Hi Guys:
Here's the next project. FSM'S Pile Driver #105. It's an older kit but it's kinda neat. I scratch built one many years ago. Hope all will enjoy and follow along.
Karl
I'm in on this. I remember when it was released. As a teenager I didn't have that much money to get it at the time but I sure scoured over the ads in Model Railroader and MRC. I'm excited to hear your thoughts as you move through it!
It looks very interesting.
You're going to love this build!! It comes out so nice , lots of detail
This is an golden oldie Karl.....I've been pulling mine out and going over the instructions since I got it in the 70's.....looking forward to your build. :)
Karl
Great kit - I will be following along.
Hi Everyone:
Thanks for checking in. As I said I scratch built one of these years ago and you are right it is a gorgeous kit when finished.
Karl
Quite a task Karl. Just one question......Are you finished yet ? ;D ;D ;D ;D
Jim
Hi Jim:
started this afternoon. Stained the barge parts.
Karl
Hi Guys:
I can't believe it. I actually found a photo of the one I scratch built some probably 20 years ago. Here it is. Brian was my bosses son. His Dad owned the hobby shop I worked in.
Karl
Great Build for twenty years ago you did a lot of detail.
Jerry
The scratchbuilt one is awesome , wonder what you can do with the kit.
Great job Karl.
Karl,
Will follow along memory lane as this one was the first FSM kit that was assembled on the then Chicago workbench 43 years ago...only change was to add individual boards on the decking...
Tommy
Hi Jerry, Jan, Curt and Tommy:
Thanks for following along. Hope you enjoy the build.
Karl
Should be fun to follow along on this one Karl. I've only built the Jewel Series version of the Pile Driver, not the older one. That one was an enjoyable build. :D
Hi Bob:
Thanks for the reply. Glad to have you along for the ride.
Karl
The only thing that I did differently on mine was replace the cardboard pieces for the freight door with wood pieces.... I am curious to watch your build to see if you build it without any modifications!
Hi Bob:
I looked in the kit. I will be replacing mine with wood also. Thanks for the heads up.
Karl
Yeah Karl, I remember looking at the door pieces and realizing that it would not be difficult to replace with wood- its really the only change that I did with the kit- the pile driver framework was the most difficult thing to do but to be honest, it was a heck of a lot easier to build than when I did the KMP piledriver kit- at least George provides nice instructions!
Hey Bob:
Yeah I hear what you are saying. I finished up the barge portion of the pile driver today. Here's a photo.
Karl looks like you off to a good start.
Like always your weathering is right on.
Jerry
Watching and learning, as always.👍🏻
Hi Jerry & Dave K:
Thanks for you compliments. Hope to have you here for the whole build.
Karl
Karl,
I've been lazy in posting but lurking all the same. Great start my friend. Looking forward to the rest.
Tom ;D
Hi Tom:
Thanks buddy appreciate it.
Karl
Looking good Karl - your off to a great start.
Great start Karl. Some of these older kits are real cool and they go for a pretty affordable price.
I picked one up for cheap and built it a couple years ago. I modified mine a bit to be more similar to the jewel series one.
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47108
This is the thread if you want to check it out.
-Steve
The platform came out looking great, but then again everything you touch turns out looking great. I'm going to follow along as I started this kit last week and it is only the second fsm I've built and hopefully I can absorb some of your knowledge and apply it to my build. One thing I did notice as the derick drawing for this kit has a pattern for both a left and a right is the right is a bit shorter, good thing I measured before starting and basicly I cut all my wood to fit the left side one and used the same on the right.
Hi LYNN:
I will have to check those heights. I took the directions to office max and had template 5 printed on card stock. That way I don't have to wreck the instructions.
Karl
I did the same Karl, made copies for the derick and structure walls, I'm having a blast studding the walls. In the past few months attempting to get into structure building mode I built some Bar Mills kits, one being Hunch Landing, this kit has been much much more fun and enjoyable.
Can't wait to see your updates.
Hi Steve and John:
Thanks for the compliments. Much appreciated as always.
Karl
Hi All:
Got the next step done. Took A little while. All studs have been added to the structure walls.
Karl
Karl,
Excellent job my friend, very well done indeed.
Tom ;D
Looks great Karl, just got past this step.
Special K~,
Nice work so far my friend! Thanx Thom...
