It's time to do another build thread. I have been searching the internet trying to find a reference build thread on South River Model Works kit number 120 Threadwell Textile and was unable to find one - so I will post my build of this kit for reference here.
Here are a few pictures of the structure from Bob VanGelder's SRMW website.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818094038.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818094005.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818093915.jpeg)
Since I had already opened the box before I decided to do this build thread a traditional box opening picture is not possible.
Here are a couple pictures of the contents of the box spread out over my workbench.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818090646.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818090728.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818090810.jpeg)
I'm anxious to follow along and watch you rock this kit, John.
Quote from: vinceg on August 09, 2018, 01:26:34 PM
I'm anxious to follow along and watch you rock this kit, John.
Vince
Thanks for following along. I have been doing Mountain surgery this morning to make room for this build. Stay tuned.
I've got the bowl of popcorn on my lap! Really looking forward to this one, John.
My dilemma when I was in Scranton in 2015 at the expo was do I buy Theadwells or Thorndikes? I could only fit one of those mammoth kits in my luggage! As it was I had to drag all I bought around the States for 4 weeks before returning to the land of the long white cloud.
In the end I went with Thorndikes because of all the castings - but it was a very tough decision!
Cheers, Mark.
John,
I'll be following along on the "E" ticket ride.
Tom ;D
I will follow too..
Eric
Quote from: mark dalrymple on August 09, 2018, 03:25:54 PM
I've got the bowl of popcorn on my lap! Really looking forward to this one, John.
My dilemma when I was in Scranton in 2015 at the expo was do I buy Theadwells or Thorndikes? I could only fit one of those mammoth kits in my luggage! As it was I had to drag all I bought around the States for 4 weeks before returning to the land of the long white cloud.
In the end I went with Thorndikes because of all the castings - but it was a very tough decision!
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
You are going to need a real big bowl of popcorn. I can't remember for sure but I think I bought this Threadwell kit at the Scranton EXPO. I have managed to come home with at least a couple red and / or yellow boxes from the EXPO. Especially, when I can drive. I may end up selling a few of them because I won't have enough space on the layout. Thanks for following along.
Quote from: ACL1504 on August 09, 2018, 03:28:22 PM
John,
I'll be following along on the "E" ticket ride.
Tom ;D
Welcome aboard.
Quote from: EricQuebec on August 09, 2018, 05:23:27 PM
I will follow too..
Eric
Eric
It's great to have you along for the ride.
So, this morning I went on to Bob's website and copied the reference pictures and verified the spelling for the name of this kit. I have seen it spelled 5 ways in the last couple of days and I was responsible for 2 of the misspellings. I'm and Engineer and spelling is not one of the things I do well. I miss having Candy here to help. So anyway, I wanted to get it right for the title of the thread. Here is the label.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818190254.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-090818190254.jpeg)
The first step in the build process for me was to make some molds of the castings. I plan on doing a kit bash building with the main structure and also know I will need a number of the rock retaining wall castings to complete the scene on my layout.. So I unpacked the hydrocal castings and carefully placed them in the mold boxes to make some molds.
Here is a picture of the molds that I made.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-060818190214.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-060818190214.jpeg)
The top mold is for a trackside shed project - that is a mold of the casting from the stone shed from George Sellios' I. M. Dunn kit. I have a plan for it in the Eagles Next yard area of my layout.
Following along , all you builders must have AC at your workspot.
Quote from: Janbouli on August 10, 2018, 03:20:34 AM
Following along , all you builders must have AC at your workspot.
Jan
Yes - in my case I'm very fortunate to have a central air conditioner for my home. Thank you for following along with the thread.
The molds turned out beautiful - with the only one issue - I broke one of the castings getting it out of the mold. I had about 2 hours into repairing it when I decided that a resin casting from the molds would be a much better way to go. The problem with hydrocal is that it just keeps getting harder and more brittle as it ages. The castings in this red box have been around for many years. The casting that broke actually shattered - the edges of the crack had to be repaired by gluing many pieces of detail (especially around the windows). I was in the process of fixing a couple places with putty when I decided to use the resin castings. If you follow Bob's kits he switched from hydrocal to resin sometime between the Treadwell kit and the Salyes Mill. The resin is so much easier to work with. So, I decided that I would make molds of all the castings before I lost a casting to an opps. The cost of mold material and resin is a lot easier to deal with. I will be using resin castings for this build and all future builds. I just ordered the materials I need to make resin castings for Delabarre Tool and Die which will be a companion structure to this one on my layout.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-060818190249.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-060818190249.jpeg)
I'll be following.
John, I'm really looking forward to seeing the final scene. I'm a big SRMW fan and the shape of the terrain at your site will nicely complement the natural design of those two killer kits.
Could you share your molding and casting process? I also have a zillion red box kits (only missing a couple) and after hearing you talk about protecting the castings by molding them, I'm thinking I might like to do the same thing.
This will be a fun project to follow.
Quote from: vinceg on August 10, 2018, 01:37:39 PM
Could you share your molding and casting process? I also have a zillion red box kits (only missing a couple) and after hearing you talk about protecting the castings by molding them, I'm thinking I might like to do the same thing.
Yes , that would be great, would really like to see it done by someone who obviously knows his way.
Quote from: Janbouli on August 10, 2018, 05:11:09 PM
Quote from: vinceg on August 10, 2018, 01:37:39 PM
Could you share your molding and casting process? I also have a zillion red box kits (only missing a couple) and after hearing you talk about protecting the castings by molding them, I'm thinking I might like to do the same thing.
Yes , that would be great, would really like to see it done by someone who obviously knows his way.
I too would love to see what materials, and how you make the Mold boxes...
John,
I've made a few molds of the smaller wall in the SRMW Blackstone Paper Mill. I made the copy in Hydrocal. However, for all the Magnuson walls I've copied, I used resin in the RTV molds.
The structure below is from Blackstone, the building on the end of the mill, and all walls were cast in Hydrocal.
I do agree that resin seems to be the easiest to demold. I've had great success with both resin and Hydrocal.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174513.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174513.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174525.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174525.jpeg)
You can have your thread back now. ;D ;D ;D
Tom 8)
Quote from: vinceg on August 10, 2018, 01:37:39 PM
John, I'm really looking forward to seeing the final scene. I'm a big SRMW fan and the shape of the terrain at your site will nicely complement the natural design of those two killer kits.
Could you share your molding and casting process? I also have a zillion red box kits (only missing a couple) and after hearing you talk about protecting the castings by molding them, I'm thinking I might like to do the same thing.
Vince
I will be making molds for the remainder of the castings in this kit and for Delabarre Tap & Die in the next couple of weeks and will post pictures and describe my molding process. If you want to take a look at the index for my S&S RR build thread I have posted pictures of the molding process I use in the past. Just in case you wanted to see it before I post it on this thread.
Quote from: sdrees on August 10, 2018, 01:41:14 PM
This will be a fun project to follow.
Steve
Thanks for following along.
I should mention that the molding process is not cheap. I will have about $40 dollars in the molds and another 50 or 60 in the resin. You can save a lot of dollars if you buy in larger quantities but you would have to do a bunch of castings all at one time. I don't like keeping the molding and resin on hand for long periods of time - it does have a shelf life.
Quote from: Janbouli on August 10, 2018, 05:11:09 PM
Quote from: vinceg on August 10, 2018, 01:37:39 PM
Could you share your molding and casting process? I also have a zillion red box kits (only missing a couple) and after hearing you talk about protecting the castings by molding them, I'm thinking I might like to do the same thing.
Yes , that would be great, would really like to see it done by someone who obviously knows his way.
Jan
Will do - but now the pressure is on - I need to come up with something that I'm doing that is unique. ;) Wait until you see how I get rid of the air bubbles.
Quote from: fsmcollector67 on August 10, 2018, 05:35:54 PM
Quote from: Janbouli on August 10, 2018, 05:11:09 PM
Quote from: vinceg on August 10, 2018, 01:37:39 PM
Could you share your molding and casting process? I also have a zillion red box kits (only missing a couple) and after hearing you talk about protecting the castings by molding them, I'm thinking I might like to do the same thing.
Yes , that would be great, would really like to see it done by someone who obviously knows his way.
I too would love to see what materials, and how you make the Mold boxes...
Loren
I will do my best "Bob Butts quality" how to thread of the process. FYI - In my opinion Bob does the best job with build threads on the internet.
Quote from: ACL1504 on August 10, 2018, 05:49:47 PM
John,
I've made a few molds of the smaller wall in the SRMW Blackstone Paper Mill. I made the copy in Hydrocal. However, for all the Magnuson walls I've copied, I used resin in the RTV molds.
The structure below is from Blackstone, the building on the end of the mill, and all walls were cast in Hydrocal.
I do agree that resin seems to be the easiest to demold. I've had great success with both resin and Hydrocal.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174513.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174513.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174525.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-100818174525.jpeg)
You can have your thread back now. ;D ;D ;D
Tom 8)
Tom
Thanks for posting these pictures here - great example of what I plan to do with the second set of castings. There is nothing wrong with hydrocal - especially just after you pour it. My issue is when it has sits around for years - more than 20 in the case of this kit - I believe it gets harder and more brittle. To describe what I mean - when it breaks the break is not nice and clean - it shatters and little pieces fly everywhere. Very hard to glue back together. New hydrocal breaks nice in clean and repairs are very easy. I will post a couple pictures of the casting that I started to repair. Anyway I have decided to make molds of Bob's wonderful castings and build with resin castings. It will cost a few bucks but I think its worth it. I already have the money approved by the CFO of the S&S RR. The thought of dropping one of these castings is motivation enough.
As promised, here is a picture of the front of the casting that I broke and was in the middle of repairing when I decided to go with the resin castings. The window on the far right was a mess. Lots of detail missing that would have been rebuilt with putty. The resign castings look just like they came from SRMW.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-100818201457.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-100818201457.jpeg)
Here is a picture of the back - I had already started the reinforcing.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-100818201527.jpeg)
Today, I spent most of the day prepping castings and building the base for this build. If you want the full story on building the base please refer to my S&S RR build thread - here I will post a few pictures of the base construction and how the structures will be oriented on my layout.
Link to the S&S Railroad build thread.
http://modelersforum.com/layout-tours/superior-seattle-railroad-build-(volume-2)-started-22517/new/#new
So here is a picture of the base that will hold the two builds along with all the scenery, waterfalls, and river. I will be moving this to my workbench as soon as I clear all the castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-100818220714.jpeg)
John,
The combination of these two Southriver Modelwork kits, # 110 and # 120 is a sure winner !
Will put the money on this daily double...this will really be a great area to look at on your S&S railroad.
Good luck with the project.
Tommy
Quote from: tom.boyd.125 on August 11, 2018, 01:36:09 AM
John,
The combination of these two Southriver Modelwork kits, # 110 and # 120 is a sure winner !
Will put the money on this daily double...this will really be a great area to look at on your S&S railroad.
Good luck with the project.
Tommy
Tommy
Thanks for following the thread - I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.
Casting preparation is underway. I'm using a number 11 blade to clear out the windows, and a sanding block to clean up the edges and make sure the castings are square. This will take a few days. I'm about a third of the way done with the first batch of castings (main structure castings). I will be making the molds for the second batch of castings this week. The resupply of casting materials arrived in yesterdays mail.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-100818100030.jpeg)
I use the window openings to judge when the mold is full. If I over shoot the pour the window openings can have a thick flash, like in this casting, so I drill holes in the corners to keep me from over shooting the cuts with the exacto knife. This is more important with hydrocal castings because it's easier to get a running crack going - but I have split a resin casting by getting to aggressive with knife.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-110818151844.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-110818151844.jpeg)
John,
I'm jumping in and following your build. Fascinating kit and I am eager to see it take shape. Your mold making info is invaluable. Thanks!
Quote from: Opa George on August 11, 2018, 07:59:03 PM
John,
I'm jumping in and following your build. Fascinating kit and I am eager to see it take shape. Your mold making info is invaluable. Thanks!
Opa George
Great to have you following the thread. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Hi John:
Looks like you are off to a good start. Will be following along.
Karl
Thanks for the building thread. Looking forward to learning. The casting information alone is invaluable.
Jim D
Quote from: postalkarl on August 12, 2018, 09:35:41 AM
Hi John:
Looks like you are off to a good start. Will be following along.
Karl
Karl
Thanks for following along.
Quote from: Jim Donovan on August 12, 2018, 09:41:10 AM
Thanks for the building thread. Looking forward to learning. The casting information alone is invaluable.
Jim D
Jim
Your welcome, thank you for following along on this journey. We can all learn together.
Tonight, as promised, I'm trying to update this thread with the pictures and explanation of the casting process. I'm dealing with a very slow internet, so we will see how far I get before I wait for better service.
Here is a picture of the last card of castings as they come out of the box. Bob does a great job of packaging them. I cut them out of the bubble wrap and place them directly into the mold box.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818192422.jpeg)
The material I use for my mold boxes is foam artist board. This looks like gator board but it's a much cheaper version - in every way. I get it for less than a dollar a sheet at the craft store.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818192153.jpeg)
The castings for Delabarre's are now on the bench in this picture - I will be making mold boxes and molds for all of these castings in one batch.
One of the best tools that I have found for cutting the artist foam board is this little knife that allows me to cut nice even strips for the side walls. I bought this at Micro Mart.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818201732.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818201625.jpeg)
Don't put it in your drawer or on your workbench without the blade guard - not included. It gives you a great reason to drink a bottle of your favorite wine.
It uses a #11 exacto blade.
Here is a picture of the slitting tool in action. It works great - I'm very happy with it.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818202301.jpeg)
For a mold like this - that I'm only going to make a few castings from - I make the walls of the mold about 1/16 of an inch higher than the casting.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818202455.jpeg)
Now that we have our strips for the sides - it's time to get out the hot glue gun. But first, get out the gloves. Credit to Frank Baker for this tip. Cotton gloves work great - when your working with a hot glue gun - to keep you from getting burned. I keep mine on top of the glue gun in the drawer so I don't forget them. This is one of the few jobs I still use a hot glue gun for but it does work great with the artist foam board.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818202544.jpeg)
I split the casting up into three groups, three different mold boxes. I try to arrange them so I use as little mold material as possible.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-150818202727.jpeg)
I have all the pictures ready to post to complete the castings but it will be a couple of days until I can post them. I need to wait for a new modem that is compatible with an an upgrade to my internet service. It took 15 minutes a picture to upload them last night. I will keep taking pictures and building while we wait. Please stay tuned.
This is great stuff, John - thanks a bunch for taking the effort to post!
Quote from: vinceg on August 16, 2018, 08:35:29 AM
This is great stuff, John - thanks a bunch for taking the effort to post!
Vince
Thanks for following along - I just setup a hot spot with my phone and will continue without the cable internet. At least until I use up my 8 Gig of data. Cable company are you listening.
So here is a picture of the mold boxes after the sides are glued on. I have arranged the castings to minimize the amount of mold material for the larger castings. Once I have everything in the mold box I spray it "lightly" with the Mann 200 mold release. I do mean "lightly", I just give it a slight dusting. I have been using this same can of spray for years.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818085540.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818085540.jpeg)
The next step is to make full use of the mold and add some smaller parts in the holes. I have the FSM G. Wilikers kit 4th in line on my build list, so I opened up the castings box and found a few castings that I wanted to duplicate for my scratch build parts drawer. I have already gone though this process with Fox Run and Sewall's which 2 and 3 on my build list.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818084615.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818084615.jpeg)
We are now ready for the silicone rubber mold material. My "go to" material is the 10:1 material sold by MicroMart. The molds are Pink. I have made hundreds of molds with this stuff and it's great. The downside is that it is expensive. I made most of the molds for my rock castings using this material. For this set of molds I'm trying a new material "suggested by Tom here on the forum". It is a little less expensive and I can order it on Amazon prime so I don't have to have a large order to get out of the high postage cost.
John,
Maybe I missed it, but how do you affix the pieces to the mold so that they do not float up in the mold?
Loren...
Quote from: fsmcollector67 on August 16, 2018, 10:05:22 AM
John,
Maybe I missed it, but how do you affix the pieces to the mold so that they do not float up in the mold?
Loren...
Loren
Great question, but I have never attached them to the box. The weight of the metal castings or plaster castings holds them in place in the box. If you were duplicating something that was very light I would glue it down to the mold box. I have good luck pouring directly on the castings and have never had any problem with them shifting around. Gluing them down would not hurt anything but may make it more difficult to get them out of the mold and mold box without breaking them after the pour.
I did forget one important step. Before you pour - inspect the mold box and castings for the little strings of hot glue. Unless you want some out of scale spider webs. I do this at least three times with different light sources. It is time well spent because if you miss one you will be making another mold. You can pick them off with your fingers or tweezers.
John,
is this the "Oomoo 30" product on Amazon that you are using for the mold making?
Quote from: rpdylan on August 16, 2018, 12:47:15 PM
John,
is this the "Oomoo 30" product on Amazon that you are using for the mold making?
No - I have tried Oommo 30 and it is too soft. Even the simplest of details pull off in the mold with resin. I'm using Star 30 which is made by the same company. I will post pictures of the bottles. Please stay tuned.
