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Topics - hairball

#21
Scratchbuilding / Flagstop stations O scale 2 versions
December 20, 2019, 10:03:27 AM
As I sat down and marked up the clapboard wood siding to create an O scale structure, I thought I can make another version of this and change its appearance enough to be different.

I built them simultaneously.

mike lynch,.........MADMIKE3434............HAIRBALL
#22
Scratchbuilding / THE GRAND DEPOT in O scale
December 17, 2019, 02:36:42 PM
I never had the kit in HO and when I switched to O scale decided "I gotta build that".  Other than the full page magazine ad in colour I had nothing to go by.  Strictly a front dead on view only of the GRANITE DEPOT.

So after studying the picture for a while I needed to order a bunch of stuff from grandt line.  I already had some windows and all the doors in stock.  Grabbed the sheets of 3/32 space clapboard that are deeper claps and started laying out the windows and doors, marking location with very sharp pencil.  After a few hours all the walls are cut out using my small size OLFA blade snap off knife.   Once done I proceeded to 1/8" sq basswood on the inside to give the wood rigidity.  I do not chince here, strength anti warping is whats important , just like FSM kits taught me.

I put a lot of my own designs and treatments into the structure.  My specialty is the 3 tone windows which ads so much character.  The roof is B I S real copper that has been treated to variegate that fabulous green naturely but maybe a touch of BRAGDONS PIGMENTS .   The wrought iron on the top of the roof ads a lot of character.

I built the front with a stone fireplace chimney and on the rear without one.  So the back became the front for character.  I had no idea because I had the one view only so made the back almost same as the front.

Pretty sure the walls base colour is floquil driftwood base, with over layering of TAN, EARTH,  DUST and touches of antique white.

The scratch vegetable stand was covered with MIKE YOAKUM products.

mike lynch...........madmike3434............HAIRBALL
#23
The PUGWUMP BROTHERS  rail services own a lot of home shop built equipment .

Here is there combo wood and water or could be oil car

mike lynch...MADMIKE3434........HAIRBALL
#24
Seeking Kit... / tom yorke O scale TONYS GARAGE
December 15, 2019, 02:41:03 PM
still looking for tonys garage by tom yorke

mike lynch

mike350@rogers.com
#25
I was approached by a Schenectady NY person named don klose who was building the Bellevue and Schenectady M R R.

He wanted a version of the famous John Allen creation called Cross junction station that would be a 2 level station serving a lower liner and an upper line for his proto 48 setup.  I managed to acquire a 1950's magazine with the plans for it.

As I started to scratch build it certain things made no sense and HO measurements were way off visually making this acceptable...  So I decided to wing it and free style the proportions to my own liking.

That damn roof  !!!!  Well figured will knock it out in a week or less...........LMAO, it took me a solid 2 weeks doing a row at a time and letting the glue dry for hour or two before starting another row.  And on and on.

The real wood shingles were made using BIRCH VENEER cut into 1/2" high strips , then chopped with a wallpaper knife into random widths.  The shingles were covered/coloured using Fiebings leather dye diluted with isopropinal alcohol.  Each shingle was stabbed with a #11 pointed blade, rolled over and using a toothpick apply a slick of Weldbond white glue..  Tops where shingles ended were done with BIS real copper raised seam roofing.

I cut up a TRAINS OF TEXAS hydrocal wall to create the brick wall and used a Tom Yorke casting to create the stone wall...

Probably the most difficult thing to create was that upper deck ticket office.

mike lynch................madmike3434.............HAIRBALL
#26
Because I do metal roofing using BUILDERS IN SCALE  a lot in my structures, because it just looks great and is easy to do.

I use the 12 scale foot wide *corregated* and the 12 scale foot *raised seam*.  The COPPER raised seam only comes scale 8 foot.

Pictures are showing a large batch of mixed metal . Besides the BIS roofing materials you should really only need to purchase the ETCHING SOLUTION.   That is MG CHEMICALS #415-1L made in Canada.  The product is FERRIC CHLORIDE   www.mgchemicals.com .   This is for cleaning etching primered circuit boards.