Very nice Karl.
Hi Tom, Lynn B, Thom & Curt:
Hey guys thanks for checking in and thanks for the compliments. Glad you like how it looks so far. None of the windows fit the holes and I have adjusted them to fit. Not to much sanding had to be done. Will be painting walls and window sometime today. maybe possible wall assembly.
Thanks:
Karl
Hi Guys:
windows, Doors and walls are painted with A&I applied.
Karl
Looking great Karl, love following your builds. It's really nice that these old kits are getting built. I recently picked up a couple of the older FSM kits and plan on building them also. This piledriver kit makes a beautiful finished model when completed!
The walls look great, what type of paint did you use?
Hey Bob C.
Thanks appreciate your comments and your following along.
thanks:
Karl
Hi Lynn:
Walls are Polyscale Depot Buff with A&I Stain. The windows & doors & trim Are Krylon Colormaster Primer Red Oxide Ultra Flat from the Ace Hardware Store.
Karl
Thanks Karl, colors are going to really pop.
Hey Lynn:
You are welcome.
Karl
Hi Guy:
Got A little more work done. Windows and doors have been installed. Structure is lightly dry-brushed with light gray. Bollards have been installed on the barge. On to the structure interior.
Karl
Looks good Karl, I like the faded paint appearance.
Hi Lynn:
Thanks buddy appreciate the compliment.
Karl
Hi All:
I'm working on the interior detail for the building at this point. Have the castings painted and will probably work on assembly today.
Karl
I haven't started the interior pieces on mine yet but I had to chuckle when I thought about the toilet and sink on the wall, George Sellios has a funny imagination. Looking forward to what you comeup with Karl.
I really enjoy it when we have "dueling" builds of a craftsman kit. I learn a lot by comparing the approaches, problems, and solutions.
dave
Really some nice work. Great job on the studs.
Jerry
Hi Karl- You are really lollygagging along on this one- you started March 5 and have been at it two weeks and aren't finished! This is one of my favorite FSM kits that I have never owned or built.
Your build is looking terrific and of course every step is explained and the finishing details are documented for us. No wonder I picked you as a mentor when I first got involved doing this. Nice work!
Mike
Hi Lynn, Dave, Jerry And Mike:
Thanks for the compliments and input. Much appreciate.
Building is glued down, Signs are added, Toilet & Sink are installed and the boiler and gears are also installed. The boiler is painted per the instructions with Floquil Rust and A small amount of grimy black mixed in. Then Dry-Brushed with gray. The large door is also installed. Still have some casting to apply to the building walls.
Karl
This looks great, I'm torn between having the building removable or the roof removable. Question , umm how are you going to get the cables attached to the gearbox drums? :o Or is the Boiler and gearbox not glued down yet?
Hey Lynn:
Thanks buddy. I'm thinking removable roof also. I guess attaching the cable will be in the instructions connected with the A frame. Boiler & gear box are glued down.
Karl.
Karl,
This looks great, as usual I am in awe of your color choices. Looking forward to the next instalment of this build.
Hi Jerry:
thanks for the compliment. Been painting castings to day. Maybe installation over the weekend.
karl
Hi Guys:
Working on adding the tire bumpers to the barge.
Karl
Testors (those tiny little glass bottles we had as kids) makes a nice "Rubber" color, if you can find it.
dave
Karl I had started roping the tires around the way the kit directs and quickly realized I was short on the rope so have to get a close match to rope color in a spool of thread and perhaps darken the color a bit, never too much extra rope on hand. Looking forward to your progress.
Lynn:
Sent you A PM let me know if you got it.
Karl
Yep got it.
Lynn:
I will post a photo this afternoon of how I applied the bollards to the deck Ok.
Karl
Thanks Karl.
Hi Lynn:
Here's the photo I promised to post I also posted one fro you on your post with an explanation. Hope you don't mind.
Have one side of the tires posted on the deck.
Karl
Karl,
As usual, excellent job on the build. I'm still enjoying the thread, yours this time.
Tom ;D
Karl I Never mind getting help, appreciate it in fact. Kind of excited to see how your shingles look, when you apply the Floquil Earth are you applying full strength from the bottle to the roof?
my floquil and polly scale paints dried up a long time ago, ,,, for my Campbell shingles, i have been hitting them with a Hunterline gray, then earth colored craft paint, then Hunterline black, then dry brush white after lifting some of them. for variety, lightly dry brushing some yellows and tans look pretty good. George seemed to keep his shingle weathering technique simple and they look great.
your build is looking so good. what do you think of the multitude of castings that came with the kit?!!!