Here is the box for the mold material on the left and my preferred resign material on the right. It is important that you get the Star 30 mold material and the 305 resign material. I have had unsuccessful experiments with the cheaper materials made by the same company.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818185232.jpeg)
Here are the containers with the Part A and Part B. Smooth-On makes a number of different mold materials and resins - this is the Star 30 product. Please note: I corrected this post it originally said Star 35 product. Typo :-[
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818202414.jpeg)
I use clear plastic disposable cups to mix the silicone rubber - with this material you mix 50 % A and 50% B by volume so the cups work great.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818202611.jpeg)
I simple gun site the cups to make sure I have the same amount of each component. I then pour the contents of these cups into a third cup and mix them together with a popsicle stick. I don't have a picture of the mixing process because once you put the two components together you need to stir. It needs to be a gentle stirring motion that does not introduce air into the mixture. If you see any white streaks as you dig along the sides of the cup you need to keep stirring.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818203124.jpeg)
Once I'm sure the components are mixed completely I pour the liquid into the mold box. I keep pouring until I have the castings covered (in this case at least 1/16 of an inch on top of the highest point in the casting. Since this was my first time using this material I was a little uneasy about being able to see the castings - the 10:1 material is opaque enough that you don't see the castings once you have them covered. I tested the depth to the high point of the casting with a toothpick just to be sure.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818203306.jpeg)
I then use my home made shaker table - a rubber mallet - and make sure that any bubbles shake loose and rise to the surface. I only saw two bubbles with this pour. Usually I break loose more. I'm simply hitting the sides of the mold boxes to create a vibration. In commercial casting operations they actually have a shaking table that does the same thing.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818203448.jpeg)
Here are our three mold boxes - going through the curing process. I usually wait overnight before I remove the mold boxes but in this case I got away with waiting about four hours with this material.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818203652.jpeg)
While I was waiting for the molds to cure - I took inventory of the castings that I had already made and poured another batch of casting from the first set of molds that I made for this build.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818203828.jpeg)
Here is a picture of the resin in the mold cavities that I needed.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818204001.jpeg)
While I was waiting for the resin to cure. This is much faster about 30 min. to and hour. I started to remove the mold boxes from our second batch of molds. I always start in one corner by cutting a pealing the artist foam away from the mold and castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818204459.jpeg)
I cut the artist foam with a single edge razor blade and then peal it back away from the mold and castings. Keep the casting flat on the workbench and don't put any pressure on them as you peal the artist board away.
You need to do as much cutting as is necessary to keep from breaking the castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818204700.jpeg)
I use the razor blade to cut along the edge of the mold to remove any of the rubber that seeped under the casting. I simple cut this flash away and then peal the mold off the plaster casting. Once I start this process I put the tools away and don't use anything sharper than my finger. to remove the mold from the plaster.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818204700.jpeg)
Here is a picture with the first casting removed from the mold.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-170818081146.jpeg)
You will notice that I place the castings in the mold box so the corners do not line up. When you removing castings from the mold this is the first place they like to tear. My plan is to make two sets of castings from these molds and then store them away, just in case I find a need for more castings on a future project. I have a picture of each mold in a file so I can reference them. A numbering system is going to be implemented the next time I need to go looking through the 4 or 5 boxes full of molds stored under the layout.
Here is the first of the three molds ready for some resin.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-170818084123.jpeg)
The resin is mixed using the same method that I use for the mold materials. Part A and B are poured into two different clear plastic cups and then mixed together in a third cup. Equal volume of A and B. If you want to save a cup the resin can be mixed by just adding part A to B. Again you need to stir throughly without whipping bumbles into the mixture. You need to move fast with this - you will feel the cup start getting warm as the two components start to react. Once I'm satisfied that I have the components mixed, you can tell by the color change, I simply pour it into the molds, on these castings I use the window openings as a fill gauge. I read in Bob's instructions that he has 0.030 of an inch in the windows. Mine are between .003 and .01 of an inch depending on how quick I can cut off the flow. Pouring them to thick just causes problems when you have to clear them out.
Finally, we have resin in the mold starting to cure. It takes less than an hour. It turns white as it cures. You will also notice that the curing reaction produces heat. If the castings are cool to the touch your castings are ready for your build project. I have tried to capture the process here, as requested. Please let me know if you have any questions and / or comments. I should point out that these molds will work just as well for hydrocal castings. In fact, I have only switched over to resin in the last couple of years. In the past, I didn't like the finished look of resin castings as well as I did with hydrocal castings. The issue was perfecting my techniques so they look the same with both materials.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-170818090952.jpeg)
The first batch of castings - just out of the mold.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-170818101834.jpeg)
Pure gold, John - thanks for posting all of this!
John,
a priceless post. Some really great info here. I have done small objects using Amazing Mold, this opens up a whole new horizon for my scratch building. Thanks....
Loren...
Quote from: vinceg on August 17, 2018, 12:52:52 PM
Pure gold, John - thanks for posting all of this!
Vince
Thank you for following along. I'm glad you found the information of value. I'm looking forward to meeting you at the Narrow Gauge Convention.
Quote from: fsmcollector67 on August 17, 2018, 01:01:36 PM
John,
a priceless post. Some really great info here. I have done small objects using Amazing Mold, this opens up a whole new horizon for my scratch building. Thanks....
Loren...
Loren
Thanks for following along. Warning: Casting stuff is addicting to scratch builders. There are a lot of good materials out there - but also some real junk. My advice is to find what works for you and stick with it. I will be sticking with the two mold materials I mentioned in the thread unless they screw them up or they are not available for some reason. The same is true for the 305 resin.
Great post, John.
Some really interesting and useful information there. Thanks for taking the time to share all that.
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on August 17, 2018, 08:44:47 PM
Great post, John.
Some really interesting and useful information there. Thanks for taking the time to share all that.
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful.
I just removed the mold boxes from the Delabarre's Tool and Die castings. I posted all the pictures on my S&S RR build thread if your interested in following up. The bottom line is that three of the castings broke. I'm sure glad I decided to make the molds. From now on the first step with any of my older hydrocal kits will be to pour molds of the castings before I do anything else, to protect my investment. I believe that this is just a characteristic of hydrocal - it just keeps getting harder and more brittle with time. I had a some hydrocal castings under the layout that I made probably 20 years ago. I bent them until they broke and it was a shattering not a clean break like you would have with a casting that was a few weeks or even a year old. Any way lesson learned and back to building Threadwell's. Tomorrow, we will be gluing resin castings together.
Thanks John , a good reason to make molds of the kits I have , hope I can find the right materials here.
Fantastic tutorial, John. You should consider doing an Expo clinic or even a DVD.
Quote from: Janbouli on August 18, 2018, 03:12:35 AM
Thanks John , a good reason to make molds of the kits I have , hope I can find the right materials here.
Jan
I buy the Smooth-on products off Amazon and the 10:1 mold material from Micro-Mart. I don't know if they will ship international or what it would cost for shipping.
Quote from: Dave K. on August 18, 2018, 08:28:16 AM
Fantastic tutorial, John. You should consider doing an Expo clinic or even a DVD.
Dave
:o
Seriously!
Quote from: Dave K. on August 18, 2018, 08:52:31 AM
Seriously!
I may start doing clinics at some point but right now I have a railroad to build. I made my living giving presentations so I know how much work is involved in doing a good clinic. Thank you for the vote of confidence.
Today, the walls started to go together on this build. Once I got the mortar lines lined up I wasn't about to let them move. Do you think I used enough clamps?
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-180818181933.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-180818182004.jpeg)
On one of my resin pours I had some left over so I made a partial casting and used it to make a Pan Pastel Color chart for my workbench. I'm still playing with the colors I want to use for the castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-180818182214.jpeg)
Finally, for today, I finished laying out the locations for the baseboards and slid the complete diorama baseboard out of position on the layout and got it ready to go to my workbench.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-180818182244.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-180818182244.jpeg)
Quote from: S&S RR on August 18, 2018, 05:30:00 PM
Quote from: Dave K. on August 18, 2018, 08:52:31 AM
Seriously!
I may start doing clinics at some point but right now I have a railroad to build. I made my living giving presentations so I know how much work is involved in doing a good clinic. Thank you for the vote of confidence.
How 'bout a clinic on clamping? 😜
Seriously, nice work!👍🏻
I think I saw a spot that one more clamp would fit 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Jim
I'm having trouble deciding which one I like best out of neutral grey 20.5 and neutral grey 20.5! - I guess that takes it down to 11 choices. Seriously, personally I'm looking closely at the bottom five. I guess you are too by the area covered in paint.
Looking good, cheers, Mark.
Quote from: jimmillho on August 19, 2018, 01:23:20 PM
I think I saw a spot that one more clamp would fit 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Jim
Sorry, Jim
I must have missed it, I bought the d*** clamps and I'm going to use them. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: mark dalrymple on August 19, 2018, 03:32:03 PM
I'm having trouble deciding which one I like best out of neutral grey 20.5 and neutral grey 20.5! - I guess that takes it down to 11 choices. Seriously, personally I'm looking closely at the bottom five. I guess you are too by the area covered in paint.
Looking good, cheers, Mark.
Mark
Good catch, I didn't like the sample way at the top and I wanted the greys together. I'm leaning away from the grey thing that Bob did and looking at making it blend in with the rock work around it. I don't think the S&S RR has the resources to bring in rock from another area with all that rock right there. I'm going to make a sample of each and then decide. As always, thank you for following along.
I got to use my new clamps again today. ;) ;D The four main walls are glued together. I got to use my brass shims to get the stone joint lines to line up between the mating corner pieces.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190818202926.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190818202854.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190818203329.jpeg)
I should point out that this is a good time to make a plan for getting the diorama from the workbench back to the final location on the layout.
If you want to see how I tested for clearance, flip over to the S&S RR build thread.
Love the T-Track system , too bad Rockler T-Track is not available in the Netherlands, and shipping the table would be very expensive, I'll keep looking out for an alternative or maybe make one myself.
Quote from: Janbouli on August 20, 2018, 05:16:29 AM
Love the T-Track system , too bad Rockler T-Track is not available in the Netherlands, and shipping the table would be very expensive, I'll keep looking out for an alternative or maybe make one myself.
Jan
I'm sure you can find an alternative - T- tracks have been used on machine tools all over the world for a 100 years or more. If you really want to do it yourself buy a router bit for the T - slot and put it in your workbench yourself. It really is a time saver.
Quote from: S&S RR on August 19, 2018, 08:12:51 PM
Quote from: jimmillho on August 19, 2018, 01:23:20 PM
I think I saw a spot that one more clamp would fit 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Jim
Sorry, Jim
I must have missed it, I bought the d*** clamps and I'm going to use them. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
According to my late brother the professional carpenter: You can't be too rich, too strong, or have too many clamps.
dave
Quote from: deemery on August 20, 2018, 08:32:21 AM
Quote from: S&S RR on August 19, 2018, 08:12:51 PM
Quote from: jimmillho on August 19, 2018, 01:23:20 PM
I think I saw a spot that one more clamp would fit 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Jim
Sorry, Jim
I must have missed it, I bought the d*** clamps and I'm going to use them. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
According to my late brother the professional carpenter: You can't be too rich, too strong, or have too many clamps.
dave
He was a wise man.
John, I like the "sample colors" piece idea. Are you just applying the pan pastels straight or mixing them with alcohol and applying them?
Jeff
Quote from: Zephyrus52246 on August 20, 2018, 05:30:35 PM
John, I like the "sample colors" piece idea. Are you just applying the pan pastels straight or mixing them with alcohol and applying them?
Jeff
Jeff
Great questions - I should have explained. I first spray painted the casting with a light grey primer. I have found that the results with Pan Pastels is highly affected by the base color. I then applied the straight Pan Pastel color with a foam applicator. I really want to get the individual stone color affect with this build. I will post some of my test results before I decide on the approach for the build. My first test will be to color individual stones with a base pan pastel color (foam application) I may then go in with chalks and alcohol to have a secondary color on each stone. As usual, I'm doing some playing around, first.
A followup to Jeff's question. I'm trying to build a sample bank of different coloring techniques so I can speed up the build process down the line. I typically save the castings that were partial pours or have a defect of some kind for this purpose.
Hey John:
Like I said nice start.
Karl
Quote from: postalkarl on August 21, 2018, 01:34:49 PM
Hey John:
Like I said nice start.
Karl
Thanks Karl - let the fun begin.
I made progress today on two fronts for this build. First, I started gluing up the foam baseboard to account for the space between the structures. I basically setup the height of each of the structures while I had the baseboard on the layout. Now, I will fill in the rest of the landform and figure out where all the wonderful castings will go and how many extras I will need for my installation.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-210818212718.jpeg)
I also started playing with coloring the castings. It is going to take some time for me to decided just how I want to color them. It all started with the first stones.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-210818212757.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-220818180031.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-220818180031.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-220818180300.jpeg)
I finished one of my test walls, today. The top picture is on the workbench the second picture is near the layout location where it will go. What do you think?
Looks very realistic, the matt colors are superb.
Fantastic looking! This is going to look amazing when you are done! I'm always being pushed to high modeling standards when I look at the work that is being posted on this forum
Quote from: Janbouli on August 23, 2018, 04:22:16 AM
Looks very realistic, the matt colors are superb.
Thanks Jan
I tried a different approach and I think it's going to be my go to technique. I will post pictures and describe it this evening.
Quote from: rpdylan on August 23, 2018, 05:14:32 AM
Fantastic looking! This is going to look amazing when you are done! I'm always being pushed to high modeling standards when I look at the work that is being posted on this forum
Bob
Thank you for following along and the kind words. I have decided to go this way with the coloring on the build - I think it works better in my setting on the layout.
Looks great John. A little bit of stone color will "pop" among all those cliffs. Nice!
See you in a few weeks...John
John,
Looks wonderful and that area will be a real eye catcher when finished. Well done my friend.
Tom ;D
Quote from: Cuse on August 23, 2018, 05:08:58 PM
Looks great John. A little bit of stone color will "pop" among all those cliffs. Nice!
See you in a few weeks...John
John
Thanks - I'm really starting to like this new technique. I did a couple more castings today. I took pictures and will post the technique description here tonight.
Quote from: ACL1504 on August 23, 2018, 05:32:11 PM
John,
Looks wonderful and that area will be a real eye catcher when finished. Well done my friend.
Tom ;D
Tom
Thank you for the kind words.
In the next few pictures, I will describe the technique I'm using to color the stone walls for this build.
Here is the picture of the test wall again.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-220818180300.jpeg)
I started this process by creating a color sample of the pan pastels that I planned to use for this. (see the color sample post a page or two back). I then started applying the first color grey to a sample wall using a sponge applicator. I wore out the little foam pad on the one with a handle after the first color was applied to the first wall. I then switched to the big foam pads - again they were wearing out fast and I was having a real hard time staying in the lines. Keep on one stone with a color. This picture describes where it went from there.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818203424.jpeg)
The foam pads were left on the back of the workbench and the paint brushes and alcohol were brought out.
Once each of the stones of the wall were painted (I'm using 8 - 10 different colors of pan pastel and Rembrant pastel chalks) using the pastel powder and alcohol - I then painted the mortar lines with a light grey powder and alcohol.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818204336.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818204336.jpeg)
At this point it doesn't look that good ::) . It takes the application of a dry blend of a tone down color in this case I'm using raw umber tint pan pastel applied with a soft fluffy brush.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-220818180031.jpeg)
I took pictures of the third and fourth casting going through process.
Here they are after the stones are individually painted with the chalk and alcohol.
The bottom casting has been primed with a darker gray automotive primer instead of the expensive light grey primer for my first trial.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818205542.jpeg)
Next step is to apply the mortar lines with the light grey pastel and alcohol.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818205456.jpeg)
Finally, the raw umber shade blending step. The amount of blending is simply how much power you apply and then how much brushing you do after it's on. If you don't like it you can brush until most of the blending is gone. I like the hint of color look - I think it looks the most natural. The only time rocks would have a real rich color is when their wet from the rain.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818205156.jpeg)
I started using a very light brushing of a dark green to give the rocks a more algae covered look because these castings are going to be down by the water in the backwaters of the mill. You can see this in the casting on the left.
You can see a few darker spots on individual stones where the alcohol was not dry when I applied the raw umber tint. If you wait a few more minutes and dust it again they will be gone.
I also made some progress with casting assembly process today.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818211400.jpeg)
The main building assembly was in the paint booth when I turned out the lights.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818211237.jpeg)
I also continued the buildup of the base for the diorama. Also, started test fitting some castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-230818211326.jpeg)
If you compare the casting locations on the baseboard to the reference pictures hanging on the back of my workbench you can start to see how things are going to go together.
I made some more progress on test fitting some of the castings and the baseboard, today. I have some cutting to do on the baseboard - it will be an easy fit. As I was going through the stack of instruction cards I found a page where Bob says the dimension that is 6 1/2 inches should be 6. See what happens when you don't read all the instructions, first. It's a five minute fix. There are a lot of castings that need to be fitted and understood before you get out the glue bottle with this kit.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-240818232123.jpeg)
Is it me or do the stones look out of scale , some of the stones are as large as the window, would that be prototypical?
Quote from: Janbouli on August 25, 2018, 03:18:44 AM
Is it me or do the stones look out of scale , some of the stones are as large as the window, would that be prototypical?
Hi Jan
They are big, but are prototypical size for these old mills and backwater ponds. They were cut out of quarry (close to the site) and brought to the site with heavy equipment - steam cranes were used to put them in place. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan their were dozens of stamp mills and mining buildings built the same way. On my layout, the large stones would have come from the cuts made through the mountains right near the mill site. I will try to remember to post a couple prototype pictures this evening.
Quote from: S&S RR on August 25, 2018, 08:43:43 AM
Quote from: Janbouli on August 25, 2018, 03:18:44 AM
Is it me or do the stones look out of scale , some of the stones are as large as the window, would that be prototypical?
