Hi Guy's, I took the bull by the horns and started a first wood build. I chose The J Keen's and I hope it work's out? I never built a wooden model yet and here goes. I started yesterday and I Spray painted the insides black and outside gray primer. Then I used Hunterline Blue gray stain as the main coat When dried I used a piece of sponged I used Folkart Ice Coffee and Skimmed a light coat over the Hunterline stain. As it was drying I did the windows in Apple Barrel Arbor Green.
I think those walls look amazing.
Glad you took the plunge, Dennis.
Looking forward to more.
Thank You Rusty But still scared to post lol.
Your journey is your own, Sir, and we're all here to encourage. Keep on truckin'
Couple of more shot's and I don't understand why picture is so dark? The camera was with flash on weird.
Thank You Rusty. I did not like the wooden foundation they give with the kit as with the peel and stick stone's. I got some foundation castings from my stash that I got from New England brownstone and started to cut my own foundation out of plaster. I used there wooden foundation as my template though.
I dried fit the Building on the foundation and started to cut more of the plaster.
Couple of more shot's.
Dennis, I'd suggest making the foundation smaller if you haven't already glued it together. The siding should overhang the stones (the studs sit on the foundation, and the siding overhangs so rain falls down, rather than landing on the foundation stones and then seeping underneath the structure.)
I like your color choices on the siding and windows.
dave
Dave Thank you very much. I will do that tonight. It's Actually shorter then the one supplied.
Quote from: deemery on February 28, 2021, 04:18:41 PM
Dennis, I'd suggest making the foundation smaller if you haven't already glued it together. The siding should overhang the stones (the studs sit on the foundation, and the siding overhangs so rain falls down, rather than landing on the foundation stones and then seeping underneath the structure.)
I like your color choices on the siding and windows.
dave
Thanks for that info. I hadn't heard of that before, but it makes sense. I'm working on a structure that requires that attention.
Thanks again, Mark
Nice start Dennis! :D
Build is looking great! J. Keen was also my first craftsman kit (I posted a thread on here). Looking forward to the updates.
-Steven
Thank you Bob and Steven Very nice.Dennis
My 2 1/2 year old gave Grandpa a kit to build for him. He was so excited to have it for his Thomas the engine stuff.
So I had to take a break from my easy kit the J.Keen build. And Tackle this Grandson and Grand Father build.
More
Just caught up on your thread Dennis.....I'll be looking in. :)
Thank you Greg.Dennis
Well We finished the tough build of the barn for my grandson, And done more on the J.Keen build. Not sure how to do the scenery and castings.But I will at least do the castings. Thanks for your support. Here are a few picture's. Dennis
Dennis,
J Keen came out well. I especially like the foundation. It is a huge improvement over the one in the kit. The roofing and walls look really nice, too. The windows seem a little too new looking against the walls, at least to my eye. I would suggest that you try to do a little dry brushing or lightly sponge the window casings with some gray to help them blend better with the rest of the building. That's one of Doug Foscale's tips I picked up some time ago, i.e., using the same colors for weathering and blending all parts of the structure.
Building the barn for your grandson really takes me back down memory lane. I built a layout for my son and we spent a lot of time picking out buildings and working on them and the layout together. The time spent with your grandson is something you both will treasure.
Dennis, I think you've done a great job for your first craftsman kit! I'm looking forward to your scenery.
If you're interested, here's a couple of notes:
1. Windows and doors. You've done such a great job on the clapboard weathering, I miss the same treatment for the windows and doors! Having a single color/layer makes things appear pretty new. You can either give them a wash (lots out there, but I use either A&I or an AK product like "Track Wash") or dirty them up with moderated use of earth-colored pastel chalks.
2. Nail holes. Only the right type of ruler will prevent you slipping and creating a wobbly line of nail holes. It's the metal kind without a cork backing. In fact, the best ruler that's worked for me is the little one that Bar Mills often ship for free with a purchase. It's got just the right height for my 1/4" pounce wheel to run along.
Again, really good job. It's a cool little build!
