Great Lakes Lighthouse Build

Started by carl b, January 01, 2020, 11:43:41 AM

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Zephyrus52246


Jerry

A master at scratchbuilding!!


One of best you've ever done and you've done some real masterpieces!


Jerry
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." A. Lincoln

carl b

Karl, Curt, Steve, Jeff and Jerry thank you so much!

Appreciate your posts and following the build....
Carl

carl b

I have been asked which brand shingles I used on the model:

Short Hill and Western. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

Carl

carl b

Two identical chimneys are needed, and they are smaller than I would have expected. Building them with the same Rail Scale Models brick sheet as the walls, they are approximately 6 feet high.



Almost finished here, glued in place. Need a bit more work.....



The 8 spires are fragile, but they finally all landed up on the peaks....They cannot be bumped....



Side door and back stoops can be attached. I am using a small dowel for extra strength, embedded in the base...and runs through the foundation.



The base for this model will be small and viewable from all 4 sides. I used cardboard to determine my maximum dimensions, then rounded the actual base piece. The top layer is about 15 scale feet, or about 2" higher. I have a perimeter cut out of the building sitting in the middle to finalize its shape. This form is nothing like the prototype.... I'm taking some major liberties here.



I used the cardboard as my cutting guide for 1/2" CDX plywood. Approx. 17" side to side, and 15" front to back. The "plan" is a block retaining wall in back, shale rock in the front & right sides hitting the lake water. Sandy grassy cliffs all along the left...



Expanded polystyrene (yep: the little white balls) in place for landforms, glued down and to each other, with yellow carpenters glue. Black & white power wires has been fed to the side from the middle.



Plaster cloth laid over and dried. Hmmm,...looks like a mitten, or a slice of bread?



Till next time...interested in getting plastered?
Carl

carl b

The back of the model, which is actually now the front of the keepers house, needs a wall to support itself. I wanted to try pouring some plaster blank wall sheets to scribe in some block. Plaster of Paris and strip wood forms, onto a piece of glass for an extra smooth face. Actually made a total of 6 for possible future needs. Approx. 2:1 water to plaster ratio. Poured some into small rubber rock molds too. I am a total mess... when it comes to this stuff....



Scribing the block pattern while still not completely hardened.....



In place for a check. Also glued a piece of card on the back for additional strength.



Began first layer of paints & washes.....



I marked the perimeter of the house and tower, then built wood sidewalk forms. Joint compound tinted grey was dumped in and smoothed....



Two sides of the dio need cliff faces of the local shale. Plaster of Paris was mixed to a heavy batter consistency,  a bit more plaster, rather than an exact 2:1 ratio.  I studied photos of real shale at the actual site and tried to mimic the thin but chunky layers of that rock....



To elevate the building even with the sidewalk I previously laid, I laid strip wood just under the perimeter of the structures. Then I put down a thick layer of dyed green sawdust as a base lawn & some gravel for the spots between the sidewalk and foundation.



First coat of paint onto the shale...the top is medium gray, middle is nutmeg brown, and the bottom is graphite. Some lighter green grass shades were tossed in too. Much more manipulation to go....



Till next time...more on the base

Carl

JimF

Carl,

After admittedly losing interest earlier with this thread (the light tower techy part), I have just caught up.

WOW! Simply fantastic, both the structure and your engineering of it all.

Great info, thank you.

Jim

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

carl b

Thank you very much Jim and Curt!

Appreciate your comments and following along.....
Carl

Jerry

That is some fine looking stone work Carl.


Jerry
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." A. Lincoln

carl b

Carl

rslaserkits


Coming along great love the brick and stone work will be a work of art when done
rich

postalkarl

Hey Carl:

Looks just beautiful. Really like how your base turned out.

Karl

ACL1504

Carl,

Love the look of the rocks. Fantastic job sir.

Tom ;D
"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

carl b

Thank you very much Rich, Karl and Tom!

And I appreciate you following along....
Carl

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