You will need a large size plastic margarine container to have full of clean water.
You will need another or low glass saucer baking dish about 2" high on sides.
Appears from picture that I used a pyrex glass large measuring cup.
You will need a roll of BLUE paper towels.  No pattern. That do not fall apart when dipped in water.
you will need tweezers or needle nose pliars.
You will need 2 ....24 inch sq sheets of plywood.

Lets start.....
A---shake the chemical enough to stir it up and do a 3/4---1" deep pouring.
B---using the pliars dip the metal strip half way into the chemical.
C---it will begin fizzing, start slowly drawing the half sheet out letting the fizzing run down the sheet.
D---immediately dunk the etched end into the water and slowly remove
E---swap ends and dip un-dipped end into chemical and draw out like first one.
F---dip the new end into the water and put to the side.
G---do as many sheets as you need.

H---take the etched sheets and place them on the water soaked blue paper towel.
I---take a fresh paper towel , soak in water and place over the etched metal.
J---take a plywood sheet and place that on top of wet towel, add bricks or weight so towel makes contact.
K---leave the whole setup in a dry WARM place so the materials dry naturelly..
L--- use very sharp scissors to cut the sheets of corrugated into 3 scale foot wide pieces.

Depending on how fast or slow you were on withdrawing sheets, you could have parts where it was not etched , or etched too much and have holes, just trim those out with scissors.
I use WELDBOND white glue to apply the sheet parts to the roof.
I use the raised seam to cover a roof or top off the corrugated.

DO NOT spray dull coat onto the material.  There is no need for Bragdons or any pigment including dr BENDOVER stuff.  If you follow instructions you can easily produce the same quality and get these outstanding rusty roofs.

I have seen metal corrugated roofs fully rusted like I am showing, I have also seen where the silver finish has rust around the edges.  Both realistic .......THE CHOICE for your model is up to you.

WARNING........spill or drip this stuff and whatever it gets onto is orange and not coming out. Pour the used material into a plastic or glass bottle that seals .
Work the materials at arms length, its an acid so KEEP YOUR HEAD BACK.  You can smell this stuff for days .  Also if doing this in basement make sure you have an exhaust fan to remove the smell it creates.

mike lynch..........MADMIKE3434 ............HAIRBALL
#27
This is an o scale scratch built inspired by FSM designs I had been building in HO

mike lynch........madmike3434...HAIRBALL
#28
Scratchbuilding / ZACK BEAGLEMAN O scale scratch build.
December 08, 2019, 03:44:51 PM
This is ZACK BEAGLEMAN, O scale scratch build using the OUT BUILDING walls from Tom Yorkes #105 kit

I used the side wall with the square 12 x 12" scale pocket hole in the side to run a wood beam across to make a floor structure to replace the previously blown up boiler room.  The foundation walls were made flat and recarved.

I wanted to show exposed frame work on the front wall ,  and ripped a few boards for effect.   The paint is a boxcar red I believe over floquil driftwood stain.  Couple of touchups to give that worn out look was done with paint.

Shingles are laid one at a time using real birch veneer chopped to barn length 2 ft long, coloured with fiebing leather dye and alcohol in a custom mix I did .

Notice the  ^^ stepped in ^^ front wall and the rear wall. Done to get rid of the joint that always appears in hydrocal.  I knocked the sharp edge off the corners with a nail file followed by a brass brush, then a zona saw was used to extend the stone joints around the corner.  A technique I developed to improve the yorke and any other hydrocal walls I would use.

This is my favorite structure and I plan on utilizing it again, this time making the rear wider with a YORKE pool hall bordello main building rear wall.   Has bricked up window and rusty distorted rear metal doors.
Make a great new build.

mike lynch..........HAIRBALL
#29
As usual I had a thought slip into my thought process and came with this .

Starting with a Bachmann On30 flat car 28 footer I took some north eastern scribed siding and created a floor.  Attacked it with alcohol and ink wash to weather it and added screw heads impressions.  I played around creating the posts and roof structure making them all the same.

