In-ko-pah Railroad - Another new building
- Thread starter Ray Dunakin
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Ray Dunakin
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Moving right along... I did some more work on the interior, adding strips of styrene along the top of the interior walls to prevent vertical movement of the removable rooms:
I also attached strips of styrene to rear of the room units. When the rear wall is installed, these strips act as spacers to prevent front-to-back movement of the units. They also serve as convenient handles:
The rear wall is basically just an access panel. I made it from a sheet of 6mm PVC foam board cut to fit inside the rear of the building. On the outside of this, I laminated a larger sheet of 2mm PVC, to create a "flange". Hopefully this will keep out rainwater:
Here's a shot of the rear of the building with the wall secured by eight #2 x 3/8", stainless steel sheet metal screws:
The edge of the 2mm thick portion of the rear wall, was rounded off, then scribed to match the stone pattern on the side wall:
I cut a strip of 2mm PVC and textured it by tapping it with a rough rock. This was glued over the window on the side wall, to represent a rectangular, cut stone:
Finally, I get to the fun stuff -- mounting the stone resin castings! I used a drawing program to lay out some radial lines to match the arches. The lines aren't spaced to match the width of the stones, because I didn't know how to do that with this program. But they at least serve as a guide for getting the angles of the stones right. I cut a bunch of the stone castings to fit the length of the arch stones. Then I sanded a very slight angle into the sides of each stone. I found it necessary to place the stones over the drawing as I made them, in order to be sure they all fit correctly. It is also important to start with the stone at the center of the arch, both when shaping them and when gluing them to the building:
This is how far I've gotten. I first glued on the stone castings along the sides, up to the top of the main window opening. Then I added the arch stones:
There are a few minor gaps which will be filled with putty later, and blended into the stones:
In this close up view you can see how I cut the stones at the sides, to fit around the end of the arch. I also had to cut a stone into a narrow strip to fill a gap at the top of the column. The stone castings turned out to be slightly smaller than the masters, resulting in some minor discrepancies in the arrangement of the stones:
When I installed the stones between the upstairs windows, I originally started at the bottom of the window and worked upwards. Then I discovered there would be a small gap due to the change in the dimensions of the castings. The gap can be filled with stones cut to narrow strips, however I felt it would look better if this was at the bottom rather than at the top. So I pried up the stones and reinstalled them, this time starting at the top and working downwards.
In retrospect, it would also have been better if I'd installed the narrow trim stones by starting at the center, rather than starting from the end. Then the stones would not have ended up off center. It's a minor thing though, so I'm not going to redo that. You can also see some more small gaps that will need filling later. Anyway, that's it for now -- more later!
Ray Dunakin
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Got a lot more done... I filled in the area above the main arch, cutting some of the stone castings to fit as needed. I also added castings on either side of the upstairs windows:
Between the windows and the attic vents, are stone slabs which are smoother than the other stones. I made these from strips of 1mm PVC. I used a rough rock to give the "slabs" a little texture:
The slabs are sandwiched between extra-wide stones. I made these by gluing together three regular stone castings, then using putting to fill the indentation between them. At first I used Squadron White putty, but it was too soft. Later I switched back to using the automotive spot putty:
I shaped some stone castings to fit around the attic vents, once again using a crude drawing as a guide:
After I finished the arches, I added the narrow, vertical stones near the top of the building. Alternating stones are mounted on strips of 3mm PVC. Before these were glued in place, I made sure that all the vertical stones would fit as intended, with a raised stone at the center, and a lower stone at each end. Once the vertical stones were in place, I filled in the remaining area, cutting some of the stone castings as needed to fit around the arches:
The next step was the fancy trim at the top of the building. For part of this trim, I needed a special shape that was built up from two strips of 3mm PVC. The narrower strip was cut at an angle along one side, and then glued to the wider strip:
The first "layer" of trim above the vertical stones is a row of thin stone castings. The next layer was done using 1mm PVC, with the same texture as the slabs. I built up the fancy bits at each end and in the center, using short segments of the contoured strip previously assembled:
In this closeup you can see some of the texture:
The two-piece, contoured strip that was assembled earlier, was smeared with putty and sanded using sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. I also applied the same treatment to the short segments that were already attached to the building:
The last "layer" of trim at the top of the building was made using a .250" x .375" styrene strip as a base. Short sections of 1mm PVC were added to create raised areas:
The top strip was finished with the application of stone castings:
And here's how it looks so far, nearing completion:
I still need to make some protruding thingamajigs for the top of the building, at the center and on each end. I also need to work on the quoins on the side of the building, as well as a few other small details. Later, I'll work on the interior details. Stay tuned!