Hi Jan
They are big, but are prototypical size for these old mills and backwater ponds. They were cut out of quarry (close to the site) and brought to the site with heavy equipment - steam cranes were used to put them in place. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan their were dozens of stamp mills and mining buildings built the same way. On my layout, the large stones would have come from the cuts made through the mountains right near the mill site. I will try to remember to post a couple prototype pictures this evening.
Thanks John, fine explanation, and it will probably look right when the walls of the buildings have been colored too.
Nice work on the walls. Getting that algae/moss green to look good is tricky, but you nailed it. I struggle with that one--mine sometimes coming out too bright.
Your conversation on stone size called to mind my friends story of moving some stones from an old canal (circa 1830s) that were half the size of a modern automobile. They had to rent a crane.
George
Thank you for for the kind words and for stopping by the thread. On this model the standard bricks also make the stones look big. The hint of dark green does make the stonework pop and look more realistic.
I made some progress today with casting assembly and priming. I also made some more progress with blocking in the foam landforms on the baseboard. This project is giving me a chance to use up all those little pieces of foam that I had stored under the layout. Once this blocking process is complete - one more layer in front and the back - and I will cut in the basic landform and cover it with sculptamold. I plan on building most of the details in subassemblies and then installing them right on the baseboard.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-260818195244.jpeg)
Oh those beautiful blocks of thick foam (2"?)....can't find that stuff here in FL. 3/4" is all we got. Makes for a lot of layers. Almost makes me miss the frozen north.
Almost.
John
Hi John:
looks like quite the project but as usual you are doing a great job.
Karl
Quote from: Cuse on August 26, 2018, 09:19:05 PM
Oh those beautiful blocks of thick foam (2"?)....can't find that stuff here in FL. 3/4" is all we got. Makes for a lot of layers. Almost makes me miss the frozen north.
Almost.
John
Hi John
You might try Home Depot or the equivalent on the internet - my local store has the 4x8 sheets and the 2x2 sheets in 3 different thicknesses - 1, 1.5, and 2 inches thick. Interesting - I would like to have some 3/4 inch for a big project like this. I have also had them cut large sheets into 2x2 in the past. I'm looking forward to catching up at the Narrow Gauge Convention next week.
Quote from: postalkarl on August 27, 2018, 07:51:53 AM
Hi John:
looks like quite the project but as usual you are doing a great job.
Karl
Karl
Thank you my friend. It is not often that you get to work on something this big in HO scale.
Quote from: S&S RR on August 27, 2018, 08:54:07 AM
Quote from: postalkarl on August 27, 2018, 07:51:53 AM
Hi John:
looks like quite the project but as usual you are doing a great job.
Karl
Karl
Thank you my friend. It is not often that you get to work on something this big in HO scale.
Now -this- is a big kit in HO scale. http://www.bantamodelworks.com/BMW137.html
Doug Coffey has built it. Here's a photo I stole from Doug's Facebook page.
dave
Quote from: deemery on August 27, 2018, 01:47:27 PM
Now -this- is a big kit in HO scale. http://www.bantamodelworks.com/BMW137.html
Doug Coffey has built it. Here's a photo I stole from Doug's Facebook page.
dave
Man, that is a bunch o' sticks. Seems pretty reasonably priced for all the stuff you get.
Dave and Vince
There are some big kits out there, the trick is to find enough space for them on your layout.
I finished blocking in the foam for the landforms on the baseboard today. Also, did a final dry fit of the castings along with some of the subassemblies before I start finish painting the castings. The backwaters of the dam will be filled by three culverts that run underneath the mainline tracks on the upper HO level. The river crosses the HOn3 mainline behind the mountain and out of view.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-270818213339.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-270818213516.jpeg)
Hi John:
Looks great so far and I'm following along with much interest.
Karl
Karl
Thank you for following along. I'm not moving at Karl speed but we are making progress.
Envisioning how it will all come together on multiple levels is challenging. Coming along splendidly.👍🏻
John,
That is shaping up to be a very dramatic scene. I'm enjoying how it is taking shape and am eager to see your technique for disguising the joints between wall castings--always an art (or maybe magic) in itself.
Quote from: Dave K. on August 28, 2018, 07:43:32 PM
Envisioning how it will all come together on multiple levels is challenging. Coming along splendidly.👍🏻
David
Thanks for stopping by the thread. I really enjoy the "envisioning" process. Even with all the pictures hanging on the workbench, I take a lot of trips back and forth to the layout room.
Quote from: Opa George on August 28, 2018, 08:22:16 PM
John,
That is shaping up to be a very dramatic scene. I'm enjoying how it is taking shape and am eager to see your technique for disguising the joints between wall castings--always an art (or maybe magic) in itself.
George
Thanks for following along - I use a filler on the wall casting joints that will be visible on the layout. A little plaster on your finger works well for hydrocal or in this case I'm using a plastic filler. I will try to remember to take a picture of the tube. The final touch is the chalk in the mortar joints. Once everything is complete I also like to use vines or "stuff" to take the viewers eyes away from the joint. I should also mention that I try to get the joints as tight as possible using a sanding block - before the bidding process begins.
Update: I will be spending the available time for the next couple of days painting wall castings. Next week will be the Narrow Gauge Convention - so I will be spending the week being inspired by the work of some great modelers in Minnesota. I will come back all fired up to work on this build and my layout. I hope to see many of you at the Narrow Gauge Convention.
George
Before I forget, here is a picture of the tube of putty that I use to fill the joint lines or air bubbles in resin castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-310818200101.jpeg)
A word of warning on the putty. If you use your finger to apply it - your finger print will not open your cell phone for a couple days. Soap and water will not do it. I don't know why you couldn't use hydrocal to fill the joints and holes in resin castings. I haven't tried it.
Quote from: S&S RR on August 31, 2018, 08:07:22 PM
A word of warning on the putty. If you use your finger to apply it - your finger print will not open your cell phone for a couple days. Soap and water will not do it. I don't know why you couldn't use hydrocal to fill the joints and holes in resin castings. I haven't tried it.
Interesting -- should post this to jewelheisttips.com
I took these photos of the mill/dam area in Dover NH. They're pretty typical for foundation stones on New England mill buildings.
dave
Quote from: deemery on September 01, 2018, 04:53:24 PM
I took these photos of the mill/dam area in Dover NH. They're pretty typical for foundation stones on New England mill buildings.
dave
Dave
Thank you for the reference pictures.
John,
Thanks for the photo of the joint putty. Nice tip. I haven't worked with any resin wall sections yet, so not sure which direction I will go when I finally encounter some.
Quote from: vinceg on August 31, 2018, 08:54:44 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on August 31, 2018, 08:07:22 PM
A word of warning on the putty. If you use your finger to apply it - your finger print will not open your cell phone for a couple days. Soap and water will not do it. I don't know why you couldn't use hydrocal to fill the joints and holes in resin castings. I haven't tried it.
Interesting -- should post this to jewelheisttips.com
Vince
I think we will keep that tip between us model railroaders. ;) :D
Yesterday, I got back on this build after the Narrow Gauge Convention break. I came back from the trip inspired to get back on the layout and structure build after see some fantastic modeling. At this point my workbench is full of assemblies in the glue up stage. I think I might have every clamp I own in use right now. My detailing bench is also full of completed assemblies, that have been primed and are ready to be painted. I explained the painting process I'm using when I did the test wall but I will repeat the explanation here on the main building. This process is amazing because in the early stages it looks really bad. The first step is to paint the castings with a gray automotive primer.
Here are the colors I'm using for the rocks that make up the building walls. I'm painting these on using a paint brush and alcohol. I just scrap some out of the container with my exacto knife onto my glass plate. I then use alcohol to make it into a paint. I have a paint brush for each color as I add them to the walls.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918192711.jpeg)
Rocks come in lots of different colors and I plan on using every one.
Here is the wall after I add the colors to the individual stones. I know it looks bad.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918193358.jpeg)
I then paint the mortar lines with a small brush and neutral grey tint with lots of alcohol. Staying in the lines doesn't matter.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918193646.jpeg)
Once the mortar lines are dry - it only takes a few minutes I start the fixing process. I know at this point it looks pretty bad. What I want to do is dull down the colors, mix them together, and then fix the color so it doesn't rub off when I handle the walls. As for the mortar lines - stone Masons was the mortar off the face of the stones with water.
We will do it with a nice fluffy brush. As we are doing this, we will add some raw umber tint to help dull down the colors. Our brush will also take some of the color from the neighboring stones and deposit it on the face of each individual stone - blending the colors. Here are a few pictures showing the process.
First, here are the two blending colors. I will talk about the green later.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918194513.jpeg) (http://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918194513.jpeg)
Here is a picture of the brush I use and the mortar coming off the faces of the stones.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918195338.jpeg)
Here is the blending process with the raw umber tint added to the brush. At this point I'm just blending the colors and giving the wall a dulled down appearance. Once I have the walls completed and installed I will cover over everything with another blending process to make all the stonework look the same.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918200206.jpeg)
Here is a picture of a wall just before it goes into the paint booth for the fixative.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918195957.jpeg)
Here is the fixative that I'm using. After this dries the wall can be handles without removing the color.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918200805.jpeg)
A couple pictures of the walls after the fixative dries.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918200737.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918200838.jpeg)
As you can see, we loose some of the blending with the application of the fixative. Once everything is assembled in place I will apply the blending colors with the big fluffy brush again. First, the raw umber tint and then the chrome oxide green to make the rocks look they have some mold on them.
Here is a picture where I experimented with the blending process over the fixative in the corner of the building.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-120918200300.jpeg)
It looks like I have a couple air holes that I need to fix in this last photograph. The camera always helps with our modeling. ;) The chalks give the stones a texture that to my eye looks very natural. You loose some of that affect when you apply the fixative, making the second blending process a real necessity.
Thanks John , great tutorial, never would have tried the brighter colors if I hadn't seen this.
yeah, that's quite a remarkable transformation. Looks good.
Great looking stone, and I never thought about fixative as an intermediate step.
dave
Quote from: Janbouli on September 13, 2018, 05:06:30 AM
Thanks John , great tutorial, never would have tried the brighter colors if I hadn't seen this.
Jan
Thanks for stopping by the thread - the colors I'm using are not bright (the iPhone camera makes them look that way) they are deep. I'm basically adding lots of pigment so there is extra to move around with the big brush. The raw umber tint then helps to blend everything together. This is the same process I use to color my mountains, only in that case I'm using acrylic paint.
Quote from: vinceg on September 13, 2018, 08:00:47 AM
yeah, that's quite a remarkable transformation. Looks good.
Vince
Thanks for the kind words, and for stopping by the thread. I have spent the day completing all of the walls and subassemblies for this build. The process is very repeatable. I will post some pictures this evening.
John,
Fantastic job on the walls. The before and after photos are stunning. Very well done my friend. All thumbs up for down here.
Tom ;D
Quote from: deemery on September 13, 2018, 12:40:45 PM
Great looking stone, and I never thought about fixative as an intermediate step.
dave
Dave
The fixative works well to hold the base colors and provides some tooth for the final applications of chalks to fine tone the color and texture.
Quote from: ACL1504 on September 13, 2018, 05:36:49 PM
John,
Fantastic job on the walls. The before and after photos are stunning. Very well done my friend. All thumbs up for down here.
Tom ;D
Tom
Thank you for the kind words, my friend. I spent a good part of the day completing the coloring of the rest of the walls. Tomorrow, I should be able to start the assembly process.
John, that is a remarkably realistic effect on those walls. I don't think I've seen anything quite like that previously.
--George
Quote from: Opa George on September 14, 2018, 03:49:27 PM
John, that is a remarkably realistic effect on those walls. I don't think I've seen anything quite like that previously.
--George
George
Thank you for the kind words - I'm real happy with it. I have completed about 8 walls with it now and have about another 8 ready for the final steps and the process is real repeatable. I think I will be able to get the look I want once I have everything in place and put the final blend coat of chalk on.
The second batch of wall castings has made it through the painting process, through the fixative step. I plan to install them on the base board and apply the final coat of blending chalks, in place, after construction.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190918101946.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190918120211.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190918121510.jpeg)
Let the assembly begin. Lots of gluing to be done over the next few days.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-190918102051.jpeg)
A few more progress pictures this evening: Bob provides a plaster casting in the kit for the timber dam. I decided to build my own out of wood. There will be some changes - sorry it's the Engineer in me. I built the timbers board on board with a hidden frame to hold them in place. I will be adding additional supports rather than just relying on the stone foundation on each side of the timbers to support the force from the backwaters agains the timbers. The water level for the backwaters can be adjusted by adding or removing the timbers.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918195953.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918200031.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918195753.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918195851.jpeg)
I also glued in the second rock retaining wall and started sealing the foam to get ready for the plaster pour for the bottom of the backwaters.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918195534.jpeg)
It's a good thing I buy white glue and wood glue by the gallon.
On a couple other fronts for this project. I started getting the window castings ready for the paint booth.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918195448.jpeg)
Also, painted the brick window fills on the main building.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918200124.jpeg)
I also, painted the trim around the windows a light grey. Bob recommended a white but I like it toned down a bit. I will probably skip the second coat and tone it down a little more with A&I. I need to see it with the window castings in place first.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918202036.jpeg)
You can sure see the need for the application of chalk after the fixative in these close-up photographs. It sure is not flat by my definition - even if it says it on the can.
The painting process is well underway for the brick and stone side building.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918202524.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-200918202558.jpeg)
This brings us up to date with my progress so far on this build. More fun tomorrow.
Looking great John , I still have to get used to the "before" color of the stone walls.
I really like how the rock walls are coming together. The wooden dam also brings a nice and interesting contrast.
--George
I love the contrast between the stone walls and the bricked-up windows...invites the eye to stop and linger over the scene.
We spoke on Wednesday's morning thread about how many of us have dropped print magazine subscriptions or are now "meh" about MRH, often because we get far more info/entertainment value from the 'net. This thread, and others by Tom, Bob, etc. (too many to name) are prime examples. Thanks again for the time you all put into your threads.👍🏻
Quote from: Janbouli on September 21, 2018, 03:21:21 AM
Looking great John , I still have to get used to the "before" color of the stone walls.
Jan
Thanks for the complement. I know the "before" look to this process takes some getting used, too. It sure is repeatable, though. I've now done a dozen or so castings and they all look good and the same after the final steps. What you are doing with this process is putting a base color on individual stones and then mixing it and blending it in with the final brushing with the blending tint color. The light grey for the mortar is knocked off the face of the stones but remains in the joints. The color of the mortar is darkened with all the different earth tone colors that you applied on the faces of the stones. It just seems to work.
I made some more progress on the wood dam and filed the seams in the foam baseboard with air hardenable clay.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-210918180652.jpeg)
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-210918180724.jpeg)
Getting things ready to pour a plaster base coat that I can seal for the water.
Hey John:
It coming along well. Keep the photos coming. Can't wait to see this one finished.
Karl
Great looking stone walls. I can't wait to see it complete.
Quote from: postalkarl on September 22, 2018, 09:43:36 AM
Hey John:
It coming along well. Keep the photos coming. Can't wait to see this one finished.
Karl
Karl
Thanks for stopping by - I think this one will be on the workbench for awhile. This is a big project. As soon as I get Threadwell's done, I'm going to build Delabarre right beside it on the same base.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on September 22, 2018, 09:53:04 AM
Great looking stone walls. I can't wait to see it complete.
Curt
Thanks for the complement - I'm pretty happy with the way the stone walls are turning out. There are a lot of hours of modeling fun between here and completing this project. ;) ;D
John nice stone work. Looking forward to the next step.
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on September 23, 2018, 12:18:04 AM
John nice stone work. Looking forward to the next step.
Jerry
Jerry
Thanks for the kind words and for following along.
Today, I returned to this build after a 10 day trip that took me away from the workbench. I finished the retaining wall and was able to pour the hydrocal base for the backwaters.
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The next step, was to get started on the Gypsolite that I'm using to cover the foam base and shape the landforms.
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The window castings also made it to the paint booth. They will be ready for the Gallery Glass in the morning.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-021018200906.jpeg&hash=1919a04febd96729ab284d7eada76d3a75378e10)
John,
I'm not sure why but the more you do, the better the stonework looks even with the scenery unfinished.
Better you than me glazing those 80+ windows. I'm looking forward to your continued progress with this kit.
Hey John:
Looking good. keep the pic coming.
Karl
Quote from: jerryrbeach on October 03, 2018, 07:58:22 AM
John,
I'm not sure why but the more you do, the better the stonework looks even with the scenery unfinished.
Better you than me glazing those 80+ windows. I'm looking forward to your continued progress with this kit.
Jerry
Thank you for stopping by the thread and the kind words. I glazed about half of those windows and decided to take a break. ;)
Quote from: postalkarl on October 03, 2018, 08:21:22 AM
Hey John:
Looking good. keep the pic coming.
Karl
Karl
Thank you and I'll keep the pictures coming.
Today, I completed glazing all the window castings and started the installation process on the main building. That's a lot of windows.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-031018204341.jpeg&hash=eb185dc5e0663a128d6cc293ccef7a2f0eb18729)
I added some grey to the concrete window sills and still need to go in a do some cleanup.
Such a lovely building , the stone gives it so much character.
John,
Very nice work on Threadwell's. It is going to be a great scene on the S&S RR.
Tom ;D
John,
This is really coming together well. I was looking at how well all the subtle stone colors are complimented by the white windows and the brick when I noticed the clever way you color code your paint rack. How about that ? One photo with not only outstanding modeling but also a great idea for keeping paint organized.
Quote from: Janbouli on October 04, 2018, 03:11:52 AM
Such a lovely building , the stone gives it so much character.