I took the wooden bench seats and tried setting them length wise and then across to get an idea of which one I liked.  To do the wood roof I found a glass or bottle or can ?????, then used a very wet alcohol india ink wash soaking and wrapped it around one of them to get me the right shape.  Left that for a full day.  Next day removed it and used elastic bands to hold it onto the glued roof frame work.

I had some green and white striped cloth from another build left over and decided to use that.  Not sure what I used as a glue to hold it onto the roof.  Might be 3M upholstery glue in a spray bomb keeping the can back away to dust the glue on.  Soaking it with glue would most likely discolour the cloth.

I am pretty sure I found a carb board tube from paper towel and placed that over the cloth and again used some larger/longer  elastic bands . After that sat for a day and placed the seats onto deck using zap a gap.

Lastly placed George Costanza and his girl friend onto the seats.  I wanted the car to look brand new so no weathering was done other than darken and age the wood.

This was simple and an easy build. Could turn out 3-6 of these for not a lot of $$$ except for purchase of the on30 flat car and the seats.   Those Pugwump brothers rail services are into all kinds of ventures. If there is a buck to be made , figure them right in there.

mike lynch     HAIRBALL
#30
Rolling Stock / PUGWUMPS BROTHERS saw filers car
December 04, 2019, 02:27:25 PM
Those Pugwump brothers are a hard working bunch of brothers , operating their rail services in all kinds of areas.    Some have lonely jobs like Lionel Pugwump who is in charge of the saw filing duties in his own private custom car.

It started out as an on30 Bachmann box car.  A large sliding window was cut into it along with a roof skylight so near sighted Lionel could easily see what he is sharpening with his files.  Finished saws for the loggers were placed on hangers outside.   A shelf was constructed with brackets on the outside to keep stuff and axes out of the way.

windows and skylight are grandt line............Lionel maybe is Artista figures. ?

Another fun easy build.

mike lynch...........HAIRBALL
#31
This is the PUGWUMP BROTHERS rail service loco #55.   This Consortium of assorted rail road services has many locos in the woods , swamps , deserts.  If there is something to haul, they the boys .

This started life as one of the Bachmann On30 2-6-0 xmas paint scheme locos, but because nobody really wants them , can be had mucho cheaper that the C&S and other roads.

I popped all the banding and other brass parts off the engine and mixed up a weird floquil green colour for the boiler and the rest.  I added an onion dome type stack to it to give it its own flavor.  I purchased a resin oil tank conversion for the tender.  I added a tank between the boiler domes and a tool box behind the tender.

The MOOSIE HEAD with rack.  Not sure whether it got it from bill McKenzie Iron and steel or david braun at the Back shoppe.  Both product lines now made by Wiseman.

Racking my brain trying to remember the details about the raised up oil tank.  Not sure if its an HO or a cut down On30, but suits the Pugwump brothers rail services rail services area.........oil--coal--wood--sand--water .

anyway........hope you enjoy the photos

mike lynch...madmike3434...HAIRBALL
#32
This is my 2-6-6-2 PUGWUMP BROTHERS  Swamp logger.

Swamps are dirty smelly places and make everything rust due to humidity, that's whats happened to this loco. It  started life as an HO Mantua side tank logging loco.   When I started in On30 this was a great loco to convert.

I added a Banta wood cab, I converted the roof vent to strip wood with hinges.  The giant moose antler rack on the boiler is hand made. Air tanks were added on the walking planks beside the boiler.  The stack is a brass c + s cinder bear trap stack...........totally outrageous !!

The double tenders were shorty flats made into a wood log holding with tall side boards.  The 2nd tender is scratch built out of wood to hold extra water

I actually used my airbrush to paint this and I think I also added BRAGDON REAL RUST powders to overkill.

mike lynch... madmike3434............HAIRBALL
#33
I was sitting there figuring I need to create something entirely different, how about a place that makes eye glasses.   So thinking cap snugged down I envisioned a tall front wall with 2 openings to replicate the look of eye glasses , as the sign.

