Since looking at water drying isn't high on my list, chose to begin work on the Renton Library. My Grandtline order arrived earlier in the week, so it seemed as good a time as any to start. The door configuration I was hoping for was not an option, so I ordered something close and then modified it. I combined two door seconds into one by taking out a section and using CA to put it back together. I also cut out some cross pieces to expand the pane size. Here's the window and door lineup. I also cut all four walls and test fit them. Fairly happy with things thus far. M
Busy night at the RGW. Bob continued his progress around the lumber mill, adding more static grass, static grass tufts and he started adding woodchip debris around key areas. Reynold was busy with two projects, a boxcar and an autorack. Scott worked on the logging spur, adding scenery and trees. As for me, I started the evening with the first pour on our second Cedar River scene. One more pour will cover those pesky salmon. I'm really happy with this Realistic Water product and especially with the willingness of Woodland Scenics to converse with me via Twitter. They get two thumbs up from me. The other project I tackled was to stain the Northeastern Lumber Co. low profile ties. The stain I used was Special Walnut from Minwax. I used it straight, without dilution. The process is a bit messy, but well worth it. I poured the stain into a tupperware bowl, then dropped in the ties. After letting them sit in the mix for about 15 minutes, I put them on wax paper and set them aside to dry for a while. I then took an old box, taped the seams shut, then poured in the ties. Every 30 minutes or so I shook the box to move the ties around. My hope is they won't stick together, ruining the finish. We'll see. That's it for now. Thanks for checking in. M
Spent the last 90 minutes on the Renton Library scratchbuild. Last night I used the Micromark nibbler to cut out the window storefront. I then used a Nicholson file to smooth the edges. As you can see below, the window and doors fit nicely. Tonight I cut the floor and glued three sides together, leaving only the storefront. It took a little sanding and nibbling to get the fit just right; especially since the building itself is not intended to be square, but in the end it comes together quite well. Here it is in its eventual home. Much more to do, including a false front above the glass, an interior, acetate windows and a shallow pyramid roof. On a separate task, I made the second pour of Realistic Water in the river along this scene. Thanks for checking in. M
Spent part of the evening on the library project. First painted the window and doors with Testors aluminum metallizer. Gave it two coats, then two coats of sealer. Once dried, I glued a sheet of acetate to the combination and let it dry. Final step was to cut the acetate slightly larger than the frames to give extra glue surface once the combo is mounted on the storefront. As you can see above, I also added the false front above the windows. This was done with two pieces of square tube, 1/4 in each. I then covered it with .010 styrene. Here is how the entire assembly looks to this point. More soon.
More progress on the Renton Library building tonight. As you can see from the following photographs, the shell of the building is complete and ready for priming. Here's the building with the window assembly put in place for fitting. I think we're ready for painting.
Yes I am; going to scratchbuild a couple of shelving units, a table with chairs and photos to give the building depth along the back. I also downloaded a carpet pattern that I will replicate in Photoshop to lay on the floor.
Here's a quick recap of tonight's action on the RGW. Wain returned after a stint in eastern Washington with family and set right out adding scenery around the turntable. Yours truly painted the Renton Library and constructed the roof. I also added another pour of Realistic Water on the Cedar River. and started adding Woodland Scenics Water Effects downstream. Bob put down more static grass at the Edwards & Bradford lumber mill... Scott and Ed continued their mastery (or was it frustration) with our tortoise switch machine installs and Reynold spent the evening weathering cars. We are scheduled to be on the NMRA local clinic layout tours in late August, so we're about to end work and start cleaning so we can get things running. More later for sure. Thanks for checking in. M
I got a question, what are you using for your brown ground cover, looks awesome! Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
J, we use a variety of materials, but I believe you're referring to our base, which is real dirt from Black Diamond, WA. We let it dry completely (it's awful wet up here as you may have heard), then run it through three siftings, with a finer grade strainer each time. Once we have the size we want we bake it at 450° for an hour. Then it's ready for the layout. Thanks for asking. M
More work on the Renton Library tonight. I found a library panorama photo I really liked and used Photoshop to resize it to fit my design. I then test fit the the segments until I liked the combination. Once satisfied, I used a glue sick to adhere the pictures to a piece of .010 styrene. In order for it to look right, the styrene needed to curve into the corner of the deeper end of the building. It took some harbor freight mini clamps to hold it all together until the glue dried. In the pic above, you can also see I found a pic of a carpet tile I liked. I again used Photoshop to make the pile so small it wasn't visible. Then used the "tile" feature to make it big enough to cover the area of the floor and cut it to fit. Here's how it looks straight on before the windows go in. I got the windows in before leaving for football practice. We'll see how they look later tonight. M
We'll here it is, interior installed, roof completed and in place, scuppers highlighted and the structure in its location. The next phase will be to complete the interior with a reception desk and some tables/chairs. Of course the patrons too. I also plan on interior lighting to show off the inside. The final steps will be to add the threshold and convert the foundation to a bridge/concrete structure like the prototype. We also need to add the exterior railings. Fun project so far. One other update, pour number 3, our final pour on the Cedar River. Next step here is wave action. Bet the salmon are happy they're finally submerged. M
Just got home from work and rushed out to get the Renton Library interior lighting in place. Using the Woodland Scenics just plug lighting system. Man is it easy! Now to build some furniture....oh yeah and a book or two.
The not so fun task of cleaning the layout has begun in earnest. The payoff should be sweet, however.
