planning how the scene in that corner will fit together.

I hope everyone has a safe and warm day.
#10
Dioramas / Re: Justice City Dioramish
March 23, 2024, 09:15:04 AM
Marty,

For some reason I overlooked the lighthouse photos.  That third photo blows me away.  I clicked on it and blew it to full screen. Those rocks are amazing, perfect for a waterfront!  That is some outstanding modeling!
#11
Tom,

As usual, I enjoy the way you present each step, and explain clearly why and how you completed this particular part of the build.  I find adding an interior can be a challenge, especially hiding the bracing necessary to keep everything square, plumb, and level.  Oh, wait, I must have missed the photo where you checked the walls for plumb.
#12
Jeff,

Your build is progressing nicely.  While I'm not a fan of tab and slot construction, this kit seems to fit together precisely for the most part.  Your color choices and attention to detail are definitely on point.  Thanks for taking the time to share this build with us.
#13
When I decided to build a modular style layout I had to decide how to approach my backdrop.  I had a quantity of Masonite on hand, so using it for the backdrop was an easy choice.  After some thought I decided to attach the backdrop to each individual module using some screws.  The biggest challenge was getting both ends of each backdrop piece cut perfectly square so it would sit tightly against the backdrops of the adjoining modules. The cuts not only had to be square, the pieces had to be mounted carefully to the back of each module so the ends of the backdrop were plumb when the module was level. 

With the backdrop panels in place I had to decide how to finish the backdrop.  I have little artistic talent, so I knew painting anything more than a light blue sky was out of the question.  I considered buying a one piece commercial backdrop designed to represent the area of upstate NY I am modeling.  I ruled this out because I could not justify the expense of purchasing this type of backdrop only to cut it into four foot pieces.  I had previously used a LARC Products disc to print off backdrop photos for some small modules I had built.  That seemed to me like the best approach, so I browsed the LARC website and ordered another disc that offered a couple groups of photos that I thought would work on my backdrop. 

I started by printing off enough photos to fill the length of the backdrop.  I taped them to the backdrop to see how they fit what I was trying to model.  I also needed to see how the various groups of photos looked together.  One of the biggest challenges was the transition from one group of photos to the next. 

Below are three photos showing some of the backdrop photos I printed out from the LARC disc taped to the Masonite. When I had the photos in an order I thought I liked I would leave them up for a few days. I would assess how well they  matched the changes in elevation.  I also wanted to see how well the different photo groups would look when they transitioned from one group of photos to another.  I took numerous photos of my backdrop with the LARC photos taped in place. Almost every time I moved some photos, printed additional photos, or changed them around in order I would take photos of the layout.  I would send the photos to my son for his opinion.  Apparently the bulk of those photos were on the memory card that was corrupted, because these are the only ones I could find.  On a positive note, this means anyone viewing this thread is spared looking at all those "test" photos.  
#14
Quote from: GPdemayo on March 21, 2024, 09:40:51 AMGreat progress Jerry, thanks for posting..... 8)
Greg,

My progress has been way slower than I anticipated when I started this journey.  I lost the desire to work on the layout for an extended period of time.  Stay tuned for more on that...
#15
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Saturday March 23, 2024
March 23, 2024, 08:04:37 AM
Good morning.

The door is unlocked and the coffee is fresh.  Not so nice outside in my little corner of upstate NY.  It snowed overnight, and has now changed over to rain. Roads are wet and slushy, so I'm planning to stay home and continue trying to rough in the scenery on my layout. 

I hope everyone has a safe, dry, and warm Saturday.

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