Finally finishing the Hilltown build, some of you may have noticed there's a gap between the two dioramas on my layout. I needed a structure to put in there, and Carolina Craftsman Kits Miller and Kemp Millwork will fit well ( I hope). There's a sheet in the kit which has the footprint of the structure and it seems to work out, so here goes. The pic of the "usual stuff" in the box. Stripwood, walls, instructions, windows, etc.
Jeff
I started by truing the edges in the True Sander. I just knock off the laser burn completely to square the edge.
No contrasting trim here (except the windows), so I installed the corner posts before the bracing, then sprayed the backsides with flat black to prevent warping and to block the lack of any interior. I masked the edges where the corner posts ( to stain them later ), and the side bracing are (to make gluing the walls together easier, so I don't have paint to paint gluing).
I used the leftover "knock outs" from the windows to experiment with color. I wanted an easy build this time without having to use three layers of dry brushing like the garage build. Two base coats of Hunterline light grey followed by Barn red looked good, but was a bit too dark. I again used the knock outs to try a wash of light grey (too stark and homogeneous), sponge painting (too spotty) and dry brushing some light grey on. The dry brushing lightened it up enough. I don't think I'll use A&I over this as it will just darken it again. I was a bit worried that the two types of siding (the board/batten grain is vertical and the clapboard grain horizontal) would be a problem with the stain, but it wasn't. The pic shows the 2 coats of grey on the right and then the added red on the left.
I then used my new favorite tool, the Rivet_R to put in the nail holes. They are round, unlike the usual rectangular ones I've gotten with other pounce wheels. You can hardly see them on the siding, but that's the effect I like, not overdone. They show up better with the A&I wash, but again, the siding is dark enough already so I'm going to forego the wash.
Great start so far Jeff. I've got this one, so I'll be following along. Keep those progress photos coming!
Count me in too! Where did you find that Rivet_R? Looks like something I (and a few other SBG members) need. ::) ::) :D :D
Thanks for following, guys. Bob, I think I got the tool at mmodelstore.com, but I don't see it listed. They have the "mini" version, not the larger one. The source in England, http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=77_110 has them, but I don't know how long it would take to get here from across the pond. They make several sizes of the wheels, I used the 1 mm one here. This is MUCH quicker than poking each board with my Monster Nailer. I'm now working on the windows. I sprayed them with grey primer and wanted to use the sponge painting to show some minor wear. I picked my lightest color of cheap acrylic. Put it on, when it dried it was the same color. :) I next what looked like a lighter grey in my Vallejo colors. Again--the same color! ??? Used one I thought would be too light, and it looks OK when dried. A&Ied the windows and am now installing glass using the Diamond Glaze. I think this works much better than canopy glue or gallery glass. Very few bubbles, and doesn't run out onto the fronts of the windows. I prefer using acetate for windows, but this is, again MUCH quicker and at the distance the structure will be viewed it will be fine.
Jeff
Following along (https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netanimations.net%2FmanWalking.gif&hash=98b97f54acd104c200b4935943c85468acc68f8d)
I'll be following along, too.
Looks like a neat kit.....I'll be watching Jeff. ;D
Thanks for following along, guys. Before adding the windows to the Board and batten siding, the battens need to be trimmed. The first pic shows the window "floating" on the battens. Using a sharp new chisel blade, carefully remove them (pic 2). Then the window seats perfectly (pic 3).
It's starting to look like an actual structure! :)
In the pic above, I haven't attached the office section yet. There is a large loading dock that it must sit up against, so I'm building that next. If Mr. Groovy is following this, a note in the instructions for this would be nice. The instructions show the addition attached, but unless you have the dock built already, or want to custom fit it later you won't place it in exactly the correct spot. This part gets pretty tedious, and I've only got a few of the joists attached! :o
That's done. Need to even up the edges and fit it to the building. I know the board ends don't line up over the joists in the long dimension. I thought I'd cut 12 foot boards and as it's 37.5 feet long, just make up the 1.5 feet on one board and stagger the ends. It'll do, but I did it correctly on the side piece, so the joists line up.