Jan
I agree - the farther I get along on this build the more I like it. One of Bob's best kits.
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 04, 2018, 07:33:08 AM
John,
Very nice work on Threadwell's. It is going to be a great scene on the S&S RR.
Tom ;D
Tom
Thank you for the kind words and inspiration - this is a big project!
Quote from: jerryrbeach on October 04, 2018, 08:22:32 AM
John,
This is really coming together well. I was looking at how well all the subtle stone colors are complimented by the white windows and the brick when I noticed the clever way you color code your paint rack. How about that ? One photo with not only outstanding modeling but also a great idea for keeping paint organized.
Jerry
Thanks you for the kind words - so far I'm really happy with this build. The color charts sure help - maybe it's just me but I can remember what color I want but can never remember the name. My workbench organization project from last year is really helping with my build efficiency.
So today, I need to report on a little snag I'm dealing with. Nothing to do with the kit, but the material I started to use for the landforms. For years on the layout I have used foam or wood covered with sand and white glue for my landforms. For this build I decided to try a product called GypsolLite. I mixed the product into water the same way you would for hydrocal. I mixed it thoroughly with a putty knife and then applied it to the foam as you can see in this picture. The mixture is just applied and wet in this picture.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-021018200822.jpeg&hash=1f8735ebe2e57d19982a6f5dd04f5042a091a411)
Here is what it looked like after dry for a couple hours.
The gray areas are hard as a rock and dry. The white is still wet.
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After drying overnight, it looked the same and the white areas were soft and like dry chalk. :o
My first thought was get out the shop vac and take it all off. On second thought, I don't really know why, I decided to try to wet it in a few airs and see if I could get it to harden on the second try.
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Some of the areas kicked and hardened and some didn't. :o ???
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018171052.jpeg&hash=9c6cc70d58b841b094734c391964975c2dc685b7)
On the third attempt I wet it down good with a spray bottle.
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It's time to take the S&S RR CFO out to dinner - I will finish my story later tonight.
To finish my story on the GypsoLite - I continued the wetting it down and letting it dry cycles for 5 iterations. Each time a little more would kick and become hard. You can see the results in the next few pictures.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018171349.jpeg&hash=b02e1970abc5106bc90dd5e9f34bb01c31f5b1ad)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018171349.jpeg&hash=b02e1970abc5106bc90dd5e9f34bb01c31f5b1ad)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018201949.jpeg&hash=a1fd26fbf30cd3378825314e5537e8be1c1b59bb)
Finally, I decided I'd had enough when there were only a few areas that hadn't hardened.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018201912.jpeg&hash=f4106bc992f3ff15c1ad2b9ddbdfa7b15cf502fb)
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I fired up the shop vacuum and dug out these remaining soft spots. I then got out the beach sand and white glue and started to cover the foam and GypsolLite with a sand and white glue mixture. My old standard technique.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018202034.jpeg&hash=f525901a74176fbd64e42aaa4775478f92505345)
Here is were I left off for the evening. The first layer of sand has been laid down dry. I then wet it down with wet water (a drop or two of dish soap in the water). I then saturate the sand with a 4:1 mixture of white glue. Tomorrow I will add the next layer.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-041018201713.jpeg&hash=d9729a5059bc7696f74e1049a4120f4661d98345)
This morning, the glue and sand has hardened and is ready for additional material. Moving forward.
I finished the first coat of mud (sand and white glue) on the front of the baseboard. Now, to finish installing all the window castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-051018184054.jpeg&hash=e9d2df401aff369513c16fa173c6e7b0698f3cc0)
Today, I spent part of the day installing windows and detail painting the subassemblies for this build. I also started the build process for the Delabarre Tool & Die. First, I finished the wood base for the build.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-081018191239.jpeg&hash=8a3c1d499e41873a0e507bc6d9fd65524ae56a6f)
I also started dry fitting the castings.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-081018191313.jpeg&hash=08a13b497e834725c34a9d6b429a5b3e033c7deb)
Finally, for today the castings for Delabarre's started to go together.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-081018195101.jpeg&hash=1752069669fa39dba036c62e50ea578840884ba9)
Changed the subject to include Delabarre Tap & Die. This is a test!
Quote from: S&S RR on October 09, 2018, 01:43:13 PM
Changed the subject to include Delabarre Tap & Die. This is a test!
It only seems to have changed the subject title for this post. :-[ Does anyone know how to change the thread subject title?
Jimmy? ??? ???
Today, more castings were assembled. The following sequence of pictures shows the assembly process. I added a layer of wax paper between the baseboard and the castings for the gluing process. Once everything is together I will be removing the assembly from the baseboard and painting it on my detailing workbench. Yes, I believe in using lots of bracing. Bob recommends 1/8 inch braces - I used 1/4 inch where I could make them fit.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018170409.jpeg&hash=f5a1eb6579013094367a86db9afe607c8af9ac38)
The bracing inside:
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018170320.jpeg&hash=51aa3537c25a297e866518c0b959a84ac47b346e)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018170226.jpeg&hash=7eb4f4722336d0941fdd26fc2f323f38d02365ba)
Adding the floor.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018145447.jpeg&hash=6223c0636129ac8b7289b54ade388e3f73928abb)
It passes the "Tom" test.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018145409.jpeg&hash=4a2f5c324ae8adab9f5ea3a769606dae8cdc8cf4)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018145336.jpeg&hash=5ffa4a29c62ae3804c9522baca9f4e26e0edf308)
This is complex build - lots of pieces but it goes together real nice. It is a great opportunity to use all the clamps, shims, and squares that you bought.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018170449.jpeg&hash=7a55b56e7389f9ae23a257d0b9907d4ba9e5757d)
I have about 6 more small castings to add at the base of the structure and it will be ready for the primer in the paint booth. The red brick for this building will match the red brick trim of Threadwell's. I'm using the same light grey paint for the windows and the clapboard portion of the building will match the gray of Threadwell's.
Looking good, John. This is going to be a heckuva scene.
Quote from: S&S RR on October 09, 2018, 05:26:21 PM
It passes the "Tom" test.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018145409.jpeg&hash=4a2f5c324ae8adab9f5ea3a769606dae8cdc8cf4)
that is one cool little tool there.
Jaime
Coming on brilliantly, John!
I agree with Jamie - in fact I was going to post the exact same comment!
Its fun watching this come together.
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: vinceg on October 09, 2018, 07:20:23 PM
Looking good, John. This is going to be a heckuva scene.
Vince
Thank you for following along and the kind words. This is a big project but I'm having a lot fun with it.
Quote from: NEMMRRC on October 09, 2018, 09:53:37 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on October 09, 2018, 05:26:21 PM
It passes the "Tom" test.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-091018145409.jpeg&hash=4a2f5c324ae8adab9f5ea3a769606dae8cdc8cf4)
that is one cool little tool there.
Jaime
You can never have enough cool tools.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on October 09, 2018, 10:59:39 PM
Coming on brilliantly, John!
I agree with Jamie - in fact I was going to post the exact same comment!
Its fun watching this come together.
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
Thanks for following along. Everything is fitting together very nicely, so far. A few shims here and a little sanding there - I'm really happy with my duplicate resin castings.
I added the wood gate and the pit for the mechanics to the spill way.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-131018173741.jpeg&hash=21eb03ed85dcf6d8118a65b3ca61dc8af341afba)
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Also, finished assembling and dry fitting the castings for Delabarre. Next, they casting assemblies will be heading for the paint booth for primer.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-131018203351.jpeg&hash=722a232650ff15f4d1126072deeae3de6ea41329)
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Final stop for today, the paint booth.
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That's going to be a really nice looking building.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on October 14, 2018, 08:57:29 AM
That's going to be a really nice looking building.
Thanks Curt. It was really cool to be able to get a feel for what the two structures where going to look like, together.
I only managed enough time today to accomplish two tasks - I glazed all the window castings. and painted the red brick portion of the building. You can see all the window castings clamped for handling and drying, in the background. The next task will be the painting of the stone work. I plan on using the same technique that I used on the Threadwell's structures.
The mortar for the bricks will be one of the last tasks in this process.
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For progress photographs for, tonight. I did a couple what's on my workbench pictures. On my detailing bench I'm paint rocks, lots of rocks. I'm using the same technique as I used for the Threadwell's main building on the stone work for Delabarre's. If you look close, you will also see a small trackside shed that I'm building from castings that I bought from Jimmy at the Narrow Gauge Convention. I'm painting it using the same technique, while I have the chalks out.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151018195727.jpeg&hash=223129541397ec19278cf681c51a97d6a2d25755)
On my layout bench, I'm started the bracing for all the clapboard pieces for both Threadwell's and Delabarre's. Once I have all the bracing in place and dry - I will be starting the subassembly process. Once again, when you combine to big kits into one build - you have lots of pieces to keep track of.
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I actually stopped tonight when I ran out of clamps. ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Hi John,
Your project is coming along great! But what is that wierd looking plastic bottle in the middle of the last picture picture?
Quote from: sdrees on October 15, 2018, 10:09:13 PM
Hi John,
Your project is coming along great! But what is that wierd looking plastic bottle in the middle of the last picture picture?
Steve
Thanks for stopping by the thread. The "weird looking plastic bottle" is a new glue bottle that I bought - so far it works real good. I bought one for each workbench and fill them from a gallon glue bottle. Cheaper buying glue by the gallon and I'm not chasing a glue bottle trying to figure out where I left it. Will see how long it takes to have all of them on the same workbench. ;) ;D
John,
Looks like you may be short on clamps. If so, I'll loan you some of mine. ;D ;D
Tom ;D
You're on fire, John. Keep it comin'
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 16, 2018, 09:33:59 AM
John,
Looks like you may be short on clamps. If so, I'll loan you some of mine. ;D ;D
Tom ;D
Thanks for the offer Tom. I picked up another 10 at the hardware today. I use them things for everything.
Quote from: vinceg on October 16, 2018, 12:49:23 PM
You're on fire, John. Keep it comin'
Vince
Thanks for stopping by - I keep working at it. I sure enjoy it - the days go by super fast when I'm in the layout room. Today, we had a sunny day so the yard work had to take priority.
Update: The last couple of days have spent painting the individual stones of the rock castings and cutting strip wood for the bracing on the clapboard pieces. I'll take some progress photographs this evening. My winterization projects around the house have been cutting into my modeling time this week.
Quote from: S&S RR on October 16, 2018, 07:14:37 PM
Today, we had a sunny day so the yard work had to take priority.
[/I hate when that happens!!!! :(i]
John your doing a splendid job as usual looking forward to the stone painting!
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on October 17, 2018, 11:55:14 AM
Quote from: S&S RR on October 16, 2018, 07:14:37 PM
Today, we had a sunny day so the yard work had to take priority.
[/I hate when that happens!!!! :(i]
John your doing a splendid job as usual looking forward to the stone painting!
Jerry
JerryThanks for your kind words. I have a lot of stone painting to go - I'm using the same technique on the Delabarre castings that I used for Threadwell's. I will take some progress pictures tomorrow.
The wood subassemblies are starting to go together.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-171018195325.jpeg&hash=21a26a1462af33d1b9ed1805bce065abf0bb9b43)
The roof card is on the main structure for Threadwell's and I'm starting the trim work. I decided, after much debate and testing, to go with a dark green for the trim on this building. Wayne Olson and I played with a bunch of different combinations this past weekend when he was here. We agreed that the brown roof was out, and that the light grey trim was too much with the darker stone coloring for the building.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-171018195252.jpeg&hash=70a64d52b8126432238197a467b186b8d9b9359d)
Here are a couple progress pictures of the stack-up when the roof was drying.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-171018200207.jpeg&hash=0e48a654622d42ff315d52c2056df2bded153372)
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Finally, for tonight a couple pictures of the trim color mockup that we tried to get a feel for how thing would look with new color combinations. Notice, I used a dark green pen to color the trim of the picture in the background. This also shows the shingles that I plan on using on this building. The color will change some with the planned weathering, but you can get the idea.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-171018113542.jpeg&hash=f712bf8c8228070dd6d8fd848c7ab3ba28d5ec19)
Here is another test on the workbench.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-171018195216.jpeg&hash=75d3bc80a5609b7f6e4556a365e30ae94d1ab394)
The stonework will lighten up a bit with the final weathering process.
It all looks great John.
Love your metal blocks John , but maybe an easier way to hold down a roof is to use plastic bags filled with sand or ballast.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjanbouli.com%2Fimages%2Fgebouwen%2Fdubois%2Fdubois28.jpg&hash=8292715d92ca2928f343cd2cd8398dc429351b89)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjanbouli.com%2Fimages%2Fgebouwen%2Ftransfer%2Ftrans5.jpg&hash=a52e553c97b4c870c400ed95c9c8bd691e13d1f4)
John, I had to rush out and buy one of those weird looking glue bottles. The regular ones are a pain in the but to use. And your project is looking very nice.
John,
The build is coming along very well. Excellent stuff my friend.
It's good to pass the "Tom" test and now I need to find one of those double level gadgets. More tools, YEA!
Tom ;D
Quote from: sdrees on October 18, 2018, 12:10:38 PM
John, I had to rush out and buy one of those weird looking glue bottles. The regular ones are a pain in the but to use. And your project is looking very nice.
Steve
Thank you for the words of encouragement on the project.
I think you are going to like the glue bottle - Mine have two different nozzles one is the typical slit and the other is a point that really controls the glue flow. I'm happy with the way they help me control the glue flow. And so far I haven't ended up with all of them on the same workbench. ;)
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 18, 2018, 12:32:01 PM
John,
The build is coming along very well. Excellent stuff my friend.
It's good to pass the "Tom" test and now I need to find one of those double level gadgets. More tools, YEA!
Tom ;D
Tom
Thanks for the encouraging words. We can never have enough tools. I really do find the double level and the target level very useful in modeling.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on October 17, 2018, 08:50:08 PM
It all looks great John.
Curt
Thanks - it's coming along. I will have a lot of hours in this project before we get to take the pictures on the layout.
Quote from: Janbouli on October 18, 2018, 04:31:47 AM
Love your metal blocks John , but maybe an easier way to hold down a roof is to use plastic bags filled with sand or ballast.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjanbouli.com%2Fimages%2Fgebouwen%2Fdubois%2Fdubois28.jpg&hash=8292715d92ca2928f343cd2cd8398dc429351b89)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fjanbouli.com%2Fimages%2Fgebouwen%2Ftransfer%2Ftrans5.jpg&hash=a52e553c97b4c870c400ed95c9c8bd691e13d1f4)
Jan
The bags are an equally good way to hold down the roof cards while the glue dries.
Hey John:
Model is looking just great.
Karl
Quote from: postalkarl on October 19, 2018, 07:40:53 AM
Hey John:
Model is looking just great.
Karl
Karl
Thanks for stopping by and the kind words - making progress.
Here are a few pictures of the Threadwell's main structure after the stone work was painted with the chalks. The next step is to add the mortar.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018145645.jpeg&hash=ad3eb2b19564c7332cbbde88b951b18c34a50d4b)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018145726.jpeg&hash=0afba5909d089f7c00f3e178439dee31e874a24c)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018145808.jpeg&hash=45fafc92a929c4e7d74f2e3a926c6d5da9655708)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018145858.jpeg&hash=2ad644ea906bd9d0e149042fc0f53016029ef764)
I've learned that you don't have to be neat when you add the mortar. The big soft brush take it off the stone faces
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018151110.jpeg&hash=f8895b9a35e39ae62fc22ae67da2555ad7042219)
I then added the mortar for the bricks using a stiff brush to get it down into the mortar lines.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018151154.jpeg&hash=b2a30426b597eefbd15bfee2bbf09e730a78a043)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018151248.jpeg&hash=56f90db6106026f2924f12ae3cf18edefb6721f4)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018153349.jpeg&hash=166e9c79ba9e7efb0d2a5b5898d74aea3521cad0)
Here is a progress shot where I've taken the soft brush to the stone work and started cleaning the faces of the brick with a gum eraser.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018205448.jpeg&hash=31da25ee13a3dfdcc95410712e354f406ecac44d)
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This final picture for tonight is getting close to the end of this part of the process. Just a little touch up to do.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-191018204034.jpeg&hash=b00d36534e698de63fe3e4e9b495ae57274d0d3f)
Very nice John.
That was a lot of work, but it sure looks good. Love the brick and stone colors.
Jim
Quote from: jimmillho on October 20, 2018, 10:40:45 AM
That was a lot of work, but it sure looks good. Love the brick and stone colors.
Jim
Jim
Thank you for the encouraging words. I like how well the technique is working - I have tried some variations that will be used on some upcoming builds.
I made some more progress on this build today. I "finally" completed the stone painting and mortar fill on all of the rock walls for the Delabarre portion of this build.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-251018193608.jpeg&hash=48f11d64a62e80359dab62fe5e21ae0e120e0d5d)
Here is one of the walls after the brush cleaned off the stone faces.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-251018193523.jpeg&hash=e4d6cb4efc20b8ad37ed55d4b01e82704bc69acb)
At this point it was time to do a test fit on the diorama base to see how it was going to look in position.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-251018193644.jpeg&hash=f6ca44f2b63baf9c2ecc0a7d46756c7e6deff9c9)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-251018193320.jpeg&hash=7c8319aa1e0c636f7ccedb4a30a016ffa555af52)
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If you compare the build to the picture of Bob's build in the background you can see I'm making some changes to better fit the landscape in my location.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-251018193353.jpeg&hash=0ee65d00c1f038da5ee4d6056af889b3f06854c9)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-251018193320.jpeg&hash=7c8319aa1e0c636f7ccedb4a30a016ffa555af52)
It's really beginning to come together John.