In this closeup you can see some of the texture:
Ray Dunakin
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A little more progress... I added pieces of .020" thick styrene sheet to the front corner of the side wall, to represent quoins. These were lightly textured by tapping on them with a rough rock, after they were glued in place. Because the resin rock castings ended up with different spacing than I'd originally planned, the quoins didn't match up with the scribed stone pattern on the side of the building. So I also had to add new scribing to fill in the blanks:
I built up the three decorations (crennelations?) at the top of the building, using layers of PVC foam board and some resin castings:
Now it was time to do something about the missing stairs and sidewalk in front of the building's foundation. I began by building a form out of 2mm and 3mm PVC. Here's a shot of the form, lying upside down. I scribed the inner surfaces to simulate wooden planks:
I bent a short length of brass tube and connected it to a small hole in the front of the foundation. This will provide drainage when it rains. Then I set the form in place, and secured it with hot glue. I used small scraps of foam core art board to seal gaps, particularly along the lower front of the form:
Here's a closeup view of the form, so you can see how it was put together. I had to make sure that no parts of the form would be trapped between the foundation and the concrete casting:
Then I mixed some high strength mortar and added a tiny amount of concrete colorant to give it a slightly darker tint. I poured this into the form, filling it about half way. When the first batch began to firm up, I mixed up some more and filled the form to the top. I skimmed off most of the excess mortar and then covered the top of each step with a strip of foam core art board, taking care to avoid trapping any air bubbles. I used a large piece of foam core to cover the sidewalk at the top of the stairs:
The following morning I pulled off the foam core strips and exposed the upper surfaces of the concrete. The steps turned out ok but there were many small air bubbles in the larger sidewalk surface. I sanded it down and eliminated most of the pits, then filled the rest with a thin layer of fresh mortar. When this set, I sanded it again, lightly, to smooth the surface a bit more:
Then I dismantled the PVC form and removed it. You can see some of the impressions left by the "planks":
Next I used a 1/8" masonry bit to drill some holes into the sidewalk and steps. (I wanted smaller holes but this was the smallest masonry bit I could find.):
I cut short segments of 3/32" brass tube and glued them into the holes, using paintable acrylic caulk. Sections of 1/16" rod were inserted into the tubes to aid in making sure the glued in as vertically as possible. Later, the excess caulk will be trimmed off, and eventually it will be painted to blend into the concrete:
When the caulk had set up, I removed the rods, coated them with solder, then reinserted them into the tubes. Then I soldered a scrap of square brass tube across all five rods, so that they could be removed and remain aligned. This temporary piece would be removed later when it was no longer needed:
Then I cut the tops of the rods off to the desired height and soldered on the horizontal piece across the top, following by the top angled piece. The end of the angled piece was bent around and soldered to the side of the upright rod at the bottom of the stairs, to form a simple handle. At this point I was able to unsolder the temporary piece of square tube. Then I soldered in some shorter pieces of rod to create the lower rail. My soldering method is pretty crude and results in lots of excess solder on the material, so when I was finished I filed and sanded down the excess:
The finished handrail was cleaned, then primed and painted gloss black. Later I will weather it. I also have to detail and paint the tubes that support the handrail, and eventually I will extend the sidewalk at each end, and weather the concrete. But for now, here's how it looks. Oh, and I used a Dremel to trim off the drain pipe:
I hope to begin painting the building soon.