Jeff
This is one time I should have listened to the voices in my head. I thought originally I could just line up the dock template and attach the office portion before building it. I shoulda done that, cuz the template is off. It's too long in both dimensions, the office is now too far back and covers 80% of the back windows and the other edge is supposed to line up with the edge of the building. I've emailed Groovy to tell him to check this out.
I figured I'd just cut off the extra in the chopper. I miscounted the joists and made it one too short. ::) I had only cut thru about 60% of it, so I put a new outer joist on it, and reglued the deck. Fortunately, I have many extra detail parts (these are some Sierra West ones) to cover the boo boo. I'm leaving the other too long end alone. 8)
Jeff
I should have cut some bracing to square the three sided office addition, but instead I made some cardboard squares to square it up before gluing it on. I added a piece of stained stripwood for a "table" and put a box on it so the big open window didn't show only emptiness behind it.
I added some stripwood on the side of the building to glue the addition to.
Next up is the roof. There are templates to cut out the roof from cardstock. I suspect the laser could have done this, but Groovy was being lazy that day. ;D After the template for the dock was off, I cut out the paper templates and test fitted them. They seemed OK. I should have noticed how "off" the office roof was at this point, but thought it was close.
I picked up some "easy roof board" from Atlantic scale models at one of the Expo's. It's basically thick cardboard with fine lines on it to line up shingles. The pictures of the structure show some of the roof shingled and some as tarpaper with battens over it, like the roof is being replaced. The shingles are green, and I didn't want the "Christmas Effect" of red and green on the structure, so I found some Bar Mills grey shingles that I think will go on well. I cut out the main roof first, it needed a "notch" for the addition. Don't believe the notch on the paper template, it's too far back and not nearly big enough.
I cut out the office roof and the angle where it met the other roof wansn't right, I readjusted it twice until it lined up OK, but now the roof is too short.
Cut out another a bit longer and now it's OK. Doesn't quite cover the exposed notch area, but some flashing will cover it OK. Next up, putting on transfer tape and painting the backside/edges black.
Jeff
This looks like a nice project - I will be following along.
Thanks for watching, John. I added a beam across the top of the main building and attached the roofs. I then started with the shingles. I used a piece of paper painted grey where the roofs meet to represent flashing. Each strip was individually cut and placed. Only after I finished the back half, i thought, gee that seems awfully close to a 45 degree angle and, sure enough, the office roof pieces were 45 degrees and the main building were 60. ::) Cut the strips in the chopper easy peasy for the front half. The last pic shows the color, grey, not tan. Now I need to figure out what to use for the cap.
Jeff
I considered using the same shingles, cut individually for a cap, but when bent, the color stretches on them (they're pretty thick) so that wouldn't work. I then thought of a copper cap, but I couldn't find the copper strips I know are somewhere around here. I used paper painted a similar grey with some black Vallejo transparent glaze drybrushed on to represent a metal cap. I think it matches well enough. Next are the additions to the main building.
Jeff
Roof caps look great, and the rest of the roof isn't too bad, either :-)
dave
Thanks, Dave. This addition is just cardstock with black paper overlay and then 2x4s for a tarpaper look. There's a large piece of black construction paper for this. I airbrushed it very lightly and irregularly with a grey color, then drybrushed grey and Payne's Grey over it. The flash makes it look a bit harsher than it really is. It's not attached to the building, the whole structure sits on a 1/4 inch base which I should get to after I get the other addition done.
Jeff
...Dr. Jeff does nice work..... 8)
Jeff,
Your roof looks great, love the color and weathering. The ridge cap looks really good to me, too.
Nicely done doc..... 8)
Good to see Groovy Jeff checking in. I'm gonna complain about the instructions a little bit so look away. ;D
Thanks, Jerry and Greg.
Jeff
The next addition has one wall longer than the others. This is equivalent to the 1/4" foundation. I'm not sure why it's only one wall. I suspect Mr. Grove copied the building and this is just the way it was. The instructions with the kit are best described as "minimalist". I think you're supposed to build a base under this that's like the docks, but there's not really any instruction and only a couple of pictures that show this side. I'm going to just put foundation under this as when I "test fit" the structure on the layout, there's going to be a hill here anyway.
