Jon H Olson Chemical Co DBA Skeeter's Fly Dope

[Jim Donovan]

I need to change up the beginning of this build thread, the first was just boring. So here is the true reason why Skeeters came to be on the Holland Odessa Railroad. It's the honest truth!

Work on the latest business located in Mandryville continues: G. DeMayo Chemical Co. specializes in the manufacture of the world famous Skeeters Fly Dope (mosquito repellent). Business literally took off when a local family, the Taltails, reported mosquitos had carried their baby off. No one in town even knew Mrs Annie Taltail had been pregnant. A massive search was conducted for baby Taltail but no trace was found. No matter, Skeeters Fly Dope flew off the selves as fast as it could be made. Production continued night and day, resulting in the construction of the first Coal powered electric generation facility west of Cleeevland (not yet built). The father of the lost baby, Carpy Taltail found work at Skeeters as Mr. G DeMayo took him under his wing due his terrible loss. Years later Carpy was made Production Manager. As such he learned the secret ingredient of Skeeters and sold it to DeMayo's competitor, a fellow by the name of Coopertone, who was desperate, being on the brink of bankruptcy. However this no good sonderal would not profit from his cheating ways. The secret ingredient Baron (Run Fast or Go Home) DeMayo had developed was none other than what we call DDT today. He was caught trying to leave the factory with a second veil . He quickly drank the evidence and was fired. Last anyone saw of him he had grown a couple of eyes and a tail. Some say a creature in the nearby canal was seen swimming that looked a lot like Carpy but most think he just Croaked.  DeMayo went on to bigger things but to this day legend has it no mosquitoes were seen in Mandryville ever again.

And with that let's begin: Skeeters Fly Dope was an imaginary chemical factory that operated at the turn of the last century. As such it will fit on my Ohio side layout perfectly. I have the directions and templates but no kit. I attempted to find the person who made the kit but to date no luck. They made 300 of this incredible kit in 1994, sold them and never made another. So without the kit I am going to make the structures using a Cameo 3 from Silhouette and a Cricut Maker. It is primarily because I am using these craft machines that I thought a kit build thread would be interesting to others.

So here is the original structure that was built by Dave Frary (he is spotlighted in the directions) for use in the advertising of the kit:



Pretty neat isn't it?

[Jim Donovan]

I bought a Cameo 3 about two years ago and learned it would score plastic up to .3 and so long as not intricate I could cut the parts out. I found with multiple passes I could cut very tight tolerances with styrene that was up to .15mm thick. Turns out the plastic signs that say 'Stay Out' and can be bought for a buck at Dollar Tree are .15mm styrene. I will be using it to make the windows. It also is great cutting mat board up to 1/16 in thick. I often use the matboard for the interior. The Cameo 3 can index so you can first print the cardstock and then cut it into the shape you want. Its' precision when done right is impressive. It uses a laser to determine the watermark lines.

This past Christmas I got a Cricut Maker from Santa. The Maker has the advantage of being able to cut Basswood up to 1/16 of an inch according to the directions but I suspect I may be able to cut 3/32 but for now 1/16 is all I need. I thought the Cricut Maker would replace the Cameo but have been surprised that the Cameo can actually do more then the Maker, at least what I am looking for. Both have significant learning curves and I have not really tried to learn all the Maker can do so I might change my mind in time. However for this project I will be using both depending on need.

This is the Cameo 3:


And here is the Cricut Maker:


I read that the Cameo 3 can produce a force of 225psi and the Cricut Maker can go up to almost 400psi. It is the extra force and special knife blade that enables the Maker to cut wood.

Anyhow I just wanted to introduce this project tonight. Follow along if you have any interest in using these cut machines. I am by no means a master modeler so what you might pick up are tips to use these machines more than anything on my level of artistic ability. I will finish this post with a photo of where I currently am at. All parts used except strip wood, Tichy Windows and glass were printed and cut using the two craft machines.

[postalkarl]

Hey Jim:

I shall be following along.

Karl

[GPdemayo]

I'll be looking in on this on Jim.....looks great so far. 

[WigWag Workshop]

I purchased the Cameo 4, and so far I only used it for cutting paper signs using the magnetic trace tool.  SweetieBear has been using it for all types of crafty stuff.  I did do a test cut on some clapboard siding, while it did not cut all the way the through, I was still able to "pop-out" the pieces.