Wow John, what a fantastic looking project. I love the rock work and brick work.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on October 25, 2018, 08:34:33 PM
It's really beginning to come together John.
Curt
Thanks for stopping by the thread. Yes - now that I'm past the rock painting the daily progress will be more obvious.
Quote from: Lynnb on October 25, 2018, 08:50:17 PM
Wow John, what a fantastic looking project. I love the rock work and brick work.
Lynn
Thank you for the kind words. I will be working on roof cards for both structures, today.
Great looking Stone walls.
Jim
Quote from: S&S RR on August 16, 2018, 09:40:10 PM
Here are the containers with the Part A and Part B. Smooth-On makes a number of different mold materials and resins - this is the Star 35 product.
(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/18-160818202414.jpeg)
Correction to this post I had originally said this was Star 35 mold material it is Star 30 sorry for the typo. I changed it in the original post. Rich thank you for bringing it to my attention.
John,
No problem, and thanks for the excellent tutorial. I am going to try making a few of these molds, now that I have your attention !!
8) Rich
Quote from: Pennman on October 26, 2018, 12:22:10 PM
John,
No problem, and thanks for the excellent tutorial. I am going to try making a few of these molds, now that I have your attention !!
8) Rich
Rich
Let us know how the mold making goes.
Today, I started my day by putting together all of the subassemblies that I had on three work benches to do a test fit and my first real visualization of what this monster diorama was going to look like.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261018204105.jpeg&hash=21ce02457ef85b87604fbe31e3f113e671aabf6f)
John,
Wow, what an awesome scene you have going there. Looks like you will need some muscle to get it to the layout.
Well done my friend.
Tom ;D
Here is another view after some more Delabarre subassemblies were added.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261018204141.jpeg&hash=e5d9023af7d53412080f36b3020f10280206b9a6)
A couple notes: The dark gray of the tower and clapboard siding on Delabarres is the primer - it will be lighter gray when the finish coat is applied.
The lower wall assembly for Delabarres managed to dry or cure after the clamps were let loose so that it was out of square. I could clamp it back in position when I glued it to the main assemble but I didn't want to build stress into the assembly so it went back to the layout bench for some better bracing.
After the dry fit I decided that the ramp to the lower loading dock on the left side of Delabarres required more space so I decided to add onto the diorama on my bench and cut away a little more rock on the layout. Pictures of the layout change will follow. I need to add the material to the diorama, tomorrow.
Quote from: ACL1504 on October 26, 2018, 08:54:29 PM
John,
Wow, what an awesome scene you have going there. Looks like you will need some muscle to get it to the layout.
Well done my friend.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom - If it gets any bigger I may need to start designing crane hooks for it.
Here is a picture of the lower assembly back on the layout table and clamped back into position.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261018204253.jpeg&hash=f12df2b64f5313eb772f2a01d27b938327e6fee1)
Here is a picture of the cross brace - triangles are the most stable - that I added to keep this subassembly square.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261018204332.jpeg&hash=e2120f2ad49cca4ec8f7ce7832851c8b36468f1d)
Here is a picture of the original baseboard for the diorama in position on the layout. I need to add about 6 inches on the left side of the Delabarre main structure.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261018204408.jpeg&hash=7827499aa0cc377299bf32816564ebcde817e82f)
Here is a closeup of the area being removed. About half way through side 4 when the saw found a screw and the battery died.
I will finish the cut the next time I get up there. I know what I need to add to the diorama base.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261018204216.jpeg&hash=32d1c7ab040905360ac6d43ed576fd6bd6047950)
Spectacular, John. An engineering tour de force as well as a modeling masterpiece.
John,
That is quite a project you have going there. I think it will be an outstanding scene when finished.
Jim
Looking terrific, John!
I'm still trying to work out the unknowns in your master plan (unknowns for me), but I'm enjoying guessing!
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: vinceg on October 26, 2018, 09:33:04 PM
Spectacular, John. An engineering tour de force as well as a modeling masterpiece.
Vince
Thank you for stopping by the thread and for the kind words. That engineering stuff is kinda stuck in my head.
Quote from: jimmillho on October 26, 2018, 10:32:12 PM
John,
That is quite a project you have going there. I think it will be an outstanding scene when finished.
Jim
Jim
Thanks for stopping by the thread and the inspiration - it sure is a big project.
What an awesome scene this is turning into, can't wait to see it finished.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on October 26, 2018, 11:29:01 PM
Looking terrific, John!
I'm still trying to work out the unknowns in your master plan (unknowns for me), but I'm enjoying guessing!
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
Thank you for the kind words. I believe we both enjoy the design portion of the hobby as much as we do the building. The "Master plan" has a way of changing. How many times do we say wow that might work better.
Today, I spent most of the day adding window castings to all of the subassemblies for both Threadwell's and Delabarre. I then started adding roof cards and decided to give Jan's (aka Janbouli) sand bags a try to hold the roof cards in place while the glue dries. Jan showed pictures of his sand bags earlier in this thread when he saw a picture of my weights all stacked up to hold a roof card in place. Here is a picture of my new and improved sand bag on the tower assembly for Delabarre's. The new and improved part is the duck tape over the zip lock. Don't ask how I found out I needed to do that. It worked great! I will be making up a few of them to put the larger roof cards on the main building and subassemblies. Thanks for the tip Jan.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-271018193310.jpeg&hash=aa4b36b0605a27b76f094e594b6f630fdbc76cc3)
You're very welcome John , and thank you for the tip with the tape , didn't need it yet , but this will help ever needing it ;)
Fantastic work, John, and very exciting to see it come together and how it will fit on your layout. I like Jan's sandbag idea--my rubber bands around the entire structure only work for small builds.
--George
Quote from: Opa George on October 28, 2018, 07:01:42 PM
Fantastic work, John, and very exciting to see it come together and how it will fit on your layout. I like Jan's sandbag idea--my rubber bands around the entire structure only work for small builds.
--George
George
Thank you for the kind words - the subassemblies are coming together on my workbench so I should be glueing them on the diorama in a couple weeks. Jan's sand bags work very well - I actually made up 4 of them today in preparation for all the roof cards I have to install in the coming days. Thanks for following along.
Today, I got a couple hours in at the workbench and decided to tackle the LED lighting for the Delabarre's. This diorama is going to be 6 feet from the viewer so I only want lighting that lights up the windows for a night scene but not to show any interior detail. I mounted peel and stick LED's, that I picked up from somewhere, in locations where the bulb would not be seen through the windows. This structure has so many compartments because of the "cool" roofline it took a few lights and some strategically placed holes to get light to all the windows. I think you will get the idea through the following pictures.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-281018203500.jpeg&hash=44974f95c24077e02c56747aeafb5319cba7ae1b)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-281018210718.jpeg&hash=d01a4ada4d21e8a6ef81a35577801a288b0e5c56)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-281018210808.jpeg&hash=e1d59de01c113123ca795a74363b291b07281c86)
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All of the lighting was bench tested and I'm ready to glue the roof cards on. The final step for today, was to drill the hole for the wires in the diorama base. I will have a junction box mounted in the foam that will be connect to a master control panel on the layout. I marked the hole so I would not forget about the wires and do some cutting in the wrong place. The next step is to do the same thing for the Threadwell's structures. I may also add some outside lighting but it will be mounted to light poles so I can close-up the buildings, now.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-281018210623.jpeg&hash=8038ce5539a906e01e64044431c62ace20cb2716)
I have one more light that needs to be mounted in the tower or through a hole in the roof card (TBD) - I laid it on the diorama so I wouldn't forget about it during the assembly process. I think this lighting, up on the hill above the town, is going to look real nice in a night scene. I like the way the light is detracted through the window glazing. The final pictures for this thread will have to include some night scene shots.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-281018215603.jpeg&hash=22bad8ad01fcfd6c09dd7e784f62173e7bb87ba6)
Really nice color combinations.
Hi John:
The structures look just great. I see you are installing the lighting. Wish I could do that. Electric and I just don't get along.
Keep up the good work.
Karl
Quote from: postalkarl on October 29, 2018, 11:03:25 AM
Hi John:
The structures look just great. I see you are installing the lighting. Wish I could do that. Electric and I just don't get along.
Keep up the good work.
Karl
Karl
Thank you for the inspiring words. If you want to try the wiring I recommend the instructions on Slim's website.
https://microlumina.com
He does a good job explaining how it's done.
Jan's sand bags are hard at work holding the roof cards on Delabarre's
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-051118184656.jpeg&hash=07c7cc47be007561a9891a97bc82c250c215ac14)
Hi John,
Just joined the forum and found your build. Amazing job of coloring and weathering. Will break out my Threadwell Textile and try to emulate your example. I may have missed it wading through 26 pages, but what are you using for mortar for the brick structures? Also are you sealing the brick paint before applying the mortar?
Thanks for the advice and inspiration. Looking forward to following the build.
Best, Gary
Gary,
John is doing a great job on this build.
And, welcome to the forum. Lots of great modeling here.
Tom ;D
The sand bags are a perfect form fit, great idea. I usually struggle with 123 blocks doing their ballancing act.
Quote from: Wombat on November 10, 2018, 04:59:01 PM
Hi John,
Just joined the forum and found your build. Amazing job of coloring and weathering. Will break out my Threadwell Textile and try to emulate your example. I may have missed it wading through 26 pages, but what are you using for mortar for the brick structures? Also are you sealing the brick paint before applying the mortar?
Thanks for the advice and inspiration. Looking forward to following the build.
Best, Gary
Hi Gary
Welcome to the forum. I'm using a light grey Rembrandt Pastel Chalk for the mortar. I use a brush that is small enough to get the chalk mixed with alcohol down deep into the cracks between the stones. Don't worry about getting it on the stone faces. The key to this process is while you are cleaning the mortar off the faces of the stones with the big brush you are mixing the chalk colors from one stone to another. This mixing process makes the stones look very natural. They have the base color that you applied originally along with the secondary colors from the stones around them. I'm real happy with the technique. After it is all done I spray the structure with fixative. This is so I can handle it and is what you see on the castings in the most recent pictures. I will lightly apply the same chalks dry when I have the buildings completed. I hope this answers your questions - please feel free to ask questions - that is what the forum is all about.
Quote from: ACL1504 on November 10, 2018, 06:00:04 PM
Gary,
John is doing a great job on this build.
And, welcome to the forum. Lots of great modeling here.
Tom ;D
Tom
Thanks for the complement and for stopping by - and also for making Gary feel welcome. It sure is nice to see the forum expanding. Gary, complements from Tom are very special - he is a great modeler - check out his threads.
Quote from: Lynnb on November 10, 2018, 07:32:42 PM
The sand bags are a perfect form fit, great idea. I usually struggle with 123 blocks doing their ballancing act.
Lynn
The sand bags are the perfect tool for the job my 123 blocks will be used for other jobs from now on - I posted earlier that I got the idea from Jan.
Janbouli (http://www.modelersforum.com/index.php?action=profile;u=17) here on the forum.
I made some progress on this build today. The roof cards are now installed on the main Delabarre Structure. Next, step will be the rafter ends and the roof, which I will add at my detailing workbench. I will then glue the structure to the baseboard and finish the lower have in position on the diorama.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-101118214527.jpeg&hash=11ef7100564e17676badf1f8dfe53830ff444608)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-101118214441.jpeg&hash=30e1b4a826fafa85649099d02d1e47345702885d)
I also added and extension to the baseboard to allow for a ramp down to the lower level loading dock. The glue was drying when I took this picture.
On the Threadwell's structure the dormer pieces made their way to the paint booth for priming.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-101118214620.jpeg&hash=bb4fbcb70ea1e336795916f985e1b143594f77b4)
John, the building is looking great. With all the other beautiful details I somehow managed to overlook your nice work on the stone quoins. They are really standouts against the brick.
--George
Hadn't checked in since returning from the Expo. We sure did miss you. Threadwell's is coming along beautifully!
Really nice looking build John.
Beautiful Building John.
Jim
Quote from: Opa George on November 11, 2018, 07:16:29 AM
John, the building is looking great. With all the other beautiful details I somehow managed to overlook your nice work on the stone quoins. They are really standouts against the brick.
--George
George
Thank you for the kind words.
Quote from: Dave K. on November 11, 2018, 07:19:34 AM
Hadn't checked in since returning from the Expo. We sure did miss you. Threadwell's is coming along beautifully!
Dave
Thank you for the kind words and yes I sure missed seeing you guys, too. The timing and cost just didn't work out on the home front. I hope to be there next year.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 11, 2018, 09:54:58 AM
Really nice looking build John.
Curt
Thanks for stopping by and the complement - always good to hear.
Quote from: jimmillho on November 11, 2018, 11:02:23 AM
Beautiful Building John.
Jim
Jim
Thank you for the kind words.
I moved back onto the Threadwell's main structure, today. The dormers and trim are next. Finding ways to get the right stickup to hold the dormers in place while gluing them was a challenge.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151118163708.jpeg&hash=87f1b49c1057005589dca64e198773fd313cd472)
This is one of those jobs where you needed to measure and align three times, glue it down, and then check it again.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151118163626.jpeg&hash=8a7be96f84eb4438fcbdd837720bb453d0eb31cd)
Before I could add the roof cards on the dormers I need to figure out if I wanted them lit up in a night scene.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151118164653.jpeg&hash=d52ed228a0add1f89a1325dc1924c1cbddcd4116)
I concluded that it would add a lot of character to the scene so I first tried adding a 3/8 inch hole through the main roof card to let the light in. After a lighting test I decided I wanted more light.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151118165034.jpeg&hash=199b154a535a5a828ae20bc522443cc984794fae)
I then added rectangular holes in the roof card to maximize the amount of light get into the dormers.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151118165220.jpeg&hash=e57773545902279007d82ab64a6498d3710f9497)
This picture shows the slots that I cut into the roof card.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-151118163850.jpeg&hash=6f6cef101c730366770b5bd53c8a746171aeaa63)
After I get these dormers and the trim completed, I plan on cutting and installing all of the rafter ends all of the Threadwells and Delabarre Structures. That's a lot of rafter ends.
Looks really good.
I'm impressed there's no light leaking through the corners of the building.
dave
Quote from: deemery on November 15, 2018, 08:21:59 PM
I'm impressed there's no light leaking through the corners of the building.
dave
Dave
I used 1/4 inch strip wood to reinforce the joints in the corners. It really helps with sealing things along with making strong joints.
Your build is really coming along nicely John. Really love the lighting!
:o :o WOW! :o :o
Just ran thru the 28 pages of amazing pixes and tutorials you're putting out. Great build and very inspiring. I wish I had the time & patience to do some of that. Maybe in six years (retirement). Thanks for opening up your shop to us!
R/,
Norm
Quote from: MAP on November 16, 2018, 09:04:28 AM
Your build is really coming along nicely John. Really love the lighting!
Mark
Thanks for stopping by the thread and the kind words.
Quote from: ndwolf68 on November 16, 2018, 09:37:37 AM
:o :o WOW! :o :o
Just ran thru the 28 pages of amazing pixes and tutorials you're putting out. Great build and very inspiring. I wish I had the time & patience to do some of that. Maybe in six years (retirement). Thanks for opening up your shop to us!
R/,
Norm
Norm
Thank you for stopping by the thread and the encouraging words. These big projects are a lot easier after retirement. It's great to see you back on the forum.
I made some more progress today with the dormers on the Threadwells main structure. Lots of trim work to work on tomorrow. Then the roof.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-161118222607.jpeg&hash=f7a79e7a0a544372989b3f90aebba71d845ac9d2)
Looks good John.
Amazing looking build, liting looks great, I can see with the precision measuring on the roof that it too is going to look great.
I noticed this morning that the roof card had bowed just a little bit with the weights on it overnight so I started out by doing some additional reinforcement. I add a couple 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch braces to the roof to support the dormers. There not going anywhere now.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-171118214700.jpeg&hash=4b4df41201a44fb6b792b0fffff13e615a7fcb02)
Quote from: Lynnb on November 17, 2018, 02:55:21 PM
Amazing looking build, liting looks great, I can see with the precision measuring on the roof that it too is going to look great.
Lynn
Thanks for following along and for the kind words. See my post above - I like things to stay where I put them after all that measuring.
Hey John just getting caught up again with this thread.
One word Awesome!!!
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on November 17, 2018, 10:14:30 PM
Hey John just getting caught up again with this thread.
One word Awesome!!!
Jerry
Jerry
Thank you for following along and the inspiring words. I'm working on the trim and starting the roof today.
John,
Everyday I am more impressed--beautiful work.
--George
Quote from: Opa George on November 18, 2018, 03:32:01 PM
John,
Everyday I am more impressed--beautiful work.
--George
George
Thank you for the complement. I'm happy with how its going together so far.
I got the roofers started on the job today.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-181118201930.jpeg&hash=8b1c04de0d473c8241e401fbfb4ae461b75bb8a1)
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-181118202321.jpeg&hash=f241ccf31cf85adc0f890a1c2dfcf0d56d55a6dc)
This is why we take pictures during the build. Notice the roof moldings on the dormers. How could I not see that when I was putting them on. Looked good from the front. I have already removed them and fixed the problem.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-181118202559.jpeg&hash=6629f6954ff25dd9867a7c44637224b7d7ef02ee)
John, I am sure this has appeared multiple times before but could you say who makes those shingles? I really like them.
Quote from: vinceg on November 18, 2018, 08:45:16 PM
John, I am sure this has appeared multiple times before but could you say who makes those shingles? I really like them.