Ray Dunakin
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Another update! To simulate the look of rolled roofing, I cut a large Tyvek envelope into strips and glued them to the roof of the building. Then I sealed with acrylic gesso. (This is the stuff used to prime artist's canvas.) I made an access hatch from scraps of PVC foam board, cut away the Tyvek, and glued the hatch in place. I also cut the Tyvek from the spot where the smokejack will be mounted:
The smokejack was made from brass tubes and a block of PVC, sheathed with thin styrene. I also made a vent pipe:
At last, I could move on to painting. I sprayed the structure with a light coat of white primer.
The first thing I would need is a good "concrete" color for the mortar. To me, concrete has always been a tricky color to match. We tend to think of it as being gray, but aged concrete is usually more of a very light brown, often with a slightly greenish tint. To aid in getting the color as accurate as possible, I took a small piece of old concrete to the hardware store and had them scan it on their color matching system. Part of the problem with concrete is that it's not a uniform color, but rather speckled. This can also make it difficult to match with the digital system. The color they came up with was pretty close, but too dark. So I mixed in some white paint. Here's the concrete sample with some of the paint dabbed on at the bottom end:
This looked pretty close so I decided to go with it, and painted the side of the building. I thinned it with water so it would go on thin and not clog up all the texture details I had so laboriously created. On the building, it seemed even darker:
I went ahead and painted a few of the stones, to get a better idea of how it would look. The next morning I took the model outside and photographed it on the concrete patio:
In this closeup photo, the "concrete" paint seems to match the real concrete pretty well, but as miniature mortar, it just didn't look right to my eye. I also wasn't very happy with the painted stones:
So I added some more white to the "concrete" paint, and brushed it on over the first coat. I had to use a fine-tipped artist's brush to paint the mortar between the painted rocks. When this dried I retouched the rocks, and painted more of the rocks. Here's another closeup shot on the patio. As you can see, the revised paint is lighter than the real concrete, at least in the photo, but to me it works better as miniature mortar:
Here's a closeup of the stones. I found that the key to making them look right is not to use a single, solid color on each rock. They need some variation. And in this case, where there will be a real stone wall next to the model building, it was crucial to match the real rocks as closely as possible. In this shot you can see just how much detail I painted into each stone:
This next photo shows the building temporarily in place on the foundation. Although the real stone wall is in shadow, you can still see how closely I was able to match the look on my painted stone wall:
Here's a closer view:
That's all for now, more later. Enjoy!
The first thing I would need is a good "concrete" color for the mortar. To me, concrete has always been a tricky color to match. We tend to think of it as being gray, but aged concrete is usually more of a very light brown, often with a slightly greenish tint. To aid in getting the color as accurate as possible, I took a small piece of old concrete to the hardware store and had them scan it on their color matching system. Part of the problem with concrete is that it's not a uniform color, but rather speckled. This can also make it difficult to match with the digital system. The color they came up with was pretty close, but too dark. So I mixed in some white paint. Here's the concrete sample with some of the paint dabbed on at the bottom end:
tramcar trev
all manner of mechanical apparatus...
I've been watching this thread with interest (100%) and haven't put pinkys to keyboard simply because I was rendered speachless by this workpersonship. All the superlatives in the "modern superlatives guide" don't do this justice, Strewth its amazing....
What I propose is this, I'm going to give up my planned trip to Yemen and send you the airfare to come and make me some stones..... Or you could sell a copy of the mold....
What I propose is this, I'm going to give up my planned trip to Yemen and send you the airfare to come and make me some stones..... Or you could sell a copy of the mold....