Jeff
The kit includes metal for the corrugated siding. I hate this stuff as you can never get all the shiny spots covered. I used the Northeastern product that's made from paper. Transfer tape was placed on the walls and the sheets of corrugated applied. I did this while the walls were flat, so it would be easier to cut out the window/door areas and forgot which sides to leave more overhang on. ::)
These sides won't be visible from the front, and if they show I'll cover it with a bush. ;D
Into the spray booth for some grey primer. I used the template for the roof, but it was too long, and not quite wide enough, so I adjusted these dimensions when cutting out a cardstock roof. It's time to put on the foundation.
There's some 1/4 inch square wood for the foundation. I supplemented this as there wasn't enough for the addition. The stone paper is embossed so the paper doesn't look flat. I didn't notice until I was putting the last piece on that it's self adhesive with backing. :o It looks pretty good. If Mr. Grove is still following, what company makes this, I'd like to get some more. Next up is the side loading dock.
Jeff
Jeff,
The foundation overlay is Micro-Mark building paper SKU#83135 Random Stone. If you try to find it on their website either by searching "building paper" or the SKU#, a photo of cinderblock wall comes up. You have to click on that to get to a sub-menu where you choose scale and pattern. HTH
Jerry
Thanks, Jerry!
Jeff
Very nicely done Jeff. I bought some of the random stone paper to try - it looks good. Have you tried doing some weathering with chalks on it?
Thanks, John. When I weathered the metal panels, some of the chalk got onto the stones and I think it looks pretty good. Unintentional, but worked out. :D I had to measure for the side loading dock, as there is no template for it in the instructions. So I set up the structures and measured the spot (first picture). Made my own template and started with the joists and then the cover boards (second pic). Ran out of the deck boards and had to stain a couple from the stash to finish. Fits perfectly (last picture). One joist is a bit wider, I could have cut it back, but I wanted the side addition's roof to line up with the front of the main building. The overhead lighting makes the roof look tan, again, it's actually grey.
Jeff
First try on the legs was too tall, second try fits fine.
Jeff
Great build Jeff , thanks for sharing.
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on March 19, 2017, 09:45:46 AM
There's some 1/4 inch square wood for the foundation. I supplemented this as there wasn't enough for the addition. The stone paper is embossed so the paper doesn't look flat. I didn't notice until I was putting the last piece on that it's self adhesive with backing. :o It looks pretty good. If Mr. Grove is still following, what company makes this, I'd like to get some more. Next up is the side loading dock.
Jeff
Love prescribing to the doctor!
Check the website at www.monstermodelworks.com. Jimmy makes stone and cinder block laser engraved square stock that makes excellent foundations for structures like this one. Have dabbled with some that I bought from him in Springfield, MA in 2016.
Nice product by Jimmy Simmons. Used them a few times for dock piers/pediments/watchamacall'ems..
Jeff,
The weathering that got on the foundation is a true "happy accident". Looks great, and the rust off the panels would have discolored the stone in real life.
Thanks for looking in, Jan.
Jeff
Chip, I take all prescriptions. I actually was a pharmacist before starting med school. I've seen those products and think they'd work great as foundations also. The biggest positive here was, I didn't have to paint it. ;D
Jeff
Thanks for looking in, Dave. I really like that CB&Q freight house.
Jeff
Thanks for the comment and following, Jerry.
Jeff
One more deck to make for the office landing. Glad it's the smallest one. Again the printed template was too large, so I just measured it out myself.
Jeff
The kit comes with some plastic stairs, I believe made by Central Valley. They're OK, but I'd have a heck of a time matching it to the wood, so I use a Rusty Stumps Stair kit for this. The steps need to be sanded as they have a small attachment bit in the center and the edges are brown from the laser burn (2nd pic).
Jeff
I love using the Rusty Stumps stairs and jig. They come out nice and the jig does help!
Jeff,
The build is coming along great. I have this kit and all of the tweaks you're doing will come in handy when I build mine. I need to check out the Monster MW stuff you guys are talking about. Keep the photos coming.