I decided to use wood FORSTNER bit to make perfectly round openings.  I lay clapboard on a piece of plywood and turn on the drill press around 500 rpm and go thru the wood cleanly.   Next I choose a doorway and windows for the front wall  , position them, mark with really shape pencil and cut them out using my small breakaway blade knife with OLFA blade.  Better pay attention when using those, you will go right to bone if not .

So now I have 2 really nice round holes and just happens that a Floquil paint bottle is almost right size.  I take a piece of 2 x 12-14 "?? basswood and soak it in some warm water for 20 minutes. Now take the strip wood and wrap it around the bottle and tape in place on bottle, then do the other.      Next day when dry remove and begin fitting them into the holes, taking your time to get a real good fit and little shave at a time..

Originally was just going to be a simple build but as is normal for me, gotta kick it up some.
Was going to use a stone foundation in hydrocal, but switched to wainscoting instead.   Get the side and rear walls hacked out, nail heads, lifted claps.  All the components get floquil driftwood stain coated followed by a choice of a darker blue paint. After testing the 4 different shade blues I had on scrap , I chose whatever one this is.  Using my standard paint technique shaking hell out of paint followed by stir with popsicle stick .  I dip 1/2 " wide brush into diosol thinners then into paint, followed by ONE pass across the wood clap surface, then reload.

Windows and doors get painted ANTIQUE WHITE floquil , left for a day to get hard.  Then taking a small pointed brush I dip the tip into the well shaken paint and use only whats in the lid.  Holding the brush at around 30--40 degrees angled to the frame and apply the paint.  Put aside till next day.  If one wants to dirty it up, place part in dark alcohol ink wash, draw out and lay on wax paper.  The dark alco-ink will make the detail in the window and door pop.

The front porch cover happened all on its own while the wall was sitting there.   The upper corbel grid from grandt was the key and led to the whole look.  The B I S raised seam roofing was rusted with acid and I think that chimney is also from grandt.

The round opening signs I found online as actual originals which I copied.  Happy I made this into harness and duck decoy structure rather than eye glasses.

mike lynch.......madmike3434.............HAIRBALL
#34
Scratchbuilding / Saltie Sams Seafood Emporium
November 28, 2019, 12:57:51 PM
I decided I wanted to build a restaurant , one of 4 I did around that time.  This is Saltie Sams that started with a pile of windows and that TIGER SHARK.

I took a sheet of 6 x 24 northeastern AGED 3/32" spacing clapboard and started laying out the main entrance , selected the grandt line windows I was to use and had more than enough. There is no grand plan or set of drawings to follow , its right off top of my head .  I like to wing it .

At this point I decided I needed a foundation , rather than cut up hydrocal stone walls , I took yorkes #118 the bank and #138 lakeside grocery foundation bases and ran the middle joining edges thru my belt sander machine.   I took HOUSE HOLD GOOP and clamped them together for 24 hours.

Now I have the footprint I can cut out the doors windows and walls.  Out comes the pounce wheel for nail heads, out comes the wallpaper knife to lift assorted boards as usual.

The walls get coated with floquil driftwood stain , flowed by antique white and reefer white to give the paint a worn fade look .  From Builders In Scale = BIS .  I find my stock of lace curtains and some venetian blinds for the window doors and apply them to the back inside.

The roof is real copper raised seam style from BIS, treated with circuit board cleaner to get the protective coating off and prepare the surface for green variegating .   The vehicles are RIO of Italy 1.43 scale.  People are Aartista ? or ?  Vegetables and boxes are from mike in Ohio no longer in business, WHAT A SHAME !!!!!!

That Tiger Shark.  I needed a big fish for Salties, hit ebay and searched and came up with him/her.  I also got a drunken cow bobble head and something else I have not used yet.

Again this got sold right after listing it on ebay , no idea who owns it and on what continent it resides.
I really enjoy just building structures/dioramas coming up with a design and making it work to my satisfaction.  Things that don't work hit the floor and followed by a foot stomping, then deposit to garbage can.

mike lynch...........madmike3434.........now HAIRBALL
#35
Scratchbuilding / EZEKIALS DRY GOODS O scale
November 24, 2019, 07:42:12 PM
This is Ezekials dry goods build # 394 the 5th structure I made in o scale.

