I have about 30-40 bottles of the Apple Barrel type paints. They are often on sale at Walmart at 3 for $1, so I use them for painting trees on my backdrops, painting roads and sidewalks, and some structures. Also, my grandkids use them to paint craft projects throughout the year like birdhouses, popsicle stick houses, etc. My ex wife didn't like the ugly yellowed "White" plastic of my old computer case, monitor, and some speakers we had in the late 90's, so she bought Apple Barrel paints and tore a chunk out of a sponge and "Daubed" them with different colors, then sealed with flat clear. At first I thought it would look stupid, but when it was done, everything looked really cool! That was my first exposure to Apple Barrel paints, actually the are called 'Tole Paints". Then one day I took some swimming pool filter powder "Diatomaceous Earth" and mixed it in some sand colored paint to see how it looked painted on rocks. It looked lame, but I decided to paint it on a shiny Randy Brown Paco's Taco's building, and guess what... It looked JUST LIKE STUCCO. Especially when photographed in sunlight, the tiny particles of DE in the tole paint cast tiny shadows just like real stucco, and the texture matched too. So I have been using this mixture for 20 years to represent concrete and stucco.
Rob, 30to 40 bottles, wow. I have a ways to go. Can you tell me which ones you consider "core colors". The colors you use the most. I want to buy a few right now to get started. Thanks Scott
To be honest, the names don't mean anything. I have Apple Barrel, Cermacote, and about 6 other brands of different names, and they all have long stupid color names. I got 6 different greens, a couple 3 blues, half a dozen brick to browns, about 4 whites and 4 grays and lots of different tans and sand colors. Just a large assortment of colors for scenery and structures. What I do is finger a generous a dollop of the paint onto the cap, and let it dry. Then I laser cut a paint holder for my paints. I got tole paints in one and Floquil and Tamiya's in another.
Okay, Let's see, where was I? Oh yeah, I need to make walls. Well I have been playing around with Cricut and Illustrator to get files constructed correctly. Then loading them onto Circut work space and trying to learn some more. I got some of the walls cut out and printed window frames on a clear printer sheet. Then I trimmed the clear sheet and stacked up the pieces. So far so good, but I noticed some incorrect measurements, so these will be practice parts. Scott
Looks really good and I have to saying using the clips to hold pieces together. Fantastic! I’ll remember that trick!
Looking really good Scott. What cutter are you using, and I noticed you use the thicker material for the walls. Also what did you use to cut the windows with? Laser? I’m still working to find tune my laser cutting skills as well as my design skills. I think I need to upgrade both my laser cutter and my software program. But for now I’ll cut my teeth in the learning aspect by using what I have. Overall everything is coming along for you though. Looks good though so far.
Lance, Thanks for the interest and support. I am using a Cricut. It is like CNC cutter. If you use a deep cutting blade, you can cut certain material up to a 16th of an inch thick. The windows are printed on clear printer sheet, with a laser printer. Scott
I thought I'd show all the wall sections created and to be cut. As I mentioned, I generated this in Illustrator. Scott
PVLW update, I've been trying to do bits and pieces of stuff over the last several months. A lot of family health issues to deal with as well as summer chores. I have still been working on the GN H4, and will post more on that soon. Locomotives at the works, from left to right: CNE Alco 2-8-2 CNE Baldwin 2-8-0 GN Baldwin 4-6-2 CNJ Brooks 0-6-0 NHTRCo. Vulcan 0-4-0 CNE/UTCo. Baldwin 4-4-0 CNJ Baldwin 4-6-0 The 4-4-0 has had the most recent activity (besides the GN), with purchased parts, and an SLA motor mount. You can see some of the other gray motor mounts I've designed and had grown. Still need to find the motivation to finish the little camelback. Scott
It look like you have LOT's of fun ahead. I try to spend an hour a day doing something to make progress.
You’re in retirement too lucky dog. I try to squeeze in any time I can, but here in South Dakota, we have to take care of any and all exterior home projects while the weather is good. Gardening, painting, trimming, fixing, mowing, etc. Plus I had 15 tons of garden soil dropped in my driveway for several of my gardening efforts. Did I mention shoveling???? Looking good though Scott. I’ll be back in action soon….
Same here in Idaho, except you can only work outside till 11 or 12, cause it's HOT in the summer, near 100 for 2+ months, then it gets nice for a month before winter.
I found some time to get some more walls cut. I am at my dad's taking my turn at care giving. I brought the PVLW and some other projects, in case I have some spare time. I set it up on my dad's work bench, and used his 2-8-0 as a prop. I assembled the walls, and realized I made some mistakes. So I will be re-cutting some walls. I need to remember that not many things turn out correctly the first time. After I re-cut the walls I will be putting on brick pattern. I am not sure I like the floor material, so I am going to think about that some more. Scott
Joe, My dad built that in the early nineties. He used a Marklin 0-8-0 #88982. He did modifications to the details on the shell, such as, removing the German details, adding the higher walk, adding a headlight, adding brake reservoirs, reverse mechanism, replacing the square domes with oval ones, changing the cylinders, and adding compressors. I think the tender is also a modified Marklin tender. Scott
That’s cool. I’ve been looking back and forth and I can start to see what was done. Very nice! Seamless!