Thank you Jerry, I will try that today. My grandson was the happiest 2 1/2 year old alive. :)
Hi Craig, Thank you. The nail thing I slipped with the ruler. I thought I had it under control. Not good as I see that now. I looked for the ak interactive track wash. Do you use it 100% or do you break it down? I have microscope glass and I'm not sure what or how to add weather to windows without painting the glass now? I also forgot my window shade's. I tried your way and I messed it up way to much. Your version is what I like and want. So I will keep trying. Thanks for you support guy's. Dennis
Slipping with the pounce wheel is very easy to do, more-so than getting them straight. You'll get the knack soon, but the right ruler will help enormously.
AK's Track Wash is just what I sometimes use as it's on my bench. What AK products do you already have?
Enamel washes (like AK) operate the same way as oils. You can apply them 100% and then use mineral spirits (in a q-tip or brush -- but not dripping wet) to pull back the strength of the wash from select areas. For windows and doors, I pull back the strength from the raised areas leaving the wash to sit in the cracks and creases.
For the shades, what part did you "mess up"? Maybe I can help?
I don't use microscope glass, as I prefer clear acetate I buy from Hobby Lobby (I find it much easier to deal with).
Craig, I have about 20 bottles of AK Wash but no track wash.I have 4 different A&I but scared of it running down and ruining my clapboards. I'm sure it's just nerves and will get over it? I couldn't get off the ground with the curtains you made. Dennis
Streaking Grime is one of my favorite go to's from AK. Do you have that? Don't laden your brush with so much wash it could drip. Touching your brush to some tissue paper before applying it to the windows/doors will take care of that.
That being said, maybe it's best to use this info on your future builds, when the windows are still flat in front of you? (If aged windows are what you'll be after then, too).
For the shades, cut up some tan paper and put them behind each window. Don't worry about curtains for now. They can be tricky.
Craig, This is what I have, Pictures attached. If I die before I use everything my kid's are gonna have a hell of a time getting rid of everything. Including all the kits I have and just I bought over 50 kit's. It's a hoarding problem. Dennis
More pic's
yet more
Craig, This is not even half of my stuff....Dennis
You just bought 50 kits? I'm jealous!
And you have more washes than I do!
Any of those Vallejo washes will do you well, but just remember that they aren't enamel based that can be later subtracted with mineral spirits.
(I see you do have AK's streaking grime, so that's a great one to use!)
Thanks Craig. I'll give that a try today.Dennis
My wife say's that's a hoarding problem. lol
Hi All, Today I finished up with my first craftsman kit. 'm not sure of the base? I wanted to add things on to it but I believe it's to small. So I'll wait on the loading dock support's and the rear stair's. Dennis
Very cool, Dennis. Love that little grubby trash can!
I don't think your base is too small at all! More than enough space, in fact. Check out my little build here for how I handled a small base: http://keepitrusty.com/?p=1251 (http://keepitrusty.com/?p=1251)
Now you've got the first one in the bag, start on the next one as soon as you can. Keep that momentum going!
Dennis,
Nice job on the barn from your grandson and the J Keen structure. You have all the tools and paint on hand to do the next 50 builds.
Always think the hardest part to do is to work up the courage to get them out of the boxes to construct and paint them, but once you do, great things with follow.
Look forward to more of your modeling because it is a rewarding hobby to share.
Tommy
Thank you Craig, That came out very nice. Quite the tradesman you are. I'm gonna finish this one first then continue. Tom thank you for the kind word's my Grandson Loved it. I'm gonna take Craig's advice and finish this one first and start on KC's Workshop's Sky's Billiards next. Dennis
I've got that kit. Make sure to post another thread! I need to see how that one comes together :)
Dennis,
That came out great. I would never have known it was your first craftsman kit if you hadn't told us ahead of time.
I'm going to post a pic of my cutting mat and square. I use it for cutting walls and window or door openings. I find it really helps me to keep my nail holes running in a straight line. Once the bottom of the wall and the bottom of the mat are aligned and held in place with the square, some pressure on the vertical part of the square and it is much easier (at least for me) to keep the pounce wheel running in a straight line. I always struggled to keep the nail impressions straight when using just a ruler. I find this so much easier.
