Hilltown Entrepreneurs, Build Challenge 2016

[S&S RR]

I have complete faith in Dr. Jeff. 

[Zephyrus52246]

John, you have more faith in me than I do myself.    I haven't posted in a few days and I'm halfway down the second page of builds, which is great.  I cut the windows off the sprues and filed the edges and cleaned out the few panes that had flash in them.  Filed the metal door edges square and smooth as well.  Washed them all and prepared them for airbrushing.  First I needed to clean the airbrush.  It didn't work well the last time I used it (over a year ago).  I got some new parts and a "cleaning kit" from Iwata at the NMRA show last year, and finally used it.  I also put the parts (and the lower half the airbrush) in an ultrasonic cleaner.  It sprays thinner well, we'll see how it does with pain.     I also needed to pick trim colors.  The kit has the smaller building being yellow with brown trim and the larger one white with green trim.  SRMW used all craft paints for this.  I'm using the same yellow, but I've picked the green and brown (mine is more a zinc oxide brown) from my Vallejo colors.  I can airbrush and regular brush this way.  I'm not brave enough to airbrush the craft paints.     I painted some greens on the card to see how they would look with the white and picked one.

[Zephyrus52246]

I needed to lay out the windows for painting.  Some of them need to be glued together to make larger windows.  I also went thru the instructions several times to make sure I didn't mix up the windows, and I have a couple of extra windows.  I'm not complaining.   


Jeff

[ACL1504]

Jeff,

Well, looks like you are off to a smooth start. Your colors should be fine.

Tom

[Zephyrus52246]

Well, the airbrushing took a lot longer than it should have.  I watched a video where someone mixed his color right in the airbrush cup.  He used backpressure (hold your finger over the end of the airbrush and hit the air).  The mixture bubbles up and mixes.  I did the red first.  I put in thinner and then some color.  I think it was too thin as it took a lot of spraying to get color.  Then I kind of over applied it and it took awhile to dry.  Looked OK, though.  Then I did the green.  I used less thinner, then put in the green.  The paint went to the bottom and didn't mix.  When I backsprayed the paint went back into the airbrush.  Of course, not even air came out then.  So I took the whole thing apart and cleaned it.  I won't do that again!  Mixed the color up and sprayed and it sprayed OK, but the color isn't quite what I brush painted onto the card as you can see in the picture.  The green blob blow the green on the card is what the color is supposed to be.  The red is a bit lighter, too (you can see the darker red between the red and green cards).  I'll have to see how the green looks slightly diluted when I paint it on the doors, or I'll have to overpaint the windows with a brush, which kinda defeats the purpose of airbrushing it to start with.  I also forgot the paint doesn't stick to metal parts without priming.    At least it washed right off the door. 


Jeff

[postalkarl]

Hi Jeff:

I wil be following alone as I like to see South River kits get built.  I'm sure you will do a great jolb with it.

Karl

[Vilius]

Jeff,

The video you are referring to is most likely one from Trainmasters TV. The technique worked for me. I used Floquil though.
I am looking forward to your build.

Vilius

[Zephyrus52246]

Again, I don't post for a week and I'm way down on page 2 of the builds.  It's great having this many builds going on at once.  Next up for the walls are the nailholes.  I won't get into the pro/con argument here, but I think they add a little more detail, especially to a run down structure like this one will be.  I use the Monster Nailer from MonsterModelWorks for this.  They don't make them anymore, unfortunately.  I spaced them 2 feet apart on the walls, using the square.  Next up is using a #11 blade to make some individual board cuts.  Then using the nailer again on each side of the cut.  I then lift some of the boards with a #15 chisel blade.  I use the tiny forceps (tweezers) to remove any bristles that remain on the wall from the drybrusing.  One wall down, oodles to go. 


Jeff

[S&S RR]

Jeff


Your build is coming along just fine.  I'm finding that I use my airbrush less and less. The Vallejo paints brush on so well that it just isn't worth the time to clean the air brush. It's to bad Monster isn't making their nailer any more - I use mine all the time. Especially for the nails at the ends board ends. 

[Zephyrus52246]

Thanks, John.  I think my main problem with the airbrush is I only use it once a year or so and forget everything I've ever learned about it.    I stained all the stripwood with the light grey Hunterline stain and painted a piece with the green paint and it was much darker than the windows, so I've over painted them.  You can see the stripwood compared with the now mostly overpainted windows here.  I think I will sponge paint some grey over them to weather them as well. 

Jeff

[Mike Engler]

Way to go Dr. Jeff!

[S&S RR]

Thanks, John.  I think my main problem with the airbrush is I only use it once a year or so and forget everything I've ever learned about it.    I stained all the stripwood with the light grey Hunterline stain and painted a piece with the green paint and it was much darker than the windows, so I've over painted them.  You can see the stripwood compared with the now mostly overpainted windows here.  I think I will sponge paint some grey over them to weather them as well. 

Jeff

I like the darker green better.

[R Edington]

  Jeff

I agree with John with the darker green is better.

[Oldguy]

Just got the kit the other day.  Will be very interested in watching your build.

I can't do a build challenge yet, since I'm doing a 1:1 build of the bench work.

[postalkarl]

Hi Jeff:

Good Progress. I still following along.

Karl