Quote from: rpdylan on March 25, 2018, 02:42:36 AM
my floquil and polly scale paints dried up a long time ago, ,,, for my Campbell shingles, i have been hitting them with a Hunterline gray, then earth colored craft paint, then Hunterline black, then dry brush white after lifting some of them. for variety, lightly dry brushing some yellows and tans look pretty good. George seemed to keep his shingle weathering technique simple and they look great.
your build is looking so good. what do you think of the multitude of castings that came with the kit?!!!
Thanks Bob for the tip on roof painting, I try to keep my roofs simple but I'm always also going the extra mile and end up adding too much paint, I really need to try to gain some patience with dry brushing.
As for the castings for the most part there are a nice variety, that will be the next task, painting the castings.For something like this kit which is basicly a working barge there seems to be an over abundance of barrels and I'm thinking why so many barrels as really there will only be a few if not a couple different lubes needed on something like this so I'm thinking there should only really be a couple different colors of drums. Thanks for the compliment on the build. :)
There is nothing like having extra FSM castings to use on other projects! The technique that George's used by drybrushing some white on the shingle edges really makes the roof look great.
Bob you got that right , never too many castings. The scene this pile driver is going into has 3 other structures that can always use more castings.
Hi Lynn:
OK here's the deal with the bollards. There are eight in all. Three on each side and two on the rear. See photo of built up model above the drawing. You can also see where they are placed.
Karl
As usual your details and coloring right on.
Jerry
Hi guys:
Been painting castings all day and am still at it. Hopefully will be adding some detail by tomorrow.
Karl
Hi All:
Castings are painted & dry-brushed and I added a few around the structure. Also added some figures per the instructions. They also have A&I applied and are dry-brushed with gray.
Karl
Looks like a bunch of slackers just lounging around waiting for a Derick to arrive.
Nice work Karl.
Hey Lynn:
Thanks for the reply. Yeah they probably are just waiting for the Derrick.
karl
Karl,
Looking good, love the figures, they really add interest to your build.
Hey Jerry:
Thanks appreciate it and glad you like what you see.
Karl
Hi Karl , great build thus far, just curious and hard to tell from your build but the front sliding door did you get the casting for the top of the door? I didn't get one in my kit.
Thanks
Lynn
Hi Lynn:
Yes the casting was in the kit. make sure it didn't get under the foam in the casting box. Here's a new photo. I'm working on the roof. singles are unpainted. They are Campbell shingles not the one from the kit.
Karl
Shingling looks great, look forward to the finishing of the roof.
I'll take another look for the casting Karl. Thanks
Karl,
Looking good my friend. Love the color on the hoist house.
Tom ;D
Hi Lynn & Tom:
thanks for the compliments. Got the roof finished, has cap shingles added, A&I was, Shingles lifted and dry-brushed with gray. Cut two triangles the same as the roof peaks and glued them inside of the roof to make it removable.
Here's a few pics.
Karl
Roof looks fantastic, really like the effect the grey made on it.
This looks just like something that Karl would have built.......OH wait, it WAS built by Karl.
Beautiful job Karl.
Hi Lynn:
Glad you like how the roof came out.
Karl
Hi Jim:
Thanks for the compliment.
Karl
Hi Guys:
Here's A Picture George Sellios sent of the original pile driver that that came came from.Note with photo say shown in New York Harbor.
Karl
Wow somewhat different.
Karl excellent weathering on the roof. Love it!
Jerry
Hi Lynn:
Yes it is a bit different.
Karl
Hi Jerry:
Thanks for the compliment. Glad you liked it.
Karl
Karl any idea why he veered away from the original pile driver design? Have you any pics of the front , derick end side?
Hi Lynn:
I will assume he changed it to back date it a little bit. I will give him A call and ask home tomorrow. It is the only picture I have. I will ask if he has more.
Karl
maybe he was simplifying it a bit ....decision based on kit design/ease of building the kit?// making the roof more easily removable?
