Multiple small projects

What is your latest project?
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Keith S
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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:25 pm

Thanks for the encouragement guys but I have to confess something- the reason I have all these little activities piled up, and the reason these figures and detail parts are from Peterborough 2017 is that for a whole year, my workbench was so disastrously messy that I avoided even showing my face in the room, unless it was to dart quickly in and out to grab a tool or something. I am terrible at picking up after myself. One day I decided I'd had enough- I could feel the waves of untidiness emanating from the basement- so I went down there, tidied it all up, and discovered all these little bags of details and small kits and figures buried under all the mess. That's why my bench looks nice in the pictures. I'm trying really hard to keep it that way for a while.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Sat Jan 12, 2019 9:54 pm

Here is the latest in my "project" to improve my rolling stock- my Gladstone car, which I built several years ago. At the time, I didn't want my rolling-stock to be particularly fancy-looking and I painted it in a dark varnished-wood look. Now, however, I feel like the coaching stock on my railway should look nicer, and also the real Gladstone car, while it was an unexciting brown colour during its restoration, looks much nicer in its "blood and custard" paint scheme. So, I've bee working on the model.

I noticed on the real coach there is some nice quarter-round beading on the sides where the roof attaches. I have recreated this on my model with some 1/16" square balsa left over from a model aeroplane kit ( I keep everything) Also as I mentioned before, the "anti-hogging" bracing (this is what it's called on a ship, I don't know what it's called on a railway carriage) wanted re-doing. After priming the whole thing, I masked the roof and the bottom of the sides and ends, and did the "cream" colour. It turned out nicely enough, but the masking tape was so well-stuck to the windows that I had a very hard time getting it off. Also, it didn't do a very nice job of masking the bottoms, so I've had to scrape some paint off. The result of all this is that now the windows are a bit mucky-looking, as even the soft wood I was using to try and lift the paint has left some scratches. The plastic used by IP, while very transparent and easy to cut, is also very easy to scratch.

Oh well. I've decided that I 'm fed up with masking, so I'm doing the bottom half with a brush, and actually thanks to the laser-etched panel lines, I'm pleased with how that is going. I'm using the boat-building practice of using many very thinned coats, hopefully to achieve a nice gloss.The paint looks a bit washed-out in this picture, because it's only the first coat. Also I have to use what I can get paint-wise, they no longer make the "wild raspberry" enamel that I used on the locomotive and Brandbright coach, and the "field berry" colour that's replaced it has less brown than the former. Oh well again- it's narrow-gauge. I guess my rolling stock will always be a bit mismatched.

The only thing I'm disappointed with is the windows. When I first built the car, I installed a fully-upholstered interior with some velvety-looking blue carpet and red covering on the seats, with brass curtain-rods and red curtains. The trouble now is that if you're close enough to see the nice interior, you're also close enough to see the horrible windows.

To finish it off, I've ordered some Brandbright brass door-handles as they're nicer than the white-metal IP ones, not to mention the real ones are brass. I've also ordered some Brandbright brake hoses (not totally as-per-prototype but hey ho it's got to match the locomotive) AND some scale transfers, as I think the real one looks very nice indeed with its lettering, AND it occurs to me that since I live in the North West territories, I can always say that the letters stand for "North West Narrow Gauge Railway. Ah-ha.

P.S., yes I do intend to someday paint the roof on the Brandbright coach! I just haven't decided on a colour or covering material. It occurs to me that doped tissue- per model aeroplane practice- might look OK once painted.


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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by FWLR » Sun Jan 13, 2019 8:22 am

I have used toilet paper soaked in pva glue to get the look your after, in either black or grey.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:15 pm

How do you apply it? Lay the paper on the roof first and brush on the PVA?

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Peter Butler » Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:05 pm

As an alternative I use fine weave curtain lining material, which gives a fine canvas like texture when painted. If applying to plasticard I lay it on the roof then soak with solvent. If used on a plywood roof I paste the roof with PVA then smooth it on by hand. Either way, leave to dry thoroughly then finish the edges by rubbing fine sandpaper in a downward stroking motion.
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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by philipy » Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:45 pm

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:05 pm As an alternative I use fine weave curtain lining material, which gives a fine canvas like texture when painted.
Any fairly fine weave fabric works. I've used an old polycotton shirt and old handkerchiefs as well as lining material. Don't use printed fabrics though because that will affect the glue take-up and subsequent surface finish.
Philip

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by invicta280 » Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:55 pm

I have used a stretchy fabric from one of the girls' old discarded dresses. I stretched it over the roof and sprayed it with aerosol glue if I recall correctly, before trimming with a craft knife.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Mon Jan 14, 2019 6:30 am

These are all great ideas guys. Thanks! I imagine the bog-roll gives a more "roofing felt" type of appearance, while the cloth liner material gives more of a "canvas" look.

