O'Doul's Flop House Build

[Zephyrus52246]

After FINALLY finishing the CCK Metcalf's build.  It's time to start a new project.  On the layout, I'm going to start adding the sidings, since the main line is finished.  For a structure, I have a multitude of options.  I'm going to try to "populate" one area of structures.  This is the area I'm going to work on, as I have some structures finished and have others "in the stack" for this spot.  This is a stylized "East Dubuque, Illinois" where the CB&Q ran on the east edge of the Mississippi river on the Chicago/Minneapolis main line.  E. Dubuque is pretty much bars/strip joints, so  I thought of starting the Red Light District by FOS, as Bob B. has an excellent build tutorial on it going, but I wanted something smaller I could finish quickly, as the CCK build took over a year  .  I also received my FOS REA express building that Karl has been building recently, but it's pretty big too.  It has a place reserved in the next room.  So I recently acquire a Bar Mills' O'Doul's Flop House, and I think if I put it on a slight rise behind the Metcalf's, it will help block the "hole in the wall" where the rails come thru from the other room.  I had planned a large structure here (the white mock up in the picture), but I think it's too big and doesn't fit the area.  The background will be short bluffs, common along the river, so the town is sort of self contained.  The  FOS 'Red Light District' will probably be on the back or side street, but I'll have to see how it fits as I build it.  But first up is O'Doul's.  Here's the kit contents.  Clapboards, stripwood, plastic windows, a few detail parts, pretty detailed instructions, a nice scale ruler with some scale conversion stuff on the back, and (HUZZAH!) laser cut windows. 


Jeff

[Zephyrus52246]

As it's a flop house, it would probably not be well maintained.  Even though the two foreground buildings in the scene are white, I think this one will be white as well as white paint was cheap (the instructions mention this as well).  The Metcalf's and Myer's and Son's in the foreground were painted by dry brushing the walls.  It looks great (to me anyway), but takes too much time, especially on this structure with all the railings).  So I'm going to stain the wood first, then paint it white, and use grey "sponge painting" to weather it.  I started by removing the clapboards from the sheets and sanding the edges to square them up.  I then braced the walls, according to the instructions.  The instructions constantly note to brace, but there's no bracing instructions/diagrams for the two largest walls.  I then spray painted the insides black to help with "not warping later" and, as there's no interior, to show nothing thru the windows.  I decided to try some of the Hunterline stains I obtained at the NG convention in KC years ago.  I started with 'driftwood', thinking it would grey the wood, but it's more a brown than a grey, as seen in the first pic.  I then used their 'light grey'.  The two of them made it a bit greyer, but still a bit brown, as in the second pic.   I think it looks OK (the lighting in here/flash isn't showing quite the color).  But it caused somewhat severe warping as seen in the next pics.  I've never had warping in between windows before, and the non braced wall is now an arc.  After some clamps/weighting, most of the warping has improved.  Next up is painting everything white.  I think I'll spray the plastic windows white and hope they match the craft paint white. 


Jeff

[deemery]

There's something 'wrong' about naming a flophouse after an Alcohol-Free beer :-) :-) 


Did you apply the stain on both sides?  Try that and see if that helps even out the warping. 



dave

[rpdylan]

wow, I've never had warping that bad either! I have been using the Hunterline black or light gray to stain walls and strip wood.

[ReadingBob]

Hi Jeff,

We always suspected you might be a little warped.  Aren't we all?   

I like the Hunterline Light Grey weathering Mix. I have experience a little bit of warping with the stains but no more than I encounter when using thinned acrylics or A&I on walls.

I'm looking forward to following along with your build (and seeing the progress on your layout).  Thanks for sharing. 

[bparrish]

Jeff...

Is that warped front panel a mini ply or a single thickness sheet of bass wood?

How to solve this matters.  It looks like the wood expanded unevenly when the stain was applied.

For the moment......... try and fit a window casting into a opening that is not seriously warped.  My guess is that the openings have not moved significantly.  If so the warped areas can be relieved to come back straight.

Another option is to contact the manufacturer for some replacement panels.  It may have been a batch or weird wood.

For now....... let me know if it is a ply or solid wood.

see ya
Bob

[Zephyrus52246]

Hi guys!  Thanks for checking in.  Dave, the backsides of the wall were spray painted black after I braced the walls, which is one reason I was surprised they warped so badly.  Bob, they are basswood.  Even though they had dried about an hour before I took the pictures, I put them under some weights and braced and clamped the window areas and it's all pretty flat now.  Maybe it wasn't quite dry.  The windows and doors fit OK as well. I think I'll brace them some more before applying the white paint.  I need to study the instructions more to see if I can brace the "unbraced" walls without interfering with some future construction item.  The stain is shoe dye in 70% alcohol, and I've used A&I with 70% alcohol and not had this issue.  But again, it's all back to pretty normal.  Time for more bracing and starting the white paint!. 


Jeff

[S&S RR]

Jeff


Glad to hear you got the warping fixed.  I have switched to 90% alcohol after having a similar experience a few years ago. It seemed to be a random thing for me but I haven't had another problem since with the 90% alcohol. My 2 cents.

The time I had the issue it was so bad that the bracing also warped.  I have always wondered if I got a batch of alcohol that was less than 70 percent.

Looking forward to following the build.

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks for checking in, John.  I've been dinking around with this for the last week or so.  I painted the sides with white craft paint, diluted with some water, which caused some slight warping again, but after it dried they were flat again.  I put extra bracing on the walls to prevent further problems.  I started adding nail holes to a wall and was nearly done when I noticed it's the wall between the structures.  No one will see it!  After some deliberation I figured the porches will make the nail hole details pretty moot on the front, and no one will see the back or one other side, so I only did one wall.  I added a sign to the "visible" side and added the nail holes and lifted a few boards.  I painted the windows with white spray paint and sponged the sandstone/grey on.  They were still a little grey as you can see on the wall on the left in the picture.  After an A&I wash, the wall has a monotone grey color, which is what I'm after here.  Time to add the glass to the windows.  The "glass" is laser cut for width, but no length, so I had to trim them.  Then I'll add some shades and then glue the walls together.

Jeff

[S&S RR]

  I have switched to 90% alcohol after having a similar experience a few years ago. It seemed to be a random thing for me but I haven't had another problem since with the 90% alcohol. My 2 cents.

The term, "  My two cents "  is from the late 19th century, New York. All the great newspapers of the time, like The New York World, sold for the same price. Two cents. So if a person wanted to quote a different newspaper he would say , " Well here's my two cents."

Interesting, I have been using that term all my life and didn't know where it came from.

[bparrish]

John...

That is why we keep Candy around........

But ! ! !

Right after that............

Candy..... where have you been? ? ? ? ?

see ya
Bob

[Candy]

Here and there. Good and bad.     But things are going well these days.

[Zephyrus52246]

Windows/corner trim painted and installed.  The buildings don't abut this way, it's just for the picture.  Glass is in and made some shades and a pair of  tissue curtains for the side wall with the Oreo sign.


Jeff

[tom.boyd.125]

Jeff,
Wall coloring looks great along with that neat sign. Will follow along. 
Tommy

[postalkarl]

HI Jeff:

It's looking good so far. Like the white paint and light weathering.

Karl