-Steven

[Jim Donovan]

Greg and Karl thanks for stopping by. This will be a little bit of a different build. I plan to spend significant time discussing the Cricut Maker and Cameo 3 abilities. In addition I will discuss the Photon S resin printer I have just started to learn and have parts being made for the buildings.

Jim D

[Jim Donovan]

I purchased the Cameo 4, and so far I only used it for cutting paper signs using the magnetic trace tool.  SweetieBear has been using it for all types of crafty stuff.  I did do a test cut on some clapboard siding, while it did not cut all the way the through, I was still able to "pop-out" the pieces.


-Steven

Hi Steven and welcome. The Cameo 3 has much in common with the Cameo 4 but the 4 is a significant improvement I understand. Hopefully this build will give you some ideas. I'm not sure I can upload the .svg files I have been making but if you see something you like let me know and I will e-mail it to you.  Some easy and helpful things the Cameo does for me are: Make perfect styrene 'glass' for Tichy windows. They provide the exact opening dimensions which you can plug in and drop in place.I often make cardstock mock ups using the Cameo to see where the kit should go on layout and get idea how it will look. I have spent a lot of time and effort to develop realistic palm trees using vellum paper that I make into the palm fronds. The cameo will score styrene up to .3 thick which can be snapped out and I use that feature a lot to make detail parts. I feel i have only scratched the surface. Now with the Cricut Maker I an do even more.

[Jim Donovan]

The only reason this kit can be made close to the kit design are the well written instructions that contain excellent in scale diagrams and drawings. Before I began working on making the complex I scanned the diagrams. I have read the directions twice but also again read the part on what I am working on before attempting to cut out the needed parts.

In order for either of these cutters to work they need to read a .svg file. These files can be made using Corral-Draw, Illustrator or any other design program. In addition you can use the design program from Silhouette. It is much like Illustrator but much simpler to use. While it does not have many of the artistic functions of Adobe products, for structure modeling it is more than enough if you upgrade to the 'Designer' addition. I paid $35.00 for this upgrade, then another $65.00 for the 'Business Edition'. The advantage of the Business Edition is it saves to and import from a wide variety of data files. It has additional functions but the big thing is the file saving and importing. With it you can export plain .svg files which I then import for use on the Cricut Maker. The Cricut Maker's Design Program is web based and frankly only good for importing already completed .svg files and having the Cricut Maker cut based on them. It's own capabilities are extremely poor making this the weak link of the Cricut machines. OK enough talk let's get started.

[Jim Donovan]

The reason for scanning the diagrams is to create scale correct .jpeg files that can be then imported into the design program (I am going to be using the Silhouette Business Edition). First I will be making the Office and Lab building. It is the small building attached to the front of main building with an enclosed staircase going up to the elevator tower. Here is the front:



Here is the full size template for the walls of office/ lab.


As you can see very detailed.

[Jim Donovan]

The jpeg file is imported into the design program and checked to make sure it is the correct scale. First time I pulled in a .75 scale template and promptly made four walls that were good for nothing  .

Once the template is in the program I use the design tools to outline the walls and create an image that can be cut by the Cricut Maker. I suggest you use the Transparency Function and make the imported jpeg image see through. This allows you to make the needed lines and ensure they are exactly where they are needed. I also recommend you use the Enlarge Function to magnify the image so you see the lines clearly. Finally, I recommend that in the Settings section of the design program you set the 'grid' to on, make the measurements in metric mm and set the grid to 3.5mm square. This is an exact scale for HO with 3.5mm being 1 square foot. Following the manual I had the Cricut Maker cut the walls out of plain 1/16 basswood. I did the same for the roof which is shown on another template. The cuts were so clean I did not have to trim or sand any part.

I braced per the directions with 1/8 basswood, assembled the walls and roof using canopy glue and a magnetic tray to keep things square. I found the needed Tichy windows in my stash, primed them gray, then airbrushed them with Vallejo Flat Red. I only paint the front and sides of the window frame so when the it is glued in place it attaches directly to the plastic and not just the paint.

This complex has a lot of lighting shown. The original kit came with non functioning lights since cheap LED's were not available. I'll be using LED's to add a little more detail. Here is the two gooseneck lights for the Office installed. You also see I used real cedar shingles which I think I got from KC's Workshop but the bag they came in is missing so I am not sure. Anyhow, I weathered the shingles using an airbrush to get a grayer look.