Maybe I'll try both. I have loads of unfinished roofs. (rooves?)

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by ge_rik » Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:09 am

Keith S wrote: ↑Mon Jan 14, 2019 6:30 am These are all great ideas guys. Thanks! I imagine the bog-roll gives a more "roofing felt" type of appearance, while the cloth liner material gives more of a "canvas" look.

Maybe I'll try both. I have loads of unfinished roofs. (rooves?)
Either. Oddly whereas we're more likely to see or hear hooves than hoofs, we're less likely to see/hear rooves than roofs
Interesting thread. Picking up all sorts of useful ideas here, thanks.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by FWLR » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:01 am

Keith S wrote: ↑Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:15 pm How do you apply it? Lay the paper on the roof first and brush on the PVA?
Exactly that way Keith. Real easy to do and once dried it goes hard enough not to chip if knocked, I then paint it, which also hardens it.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:12 am

Here is the progress on the "Gladstone" coach. I managed to clean up the worst of the smudges and scratches on the windows. A bit of guitar-polish made most of the scratches disappear and a scrub with a cotton swap soaked in thinners got rid of a lot of the paint that bled under the masking. I'm now fairly pleased with it. The vehicle does look much nicer in its new paint than it did when it was brown. I can't remember what I was thinking when I painted it brown! Work left to do on this coach is the brass door-handles and vacuum pipes from Brandbright and the transfers from IP engineering, as well as the bracing wires under the frame.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by FWLR » Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:41 am

That does look 100% better Keith, well done. :thumbright: :thumbright:

Have you seen Peter Butler's post on his thread

http://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic. ... start=1995

They are brilliant and work very well.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:12 am

Yes, I've been following that thread too. Clever use of the brazing rod. I ordered vacuum pipes from Brandbright a while ago though, they're already in the post. For now I'm not going to equip the goods stock with continuous brakes, just the coaches.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by GTB » Wed Jan 16, 2019 9:53 am

Keith S wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:12 am I managed to clean up the worst of the smudges and scratches on the windows.
The model looks good in the new colour scheme. Glad to hear you were able to repair the damage to the windows without resorting to major surgery on the model.

You didn't say which masking tape you used. If it was the cheap cream coloured masking tape in hardware stores, avoid it like the plague. I found out the hard way very early in my modelling career that it leaves glue residue behind, is close to impossible to remove if left on after painting and usually has a furry edge.

The Tamiya masking tape mentioned in another thread is better for modelling, but do you have a hobby shop that sells it in Yellowknife?

I use the Tamiya tape mostly for colour separations, as it is very thin and less likely to form a step between the colours when spraying the second coat. It's also flexible enough to follow curved edges, although the radius achieved depends on the tape width. Being very thin, it can be difficult to handle in long lengths. I've also had it lift paint though and it is dynamite on waterslide decals, as it is definitely sticky. I remove it straight after painting so it has no chance to leave residue, or set hard. I also had it react with a clear coat on one occasion, but the model wasn't painted by me, so I don't know what type of varnish was used.

Most of my masking now is done with the 3M Scotch blue masking tape from the local hardware store. It comes in several varieties and the best version for our purposes is the one made for 'delicate surfaces', which has a smooth surface and unless they've changed the packaging again has an orange patch on the label.

The adhesive is based on the one 3M use for Post-It notes, so the tape can be left on after painting for several days and it isn't sticky enough to be a risk for lifting paint. I've never had it leave any residue, or become difficult to remove, even after being left on a model for a week or more. You need to be a bit more careful using it for colour separations, but being thicker it is easier to handle and it gives a very clean edge when cut with a scalpel.

Post-It notes also have their uses when masking off for painting models........

Graeme

ps. You asked earlier about railway terms for underframe parts. In US/Aus terminology, the longitudinal rods tensioning the underframe are truss rods and the adjusting screws in the middle of truss rods are turnbuckles. Not all truss rods had turnbuckles, sometimes they were tensioned using nuts on each end. Truss rods could be supported by two queenposts, or a single kingpost in the middle.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Andrew » Wed Jan 16, 2019 1:12 pm

Your Gladstone Car's looking very good indeed - the "pride of the line", as the real thing always was.

I painted my version in vermilion, having read that was the colour used in early WHR days and retained on the Gladstone Car when other carriages were painted green. Alas, it seems that whoever wrote that had misidentified the colour used - analysis of the layers of paint in the most recent restoration indicate that it was
likely to have been a deep red, not the orangey shade I've used. Oh well, it brightens up the train!

All the best,

Andrew.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:33 pm

Thanks guys as always for your advice and comments.

