Superior & Seattle Railroad Build

[GPdemayo]

Wonderful progress John.....you were lucky you only had to put up with the peanut gallery for few days at the Expo, I get to have them all year round.....great fun. 

Wow,  Greg and you call these guys friends.  Like I said above if it gets to hot for you down their come on up North and visit the S&S RR.  Thanks for stopping by the thread and for the kind words.

A visit to your part of the world sounds like a great plan.....thanks for the invite and look forward to seeing your empire. 

[S&S RR]

I received an email from one of the guests to our forum with some suggestions on how to make this thread better.  Basically said that he/or she wanted to keep the comments between the two of us (doesn't like to post) but they seem to be reading most of the threads on the forum. The comment was basically try to add more comments on the how and why of each progress step rather than just reporting on progress. Like ReadingBob does on his build threads! Bob you will always be the best in my eyes with build threads.  We had a thread going earlier in the week on the status of forums so these comments were very timely.


When I started this thread I was trying to post the information that I was looking for when I got started in the hobby and over the years I think I started thinking everyone reading the thread already knows that.  In my way of thinking there are layout progress threads and there are build threads that try to explain the techniques being used. I always wanted this to be a build thread. So today,  while I was working on my Jacob's build I took a few more pictures and will be attempting to post more of the how and why.

[S&S RR]

To the guest that sent the email - Thank you.  I hope that someday you will feel comfortable joining the forum, posting your comments, and even posting some of your work. Until then, I hope this redirection of this thread helps you with your enjoyment of the hobby - what ever direction it takes you.

[S&S RR]

And now and update on my Jacob's build.  This first picture is my workbench where I'm preparing the metal castings for painting. I mount my casting to wood sticks to help with handling them. The picture shows the process. I'm using the same wood glue that I use to build the wood portion of the kits. It's Titebond III ( note to photographer turn the bottle so the label shows next time).


The glue holds the castings in place through the whole painting process - I have tried double stick tape of a number of different brands and I never seem to keep the casting on the stick long enough to get them through the painting process. 


There is a trick to removing the castings once your ready to mount them to your build.  Glue is very weak in shear so you need to twist them off the stick. If you try to pull them off you can damage the castings.


I really like these metal bolt castings - they look much more realistic than the plastic castings. I don't know of a current source for metal nut & bolt castings - anyone know of one?

[S&S RR]

On my other workbench I'm preparing the wood parts for the build by distressing them (adding grain) with a razor saw.  I use three different types depending on the size of the piece of wood.  They all have saw teeth in the blades.


I'm staining the wood with chalks - for this build I'm using three different colors - a black, a dark brown, and a medium gray.  This is the colors I chose for a coaling facility. I scrape the chalk from the stick with a razor blade and then add 90% alcohol. I'm brushing the mixture on to the wood with a 1/4 inch paint brush.


During the process the wood gets slivers that need to be removed. I like to remove them after the staining process because the alcohol tends to make them stick out more and even adds some slivers durning the drying process.

[S&S RR]

Here is a photograph of the wood after the distressing process.

[S&S RR]

After the staining process - you can see the slivers better with the white background and dark wood.

[S&S RR]

Finally, I remove the slivers with 600 or 800 grit sand paper. This process not only removes the slivers but also gives the wood a more weathered look. Part of that is texture and part a lightening of the color.

[S&S RR]

A comment on this technique:  Up until a few years ago I would have used alcohol & Ink to weather the wood for this build.  I have started using the chalk process after attending one of Brent Gallent's SWSM clinics. I will still us A&I for some builds, but I really like the difference in color from board to board using this technique. With A&I you get a difference board to board by the difference in the way the wood absorbs the stain - which you get here. But you also get differences because you are using different colors of chalk which you are randomly blending together. Another plus with the chalks is the texture. To me it looks more natural. 

[S&S RR]

Here is a photograph of a few of the more than 1200 sticks required for this double build ready to be glued in place.





Note the difference in color and texture.

[Janbouli]

Thank you John, I really like this kind of build thread.

[KCS Trains]

John, being a Sierra West disciple, I couldn't agree more.  The chalk and alcohol mix gives you a lot of versatility.  There are so many chalk choices, the combinations are almost endless.  For those new to this process, go the Sierra West website, https://www.sierrawestscalemodels.com/ and check out Brett's video under Craftsman Kit University.  You will see how easy it is.  Phil

[S&S RR]

John, being a Sierra West disciple, I couldn't agree more.  The chalk and alcohol mix gives you a lot of versatility.  There are so many chalk choices, the combinations are almost endless.  For those new to this process, go the Sierra West website, https://www.sierrawestscalemodels.com/ and check out Brett's video under Craftsman Kit University.  You will see how easy it is.  Phil

Phil


Thanks for stopping by the thread. Brett's Website is a great source of information and if you get a chance to attend one of his clinics I highly recommended it.  If you look in the pictures of my workbench, on the shelf you will find many of Brett's kits that are in the build cue. I have an area picked on the other side Mount Aiden for many of them.  His newest kit O'Neal's Fabrication is part of a series of kits he is planning. I already have my order in for the complete set - I just call him with a credit card number when he is ready to ship. That reminds me I need to get back to work and pay for them .

[S&S RR]

Thank you John, I really like this kind of build thread.

Thanks Jan

[S&S RR]

The workbench is filling up with stained wood and castings to paint.  This first picture is the wood and castings for the main bins.





I put the wood that is ready for assembly in labeled cups which helps save time looking for the piece I want during the assembly process.