Vince
I will post the website tomorrow night when I get back down into the workshop. I have really got hooked on these shingles - I have them in about 10 different colors. I will be doing some of my own weathering before this job is done but I like the way they go on and the starting colors.
Great build John and I love the shingles too! I'm really enjoying seeing you populate your beautiful scenery with tremendous structures.
John
Quote from: Cuse on November 19, 2018, 06:56:37 AM
Great build John and I love the shingles too! I'm really enjoying seeing you populate your beautiful scenery with tremendous structures.
John
John
Thanks for stopping by - I sure have a lot of structures to build. I'm having lots fun with it. I'm looking forward to seeing you get more time on your layout.
Quote from: vinceg on November 18, 2018, 08:45:16 PM
John, I am sure this has appeared multiple times before but could you say who makes those shingles? I really like them.
Vince
Here is the website for Wild West Models - where I buy the shingles. I have also been buying his mining equipment for a future project - stay tuned. You may have seen their display at the Narrow Gauge Convention. I have used them for a number of different projects.
https://www.wildwestmodels.com/products/shake-shingles.html (https://www.wildwestmodels.com/products/shake-shingles.html)
Shingles look fantastic, they have a ton of detail in them.
Quote from: Lynnb on November 19, 2018, 01:10:59 PM
Shingles look fantastic, they have a ton of detail in them.
Thanks Lynn.
Looks great John. I have used several of their roofing materials and really like them.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 19, 2018, 10:19:04 PM
Looks great John. I have used several of their roofing materials and really like them.
Curt
Thank you for the kind words. I think the Wild West Models cedar shingles are one of the best on the market.
More molds and more shingles today. Dormers are a lot of work. :P Just a progress picture for tonight.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-201118211106.jpeg&hash=6d556ee82786409504c6f9fb8712b6f43ee62753)
John,
The building looks awesome, the shingles, dormers and stonework. I also have used Wild West shingles and I also like them very much.
John,
I'm pretty much speechless, just "WOW!". I love how every part compliments the next; colors, shingles, beautiful modeling.
Quote from: sdrees on November 20, 2018, 09:27:50 PM
John,
The building looks awesome, the shingles, dormers and stonework. I also have used Wild West shingles and I also like them very much.
Steve
Thank you for the inspiring words. I'm looking forward to seeing this build on the layout. I'm getting ready to restock my Wild West Shingle supply and I have my eye on his new stamp mill.
Hey john:
Excellent work. The roof is just awesome. Those shingles are really cool.
Karl
Quote from: jerryrbeach on November 20, 2018, 10:32:46 PM
John,
I'm pretty much speechless, just "WOW!". I love how every part compliments the next; colors, shingles, beautiful modeling.
Jerry
Thank you for the kind words. Wayne Olson spent a couple hours with me one Saturday a couple months ago picking out shingles and paint colors for this build. It gives it a little different look.
Quote from: postalkarl on November 21, 2018, 08:20:43 AM
Hey john:
Excellent work. The roof is just awesome. Those shingles are really cool.
Karl
Karl
Thanks for stopping by and the kind words. The shingles are very nice to work with.
Your shingles look terrific, John!
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on November 21, 2018, 02:33:01 PM
Your shingles look terrific, John!
Cheers, Mark.
Thank you Mark.
Over the weekend, I finished the detailing on the Main Structure of Threadwells (the detailing that is left to do will be done with the structure glued to the baseboard) and decided to do one more test fit of both builds on the diorama base. Here are a couple status photographs.
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This evening, I started the trim and tower roof for the Delabarre's main structure.
Just beautiful John.
Jerry
Great scene, John. The whole thing fits together so nicely -- building architecture, terrain, colors. Looking forward to seeing it all in person sometime.
Quote from: Jerry on November 26, 2018, 11:55:37 PM
Just beautiful John.
Jerry
Jerry
Thank you, we are making progress.
Quote from: vinceg on November 27, 2018, 06:09:08 AM
Great scene, John. The whole thing fits together so nicely -- building architecture, terrain, colors. Looking forward to seeing it all in person sometime.
Vince
Thank you for the kind words and you are always welcome.
What a great looking building. It will be very impressive on the layout.
Looks like a perfect fit John , it took me a while to realize how much nicer it is to build as a diorama that can be fit right in the layout.
Quote from: S&S RR on November 26, 2018, 10:55:09 PM
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261118223700.jpeg&hash=a5d8b461b93637403d8236c8608667c4ec04b4b5)
Wow! That is looking just
AWESOME! Thanks for sharing your progress.
R/,
Norm
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 27, 2018, 09:54:28 AM
What a great looking building. It will be very impressive on the layout.
Curt
Thank you for the kind words - I can't wait to put this in location on the layout.
Quote from: Lynnb on November 27, 2018, 02:54:32 PM
Looks like a perfect fit John , it took me a while to realize how much nicer it is to build as a diorama that can be fit right in the layout.
Lynn
My approach is to build to fit the location - sometimes very little kit bashing is required and sometimes the kit becomes a box full of parts. When I started over on my layout I decided to build the mountains and scenery in the background and then build structures that fit - rather than building dioramas and filling in between them with scenery. I'm really enjoying this approach. You will notice that I like elevation change - this is a mountain railroad there will be only two relatively flat section of the layout.
Quote from: ndwolf68 on November 27, 2018, 03:58:38 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on November 26, 2018, 10:55:09 PM
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-261118223700.jpeg&hash=a5d8b461b93637403d8236c8608667c4ec04b4b5)
Wow! That is looking just AWESOME! Thanks for sharing your progress.
R/,
Norm
Norm
Thank you for your complements - this is one of those monster projects that just seem to keep growing.
For today's update, I would like to revisit a subject that we were discussing on Vince's thread about cutting foam on dioramas. I need to cut dig a ditch on my Threadwell's diorama for the LED wiring. Here is a picture of the ditch. No I didn't have Raymo arrange for a backhoe.
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I picked up my Rotary Tool and had an abrasive wheel attached and decided to give it a try. I would normally put a mill cutter in for this job but probably will use an abrasive wheel the next time I need to do this. This took about 1 minute including cleaning up with the shop vac.
Here is a picture of the wheel and the ditch when I stopped to take a picture.
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A board will be added at the bottom of the ditch with all the wire connections for the LED's. I will then add a top and cover it over with sand. I have more wires to route here from the other builds in the diorama.
Today, I also worked on the trim and roofing for the Delabarre structures. I started by cutting lots of rafter ends. Bob provides a chart in the instructions with all of the dimensions for each part of the structure. I just setup the chopper for the right angle and length and chopped away. The rafters were stained with A&I so they went right from the chopper into the A&I cup.
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The gauges I'm using on my chopper where the free gifts that Hal Reynolds gave out at the last few EXPO's. They are thicker than the gauges that come with the chopper and work much better, in my humble opinion. Hal they are sure getting used on my workbench.
After their bath in A&I the rafter ends where spread out on a paper towel to dry.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-271118214611.jpeg&hash=7a99e3a39ebb527804644c1ce6978a6b171492fd)
This picture was take about half way through the process. I need six different sizes to complete this build.
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Here is a series of progress pictures at the end of the day today.
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I take these pictures to start my fix list. Zooming the pictures really let's me do a good job of inspecting the model.
Outstanding modeling John.
Those are really looking good John. Just waiting to see them finished.
Jim
Quote from: S&S RR on November 27, 2018, 09:37:44 PM
Quote from: Lynnb on November 27, 2018, 02:54:32 PM
Looks like a perfect fit John , it took me a while to realize how much nicer it is to build as a diorama that can be fit right in the layout.
Lynn
My approach is to build to fit the location - sometimes very little kit bashing is required and sometimes the kit becomes a box full of parts. When I started over on my layout I decided to build the mountains and scenery in the background and then build structures that fit - rather than building dioramas and filling in between them with scenery. I'm really enjoying this approach. You will notice that I like elevation change - this is a mountain railroad there will be only two relatively flat section of the layout.
This sounds like a great approach, I will be following along even closer now as it homes into your layout, I just started a new layout last Christmas and although benchwork is up and mainline is in I think your approach may work for me.
I'm still busy picking my jaw from the floor, outstanding John, I know I can't visit all the great layouts shown on this site , but yours is on my bucketlist , I'll just wait till you are almost finished ( can't wait till you finish , does one ever finish a layout ).
Curt
Thank you, I'm doing the roofing today.
Quote from: jimmillho on November 28, 2018, 10:59:57 AM
Those are really looking good John. Just waiting to see them finished.
Jim
Jim
Thank you - I'm really looking forward to putting them in place on the layout. Lots of detail work to do before that day arrives.
Quote from: Lynnb on November 28, 2018, 01:43:18 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on November 27, 2018, 09:37:44 PM
Quote from: Lynnb on November 27, 2018, 02:54:32 PM
Looks like a perfect fit John , it took me a while to realize how much nicer it is to build as a diorama that can be fit right in the layout.
Lynn
My approach is to build to fit the location - sometimes very little kit bashing is required and sometimes the kit becomes a box full of parts. When I started over on my layout I decided to build the mountains and scenery in the background and then build structures that fit - rather than building dioramas and filling in between them with scenery. I'm really enjoying this approach. You will notice that I like elevation change - this is a mountain railroad there will be only two relatively flat section of the layout.
This sounds like a great approach, I will be following along even closer now as it homes into your layout, I just started a new layout last Christmas and although benchwork is up and mainline is in I think your approach may work for me.
Lynn
It is nice to have scenery to run the trains through and that goes much faster than the structures. Try it on a section of your layout and see if it works for you.
Quote from: Janbouli on November 28, 2018, 01:54:09 PM
I'm still busy picking my jaw from the floor, outstanding John, I know I can't visit all the great layouts shown on this site , but yours is on my bucketlist , I'll just wait till you are almost finished ( can't wait till you finish , does one ever finish a layout ).
Jan
As I've said before, you are always welcome. I'm not sure what finished means. I'm actually designing an expansion - but it will be several years before I'm ready to start on that. Hundreds of structures to build before the current layout is complete.
The trim and roofing are on the main structure for Delabarre's, now for some weathering. I'm modeling this in much better repair than Bob calls for in the instructions. These two structures are thriving businesses on the S&S RR in the late 40's early 50's time frame. I added a few roof patches on the tar paper roof that will show up when it's weathered.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-281118205137.jpeg&hash=9b38e45b6768031de1aa961685b0219af53e50ef)
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I really like how you incorporate level changes in your builds...flat scenes sure get tiresome. Taking mental notes.
Quote from: Dave K. on November 29, 2018, 06:29:54 AM
I really like how you incorporate level changes in your builds...flat scenes sure get tiresome. Taking mental notes.
Dave
Thanks - I really think it adds a lot to the scene. It sure makes track work more difficult. ;)
Nice job on the roofing.
Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 29, 2018, 10:42:26 AM
Nice job on the roofing.
Thanks Curt - it will look a lot better when it's weathered.
Look forward to the weathering.
It's looking really good, John.
--George
Quote from: Lynnb on November 29, 2018, 01:15:46 PM
Look forward to the weathering.
Lynn
Thanks for stopping by - I have been away from the workbench for a few days. There will be some weathering today.
Quote from: Opa George on December 04, 2018, 04:34:13 PM
It's looking really good, John.
--George
Thank you George.
Quote from: jerryrbeach on December 04, 2018, 05:46:15 PM
Quote from: Lynnb on November 29, 2018, 01:15:46 PM
Look forward to the weathering.
What Lynn said!
Thanks for stopping by. What I told Lynn - ;) I'm heading for the workbench.
I got a good start on the roof weathering today. I took progress pictures throughout the day so you can follow the steps I went through. In this picture I have just started with the alcohol and chalk wash on the metal roofing. The tar paper and cedar shingle roof on the tower have been dry brushed with a light gray and dark green for the moss growing on the roof.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-051218203836.jpeg&hash=cdbcce5af4978319fb290702e3ab7b758501aaad)
The light and dark contrast on the tarpaper is showing up much more pronounced in the photographs than it does to my eye. The iPhone cameras like to do that. ;) I will be doing some touchup once the buildings are set in place on the diorama - and again when the diorama is placed on the layout.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-051218203836.jpeg&hash=cdbcce5af4978319fb290702e3ab7b758501aaad)
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At this point I'm starting to add the three different shades of rust to the metal roof dry over the first dark brown that was applied with alcohol - more like a paint.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-051218205007.jpeg&hash=b2d3eee0e7f9a9c816d523d224f8848aa8967821)
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At this point I wanted to take a set of evaluation pictures. I'm not happy with the way the tar paper roof is photographing. Like I said above it look much better to my eye - the camera seems to be making the light color lighter and the darker areas darker. I'm going to sleep on this one and revisit it in the morning.
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It is important to reference my layout time frame for this build. I'm modeling the late 1940's early 1950's so I don't want the mill to look like it hasn't been maintained. In Bob's instructions he is modeling something that is more run down.
After looking at these photographs for awhile. I'm going to take another run at the tar paper roofing with a darker grey chalk. I'm getting to much contrast between the light and the dark in the photographs.
John,
First of all, as you know, photos can lie when it comes to colors. What the viewer sees and what the camera sees can be dramatically different. I personally would be more concerned with how it looked to my eye than how the camera recorded it. My suggestion would be to add another color or colors to the paper roofing, maybe a dark green or dark brown and work that in randomly. I will be interested to see what approach you decide to take, as well as the final result.
John,
First, let me say that those two structures are going to look awesome on the layout. My concern would be how to transfer the size and weight of the large diorama to the layout without breaking anything.
Secondly, I agree with Jerry. I don't believe you need more grey on the roofs. Blending in some browns and/or green will change the look.
Also, I finish my models to please my layout lighting and my eyes, not the final look in the camera.
Tom ;D
FWIW, I also like the look of the roof. Even as light as it shows in the photo, I think it's a nice, faded appearance. Again, FWIW.
Hey John:
It looks just superb.
Karl
Really nice John.
Hi John,
The project looks really great John
Thank you for the kind words and words of encouragement. I did a little more work on the roof and decided I like the way it looks so any changes will wait until the diorama is in place on the layout.
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The structure is glued in place along with the lower part of the building. I have all of the smaller pieces to the structures on the workbench - partially assembled.
John real nice. I think the roof will look just finr when you get it set in place.
Jerry
Looks fantastic, John!
Cheers, Mark.
John,
Comparing the two photos I think the roof looks better in the second. I agree with the other comments, go with it.
Quote from: Jerry on December 06, 2018, 08:29:13 PM
John real nice. I think the roof will look just finr when you get it set in place.
Jerry
Jerry
Thank you for the kind words. I think my issue was with the camera and not how the weathering looks to my eye. The iPhone cameras have a tendency to enhance the contrast making lighter colors look lighter and darker look darker in a photograph. In the past the problem goes away when I get out my SLR camera. We are moving on.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on December 07, 2018, 02:18:11 AM
Looks fantastic, John!
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
Thank you for stopping by and the kind words. I can't wait to get this diorama in place on the layout.
Quote from: jerryrbeach on December 07, 2018, 07:34:38 AM
John,
Comparing the two photos I think the roof looks better in the second. I agree with the other comments, go with it.
Jerry
I like the second better too. And the camera likes it better - I went over the lighter parts of the roof with a darker shade of grey chalk. Thanks for following along.
It time to get caught up with this build thread. I have been moving kinda slow the past three weeks - back problems caused by trying to do all the yard work the one nice day we had the whole month of November. I'm working at a 30 percent throttle maximum now - up from about 10 percent. Anyway I have been working on a number of the subassemblies for this build - the stairways, tar paper shacks and various add ons to the main structure. The construction techniques are the same as I used for the main structures so I will let the pictures do the talking for the progress update.
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That's what's on the workbench today - I have a few more details to add to the subassemblies and then the rest of the work will be done after they are attached to the main structures. The last step for today was to give all the wood for the various decks and loading docks a bath in A&I. Tomorrow morning, they will be ready for the assembly.
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Great looking build John.
Hey John:
Looks like it's still coming allying nicely. Keep the photos coming.
Karl
Some really fantastic detailing in the roofs, I like the little A/I bathtub, has it ever rolled over on you? ;D
Quote from: postalkarl on December 15, 2018, 09:41:39 AM
Hey John:
Looks like it's still coming allying nicely. Keep the photos coming.
Karl
Karl
Thanks - It's getting there. Will do on the photos.
Quote from: Lynnb on December 15, 2018, 12:14:49 PM
Some really fantastic detailing in the roofs, I like the little A/I bathtub, has it ever rolled over on you? ;D
Lynn
Thanks for the kind words. The A&I bathtub works real well the drain valve make it stable on the workbench.
First, here are a couple progress pictures so you can see where I'm at with the build.
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I'm currently working my way through building all of the loading docks and decks for this diorama - there are a lot of them. I thought I would show the build sequence I use to build them. I start by adding all of the joists to the laser cut template.
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In this case I'm building the main loading dock that goes behind Threadwell's. I'm building it in sections which will be glued together over the main template that Bob provides. I glue the first couple of deck boards in place on the joists to hold them in place as I move them to the main template.
Here is a progress picture of the process with all the weights in place to hold the deck boards while the glue dries.
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This is a picture of the location for this section on the main template. My glass plate does a great job of reflecting the overhead lights.
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You will notice that I go back and cut all the joists to size after I apply the decking.
In this picture the deck boards are being added.
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The coffee warmer is a recent addition to my workbench and has increased productivity. I would get working and let my coffee get cold. This has saved many trips to the coffee pot - that is upstairs.