Ray Dunakin
Registered
The exterior is nearing completion... After taking the photos in my last post, I still wasn't satisfied with the painted stones on the side of the building. There was too much variation, and the colors weren't close enough to the real stone walls nearby. So I modified the stones I'd already painted, and then completed the remainder of the wall. Here's how it looks now:
I'm still not entirely happy with it, but it's close. I will probably try to tint some more of the stones, and perhaps do a very thin wash over the whole wall. But for now this will have to suffice -- we have an open house tomorrow. BTW, I also painted the front wall, which was much simpler. It received a solid coat of Apple Barrel "Country Tan". The window frames were painted white. The front panels and door were painted dark brown:
I painted these by hand using a small, pointed brush. Getting a sharp, clean edge between the frame and door was tricky. I painted everything white first. Then I painted the panels and door brown, building up the color a little at a time in thin layers. Then I had to touch up the white, and then touch up the brown. Eventually it reached a point where it was acceptable, though not quite perfect:
The front windows and door assembly is only very slightly weathered, not enough to really show much in this photo. I glued the 2mm glass to the rear using clear silicone sealant, and also added a doorknob. The doorknob is an Ozark Miniatures casting, with the oversized keyhole filled in with putty:
The upstairs windows were painted white and given a bit more weathering, since it's likely they would not be repainted as frequently. The weathering was done by lightly applying random streaks of gray-brown, using a ratty old brush. After painting was completed, the glass was glued onto the rear:
The attic vents were painted in the same manner. Then the rear of each vent was painted black, and a fine brass screen glued into place:
Next, I glued a back onto the sides of the vent, to form a box which is open at the top. This will allow the vent to function, while keeping out any rain that might blow in:
The "rolled roofing" material was painted black, then given several thin washes of white following by some brownish gray washes. This simulates the appearance of roofing which is somewhat aged and weathered yet still in reasonably good condition. I also painted the access hatch and glued in the smokejack and vent pipe:
And here's how it all looks so far:
A closeup of the side window:
This shot is looking towards the townsite from across the layout:
Besides making possible further adjustments to the color of the stones, I also need to create some signs and other small details. Then I have to start on the interiors.
I'm still not entirely happy with it, but it's close. I will probably try to tint some more of the stones, and perhaps do a very thin wash over the whole wall. But for now this will have to suffice -- we have an open house tomorrow. BTW, I also painted the front wall, which was much simpler. It received a solid coat of Apple Barrel "Country Tan". The window frames were painted white. The front panels and door were painted dark brown:
I painted these by hand using a small, pointed brush. Getting a sharp, clean edge between the frame and door was tricky. I painted everything white first. Then I painted the panels and door brown, building up the color a little at a time in thin layers. Then I had to touch up the white, and then touch up the brown. Eventually it reached a point where it was acceptable, though not quite perfect:
The front windows and door assembly is only very slightly weathered, not enough to really show much in this photo. I glued the 2mm glass to the rear using clear silicone sealant, and also added a doorknob. The doorknob is an Ozark Miniatures casting, with the oversized keyhole filled in with putty:
The upstairs windows were painted white and given a bit more weathering, since it's likely they would not be repainted as frequently. The weathering was done by lightly applying random streaks of gray-brown, using a ratty old brush. After painting was completed, the glass was glued onto the rear:
The attic vents were painted in the same manner. Then the rear of each vent was painted black, and a fine brass screen glued into place:
Next, I glued a back onto the sides of the vent, to form a box which is open at the top. This will allow the vent to function, while keeping out any rain that might blow in:
The "rolled roofing" material was painted black, then given several thin washes of white following by some brownish gray washes. This simulates the appearance of roofing which is somewhat aged and weathered yet still in reasonably good condition. I also painted the access hatch and glued in the smokejack and vent pipe:
And here's how it all looks so far:
A closeup of the side window:
This shot is looking towards the townsite from across the layout:
Besides making possible further adjustments to the color of the stones, I also need to create some signs and other small details. Then I have to start on the interiors.
tramcar trev
all manner of mechanical apparatus...
Mind blowing!!!!
As we speak I'm getting ideas as to how to make a granite block Post office with clock tower, a town hall and a some other coursed stone buildings.... I'll never achieve your standards though.....
Inspiring work, truly inspiring....
As we speak I'm getting ideas as to how to make a granite block Post office with clock tower, a town hall and a some other coursed stone buildings.... I'll never achieve your standards though.....
Inspiring work, truly inspiring....
