| Author |
 Topic  |
|
Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16441 Posts |
 Posted - 09/25/2011 : 4:25:34 PM
|
| It's absolutely perfect, Bill. |
Frederic Testard |
 |
|
|
TRAINS1941
Fireman
USA
4891 Posts |
Posted - 09/25/2011 : 4:52:56 PM
|
Bill
Just excellent. And one of best roof coloring I've seen.
Jerry |
Jerry
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are. |
|
|
|
BillMichaels
Engine Wiper
USA
249 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2011 : 3:59:50 PM
|
Thanks very much you guys! Your comments and encouragement keep me going! Here's a quick recap...
Everything that I've built so far on the 3'x3' diorama:
Pretty good, huh? Looks like I'm making a lot of progress and there's light at the end of the tunnel, right? Now, take a look at the pile of stripwood left:
And I'm probably gonna be short!!! I'm on page 49...there's still 72 pages MORE. I haven't even gotten to the section in the manual where Brett says "So, you've made it this far..." Cripes, I feel like I've given birth and I'm not up to the machinery part yet!
/whine
(make no mistake, I'm havin a blast!)
|
|
|
|
George D
Moderator
USA
9906 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2011 : 4:22:44 PM
|
Very nice looking building, Bill. The roof on the dynamite building is particularly good.
George
|
|
|
|
dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2011 : 5:40:26 PM
|
Shaping up nicely! The irregular shape of the pond and the placement of the mill off-kilter from the edges of the diorama will be really pleasing ... so, keep on plugging till you reach "so you made it so far!" ... and then some.  |
|
|
|
ETinBH
Fireman
USA
4241 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2011 : 6:02:49 PM
|
The sorting area will take a bunch of those sticks and all the raw ones - still a lot of fun modeling left - get back to work - lolol
ps - looks great |
|
|
|
TRAINS1941
Fireman
USA
4891 Posts |
Posted - 09/26/2011 : 8:29:31 PM
|
Very nice indeed..
Jerry |
Jerry
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are. |
|
|
|
Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16441 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2011 : 03:02:55 AM
|
| Great vista on the diorama, Bill. |
Frederic Testard |
|
|
|
railman28
Fireman
USA
1722 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2011 : 11:40:51 AM
|
| The Mill is coming together nicely. If you're getting a little frustrated with this project why not take a break and work on something different, that will demand less time, like a car kit. When I was doing my shop, I took time out and built a outhouse with a new material- Card stock. It was refreshing and interesting. |
It's Only Make Believe
Bob Harris |
|
|
|
BillMichaels
Engine Wiper
USA
249 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2011 : 1:31:40 PM
|
Thanks for the input, gents!
Dallas-I may have to alter the shape of the pond a little. It looks a little cramped on the side with the boathouse and the dynamite shack...may have to "dredge" it out and widen it on the left.
Elliott-don't forget the roof! I'm thinking that'll gobble up lots of sticks, too.
Bob-thanks for looking out for me! I'm not frustrated at all. I was being sarcastic. Brett had been giving me a hard time early in this projct about my progress. He said something like "Looks good...you're almost 1% done!" But you're right, a change of scenery is always helpful. I did some casting work over the weekend just to break things up.
My problem is that my work area is so cluttered there's no way I can trust myself to start a different project. I'd have pieces and parts all mixed up everywhere! There's a good chance my finished dio would feature the Batmobile being chased by a steam roller that just got run through the log saws!
And they say John Allen was whimsical!!
|
|
|
|
dallas_m
Fireman
USA
2993 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2011 : 2:32:30 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by BillMichaels
I may have to alter the shape of the pond a little. It looks a little cramped on the side with the boathouse and the dynamite shack...may have to "dredge" it out and widen it on the left.
Couldn't tell whether that was the intended location or if they were just set there for the moment ... yes, a little cramped, so some enlargement or re-shaping might do well. Hope you'll keep the mill more-or-less in the same orientation, a bit of an angle from the edges of the dio really does wonders. Again, shaping up nicely, and take the appropriate breaks as desired and suggested by others!  [:-thumbu] |
|
|
|
BillMichaels
Engine Wiper
USA
249 Posts |
Posted - 09/27/2011 : 4:06:22 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by dallas_m
Hope you'll keep the mill more-or-less in the same orientation, a bit of an angle from the edges of the dio really does wonders. Again, shaping up nicely, and take the appropriate breaks as desired and suggested by others! [:-thumbu]
That's the plan at this stage, Dallas. It all depends on how everythbing orients into the layout plan.
Okay...break time is over!
Let's build the Log Brow! That's the huge wooden structure that helped absorb the fall of the logs off the railroad cars before they hit the log pond. The idea was this thing would help minimize the splash and reduce the wake in the log pond. I tried to find some prototypical pictures of one, but they're pretty tough to come by. As best I could tell, the loggers constructed them out of large logs and timbers so my goal was to model the logs as if they still had most of their bark still on them--like they'd been drug straight from the forest and dropped into position.
So...to create the bark texture I took the dowels and roughed them up using a nail board. This puts really deep, rough texture into the wood.
Then, using 150 grit sandpaper, I knocked down most of the fuzz and other loose stuff leaving just the deep grooves. Next, I applied a stain of thinned Floquil Grimy Black with a very tiny amount of Roof Brown. I don't know the exact proportions, but it was mostly Dio-sol and about a brush load of Grimy Black; then just the tip with some Roof Brown. REALLY thin stain. I kept dabbing it on until it got close to the edges.
See how little paint I used? The color remains mostly on the outer surface of the dowel:
That was key for the next step; tappering the edges of the logs. This is where I wanted to see that noticable color change from bark to sapwood (I think it's actually called the Cambium layer). I used a Stanley knife to whittle away that outer, dark layer exposing the lighter sapwood:
(BTW--that reddish spot in the middle log...that's my blood. Careful using the nailboard!) All of these little logs needed grooves so that they'd interlock with the longer logs (just like Lincoln Logs). I used one of those sandpaper tube things that come in a Dremel set. I don't know what the heck they're called...drum sander? Colonel Sander? Sander friggin thing?--this deal:
Anyway...chucked it into the drill press and it worked great. The short timbers that go on top of the brow were textured the same way that I textured the dry rollway--beat up, used and abused. Here's how it all came together:
 |
|
|
|
time2play
Engine Wiper
Canada
458 Posts |
Posted - 09/29/2011 : 09:41:29 AM
|
Man...that looks really good even with the blood stain...
Bob Farquhar  |
|
|
|
Frederic Testard
Engineer
France
16441 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2011 : 11:33:12 AM
|
| Bill, have you learnt how to become a fakir? Looks like you've already got the required material... |
Frederic Testard |
|
|
|
BillMichaels
Engine Wiper
USA
249 Posts |
Posted - 09/30/2011 : 12:13:20 PM
|
| Hmmmm...I'm not sure, Frederic. What the heck is a "fakir"? |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
SWSM Twin Mills...one more time!
