FOS Harbor Master Office build.

[ACL1504]

Tom, thanks for the tips and techniques you routinely provide in your build threads. It's the small things that make a big difference and you do a great job showing them. Jeff

Jeff,

You are very welcome. I appreciate you stopping by and posting a comment.

Tom

[ACL1504]

Great job on the peeling paint look on the small office.
Doug

Doug,

Thank you, it turned out well.

Tom

[tom.boyd.125]

Tom,
Just found your build today...how long do you soak the Hunterline stain for the wood planks and dowels used on the pier ?
Like the way you weathered this FOS structure and put your personal touch on this one.
Tommy

[ACL1504]

Tom,
Just found your build today...how long do you soak the Hunterline stain for the wood planks and dowels used on the pier ?
Like the way you weathered this FOS structure and put your personal touch on this one.
Tommy

Tommy,

Thanks for checking in and great question on the wood staining.

On the wood dowels, I let them soak a few minutes but no longer than five. No reason, just a mental time check.

On the planks I don't soak them at all. I use a soft 1/4" wide brush and paint on the stain. I do this as I don't want the stain to soak to deeply into the wood. Knowing I was going to lightly sand the tops, the brush staining allows me to remove a little of the top stain layer to expose some unstained portions as shown. This is a great effect on the top of decks/loading docks etc.

Thank you as well for the compliment on the structures. I think kit building and kit bashing can be a curse and blessing. When I decide to change the look of a kit, I start out with something specific in mind. Often, I change that initial idea as the build progresses. Such is the case with this "kit of the month". I wanted a second smaller dock for the gas pump and then decided to add a small office to the second dock.


During the smaller dock build, I decided to add a ramp between the two instead of stairs. And so on and on.

Tom

[Mark Dalrymple]

Looking terrific, Tom!

Cheers, Mark.

[fsmcollector67]

Tom,
Looking good.....

Loren...

[ACL1504]

Looking terrific, Tom!

Cheers, Mark.

Mark, Cheers,

Thank you, much appreciate the kind words.

Tom

[ACL1504]

Tom,
Looking good.....

Loren...

Loren,

Thank you as well for the compliment, appreciate it.

Tom

[ACL1504]

I added a pole light on the larger deck and also on the smaller one. I didn't say how I wired the LED on/in a wooden dowel so I'll go over it quickly here.

I also did this on several pole lights in the Delwin's Net and Boat Storage thread explaining the process. That was about 5 years ago. I can't take credit for the trick. I learned it from Dario of Rail Scale Miniatures.

After cutting a dowel the size of your choice, mine is 1/8" round, cut the top at a slight angle. This allows the water in the 1:1 world to drain off the top of the pole. I cut mine at 17.5 HO scale feet in length.



Next take a thin Dremel cutoff disc and cut a grove in the dowel.



NOTE: If you've never tired this before, I recommend you hold the dowel with pliers or place it in a small desk vise. You don't want to cut a grove in any of your fingers. I've done this several times and can hold the dowel while cutting the grove without joining the Dremel Disc Club.

[ACL1504]

Using the Dremel cutoff disc, cut a grove up the pole to about 2 HO scale feet from the top. The  photo below shows what you want to do with the grove.

After making your goose neck lamp and bracket, drill a small hole in the top of the pole at a 90 degree angle from the grove. This is when you need to decide how your lamp will be positioned on the dock. You want the grove towards the back or away from viewers eyes.

Next run the LED wires through the pole and down in to the grove. I used a little CAA (super glue) to secure the wires in the grove.



I made a hole in the dock and used a round file to enlarge it so the dowel fit snug. The bottom of the dowel/pole sits on the front bent.



More in a few.

[ACL1504]

If the wire colors bother you, you can paint them a dark color to match the pole.

I used Floquil Roof Brown to show how it looks. Remember, the wires on this pole won't be seen by the visitors.

Unpainted wires -



Painted wires -



Continued  -

[ACL1504]

More tomorrow if time allows.

[PRR Modeler]

Great how to Tom. It never crossed my mind to Dremel out a groove for the wiring.

[postalkarl]

Hey Tom:

Very nicely done. Love your colors.

Karl

[WigWag Workshop]

Coming along nicely, I really like how the decking color looks.  Thank you for sharing how you did the light pole.


-Steven