Bar Mills Cundy Village Hotel

Started by Jim Donovan, July 20, 2020, 11:44:39 PM

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Jim Donovan

#150
Thanks John and Curt;

We are slowly making progress. I need to make sure not to touch the structure unless a must. With all the things being done the touching was starting to mar the finish. I cleaned it up and put it on a foam board that has two sided tape. Now when I work on it I am not touching, if I really need to touch I am wearing latex gloves.

Thoughts or suggestions always appreciated.

Jim D
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

Time to catch this thread post up to where I am. My helper is bored and wants me to finish up:



As mentioned the kit comes with a blank backside.. If you plan to add windows or doors best to do so while the walls have not yet been assembled. I let myself get in a hurry so now have to be careful cutting out the openings with the walls in place. I decided to keep things simple using four each Tichy #8024 and four each #8069. The larger 8024 double hung windows go on the second floor which is were you would expect the better rooms to be. The smaller 8069 windows go across the first floor. The 8069 windows are in various open positions, much like you would see for the staff work rooms. I will be making a separate scratch built kitchen and connect it to the main building. In 1900 many hotels (and homes) had separate kitchens to isolate them in case of fire.

I first made a template to line the openings up correctly. I used Inkscape on my computer to get the shapes, locations and dimensions 100%. Any draw program can do this quickly. I printed out the design and cut out the shape.



I taped this to one of the back walls and using a thin #3 pencil carefully outlined the opening. Using an #11 exacto knife I cut the openings and squared them up with an emory board. I flipped the tempete over to align correctly on the other side and did the same. The Tichy windows were cut from their sprue for airbrushing with gray primer then the crocodile green. However, first the tiny bumps left by the sprue needed to be removed. I like to use a sanding block I made that has #400 sand paper taped tightly to it.



In the above picture you can see the cut openings in back walls as well as the sanding block and windows I am using. The sanding block makes sure the window is square as it is lightly sanded to remove the bumps.
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

Since I am using glass for the windows I needed to cut the glass to shape. Here I used microscope slide covers as the material. It is thin enough to fit into the 'tray' area Tichy provides for their acetate plastic windows. Using calipers I measured the exact dimensions off the inner sides of the 8024's two window areas. Another template with these dimensions was made and taped to the cutting mat. The glass was scribed, cut, placed in the two 'tray' areas  of the Tichy window. I put a drop of canopy glue first in each corner to hold the glass. I did not use the UV glue as I was having trouble with the UV light and could not fix it. I forgot to take pictures of some steps but here is the sequence.


Slide with scribe line, ready to snap using Q-tip dowel to push against.


Glass cut, ready to install.

I did this for all eight windows (The 8069 just have glass in the area of window 'closed' and I did not attempt to get exactly flush with mullions for them, too hard and won't be seen).

Let me stop and take a minute to discuss why I am using glass, especially on this kit. Frankly, contrary to what some of the guys who have been modeling for 40 years or more say, glass can be a pain in the you know what. The method of cutting each type of glass, microscope slide, slide cover and Clover glass are straight forward but there is a 'feel' that comes in to play knowing how much pressure is needed to etch the glass, snap it, and just using the scribe to cut the thin glass. There is a lot of failure, especially as you learn but I have a friend who is an MMR, super modeler and national contest judge. He told me he gets it right about 80% of the time. That's right 80%. Now I am talking about cutting glass so it fits right up against the mullions of the inside of the window. Cutting to fit across the window is easier. By the way, the scrap can really make a mess too so cleaning is important. I figure I get it right around 60% when I am shaping to fit against millions like this kit. Cutting just to fit the window section I am around 80%. So why use glass instead of plastic. It is much easier to see in person but I think I caught it in this photo:


Glass just adds something that can not be duplicated. You will see more, perhaps better photos shortly.



Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

With the back done it was the front's turn. I had done some of the windows prior to putting the walls up but not all. Each window consists of 6 pieces and they are easy to lose once cut off the sheet, so I suggest keep them in a container and never let them out till needed. The windows were painted in the same scheme as the tower. Because the windows are large and the windows practically flush with the outer wall I simply cut microscope glass to fit the opening. If you have never tried to use glass but would like to try this is the perfect place to do it.





I used Canopy glue around edges to hold glass. The window frame will cover glue from showing.