Thanks, guys. Glad to help, Mark. Just remember the instructions aren't too great. I figured building the railings for the upper platform would be easier before it was on the building. I needed to leave an opening the width of which is sufficient for the railings from the stairs to attach to. (Picture one). Then it's just 4x4 posts and 2x4 caps and one middle reinforcing strip.
Jeff
I then tried fitting the platform on the building and it wouldn't fit. The platform as a little overhang for the top board on the front, and none on the back. I had put the railings on the wrong side. :o What a dumb****! Easy removal and sanding off the glue and reglued on the CORRECT side. It fits now, but brings up another issue. Like the window placement on the battens I talked about earlier, the platform sits off the siding on the battens. I wonder what they would do in real carpentry. A lazy carpenter would just put it over the battens, leaving a gap between the top boards (and the lower joist) and the true siding. Lazy wins! ;D Unless you're looking directly down the edge from the side, you can't see the gap. I didn't think I would be able to cut the battens off without screwing something else up. Time for dog walk #2 of the day and then it's time to tackle the stairs.
Jeff
Finished the stairs and then the front overhang. Need to finish the step railings and then some details.
Jeff
Looking great Jeff. Love the woodwork , especially the stairs.
Jeff,
You are doing great with this kit. The colors and weathering really compliment each other, everything looks so natural from the faded paint to the shingles. I like the extra touches, the partly open windows and the wood stairs.
Thanks, Jan and Jerry. I made up some lampshade/conduits. These wouldn't fit on the upper porch, so I used one of the wall mounted lights for there. I had to make an electrical service receiver and electric meter (though I'm sure I have some castings around here somewhere ::) ). I clipped some insulators off Rix telephone pole crossarms and glued them to a piece of wood for the receiver. I hope they hold when I glue the wire from them to the power pole. The parts on the left I use to cover where the wire conduit comes out of the wall.
The electric service is in. After taking the first pic, I noticed I hadn't put any lights under the front awning, and hadn't touched up the ends of the joists. Pic two shows the lights in place.
Jeff
Very sweet structure.
Thank you, Marty. Chimney and other roof stack are on. I built two more sets of stairs for the back, they're not glued on yet, probably will wait until it's in it's permanent place so I don't break them off. The back is supposed to have a roof that goes all the way from the "rusty" addition to the edge of the wall by the door. Then you're supposed to build a partial wall up to it. It's a "back workshop". There's only one pic of this in the instructions but I think from the pic and the templates you could figure out how to do it. I left it off because 1) I'm lazy and 2) i don't think it will be seen when it's on the layout. There's a storage shed that goes in back of the building as well, but I don't know if it will fit when the structure's on the layout. We'll see soon, as I need to paint some details and the structure is finished.
Jeff
Oops! I must apologize to Mr. Grove. I was getting ready to throw the box out when I noticed a piece of cardstock in the bottom of the box. I thought it was just the box bottom. When I took it out, there's a sheet with four color views of the building under it. Doh! ::) The pictures would have been really helpful building the structure.
Jeff
Jeff,
IMO you have more than done justice to Mr. Grove's kit. Love the subtle differences in the paint between the clapboard and board and batten sections of the building.
Well done, Jeff. Building came out great...enjoyed your thread.
Thanks, Jerry and Dave. Here's the lumber shed. It's made up of cardstock sides with tar paper outer surfaces and roof.
We have pigeons on the roof! That means, this build is finished. I'll post some final pics in a separate thread. Thanks to all who followed and commented.
Jeff
Nice finish.
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on March 31, 2017, 04:20:54 PM
We have pigeons on the roof! That means, this build is finished. I'll post some final pics in a separate thread. Thanks to all who followed and commented.
Jeff
It ain't finished till the pigeons have pooped ;) , great looking structure Jeff
Well done Jeff..... 8) .....looks like we have another pigeon poop aficionado in addition to Erieman..... ;D
Hi Jeff:
All looks great so far.
Karl
Jeff,
I've been lurking and not posting. However, the structure is fantastic looking. Very well done doc.
Tom ;D