Here is the topside view of the loading dock. The deck boards have only been treated with A&I in the bathtub shown above. I get the variation from board to board by using three different batches of strip wood. Batch one, the strip wood provided in the kit by Bob. Batch two, purchased strip wood. And batch three, is strip wood that I cut myself. Every batch takes the stain a little different.
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I will now be repeating this process for all of the loading docks and decks for the Threadwell's and Delabarre builds.
Looks great, John. Lots of good variation in the wood without looking zebra-like. I love loading docks.
That is a excellent looking building.
Quote from: vinceg on December 17, 2018, 06:14:46 PM
Looks great, John. Lots of good variation in the wood without looking zebra-like. I love loading docks.
Vince
Thank you for following along and the kind words.
Looking good John , those boards are just great with the simple A&I, what a scene you're building.
Quote from: Janbouli on December 18, 2018, 06:09:48 AM
Looking good John , those boards are just great with the simple A&I, what a scene you're building.
Jan
Thanks for stopping by and the kind words - the A&I technique is very dependent on the strip wood your using.
John,
Nice color variation on the wood decking.
Tom ;D
Looking good John, that is a nice looking setup for lining up the joist. I had a similar jig from a Rusty Stumps kit but from what I can see you did a but of extra wood work to hold the jigs, great idea.
This build is going to look fantastic on your layout , can't wait to see it in place and all filled it with scenery.
Just an awesome looking build John
Doug
Quote from: ACL1504 on December 18, 2018, 10:41:43 AM
John,
Nice color variation on the wood decking.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom
Quote from: Lynnb on December 18, 2018, 11:45:36 AM
Looking good John, that is a nice looking setup for lining up the joist. I had a similar jig from a Rusty Stumps kit but from what I can see you did a but of extra wood work to hold the jigs, great idea.
This build is going to look fantastic on your layout , can't wait to see it in place and all filled it with scenery.
Lynn
The laser cut jigs are from Rusty Stumps - I found that I needed something to hold them in place while I added the joists so I made the holding fixture by running the proper thickness saw blade across a piece of 1x4. I varied the distance between the cuts so I can accommodate just about any HO size deck or loading dock. Thank you for following along and the kind comments.
Quote from: NKP768 on December 18, 2018, 12:38:23 PM
Just an awesome looking build John
Doug
Doug
Thank you for the kind words - I can't wait to see what this looks like in place on the layout. Lots of details to add and I plan on doing most of the scenery work on the workbench before I move it to the layout. The idea is to slide it in place and patch the holes.
Hey John:
WOW!!!!!! That really looks great. It is quite the project.
Karl
Quote from: postalkarl on December 18, 2018, 05:14:15 PM
Hey John:
WOW!!!!!! That really looks great. It is quite the project.
Karl
Karl
Thank you for the encouraging words - yes it is a huge project. Getting closer every day to seeing this on the layout.
Yesterday, I completed the wiring for Threadwell's portion of this diorama. As you will recall, all the lights were installed earlier. I needed to build a little board to connect them all to the power supply. I got out my Light Bites folder to refresh my memory and this is the board that I came up with.
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The board next to the ditch that it will fit in. The current limiters were soldiered on the work bench. Let the soldiering begin.
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Completed and in the ditch.
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The test - fire extinguisher in hand. No smoke and we have light.
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Time to cover the ditch - and get ready for the scenery materials and back loading dock.
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The room keys from my hotel visits work great for covering the wiring. - real easy to get back in there if I need to do any repairs. I'm sure that will not be necessary - right Slim.
The lighting looks great.
Looking real good John.
Jim
Quote from: PRR Modeler on December 19, 2018, 09:52:31 AM
The lighting looks great.
Thank you Curt
I plan on some outside lighting, too.
I heartily agree--the lighting looks really good.
--George
Nice touch with the liting .
Quote from: Opa George on December 19, 2018, 05:09:29 PM
I heartily agree--the lighting looks really good.
--George
Thank you George.
Progress picture for today, installing the decks.
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I also started assembling the mechanism for controlling the water flow. I took this picture to show the trays I'm using for these small assemblies - they are really helping with not having to chase parts around under the workbench. Bob has added a lot of detail here. The instructions say this assembly is a little fussy.
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This is really great work that you are doing here- love the idea of using a tray for small assemblies like this. I have been in this hobby long enough to know that the word "fussy" means "pain in the a$$"! ha ha! keep the photos coming, I am enjoying the thread!
Quote from: rpdylan on December 23, 2018, 05:58:35 AM
This is really great work that you are doing here- love the idea of using a tray for small assemblies like this. I have been in this hobby long enough to know that the word "fussy" means "pain in the a$$"! ha ha! keep the photos coming, I am enjoying the thread!
Bob
Thank you for the kind words. I think in terms of fussy = for those that always wanted to assemble and HO scale watch. The pieces are heading into the paint booth today.
John, an exquisite super scene. I am really anxious to see it in place.
Looks like you have G Wilikers and Swakhammers lurking in the background on your bench. Is one of those going to be your next build?
Great work as always John!
Hey John:
Looks just great. Keep up the good work.
Karl
Quote from: vinceg on December 24, 2018, 07:08:44 AM
John, an exquisite super scene. I am really anxious to see it in place.
Looks like you have G Wilikers and Swakhammers lurking in the background on your bench. Is one of those going to be your next build?
Vince
Thank you for the kind words. My next four builds will be Sewall's, Fox Run, Swakhammers, and G. Wilikers. All for the Eagles Nest Yard area on the layout. I will be getting started on Sewall's, my challenge build, as soon as this diorama is on the layout.
Quote from: postalkarl on December 24, 2018, 03:05:16 PM
Hey John:
Looks just great. Keep up the good work.
Karl
Karl
Thanks Karl. I'm working on getting my back fixed (physical therapy) so I can stand at the work bench for longer periods of time. The last three weeks have been pretty slow.
It just doesn't stop, John!
Its such a pleasure to watch all these spectacular kits being built - one after the other!
Good luck with the back!
Cheers, Mark.
Quote from: mark dalrymple on December 24, 2018, 05:33:58 PM
It just doesn't stop, John!
Its such a pleasure to watch all these spectacular kits being built - one after the other!
Good luck with the back!
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
Thank you for stopping by and the encouraging words. I hope your back is feeling better, too. Mine seems to be getting a little better each day.
Coming along nicely, that is an interesting looking pin vise.
Quote from: Lynnb on December 26, 2018, 03:12:42 PM
Coming along nicely, that is an interesting looking pin vise.
Thanks Lynn - I have a collection of pin vises that I have bought over the years and find the all work about the same so I have designated drill sizes in most of them.
Year End Status Report: All of the subassemblies for Threadwell's are off my detailing bench and in the process of being installed on the diorama. I have the final subassembly for Delabarre's, the loading dock, on the workbench. The assembly procedure is the same as that documented for Threadwell's so I didn't take pictures. The following pictures document the progress to date, we are getting close.
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As you can see from the pictures I started coloring the plaster base for the water. I started by painting the enter area with Dark SeaGreen. I then started adding highlights with Pan Pastels. This is where I ended up today, when my back told me I had done enough.
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That SeaGreen is a great color. Did you brush it on, applied wet? Or did you use an airbrush?
dave
Quote from: deemery on December 31, 2018, 08:22:42 PM
That SeaGreen is a great color. Did you brush it on, applied wet? Or did you use an airbrush?
dave
Dave
Thanks for the comments - I applied the SeaGreen with a brush. The Pan Pastels were applied dry with a brush. The SeaGreen was too dark so I'm adding some greens, blues, and along the one shore some browns to show a different depth. I have some more work to do but I think it's heading in the right direction. We will see what it looks like with the water.
The color look great for me... I search for long time how to paint base for water.
I think you have answer my question.
Eric
John -- Did you make those drawers in the background ("ROOFING MATERIALS, etc.). As I am now trying to organize my basement, I'm looking to steal some good ideas.
Quote from: EricQuebec on January 01, 2019, 06:58:45 AM
The color look great for me... I search for long time how to paint base for water.
I think you have answer my question.
Eric
Eric
Thanks for stopping by the thread - I hope this color combination will work. Let's see what it looks like after the clear acrylic is applied.
Quote from: vinceg on January 01, 2019, 09:23:53 AM
John -- Did you make those drawers in the background ("ROOFING MATERIALS, etc.). As I am now trying to organize my basement, I'm looking to steal some good ideas.
Vince
Yes - the drawers were added to my rolling workbench last year. I really like them - I needed a way to organize my scratch building supplies. The boxes under the train table just wasn't working. There standard drawers made from #1 Pine with roller bearing slides. Having one place where I keep roofing materials, or window castings, etc. really helps with finding what I'm looking for.
Today, was water pouring day on this build. I added some rocks along the left side of the mill pond, and down below the dam, where the river will start, and then poured the first pour of water.
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I'm using Golden Clear Leveling Gel for the water. This will be my first experience with this product. It comes highly recommended.
A few pictures after the pour was complete.
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I was very happy with the way this product poured. Thanks to properly executed fluid mechanics the extra poured right over the dam as designed. Now it's wait and see how it cures.
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John waiting to see how this dries.
The coloring seems right on.
The work on the buildings awesome!!
Jerry
Quote from: Jerry on January 02, 2019, 08:13:53 PM
John waiting to see how this dries.
The coloring seems right on.
The work on the buildings awesome!!
Jerry
Jerry
I just looked in on it and it's starting to get clearer in the shallow areas. Keep your finger crossed.
So, I have a bit of a setback to report on the Threadwell's build. I thought I would post this sad story here to see if anyone can shed some light on what happened. As, I said above the material I'm using Golden clear leveling gel came highly recommend, but this is the first time I have used it. On the container it says to do a maximum pour of 1/16 inch deep. So here is a picture of the pond before the pour. The distance from the bottom of the pond to the top of the dam spillway is 1/16 inch. My safety so I wouldn't pour it too deep. As you can see in the picture above the access spilled over the dam.
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So after the pour I noticed that the material was getting higher and higher on the stone walls. It was expanding as it started to cure. ::) :o Before I went to bed - about 6 hours after the pour it was at the top of the stone walls - about 3/8 of an inch. No more material was spilling over the dam. S**T. I also noticed that it was turning clear around the edges down below the dam and that the material thickness was much less in the clear areas than in the center. Maybe it will get thinner as it cures. Here is a couple of pictures that I took that evening.
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So in the morning, I turned on the lights and found this. :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
Notice how the depth has gone down on the stone walls. In the trenches it is back to 1/16 inch thick. Getting more trenches as it cures but most of that occurred in the first 24 hours.
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Yes - it does look like a frozen pond with overflow. Not what I was going for!
So after 48 hours of curing here is what it looks like. Ninety Eight percent of the changing occurred in the first twenty four hours. I'm getting real tired of waiting for some positive change at this point.
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The trenches you see running through it are about 1/16 inch thick and pretty clear - the white areas are three or four times that thickness and opaque white.
Not my idea of self leveling.
Maybe I should model a frozen pond?
Tomorrow morning, I'm going to give it 12 more hours to heal itself, I think I will be digging it out and repainting the bottom of the pond. I'm going to make up a little test block and apply the material real thin to see what happens. So anyway I thought I would post my experience and see what anyone else might think happened. Anyone have a suggestion on saving it? It's too thick to paint over and use as the bottom of the pond.
You can add this to the list as one more reason I hate Plastic and Organic Chemistry.
What would you use for the water to fill this pond?
That sure looks like it was from having too thick of a layer. As it started to set, the surface tension split the surface. I have had something similar happen when I tried to put gloss thinned modge podge down too thick of layers. Not sure about the rising issue though...
What about just trying layer after layer of very thin layers of the stuff? Maybe 1/32 to 1/16". I have also read that spritzing with Alcohol helps break bubbles and keep the surface tension low. (I have not tried that myself though).
Either way, that sucks on the clean up and re run of such a perfect model....
Sorry about what happened. I have used Vallejo water and was happy with it, but it was a small pour. I would talk with Tom. His water features are outstanding.
Another thought. The reaction / rise has me perplexed. I wonder if it needed a sealer coat between your painted undersurface and the gel. Would not think that the Air Acrylic would be a problem with acrylic gel,... maybe the pan pastels? Unlikely but maybe?
For water where I don't see the bottom in transparency, I like to use layer after layer of dabbed modge podge. Has always been my go to after trying a bunch of other stuff. I was however very intrigued with the self leveling gel that you used. I really hope you figure it out. The stuff looks great over a very textured painting.
Sorry I can't offer any ideas or help on the water issue. I haven't done too much with water lately and have very limited experience. I am interested in the thoughts and comments others are sharing as well as seeing how you recover from this (which I'm certain you will).
First time I see this kind of result with Golden Product.
I use Golden acrylic soft gel for many years and haven't any bad surprise.
In my opinion, the thickness of the coat is responsible, or the temperature of the room during drying process.
Eric.
Kurt, Daryl, Bob and Eric
Thank you for your comments and input. I spent some time on artist u-tube channels this morning thanks to a link that Tom Boyd sent me. The way the artists use this stuff is to start out with 1/16 and then towel it out until it's real thin. One of the videos showed this beautiful painting were they put it on "too thick" and it looked like my pond only it had dried clear. You could see the troughs in the surface. Based on the videos I think it would take a month safely get enough coats to get the thickness I need for this application. You have to take 24 hours minimum between coats for it to cure. So this morning I pealed it all off. It wasn't to painful - just took some time and the right tools. I took a few pictures during the process to remind me not to do this again. ;)
Here are a few pictures of the tear out process.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-050119112821.jpeg&hash=3147e94bb766f99281c4a3725f7e85d8160e27a3)
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Some cleanup work and a few repairs and I will be repainting the bottom of the pond. While the paint is drying I'm going to watch Dave Frary's video on water. ;) He uses Mod Podge so I think I will give that a try. The coats will be relatively thin. My experience is with using resin for water and I need to have a real good experience with Mod Podge to not go back to resins for my big water seems coming up.
One final comment on this subject. I think part of the problem is this material needs someplace to go as it cures. It does expand. On a painting there are no walls confining it. Take a look at my once very straight stone wall. It looks very prototypical now from all the freeze cycles. ;) The stone walls are resin and actually took a set from the stress.
Hi John.
So pleased to see you posting this 'learning experience' for all us watching to benefit from. So often these little setbacks are just swept under the carpet. I used Troels Kirks method for sea water slightly modified (without waves) for my canal in my Jon H. Olson chemical works diorama and was very pleased with the results. Troels was kind enough to post a youtube video, with information on medium used and techniques here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMtXDlS0Tdg
Cheers, Mark.
By the end fo the day we recovered from the water setback. I now have the model sitting on my moveable cart so I can get at the back of the diorama to work on it. Today, I added more land forms, rocks and loading docks. As you can see from the pictures, the base coat of paint has been reapplied to the pond area. I also made up a little foam board test piece, to test the new water material before I add it to the diorama.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-050119195902.jpeg&hash=6f7f0e43e00ff39fee0261c13555f6bab925bb39)
Quote from: mark dalrymple on January 05, 2019, 07:59:46 PM
Hi John.
So pleased to see you posting this 'learning experience' for all us watching to benefit from. So often these little setbacks are just swept under the carpet. I used Troels Kirks method for sea water slightly modified (without waves) for my canal in my Jon H. Olson chemical works diorama and was very pleased with the results. Troels was kind enough to post a youtube video, with information on medium used and techniques here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMtXDlS0Tdg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMtXDlS0Tdg)
Cheers, Mark.
Mark
Thanks for the link, I will take a look. As for posting the things gone wrong along with the things gone right - That's what build threads are supposed to be, in my opinion. In this case I didn't do enough research on the new material. I will be doing some testing before I use another new method - or I will go back to using resin.
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Hi John,
Have you tried Enviro Tex Lite and Mod Poge? I have used this method and it worked out very well. The Enviro Tex is self leveling and the Mod Poge I used after the Enviro Tex has cured to put ripples on the surface.
What a shame, I can't say I've ever experienced anything like that and I've done quite a bit of water experiments including Troels method . My last experience I used envirotex and then golden thick gel to form waves and it worked well.
John, just catching up and I was sorry to see the leveling gel did not work as intended--and as others noted, grateful for your sharing of the results and the needed tear-out.
I have used the Woodland Scenics water for small streams, but for large areas used Mod Podge. I found Dave Frary's videos after doing my harbor in Mod Podge, and would have taken his tip to heart about the types of brushes best for application. I used the wrong type for general layer application (stiff bristle) and got some air bubbles. This was toward the end of the process with some of my last few coats and I can't rule out my own impatience and putting on a too-thick layer. Overall, though, I like the end results and can hide the bubbles with some gentle gel gloss waves.
--George
Quote from: sdrees on January 05, 2019, 09:32:13 PM
Hi John,
Have you tried Enviro Tex Lite and Mod Poge? I have used this method and it worked out very well. The Enviro Tex is self leveling and the Mod Poge I used after the Enviro Tex has cured to put ripples on the surface.
[/quote
Steve
Yes - I have used Enviro Tex Lite and had great results. I was hoping to get away from the mixing and preparation process that goes along with using the resins. I made up a little test piece to do some experimenting before I continue with the water on this project. I may end up doing a resin pour.
Quote from: Lynnb on January 06, 2019, 12:38:54 AM
What a shame, I can't say I've ever experienced anything like that and I've done quite a bit of water experiments including Troels method . My last experience I used envirotex and then golden thick gel to form waves and it worked well.
I like Troels method. I'm going to try multiple layers on my test piece to see if I can get the depth I'm looking for. I will be using resins for my future big water projects. And the golden thick gel for the waves. It looks like a good technique.