I made it by spray gluing a small cutting mat to a leftover piece of laminate flooring. The trick to making this work is getting the mat aligned precisely with the straight edge of the flooring. You could do the same thing with a piece of marble tile or tempered glass. The mat helps hold the wall in place as it has a higher coefficient of friction than any of the backing materials I mentioned. HTH
One more tip. I mark the nail holes at two foot intervals. Then when I add my rafter tails every two feet I don't need to mark the roof, just glue the rafter tail in line with the nail holes.
Thank you Jerry I like that.Dennis
Craig, I'm gonna change it up a little. I'm building it larger with road on 3 sides and elevated.
Very cool! Really liking this idea.
And nice sidewalk castings. Where are they from?
Thanks Craig, I got those from Randy at Downtown Deco. And I also have Cobblestone ones. I'm not sure what street light to go with? Dennis
sidewalks
Dennis
I just got caught up on your thread. Very nice work! You talked about having the nerve to use washes and our chalk to weather your window castings or clapboard siding. When in doubt take a piece of scrap and test it. I keep a box full of scrap pieces beside my workbench. I still do a lot of testing because every paint and color of paint takes the stain or wash a little different.
John I appreciate That. I will I have ton's of balsa wood. Dennis
Hey Dennis:
Looks great so far. I'll be following along.
Karl
Thank you Karl, I appreciate the kind word's. Dennis
hey Dennis:
You are quite welcome.
Karl
Well today I watched FOS and Jasen Jenson and Wiley's Scale Modeling. And did some more on my mini Diorama. I finished what I wanted to do to my J Keen Building.
Tonight I tried my luck at weathering. Get this!!! I don't have any dirt. (Dummy) I found 2 25 pound's of pitcher mound dirt but it looks to red. So I guess I'll have to order some from NEBROWNSTONE. Not sure where else to get it? My yard has snow still on the ground. So I'll do the dirt section and all the small detail work asap. New picture's.Thanks for following....Dennis
Here's the rest for tonight. Dennis
Very dynamic! Really liking what I see here, Dennis.
Great expansion blocks too. Did you carve directly into the foam or are they plaster?
Craig, Thank you sir. They are carved in the foam at 20' sections. I'm learning as I go. Lot's more tomorrow I hope? Dennis
Dennis,
Looking good! Nice weathering on the streets. I'm excited to see how much more you are going to do with this diorama.
If you are in a hurry for "dirt" you might try some sanded grout from Home Depot. It is pretty inexpensive and comes in several colors. (In my experience, Lowe's doesn't have nearly as good a selection of the product.)
Just keeps getting better Dennis. Fun to watch.
Jim D
Jerry, Thank you. I will head to Homedepot tomorrow. Friday is shopping day. No Dr's lol I have ton's more. Need to do tree's and ground coverage and lot's of life. Dennis
Thank you Jim, I appreciate the kind word's. Dennis
Hey Dennis:
Beautiful job. Love what you did with this building.
Karl
Thank you Karl. I have ton's more work and gonna add all I can and learn as I go. Dennis
Glad you're having fun, Dennis. May this start an itch to build that you can never scratch!
I have lot's of itching to do ;) I'm looking for ideas now.
Hey:
Dennis sounds good to me.
Karl
Dennis,
You did a great job on the diorama. Love the look of the road. Some itching material on the way.
Tom ;D
Thank you my Friend. Mote updates soon. I just found a box with Rusty Rails stuff :)
Dennis
Your build looks great! I can't wait to see what you do next.
Thank you John. Not to bad for a little kit.More to come.
Dennis,
Very nice job on that first structure. Something to be quite proud of. The barn was very cool, too!
My pounce wheel slips just about once on every structure I build. Guess I get going too fast and confident sometimes. But it's nothing a nice bushy vine growing up the side of the building won't hide...
...and you'll notice lots of vines on my structures. :P
--Opa George
George, Thank you for the kind word's. I'm sure it won't be my last time. :)
Wonderful job on the Keen building Dennis.....the scene you planted it in is really nice (the elevation changes are visually exciting). Keep up the great work. 8)