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ETinBH
Fireman
USA
4241 Posts |
 Posted - 07/27/2010 : 09:28:59 AM
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| dead on |
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Rick
Administrator
USA
17736 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2010 : 09:35:53 AM
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| Dallas, signs look excellent and many thanks for the detailed SBS's. |
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Chuck Doan
Fireman
USA
1339 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2010 : 10:30:57 AM
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| I like the hand painted look. Makes a nice contrast to the factory printed type signs. |
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runner
Fireman
USA
1066 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2010 : 10:25:08 PM
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| Dallas- An incredible job, and a terrific thread. |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
3006 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 5:13:49 PM
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Just a brief update this time ... Mr. Mudgeon's a bit of a ninny sometimes, so he insisted that I build him a nice sturdy ladder before he gets up there to nail that sign in place (which he still hasn't done!) And, while waiting to see when he's going to get around to that so I can't paint the nails on the sign and install a bizzillion little nails in the battens, I started prep on some fake tin signs to replace the paper signs that are tacked in place for the moment. And, then our brief bit of modeling time ran out ... but maybe we'll get some more tomorrow! PS -- Thanks for the latest round of comments ... I'm definitely looking forward to finishing the exterior of this wall! 
Painting the Shadows: This photo shows something that hasn't shown up in the previous shots ... when I added the thin battens to the siding, it all seemed to blend together a bit. The angle shown above is the "normal" viewing angle for this end as it will sit on the layout. So, I used diluted Vallejo inks to accentuate the joints between the battens and the siding. On the side of each batten facing us, I used warm tones (browns) in the joint ... and on the opposite side I used diluted black for a cooler tone ... you can see that a bit on the left side of the nearest battens. This is, perhaps, more of an "artistic" decision than a modeling one ... but for me it enhances the look that I find pleasing. For anyone who might want to try it for the first time, just note that the Vallejo inks are transparent, and I tended to use them quite diluted (in the range of 1 part ink to 5-10 parts wet water). Less is more if you're not sure! Do one pass, let it dry fully and have another look in an hour or so. As the inks dry, they become more transparent and subtle than what you'll see when wet, but go easy!
I also used the Vallejo inks to enhance the cracks/splits at the bottom of the siding boards ... to enhance the shadow beneath the trim boards at the top and beneath the window ... and to accentuate the joints where siding boards butt against each other. Again, somewhere in between a modeling decision and an artistic one. And, for me, much more controllable than A/I washes -- this can go exactly where desired with a little brush and built up in layers as desired. |
Edited by - dallas_m on 07/30/2010 8:40:39 PM |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16448 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 5:34:16 PM
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The ladder is superb, Dallas. Any special trick in the making?
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Frederic Testard |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
3006 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 6:18:32 PM
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Hi Frederic --
Glad you like it! Have to say that there were really no special tricks to this one .. it was a really quick and simple build. The uprights are 1/16 x 1/8" stripwood (very close to 2x4 in 1:35 scale) ... the rungs are HO scale 4x4's ... the corners were rounded off with sanding stick to make them look a bit like dowels ... but I deliberately avoided making them perfectly round to suggest some wear or just make it look a little more home built.
To make it, I cut the two vertical pieces, held them together and drilled for the rungs ... using that Plastruct ladder as a guide. The rungs were all cut on the Chopper (before rounding) to insure even length. They're a pretty snug press-fit into the holes, since they're not quite round ... so I just added the tiniest bit of ACC inside each hole and pressed all the rungs into one upright with a tiny bit sticking out on the outside ... then the fiddly part of doing the second side and getting all the rungs to go into the holes. After that, the whole thing was given a quick dunk in Mike's ink stain #9 (as shown in the photo outside the building) ... the end grain on the homemade dowels soaked up the most stain, which gave a nice differential in color there without the least bit of extra effort. Very easy.
Now, ironically, I thought this would be a nice low-interest "filler" detail to hang above the window on the interior ... but when I tried it there, the rungs on the ladder and the 2x4's in the wall all compete for attention and it just looks goofy ... so, the ladder will get left outside and we'll see if we can think of something else for that empty space (if it actually needs anything!) ...
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Hopeless
Fireman
USA
1250 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 8:06:33 PM
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Dallas. The level of detail is amazing. From the ladder to the signs to the wall itself, everything is perfect.
Roland |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
3006 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 8:32:35 PM
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Thanks Roland --
I was a bit worried about over-doing (or under-doing) the raggedy weathering on the bottom of the siding, but I think that came out about right for my tastes here ... and your comments reminded me to post something about "painting the shadows" on the siding, so I made an edit to my post (beneath the previous photo that shows the ladder leaning on the end of the building).
