Wow.  Beautiful work.

Jeff

Morning all,

I think when working that Monday the 13th is scarier than Friday the 13th.  No issues with that now.  

Headed to 80 degrees F (27 C) later today.  Able to put the trash out this morning in shorts and a T shirt.  Even warmer tomorrow.  

I have a few 1:1 projects to do now that it's warming up over the next couple of days, but hope to work on the kits as well.

Jeff

After the painting I add nail holes and a few board ends and lift a few with a chisel blade.  I managed to break the top of one of the side walls and needed to glue it back on.  Broke a wall on the other kit as well.     I gave this a light spray of dullcoat so it won't react with the oil/mineral spirits black wash.  I did a light wash of this and this is where it stands tonight.  I like to give this a day to dry and then will put the building together.  Need to add the sign to the back wall yet.

Jeff

I first stained the sides and window/door sheet with Hunterline Light Gray stain.  Then using a modified sponge painting technique, a mix of tapping/sliding the sponge, colored the sides.  

Jeff

I added more bracing than called for.  And of course had a couple of pieces that needed removal/shortening.  It's a habit I'd like to break.  I found Northeastern Flamingo glue at the Davenport train show a few weeks ago.  It's been off their website awhile (they don't ship in the winter as it freezes and ruins the glue).  This has great tack and dries fairly quickly and it's easy to pick off any "glue globs" that may leak out of a joint.   

Jeff

I start by squaring the walls as the laser tends to cut at an angle.  Put on the sander and sand just enough to get the "burn marks" off.

Jef

While waiting for the layout room temp to improve (usually 66 F or 18 C this time of year), and my backdrops to come I thought I'd build a couple of quick kits.  This is a FOS "freebie" barber shop.  These are very basic.  This one at least has a page of bracing instructions, most have none.  The back wall is "paper board" to be covered with a large sign.  Some window/door pieces and some bracing wood/trim wood. A small barber pole and a roof stack included as well as the signs.  A floor/sidewalk is there as well. 

Jeff

I then used the same spackle mixed with some earth colored paint for mortar.  The crack over the door is barely visible at least.

Jeff

After that dried I usually spray some flat white over the surface to seal it, but had some brick colored red primer that I used instead.  It shows that the side pieces didn't quite go perfectly perpendicular as well.  Kinda mucked this one up.  Looks like a "background building". 

Jeff

I figured I'd just attach the wall, live with a bad corner and cover it with vines.  I glued the front wall back together and braced it (I'd braced the corners when originally gluing them on).  There is usually a slight line at the corners which I put tape on each side and put some spackle in the line to fill in the hole.  

Jeff

Well, when the sides were cured.  There was a little problem.  On the Deco kits, the back wall edges are usually flat and can be sanded down to fit, that would ruin the brick details on the edges here.  So I tried to see if there was any "give" in the Elmer's joints and of course broke the front wall over the door, the weakest point.     I really should know better. 

Jeff

The castings are good, very little flash to scrape off.  Very few pinholes and only a couple of chips.  I didn't fill in the holes, I hoped the paint/mortar would do that.  I usually sand the backs to make sure they're square, but these seemed to fit well without doing that, probably should have.  

I usually use 5 minute epoxy for these.  Time to wiggle them into place, make sure they are perpendicular, etc.  I didn't have any epoxy, and the instructions say to use Elmer's glue.  So I did and placed them into this metal tray with some 90 degree things and thought they were well aligned.  

Jeff

While waiting for the layout room to warm up and my backdrops to come I started work on two little kits.  This one is the Supply shed from Motrak Models.  Not even looking when I bought this, I thought these were laser cut walls, but they're hydrocal.  I've done several Downtown Deco kits, so that should be no problem... (Foreshadowing)...

Jeff

I always enjoy your build threads.  Need to get some of that panel liner.

Jeff

Morning all,

Already in the 60s today and headed to 74 F, (23 C).  

I'll probably cut up the sticks in the yard later.  

Slow progress on the kits, but getting there.  

Ordered the backdrops, need to draw level and a perpendicular line for hanging them. 

Jeff