I started with the Grandt line  front window and door system and board and baton siding .  Base was floquil driftwood stain followed by boxcar red it looks like , thinned by dipping 1/2" wide brush into the paint and into the diosol thinners. Going from top to bottom just the once, gives it that naturally weathered look .  There may be a wash of alcohol and india ink on it.

The windows and doors I use the technique of paint the door the base colour , then right away using a very small brush dip the tip into the paint in the well shaken lid, turning the brush on a very sharp LOW angle , drag it over the window sills .  Same applies for tri tone windows.

I generally have a very rough idea of what I am going to build.  There are no plans and elaborate drawings , just wing it and make it work.  Works for me, but not recommended as the correct way.

The signage is from Staples and the letters are peel and stick .

The roof was the first time I have used oak veneer and gives a very rustic look.  Its an animal to work with and never did it again preferring birch veneer coloured with leather stain and alcohol.  The other signs are things I found on the net and printed them out with 32 signs per sheet as a CONTACT sheet which came out perfect for O scale.

The people and dogs are from Artista I believe .  Truck is Berkshire valley stake truck lead castings.

The stone foundation is a hydrocal casting I think of a HO George FSM #215 wall, works in O .

That tall chimney , I have no idea where that came from  as its a hydrocal casting, probably HO as well.

mike lynch ....madmike3434.........HAIRBALL
#36
Scratchbuilding / BABA O'REILLEY fly fishing rods
November 23, 2019, 04:00:52 PM
This is BABA O'REILLEY " fly fishing rods" in O scale 1.48

I built this for a friend who was starting an On30 layout and needed a custom structure as a forefront piece.

This started as a Tom Yorke #105 kit, as the out building.  It is my absolute favorite set of 4 walls to model start with.  One side represents where the side building containing the boiler blew up and destroyed the side building.  The side wall doorway got bricked in and the stone got parged over with stucco to hid the fire smoke.

From there I just built whatever I wanted to using materials on hand.  The roof was done with B I S slate roofing.  The second story where Baba lives is comfortable and has clapboard at each end, raised and broken claps are lifted using a wall paper knife, the nail holes are applied using a dressmakers pounce wheel.  The front door and side windows are from grandt line , as are the other windows used.

The outside plumbing metal sewage pipe I think was from Berkshire valley ?  Staircase at rear was from banta and railing from grandt line.  The debris garbage strewn around was from Berkshire valley also

The coloration of the stone is floquil RUST put on full strength and then a mortar wash of ARTISTS GESSO white is seriously thinned down and brushed over followed right away with cloth wiping.  You want the gesso into the joints not on the surface.

I used this 105 yorke out building at least 8 times in various builds, changing its look each time.  That's the hard part.

Notice in the windows lace curtains and in some venetian blinds, these are from builders in scale.

Also notice in the front door system the stone wraps around .  I used a finger nail file and knocked the sharp casting edge off , then took a zona saw blade and cut the stone lines to match.  Then I
took a brass brush and zipped over the stone to rough it up a little .

mike lynch..........madmike3434...........HAIRBALL
#37
This is my scratch built in o scale ARCHIBALD HOOGAVEEN. 

Having a 75% built HO scale builders in Scale Tidewater wharf I had the grand idea of hey am working o now why not use the basic design and do some free styling to it.   I originally wanted his to head out into water where a pile driven hoist would reside or, a sunken set of rails on a pair of trucks would gather the boat and a pulley system haul it too the building for repair.

Well after figuring out the amount of land and water needed to effectively pull it off, water idea got drained.
So concentrated on making an automotive based repair place.