Hi Andrew the colours of spray paint are always a source of stress for me. The only place to get them nowadays is the "Canadian Tire" (sic) store, something like B&Q or Halfords. They seem to change the names of the colours and of course the colours themselves. They had one colour, "Wild Raspberry" that looked a lot like "Victorian Maroon", or at least I thought it did- (we shall see if I ever bring my loco to the UK with me and have a chance to run it with other Roundhouse engines)- anyway I thought it looked close. I managed to paint my loco and one Brandbright coach in that colour but now they don't carry that brand of paint anymore and the new maroon-like colour is called "field berries" or something and is what you see on the Gladstone coach, which is more purple-ey and less brown-ish than the loco and the single Brandbright coach. I have three other Brandbright kits and they will have to be the new colour now, which is somewhat annoying. I have about half a can of the original "wild raspberry" left but I feel like I'd better save that in case the loco ever needs touching up.

Graeme, thanks for that! I think I knew the term "truss rod" at some points it sounds familiar. Oh wait- I remember now, that's what the metal rod is called inside the neck of a guitar that opposes the pull of the strings. The only thing I could think of was "anti-hogging rigging" because that's what it's called on old wooden lake ships and riverboats, which had a tendency to sag in the middle. "Truss Rod" is a lot more economical to say.

To mask the windows, I very unfortunately used that type of tape that one uses to wrap gifts- I forget the name of it, other than it's made by "scotch". It's the kind that's meant to look invisible. I've had good luck with it in the past because it leaves a nice edge... but this time I left it on too long and it got hard and was the devil to pry off. I think I will follow your advice and get some Tamiya masking tape next time I'm in the city. We can also get the blue stuff here- the engineers at work use it for masking when they touch up the paint on the aeroplanes.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by GTB » Thu Jan 17, 2019 8:04 am

[/quote]
Keith S wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 6:33 pm To mask the windows, I very unfortunately used that type of tape that one uses to wrap gifts- I forget the name of it, other than it's made by "scotch".
Yes, I got caught many years ago by Scotch Invisible Tape. Great for wrapping presents and covering books, not so good for modelling. The cheap clones available are even worse.....

I had the same problem that you did when I used invisible tape to mask off windows on a HO railcar many years ago. As well as leaving a residue on the windows, I found it could also lift paint and it removed some irreplaceable decals from another model. Then Tamiya tape became available and I switched.

A friend introduced me to the 3M blue tape when it first appeared in panel beaters workshops here. It eventually turned up in the hardware stores for consumer use and I've used it ever since.

Current paint quality is a sore point in my workshop. The inability of some paint companies to now make two tins of paint the same colour is part of the reason I use an airbrush and mix my own colours to a reference chip. There's no equivalent to Canadian Tire here in Oz, but they look like a combination of Bunnings and Supercheap Auto, neither of which is on my list of preferred model paint suppliers.....

Regards,
Graeme

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by IrishPeter » Thu Jan 17, 2019 3:03 pm

We still have a local hardware shop - 'Rocking R' - here which also does some agricultural supplies. It is literally a place where you can pick up to tins of spray undercoat, some BR maroon (Burgundy) spray paint, some cabbage seeds, a light switch, some vinyl letter for a yard sign, and a galvy steel water trough for your cattle. It is my 'go to' place for the various odds and ends I need for the model railways as you never know what you will find in there. Paint is my main thing. The CIE coach was done in school bus yellow (!), black, and white all from their range of paints! They also tend to have things like one-eighth steel rod, doorbell wire for electric locomotives, and weird stuff like that. Best bit of it is they are one block north of my house, so I can walk over there any time I need something. If I have a hunt around they probably have strip wood somewhere in there.

The local craft store, which I hate and despise, is useful for Bristol board, and stuff like that, but shopping there is somewhat is a bit like having a root canal, but without the sheer terror before hand. They have stopped doing square section strip wood, which is a nuisance, but they usually have a limited amount of basswood in stock, but the display is almost always a total shambles, which trips off my OCD tendencies.

T'internet takes care of the specialist things like wheels, couplings, door handles, and transfers for rolling stock building.

Peter in VA
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by Keith S » Thu Jan 17, 2019 5:44 pm

I know exactly what you mean Peter. Those big shops look very promising on the outside, but they seem to telepathically know what you're going to be looking for before you get there, and contrive to have everything under the sun OTHER than the one thing you're looking for.

Your little farm- supply/hardware shop sounds delightful though.

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Re: Multiple small projects

Post by FWLR » Fri Jan 18, 2019 7:00 am

Those little or not so little hardware shops are very few and far between nowadays. You walked into them and straight away the paraffin smell hit you. You could always find what you were looking for and more...Oh how I miss them.....

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