Quote from: Opa George on January 06, 2019, 07:41:06 AM
John, just catching up and I was sorry to see the leveling gel did not work as intended--and as others noted, grateful for your sharing of the results and the needed tear-out.
I have used the Woodland Scenics water for small streams, but for large areas used Mod Podge. I found Dave Frary's videos after doing my harbor in Mod Podge, and would have taken his tip to heart about the types of brushes best for application. I used the wrong type for general layer application (stiff bristle) and got some air bubbles. This was toward the end of the process with some of my last few coats and I can't rule out my own impatience and putting on a too-thick layer. Overall, though, I like the end results and can hide the bubbles with some gentle gel gloss waves.
--George
George
Thank you for stopping by and the comments. I will report back on how my experiments with multiple layers of Mod Podge go.
I've tried the modge podge and got air bubbles, my eye sight isn't all that great so really it wouldn't make a differnce, I was just experimenting.
If someone questions any damage/dings to the stone walls from the removal process, tell them it's a result of ice dams :-) Glad to see you got that crap out, looking forward to the next step.
dave
Quote from: Lynnb on January 06, 2019, 10:13:07 AM
I've tried the modge podge and got air bubbles, my eye sight isn't all that great so really it wouldn't make a differnce, I was just experimenting.
Lynn
I will be posting the results from my Mod Podge test in this thread so stay tuned. If I have a successful test I will be using it on this model - if not I will be pouring resin again. Stay tuned.
Quote from: deemery on January 06, 2019, 10:56:40 AM
If someone questions any damage/dings to the stone walls from the removal process, tell them it's a result of ice dams :-) Glad to see you got that crap out, looking forward to the next step. I managed to hook them with one of the probes I was using to remove the ice.
dave
Dave
At one point a few days ago I was going to model it with ice and overflow - actually would have looked right but I'm modeling the fall not the spring. The only damage that hasn't been fixed is the chains on the deck. I cut new ones but haven't installed them yet.
Here is a picture of the test piece I came up with for the Mod Podge. The hot glue was left in the bottom surface as depth gauges and to see how they look under the surface when complete.
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I prepared the bottom with the Sea Green acrylic paint and then pan pastels. On the left side I used a brighter/lighter blue than on the right side. It shows up a lot better to my eye than in the pictures. I will be applying the mod podge with a trowel as per the video's - links above.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-060119190631.jpeg&hash=ca2f5c2bcccba84fc08328374db722be4f5f3002)
The instructions on the bottle say 20-30 minutes curing time - but I don't know how thin the coat has to be to get those results. I will be applying the material with trowel to different depths including as thin as I can get it.
So here is the starting point for coat one. I played with the depth a lot. I chased the bubbles with the trowel and removed them in some areas and decided to leave them in other areas to see what happens as it cures and on coat two.
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After 40 minutes curing time. It looks like you have to be extremely thin with your coat to meet the 20-30 min cure time.
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After 3 hours curing time.
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After 5 hours of curing time. I'm hoping to add coat 2 before I go to bed tonight. Stay tuned.
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While I was waiting for water to dry - I wired up the Delabarre LED's and completed the wiring necessary to tie them together with the Treadwell's LED's.
I'm not going to go through the wiring like I did Threadwell's but just will remind you that I'm using the techniques "SLIM" describes in his Lite Bites articles. I have them all in a notebook and refer back to them every time I plug in the soldiering gun.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-060119193008.jpeg&hash=147c1227beeefc39f55cbc7c628d4cd93dd3adba)
Here is a picture of the back of the diorama with the wiring showing.
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When all the connections were made we plugged it in and watched for smoke. Seeing none - I turned out the lights and took some pictures. This is the view from the back. This is like the dark side of the moon - it will not be visible on the layout. The reflections you are seeing are from the LED's reflecting off other stuff in the room. The LED's are the only light.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-060119193653.jpeg&hash=e5c91b2e6e7fd81458b2db566d288b9f6d38c92d)
The view from a few more angles. Test complete.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-060119193936.jpeg&hash=032ca0f9f16f9c46ee1eb516061312862661a449)
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I will be adding outside lighting - goose neck lights on poles and on the buildings as part of the final detailing of the structures. The connections are already on the connection blocks waiting for the wires to be run.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-060119194223.jpeg&hash=7dcedc61c593013be5a8693ec9f579c8f3ccd3be)
Quote from: S&S RR on January 06, 2019, 07:12:25 PM
The instructions on the bottle say 20-30 minutes curing time - but I don't know how thin the coat has to be to get those results. I will be applying the material with trowel to different depths including as thin as I can get it.
Hi John,
the 20-30 minutes curing time is for a very thin coat applied with a brush.
It's the cause why I use Modge podge only for the 2 first coat on my water before applying Golden gloss thick gel
Eric
Quote from: EricQuebec on January 06, 2019, 09:04:47 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on January 06, 2019, 07:12:25 PM
The instructions on the bottle say 20-30 minutes curing time - but I don't know how thin the coat has to be to get those results. I will be applying the material with trowel to different depths including as thin as I can get it.
Hi John,
the 20-30 minutes curing time is for a very thin coat applied with a brush.
It's the cause why I use Modge podge only for the 2 first coat on my water before applying Golden gloss thick gel
Eric
Eric
Thank you for the input. I applied the second coat last night before bed. This morning there is still some white areas so the second coat is drying a little slower than the first. So far I think this is going to work but it is not a fast process. I plan on playing some games with this once I get the depth I'm looking for. I think I will then apply a few coats of the Golden leveling material that gave me the problems. I want to see how it behaves in thin coats.
Any updates on the water?
dave
Quote from: deemery on January 10, 2019, 10:22:18 AM
Any updates on the water?
dave
Dave
Yes making some progress - I'm working on it and taking pictures as I go. Using a brush and applying thin coats - the cure time is around 2 hours. I should note that I started with the trowel but after 2 coats decided I wasn't getting enough control of the depth. May be my skill level with a trowel - but I started using a 1 inch brush on coat 3 of the test piece. After applying 5 coats to my test piece - I started applying coats to my model. I just applied my third coat to the model. It is drying nice and clear with a few bubbles. The bubbles are not going to be a problem because this model will be 4 feet from the viewer on the layout so I'm going for it. I would like to get rid of the brush strokes in the final coats so I'm trying the self leveling Golden material over the Mod Podge on my test piece.
One observation is that with every coat you get a few bubbles - after 5 or six coats you have more bubbles that would be easy to get rid of with a heat source and resin.
I will report back with pictures as soon as I get this process completed.
Glad to hear you're making forward progress (even if there's the occasional backwards step.)
dave
Quote from: deemery on January 10, 2019, 02:49:29 PM
Glad to hear you're making forward progress (even if there's the occasional backwards step.)
dave
Dave
If you don't have to take a step backwards once in a while your not heading forward in a new direction. In my working days it was amazing how many people had 6 months experience 60 times. I learned something today - my modeling is getting better.
Quote from: S&S RR on January 10, 2019, 03:52:10 PM
If you don't have to take a step backwards once in a while you're not heading forward in a new direction. In my working days it was amazing how many people had 6 months experience 60 times. I learned something today - my modeling is getting better.
This is a quote worth framing and putting on my workshop wall.
Admirable tenacity and as a result--beautiful work.
--George
Quote from: Opa George on January 10, 2019, 04:12:07 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on January 10, 2019, 03:52:10 PM
If you don't have to take a step backwards once in a while you're not heading forward in a new direction. In my working days it was amazing how many people had 6 months experience 60 times. I learned something today - my modeling is getting better.
This is a quote worth framing and putting on my workshop wall.
Admirable tenacity and as a result--beautiful work.
--George
George
Thank you for the kind words. The redo is paying off - I have added 5 coats of pod podge and one coat of the golden self leveling. I think about two more coats of the self leveling and I will have the brush marks out to my satisfaction. I will have pictures to post when the last coat dries. The golden self leveling is taking most of the day to cure even with thin brushed on coats.
It's time for a progress report. I just added my third coat of Golden Self Leveling Gloss Gel over the 6 coats of Mod Podge. So here is a picture of coat number two of the mod podge. I didn't want to get to aggressive with the coat thickness but found that the more you try to move it around with the brush the more bubbles you had to deal with. I learned that it has very little self leveling and the brush stokes dry the way you leave them.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-120119174741.jpeg&hash=a34cdbdd5b75147b915a4c0c2f0be7b0d1a448ad)
Here is what it looked like after curing.
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As I added more coats the brush strokes began to level out but I decided to add three coats of the Golden gloss leveling gel as my final coats to level things out even more.
I will finish this story later this evening.
So today, I added the final coat of Leveling Gloss Gel and finished the landforms. I originally planned on adding the scenery and detail weathering on my workbench - but since I had Wayne Olson here today I decided to move the diorama to a position near the location where it will be planted. I can then do all the final weathering and detailing with the background right there and with the layout lighting. Here are a few pictures as it was on the cart and ready to be moved.
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For those that were concerned about it fitting through the door and into the layout room.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-120119175357.jpeg&hash=df522df4a905c33c513a80bb6ebb49892d6d6310)
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Wayne Olson asking if I really wanted him to help me lift this on the layout.
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After the lift. I can slide it into position from here myself.
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A few pictures of the structures with the background scenery - just checking.
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The church is going to move. I had it there for a few weeks just testing the location. It's to big and hurts the perspective of depth. It will be moved down into the town.
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This is the backside of the diorama - starting with the detailing on this side. It will rotate 180 degrees and move back about 6 feet for it's final position.
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I'm happy with the colors - final detailing and I hope to have it in place by the end of the week. Please stay tuned.
Quote from: S&S RR on January 12, 2019, 07:32:48 PM
I'm happy with the colors - final detailing and I hope to have it in place by the end of the week. Please stay tuned.
I stay tuned... just wonderful.... :)
Eric
Hey John:
Looks just beautiful. Keep the photos coming.
Karl
Great pictures, John. Your layout is beautiful. This is exciting!
--George
Quote from: Opa George on January 13, 2019, 07:23:53 AM
Great pictures, John. Your layout is beautiful. This is exciting!
--George
The layout AND the layout room. What a fantastic space to while away the hours.....
Quote from: EricQuebec on January 12, 2019, 07:36:24 PM
Quote from: S&S RR on January 12, 2019, 07:32:48 PM
I'm happy with the colors - final detailing and I hope to have it in place by the end of the week. Please stay tuned.
I stay tuned... just wonderful.... :)
Eric
Eric
Thank you.
Quote from: postalkarl on January 12, 2019, 08:16:09 PM
Hey John:
Looks just beautiful. Keep the photos coming.
Karl
Karl
Thank you - will do.
Can't wait to see the Golden gel totally dry on the falls.
Eric
Quote from: EricQuebec on January 13, 2019, 10:13:43 AM
Can't wait to see the Golden gel totally dry on the falls.
Eric
Eric
I used mod podge on the falls that you see so far. It will dry clear but it will take a few days based on the progress that it made overnight. I bought some clear acrylic chalk to use for the falling water. This is a Jon Addison technique - I attended his clinic at either the Narrow Gauge Convention or the EXPO. Sorry, if someone else invented it before Jon - I learned it from him. ;) On second thought, I have a lot of water falls to make and I'm going to also try the Golden gel to compare the two techniques.
I'm adding the outside lights - it requires some directional drilling and some little people to dig the trenches.
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A good shot!
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Today, I will be taking a closeup picture of each side of both the structures on this diorama. I mark them up on my iPad to create my fix list before the diorama will be put in place on the layout and the scenery material will be added. A dab of paint here, scrap the glue of there, and a piece I missed over there, and this will be done.
Just an awesome job all the way around John
Doug
John the water does look good, once the dio is in place it will be interesting to see what you do to join the water flow off the rocks to a waterway.
Quote from: NKP768 on January 15, 2019, 09:13:16 AM
Just an awesome job all the way around John
Doug
Doug
Thank you for the kind words - with every touchup I make I'm getting more excited about putting this build in place on the layout.
I forgot to make the signs - back to the workbench.
Here are few pictures of the build once I moved it into location on the layout. I will be adding the scenery and a few more details over the next few days and then I will post some final pictures for this thread.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-160119203123.jpeg&hash=6c6d75eadeeb59768b588b84eb2ab84dd501a86a)
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Is the 'water' fully cured now? How about a photo from the right side?
dave
Quote from: deemery on January 19, 2019, 02:04:35 PM
Is the 'water' fully cured now? How about a photo from the right side?
dave
Dave
Yes, it was cured clear. I will get a picture from the right side later today. I have started adding cotton underneath clear acrylic chalk and Golden Clear Gel to create the white water affect. The same technique with cotton is being used for the water coming out of the culverts filling the pond. I thought I posted some pictures as I started this process - but it don't look like I did. :-[
Looking forward to seeing the results! It'll inspire me to keep going with the stuff I'm doing (working out track kinks and soldering feeders - least favorite part of the hobby....)
dave
John
Outside of Threadwell being my favorite of all his kits.
You have done one of the most outstanding diorama's with these two models. You should be applauded!!
Jerry
Quote from: deemery on January 19, 2019, 05:13:13 PM
Looking forward to seeing the results! It'll inspire me to keep going with the stuff I'm doing (working out track kinks and soldering feeders - least favorite part of the hobby....)
dave
Dave
Here is a picture of the right side as you requested. The white you see in the water is where I started to add the cotton underneath. I added a little more this evening and will be building this up a little at a time until I get the water flow I'm looking for.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-190119211215.jpeg&hash=2b03f71aa064a68da473d3c860f38b8704cf19a2)
Quote from: Jerry on January 19, 2019, 05:43:50 PM
John
Outside of Threadwell being my favorite of all his kits.
You have done one of the most outstanding diorama's with these two models. You should be applauded!!
Jerry
Jerry
Thank you for the kind words. I think this will really pop as the scenery is added.
Here is what the scene looked like just before I turned out the lights for the evening. I'm blocking in the area with foam so I can blend in the land forms. I will be adding a layer of paper and glue on top of the foam. And then I add a layer of beach sand as my base for the scenery materials. You can see that I'm changing the area just to the left of the diorama - I have never liked the stonework in this area and have decided to add a wooded area to the left of this diorama.
(https://modelersforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.modelersforum.com%2Fgallery%2F18-190119212019.jpeg&hash=89a8c69917f2084c1328896e3b034d8b84d24692)
John,
Beautiful job. The rocks, structures, everything looks great. You really capture the Colorado feeling. Beautiful my freiend.
Frank / Erieman
Quote from: Erieman on January 19, 2019, 11:00:38 PM
John,
Beautiful job. The rocks, structures, everything looks great. You really capture the Colorado feeling. Beautiful my freiend.
Frank / Erieman
Frank
Thank you for stopping by and the kind words. I'm looking forward to getting the scenery around this build so it really looks like it belongs there.
Beautiful job John. 3 questions please? by Wayne's right arm in the picture. Where or did you make those tall tree's and 2nd got any idea the name of those led lights with those sticky pad back's ? You have picture's of the Beautiful layout I see? Thanks Dennis
Quote from: DennisBourey on January 27, 2019, 11:16:09 PM
Beautiful job John. 3 questions please? by Wayne's right arm in the picture. Where or did you make those tall tree's and 2nd got any idea the name of those led lights with those sticky pad back's ? You have picture's of the Beautiful layout I see? Thanks Dennis
Hi Dennis
Thanks for following along with this build thread. First question: The Trees you see in the picture with Wayne are from Don Ledger in Arizona. He makes them from rope. About half of the pine trees on my layout were made using this technique. Don has published his technique so you can do a search on his name. If your interested buy trees from Don send me a PM (Personnel Message) and I will send you his phone number. If you look at Frank Bakers layout thread you will see some of the same trees. Frank introduced me to Don.
Question two: I bought the LED's with the sticky back from Micro Mart a few years ago. I bought about a 100 of them at the time and just recently tried to buy some more and they no longer have them. The work good for a quick installation where you just need some background lighting in the windows. I don't know of another source but I'm looking.
This is the link to my layout build thread if you are interested in following my layout build. Lots of tree pictures. There is also a volume one of this thread from a few years ago.
http://www.modelersforum.com/index.php?topic=2650.0
Thank you very much.... on page 74 you mentioned you cut the pine trees from cedar shake shingles. how wide and where you get your Green Caspia from. Sorry for so many questions but I'm trying to learn and try to build those pine trees. I&A 50/50? thanks again Dennis
Quote from: DennisBourey on January 29, 2019, 08:48:20 PM
Thank you very much.... on page 74 you mentioned you cut the pine trees from cedar shake shingles. how wide and where you get your Green Caspia from. Sorry for so many questions but I'm trying to learn and try to build those pine trees. I&A 50/50? thanks again Dennis
Dennis
The forum is for questions - we all learn from each other so don't worry about asking questions. There are two types of pine trees on my layout. The Caspia trees are the ones I use the cedar shingle on. I split the shingles to about 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch strips and then taper and round them using a belt grinder. I use a alcohol and inch mixture with both black and brown ink. Mix the ink one spoon at a time into the alcohol testing it for darkness until you get the tree color you want. I bought my caspia from Hobby Lobby and Michels. They use it for flower arrangements. The natural color is a light brown so I painted it with olive chamo paint to get the color you see. I use a dark pine tree green ground foam once the trees have been assembled. Use very little ground foam.
I've read it lots of times here. Someday do a series on your ability of modeling. Top notch. Dennis
Absolutely fantastic John. It will be interesting to see how you scenic the faces along side the tracks. By the way your rockwork on your laying is stunning, what did you use for coloring ? I've tried soooo many different techniques and have always gone back to the woodland scenic coloring for the spray bottles.