Lake Region first build J Keen

[Keep It Rusty]

You just bought 50 kits? I'm jealous!

And you have more washes than I do!

Any of those Vallejo washes will do you well, but just remember that they aren't enamel based that can be later subtracted with mineral spirits.

(I see you do have AK's streaking grime, so that's a great one to use!)

[Dennis Bourey]

Thanks Craig. I'll give that a try today.Dennis

[Dennis Bourey]

My wife say's that's a hoarding problem. lol

[Dennis Bourey]

Hi All, Today I finished up with my first craftsman kit. 'm not sure of the base? I wanted to add things on to it but I believe it's to small. So I'll wait on the loading dock support's and the rear stair's. Dennis

[Keep It Rusty]

Very cool, Dennis. Love that little grubby trash can!

I don't think your base is too small at all! More than enough space, in fact. Check out my little build here for how I handled a small base: http://keepitrusty.com/?p=1251

Now you've got the first one in the bag, start on the next one as soon as you can. Keep that momentum going!

[tom.boyd.125]

Dennis,
Nice job on the barn from your grandson and the J Keen structure. You have all the tools and paint on hand to do the next 50 builds.
Always think the hardest part to do is to work up the courage to get them out of the boxes to construct and paint them, but once you do, great things with follow.
Look forward to more of your modeling because it is a rewarding hobby to share.
Tommy

[Dennis Bourey]

Thank you Craig, That came out very nice. Quite the tradesman you are. I'm gonna finish this one first then continue. Tom thank you for the kind word's my Grandson Loved it. I'm gonna take Craig's advice and finish this one first and start on KC's Workshop's Sky's Billiards next.  Dennis

[Keep It Rusty]

I've got that kit. Make sure to post another thread! I need to see how that one comes together

[jerryrbeach]

Dennis,


That came out great.  I would never have known it was your first craftsman kit if you hadn't told us ahead of time. 


I'm going to post a pic of my cutting mat and square.  I use it for cutting walls and window or door openings.  I find it really helps me to keep my nail holes running in a straight line.  Once the bottom of the wall and the bottom of the mat are aligned and held in place with the square, some pressure on the vertical part of the square and it is much easier (at least for me) to keep the pounce wheel running in a straight line.  I always struggled to keep the nail impressions straight when using just a ruler.  I find this so much easier. 


I made it by spray gluing a small cutting mat to a leftover piece of laminate flooring.  The trick to making this work is getting the mat aligned precisely with the straight edge of the flooring.  You could do the same thing with a piece of marble tile or tempered glass.  The mat helps hold the wall in place as it has a higher coefficient of friction than any of the backing materials I mentioned.  HTH


One more tip.  I mark the nail holes at two foot intervals.  Then when I add my rafter tails every two feet I don't need to mark the roof, just glue the rafter tail in line with the nail holes. 

[Dennis Bourey]

Thank you Jerry I like that.Dennis

[Dennis Bourey]

Craig, I'm gonna change it up a little. I'm building it larger with road on 3 sides and elevated.

[Keep It Rusty]

Very cool! Really liking this idea.

And nice sidewalk castings. Where are they from?

[Dennis Bourey]

Thanks Craig, I got those from Randy at Downtown Deco. And I also have Cobblestone ones.  I'm not sure what street light to go with? Dennis

[Dennis Bourey]

sidewalks

[S&S RR]

Dennis


I just got caught up on your thread.  Very nice work! You talked about having the nerve to use washes and our chalk to weather your window castings or clapboard siding.  When in doubt take a piece of scrap and test it. I keep a box full of scrap pieces beside my workbench. I still do a lot of testing because every paint and color of paint takes the stain or wash a little different.