For the two sides I changed out the frames supplied with square frames from a Bar Mills #1 kit. I thought they looked right for the sides. (Besides I had lost a few parts and was a window short, remember me saying keep the parts in a bin  ::))
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

#154
OK so I am done talking about windows and glass. I am sure this kit would look great with the acetate glass provided and it sure would go faster but what the heck it was fun. So we are caught up and here we are:









Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jerry

Jim great job on those windows.  I've used glass before and your right it does make a difference in appearance.


I have about 30 windows to do in my mill so I've complating on using glass or something else.
But I might have to start with the glass an see how it works out.


Overall you've hit this one right on the head.


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

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

Jim Donovan

Hi Jerry;

Thanks for the comments and encouragement. The biggest issue I have with glass is it is time consuming and makes a mess. Still I love the look and for a building like this hotel it's worth the effort.

Jim D
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

Hi Curt;

Thanks for encouragement. It is a fun kit to build.

Jim D
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

#159
It has been some time since my last update. Lots to do and working on this kit is both enjoyable and time consuming. So let's start:

The directions call for the trim boards that go on the exterior just under the third floor be put in place at this time. I recommend that you first glue the third floor in place and then put the trim in place. That way if there are small gaps between the third floor and the trim it is easy to adjust. it is what I would do if I did it again.



Next I glued in place the third floor. It locks in place easy and the wall bracing is just as straight forward. At this point I started using canopy glue instead of Elmers, it just seemed to work better with the materials of this kit. The directions call for using sandpaper and a #7 exacto knife to remove the ash burns. It makes a difference ensuring everything stays straight.





I ended up having to hand brush the Folk Art Crocodile Green on the third floor sills. The paper board used for this part of the kit is a cardboard and soaks paint in like mad. Also, a word of caution, it will begin to separate into individual layers at the corners if bounced too much so care is needed. (or careful gluing of the damaged area  ::) )
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

#160
At this point the third floor interior was put in place. I printed out a library wall photo of an old mansion and placed it down the middle of each wing. On the front side of the 'wall' I had a wood floor printed which would be hopefully seen if you looked down into the building windows. This was scored but left attached to the 'wall'. Contact cement was used to place the wall and wood floor. If I was to do again I would skip on putting drapes and interior in for this for. When installed the dormers really cut down on ability to see in.



I forgot to take pictures of the interior and lighting but it was much like second floor. However, the lights were placed behind the bookcase wall to provide a dimmer defused light. I did have to get creative on wiring. I had placed the roof in place for second floor and not run wiring down a corner. So instead I used copper tape and hid it behind the chimneys. The area around the chimney and roof had to be filed for allowing a snug flat fit of the chimney which resulted in plenty of room for the wire connections. There are three warm white lights in each wing.





Well there is much more to go but the computer is on empty and so am I so we will catch up tomorrow.
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

#161
The next step in this journey is to apply the shingles to the third floor walls and install the walls to the bracing. The video I watched said to watch out for keeping the walls flush with bracing so I kept that in mind. More importantly I determined I did not have enough shingles left having destroyed too many getting tower figured out. You will not that some pictures show more work done then in others, that is because I was working on shingling while building frame and interior.

I did not paint or prime the walls. They are made of a thin wood and have lines to help keep the shingle strips aligned correctly.  The shingle strips line up great and learning from the tower shingling I stopped and cut each strip just short of the line demarcating where the dormer wall would go. I would then pick up again on the other side, making sure the stagger of the shingles stayed lined up. This method kept the area designated for the dormer clear and clean. it worked a lot better then shingling across the window area and attempting to cut out each opening.





You can see the much cleaner look to the areas surrounding the dormer location.
Holland & Odessa Railroad

Jim Donovan

I knew I would run short of shingles so decided to see what the silhouette printer could do instead of buying more. As mentioned previously, the shingles in the box are a fish scale type while the directions showed a diamond pattern. I went with the diamond pattern for use on the back walls. Buildings of this type often had the back less fancy then the front. While a diamond pattern slate tile would not be really a step down I liked it. The pattern was easy to design using scanned images of the fish scale shingle and modifying it. I printed out 65 lbs card stock with the correct gray color. The wall had double sided tape applied and the strips laid across the wall. Next time I will use this type of shingle, much easier to work with then the felt.



Holland & Odessa Railroad

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

Jerry

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

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