The Tichy Windows had real glass installed rather then the acetate. It is something I like to do and think it makes the structure look a little more real. I used calipers to get exact measurements of the openings, made a simple jig using post-it-notes and cut the microscope glass cover glass using a General Tool #88 carbon tip scribe. The glass fit great. I place just a dab of UV activated CA in each corner of the window tray, put the glass in place then hit it with the UV flashlight to bond it. If I smear the glass I take it back out before bonding it and clean the glass with acetone, put it back and try again. Very little glue is needed and the UV CA gets the job done quickly.


Finally, the foundation I used was 1/8 inch thick basswood laser cut brick from Monster Models. I airbrushed it with Vallejo red brick, used a couple of magic markers to 'paint' individual bricks shades of brown and filled the brick lines using sanding grout and a watery mix of Modge Podge. I attempted to dove the corners. Nope, did not do it right so settled on Modge Podge / burnt Umber paint mix to create runoff look at each corner. Most of the foundation will be covered by decks so using the brick might have been overkill. I do like the way the directions suggest using the foundation to help brace the structure. It really helped and the inset looks about right for 'real' world. Something I plan to remember on future builds using 1/16th inch siding.

[Jim Donovan]

The roof of the Office and staircase are rolled tar paper. I used plain masking tape and cut the width to 3 foot. The masking tape gives a little ripple to the roof. I dry brushed and used Tim Holtz Distressed Crayons to weather the roof. This is the first time I have used the crayons having heard about them in a YouTube video. So far I like them. They are acrylic based so you can use water to remove any that was put on too thick or did not look right. When I am done weathering I will use a Matte Varnish to make sure the crayons are locked in place. While once applied the crayon acrylic does not move but if water ever hits it, it re activates. So here is the Office Lab:




I will post more tomorrow.

[Jim Donovan]

I am following the building directions as much as possible but am not following the directions when it comes to paint scheme and building materials. Some suggestions (like the paint) are no longer available others like LED lights were not yet on the market.

The directions have the staircase and tower to be built next and attached to the office. I again imported a 100% scale diagram, outlined the areas to be cut and had the Cricut Maker do its magic. This time I used 1/16 inch thick basswood board and batten from St Alberts. When cutting the material take time to ensure the material is EXACTLY aligned in the correct position. If it is not the cutter WILL produce a part that has the board and batten (or clapboard) looking crooked. I know  . I did not take a picture of this screw-up but I did take one of cutting the walls of main building to .75 of scale, Opps!

[Jim Donovan]

I decided to cut out all walls for the main building at this time since I had finally figured out the sequence for cutting. You must use a very clean (new) 'Strong Tack' mat when cutting wood and you must also tape the wood to the mat on all four sides using masking tape. The cutter is moving back and forth so any slippage of the wood on the mat will result in a bad cut. It sounds like more then it is. Once understood it goes pretty quick. The advantage over hand cutting is the precision more than speed.

For the Main Building I used 1/16 inch clapboard. I ran out of the St Albert sheet and had to use some board from Bar Mills to finish. The Bar Mill material had the same pattern but is darker. Since all will be painted I did not worry about it. I glued the two boards together and then taped them in place for cutting.

[Jim Donovan]

The board was trimmed away from the windows, all windows were made using same technique as previously explained, the tower was braced per directions and painted. The paint scheme you see is not what I ended up with. The look was toyish and frankly ugly. Oh well, Here is what it looked like when first done:

[Jim Donovan]

I increased the bracing significantly for the Main Building. The directions rely too much on a upper level floor arrangement and the foundation. All interiors are being painted with Cermacoat Charcoal Black so when looking in nothing is seen. However I am thinking of putting an interior on the second floor. There are so many windows I think you will be able to see interior detail if lighted. So with the walls braced and glued together (again using the magnetic tray to make sure all walls are true). I leave off the corner trim (1/16 x 1/16 inch basswood) until all walls are glued together and dry. I fine it better to add after so you can either use a different color or to make sure all is trued up when the walls are being glued together.

Not one color in the photo below was kept. At this point the main building and tower/ lab are not glued together. The enclosed staircase in the kit uses a very neat laser cut interlocking tab construction. It looked to have too tight of tolerances for the Cricut to make so I opted to make it by just cutting out the design of the walls, bracing them and gluing them together. The back wall of both the tower and staircare are plain 1/16 inch Basswood while the other walls are the Board and Batten.