And I certainly appreciate your comments after seeing your fabulous enginehouse! (I might not get to steal the pipe rack idea here, but a tire rack is in order.) |
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BigLars
Fireman
USA
7364 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 8:41:39 PM
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Dallas,
Just catching up, all I can say is fantastic!
Larry |
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hon3_rr
Fireman
USA
4685 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2010 : 9:34:04 PM
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Great info and just outstanding execution on the model!! Thank you so much for the step-by-step info. I have in the past used inks, charcoal and washes on the edges of boards, but I never considered using two different color hues. What a neat trick!
Please keep the info and pics/story line coming. I, for one, am really enjoying the thread in addition to picking up a lot of ideas and new techniques. |
--KP
Life is to short to make all of the models I want to. |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
3006 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2010 : 12:35:01 AM
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New -- Golden Pine ink stain forumula!
I mentioned that I had hoped the ladder would look good hanging inside the shop, but it seemed like it kinda blended and competed with the studs behind it ... got to wondering if it might look better if the wood tones in the ladder were completely different than the wood tones on the studs ... (so I may try another ladder at some point) ...
Meanwhile, been thinking that I want to install some shelving that looks like it was added more recently than the building was constructed ... and did a bit of the old "mad scientist" routine again ...
The big chunks of pine shown here are scraps that have been kicking around indoors for a number of years ... they've never been stained, etc, but they seem to take on a golden tone as the pine ages. I've been really pleased with the results of using Mike's Ink Stain formulas, and I have a variety of the inks that he suggested ... so started playing around to get a basic starting point for the golden pine look.
On each level, there's one piece of unstained basswood, one piece that's been dipped once in the new formula and one piece that's been dipped twice ... these look pretty useful even at this point ... and the formula is quite simple ...
Daler Rowney inks are available from DickBlick.com and various art suppliers ... Mike used them in several of his formulas and I've had good results with them. You have to mix the inks into a little bit of water and THEN add that mix to alcohol. Mike described it that way ... and I found out why ... if you try to mix the inks directly into alcohol, they get clumpy and weird.
It isn't pretty, but it works! 
Golden Pine Ink Stain Formula (Vers. 1.0)
-- This mix makes 1 ounce of stain ... plenty for a small project ... multiply as desired to make more!
-- Add 12 drops of Raw Sienna (the yellowish color) and 3 drops of Sepia to 1/4 oz. of water and mix well.
-- Add that mix to 3/4 oz. of 91% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
-- Dip sample piece of stripwood once, let it dry 15 minutes and see if you like it ... dip again if desired. (Definitely favored the double-dip for my project here ... but decided against making the formula stronger, as this allows for flexibility for various degrees of aging ... and the double-dunk is easy enough!)
Now let's try some Vallejo inks over the stained stripwood ...
Left: Vallejo #72092 Brown Ink (1 drop ink, 4 drops wet water) ... this has a bit of a burnt orange/red tone that works well here ...
Center: Vallejo #72091 Sepia ink (1 drop ink, 4 drops wet water) ... quite different, bit of a yellow-ochre cast ... also works well.
Right: NOT recommended for this ... the #828 Woodgrain is much too red for this particular project ... might work for cedar or ??? (Only shown in this mix dish ... discarded test pieces cuz they look hideous!)
Note: Do NOT thin the Vallejo inks with alcohol ... stick with water (or ask me how I know)
Voila! Only spent about an hour or so working out the basic formula and doing a variety of test pieces to get this far. There's obviously plenty of potential for a great variety of effects and very exacting patterns (if desired) ... pretty sure bits like this will work just fine for shelving, etc in the shop!
LEFT: These were done by brushing on the diluted BROWN ink ... while that was still wet, I scraped the tip of an x-acto blade sideways down the grain to varying degrees ... then used the blade as a scraper (perpendicular to the grain) down the length of each board ... again with varying amounts of pressure. Thus the slight variations in the effect here.
CENTER: This one was done using the diluted SEPIA ink ... scratched with the tip of the knife while wet, then scraped a bit.
RIGHT: This one was done with BOTH of the approaches described above ... it looks a bit rough here, cuz I caught the woodgrain with the knife a bit funny ...
So I sanded down that funny board a bit ... and it has an interesting effect (which could be further varied with more scratching, scraping and/or sanding) ... will definitely do more of these combining the two Vallejo ink colors to practice the effects.