Hi All:
Roof and exhaust stack are installed. It is painted a dark rust per the instructions. Floquil Rust with A small amount of grimy black added. Whistle is installed as well as the stack supports. The kit instructions say to use thread. I used .024 floral wire. Also added gable trim not included in the kit. It is not seen in the photo. I touched up the bare spot on the roof ventilator trim. It was also added not included with the kit. Reason: the fit against the roof was not perfect.
Hope she looks OK.
Karl
Looks great, I used tortoise switch machine wire on mine, I really can't see how thread could possibly work.
Looking so good! Yup, must be a common thing to do: I also used wire for my stack bracing!
Karl,
That is so far beyond "OK" that I'm not sure what word to use, maybe "excellent" or "outstanding".
Hi Lynn:
Yeah that's why I used wire also. Didn't want to even try thread.
Karl
HI Bob C.
Thanks for the great compliment Much appreciated.
Karl.
Hi Jerry:
Thanks also for your great compliment. Also much appreciated.
Karl
Hi All:
Removable roof is finished. Ladders and exhaust stack are added. On to the Pile Driver.
Karl
Yep you nailed it. For the cable I think I would rather have to color something for cable rather than for rope, I think I used a grimy black for mine.
Hey Lynn:
thanks for the compliment. What are you doing next?
Karl
Karl I'm leaning toward FSM Bailey's Produce. I'm a bit intimidated by it but I'm sure some of you gents have been through it and will help me out ;D
When I built the Bar Mills Hunch Landing I wasn't too keen on the wall shingling and now realize Bailey's also has them as well as stucco, errrrr.
Hey Lynn:
I have that kit to build also. You'll get through it just fine I use Liqutex Stucco for my stucco. Am working on the A frame for the pile drive. After it is built and installed I'm finished with this kit.
Karl
Looking good Karl. Another fine build. Your getting close.
Hi John:
Thanks appreciate it. Got one side of the A frame finished. On to side 2.
Karl
Aframe looks good, did you notice the difference in height between the two drawings ( left and right ) ?
Quote from: postalkarl on April 03, 2018, 01:38:42 PM
Hey Lynn:
I have that kit to build also. You'll get through it just fine I use Liqutex Stucco for my stucco. Am working on the A frame for the pile drive. After it is built and installed I'm finished with this kit.
Karl
Karl I would imagine you have used the stucco that comes with the FSM kits in the past, did you not care for it? I'd like to try to stick to the components of the kit including the shingles, although when I did the Bar Mills Hunch Landing I liked the Bar Mills shingles for the walls ,some how I can't imagine using Campbell shingles that come in the kit although obviously they must do well seeing as the other types I would imagine were not available at the time. Thoughts?
Hi Lynn:
I have never used the stucco in the FSM kits. It has no texture. I like the Liquitex much better. Thanks for the compliment on the A Frame. Yes I noticed the difference of left & right measurement. I'd say about 1/32nd of an inch by my measurement. I sanded the tops to match.
Karl
Hi Karl
Your Pile Driver project is looking very nice.
Thanks Karl, I guess I over reacted with the different heights of the A frame sides , you're so smart ;D
Is this the stuff for liquitex stucco ? I want to get this right.
Karl coming along nicely. Nice neat job on the A-frame.
Jerry
Hi Lynn:
Yeah that's the stuff.
Karl
Hi Jerry:
Thanks appreciate it.
Karl
Quote from: Lynnb on April 04, 2018, 01:27:08 PM
Thanks Karl, I guess I over reacted with the different heights of the A frame sides , you're so smart ;D
Is this the stuff for liquitex stucco ? I want to get this right.
Thanks Karl
Hi All:
The pile driver is finished except for adding the details to the deck. that is next.
Karl
Looks great Karl, I now just realized what I forgot on my build. ;D
Plans yet for the next build?
Hey Lynn:
Thanks much. What did you forget.
Karl
Karl,
Another masterpiece, well done my friend. Looks fantastic.
Tom ;D
Quote from: ACL1504 on April 05, 2018, 06:05:17 PM
Karl,
Another masterpiece, well done my friend. Looks fantastic.
Tom ;D
Those tension lines from top of derick to to the barge.
Great modeling once again.
Karl,
Once again, inspirational modeling!
Hi Tom, Lynn, Jan & Jerry:
Thanks for the compliments. Much appreciated.
Karl