Pictures posted are what I ended up producing.  Got carried away with the stair case, but really makes the front jump out.  Big feature is all that BIS raised seam metal roofing , that I rust using ferric chloric circuit board cleaner.  That's naturel rust, the real thing

mike lynch..................HAIRBALL
#38
Scratchbuilding / Laws California GALLOWS turntable On30
November 21, 2019, 10:12:05 AM
This is my laws California On30 rail GALLOWS turntable.  Starting with a 14" resin turntable pit I purchased a digital mechanized turning mechanism on ebay .  After it was completed took some fooling around to get the powered turntable to function properly.  I needed to add another set screw to the side of the turning shaft so it runs true and not wobble.

It has nut bolt and washer castings on it. Also has swing poles mounted to the turntable to manually operate it as original but un-working.

The PUGWUMPS BROTHERS RAIL SERVICE Bachmann 2-6-0 On30 loco is modified with antlers mounted to the headlight.  PSC brass tool boxes on the walkways.  Changed the stock stack to the one pictured. Built a wood slat roof cab vent.  Tender has been converted from coal to oil with new top tank.  I also added a hose & hose reel for water suction.  The loco started life as a painted red and green Xmas paint scheme.  I popped all the banding and other items and hand painted them brass.  I also added the vacuum tank on the boiler .

mike lynch............madmike3434...............HAIRBALL
#39
Scratchbuilding / white butressed church in O
November 20, 2019, 11:00:41 AM
Sometimes when you build a lot of structures you get the hankering to build something you have not done before..........aka.........a white clapboard church.  I hit google search looking for an interesting old wood clapboard sided rural church.  BINGO..........the one I used as my model is located in California , san simeon ?  As picture #1

I only had the picture dead on from the front ,  so I had to imagineer what the sides looked like.  So I grabbed my northeastern scale lumber siding with the 1/8" space clapboards in their aged version with deeper claps.  After pencil marking the wood I cut it all out and laid the grandt line windows in the correct to me places.  I like those windows and had been dying to create something to use them in.

After using wood blocks to stand the walls up, I got the idea to cut out 2 more and build 2 more . Of coarse I will make each one slightly different as you can see.  But keeping the same windows and doors .

The paint on this is all floquil enamels...............I used 3 white shades and used floquil driftwood stain as the base. Lifted claps with wallpaper knife, pounce wheeled walls for nail impressions .

About 6 months after I had build these I ended up in the old section down by the waterfront of Whitby.........holy mackerel..........down there is a stone and brick buttressed small church.  I also ran into another in Whitevale ont on a visit to see Rick Fendley the welder.

mike lynch.................MADMIKE3434..........NOW.....HAIRBALL
#40
This is another of my favorite FSM kits #225.....name ? = Sewells foundry, that I blew up to O scale and scratch built.  Took the basic premise of what George designed and ran with it . Left out the overhead travelling crane as this was eating land quick.  Georges was stone walls in lead, this is wood framed as I did not have the ability to do stone in plaster.

Johan Harrounn............harroun is a famous name he was henry fords early race car driver pre 1915, then went on to design and build his own automobile in 1917--1924 using a revolutionary 4 cyl single overhead camshaft.

For the first time I actually 2 toned the wood walls.  Managed to get a wood framed lift off roof building into it , plus a highly distressed wood boards side building.  What does this small casting company produce....??   Well the PUGWUMP BROTHERS rail services ordered 50 solid brass deer racks to fit on top of their headlights, backwoods style. There are 2 on display on the outside bench .

Side note.......I found David Braun in calif ( the back shoppe ) actually made brass antlers and I ordered 24 of them, he was floored I would order so many and gave me a good price.

Of coarse I used as many roof covering materials as possible, part of my personal style.

Wood siding 3/32 spacing AGED is from northeastern as is all the wood used to build the building.  Whats AGED.......the clapboards are deeper and you can feel it.  Has all the usual lifted boards using a wallpaper knife, plus nail head impressions using pounce wheel.  Paint is floquil Driftwood stain base coat , with railroad tie brown applied over top , thinned out by dipping flat 1/2" wide brush into the paint then immediately one stroke across the panel, then repeat.  I think the red is boxcar red floquil ?

mike lynch ....madmike3434........................HAIRBALL
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