Very pleased with the results ... if it's hard to see the little bits of stripwood on the big chunks of pine ... well, it musta worked! (Got real lucky this time around.) [:-wiltel] |
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deemery
Fireman
USA
3700 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2010 : 10:20:44 AM
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Dallas, Thanks MUCH for the 'analysis'. These kinds of postings are invaluable, particularly documenting what didn't work. And I know it's a pain in the posterior to stop what you're doing and capture the photos, and then do the write-up.
dave |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16448 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2010 : 5:55:38 PM
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Dallas, thanks for the explanations about the ladder.
The finish of these planks is very interesting. It gives a very good new wood look.
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Frederic Testard |
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dallas_m
Fireman
USA
3006 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2010 : 04:57:53 AM
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They don't do nails like this at the salon!
A bit slow here ... have some projects at work that require a bit of overtime, so just taking a little break now and then to add a couple dozen tiny nails. And, since the subject of tiny nails and/or nail holes has come up recently in the Sierra West O Scale Tool Shed thread (here), I thought I'd post my notes on tiny wire or rod and little needles, etc., in case it might be helpful ... or stimulate some better ideas (post 'em if you got 'em!)
Photo above shows some recent progress and a couple of "household" sources for tiny wire. The round wire wheel is for a Dremel tool and the wire is about .005" diameter. The cheapo wire brush has bristles that are about .007" diameter. In both cases, the wire is "kinked" (or wavy in shape along the length) ... but I'm using such tiny pieces that (a) it probably doesn't matter and (b) it probably helps the bits stay in the holes, which are awfully hard to make that small!
I used the .007" wire to add the nails around the window framing and in the battens directly below the round wire brush. These came from the larger wire brush at right ... and if it looks like some of those bristles are darker, that's cuz they are! Hit them with some NeoLube to blacken them before cutting.
In this photo, there's a (relatively) thick piece of rod and a very thin wire. The "thick" piece is Plastruct .010" styrene rod, prepainted with black and brown paints. This was used to make the row of larger nails above the window frame. (And these will get touched up with some rusty paint followed by dabs of worn white paint so it looks like the building was nailed together before it was painted!)
The smaller nail heads in the siding were made with blackened bits from the cheapo wire brush shown previously.
The very fine wire laying across the siding is a single strand from a piece of 30ga stranded wire (for DCC). It measures about .005" diameter, but it's so soft that it would be like pushing a microscopic noodle with tweezers that will barely grasp something that small ... if it comes down to using something this small, I'll try the "Ngineering" wire noted below ...
This photo is somewhere around 15-20x actual size on a 19" monitor ... about as good a shot as I could get that close without a tripod, so please pardon the blurriness. The thicker brown rod at top is the .010" styrene rod used to make the larger nails right below that. Drilled a hole, touched the end of the pre-painted rod to a dab of ACC, pressed it in, then sliced off with an x-acto knife. You can see the benefits of prepainting here, as the edges are dark, and it'll just need some tiny dabs of rusty paint and worn-white siding color on the exposed end.
Haven't used the ultra-fine wire yet ... the nail next to the end of that was made with the .007" wire from the cheapo bristle brush. Used a sewing needle to start a hole, then grasped the blackened wire with tweezers, touched the end to ACC, then pressed in place. Allow to set for a moment, then cut with fingernail clippers. Ends of these will get touch-up too ...
Making tiny holes:
-- So far, I've used the finest sewing needle I could get at the local fabric store ... but did some searching and found "felting needles" and "rooting needles" (used by doll-makers) which look like the photo above. These seem to be available in 36, 38, 40 and 42 gauge ... which may or may not correspond to wire gauges [:-boggled] ... so I'll order some and find out.
-- The sewing needles I did find locally have a much finer point than a #80 drill and they're much sturdier ... again, interested to see how those other needles work out.
Tiny wire/rod:
-- Biggest I've used so far is Plastruct .010" styrene rod ... fairly "robust" size nail in 1/35 scale (but I like it for siding & framing) ... far too big for normal siding in O scale.
-- Smaller wire used on the battens is .007" wire from a wire brush ... which is probably good for a comparable "robust" nail in O scale.
-- The ultra fine wire shown is .005" strand from DCC wire, but it's too soft to be workable. So, figure on ordering some .004" steel wire from these folks in case I need something that small:
http://www.ngineering.com/other_detail_stuff.htm
-- Also, as far as wire gauges go, it appears that "36 gauge" (solid core) electrical wire should measure .005" diameter.
Finally, just to state the incredibly obvious ... yes, this is all completely insane! If you still have all your marbles, don't try this at home ... if you've lost a few marbles and find this sort of thing amusing, lemme know about any improvements, etc, that you might find. Thanks in advance.
Will post some more photos after the nail heads get some paint touch-up ... but don't count on any shots of the "process" of applying paint to the ends of .007" wire! [:-smile_green] |
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Chambers Gas & Oil -- structure build
