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dnhman
Fireman
Premium Member
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 Posted - 01/02/2010 : 11:00:19 AM
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Rick, The scene is really working out well. I am amazed at the speed your working at,, putting the rest of us to shame! Your non steel mill work is just as awesume,,,
Joe
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| Cheers!, Joe |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1049 |
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Grubes
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 01/02/2010 : 11:07:51 AM
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Rick,
I think Arnold's church would really make the church/cemetary scene come alive (is that possible with a cemetary?).
Regarding the N scale farm, in order not to have it too busy in an area where you're trying to convey depth and wide open space, maybe you could experiment with the farm building as a 3D flat against the backdrop and have the entire space available for the farm field.
Great progress as always!
Dave
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Country: USA
| Posts: 353 |
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Harsco
Fireman
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Posted - 01/02/2010 : 4:34:31 PM
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Thanks guys.....Dave, I like the idea you're proposing, especially since I'm having a difficult time figuring out where and how to do the N scale house thing (mostly because I don't have an N scale house here to futz around with). Maybe a picture of a house glued onto... <wait for it>......illustration board and tucked into the far corner...hmmmmm....more to come.
Joe, the basic reason why I seem to get so much done is very simple: I have no discernible life outside of work...and watching NCIS marathons. LOL
OK, being naturally curious...as well as impatient, I followed Ralph's suggestion and asked Mrs. Harsco to pick me up a bottle of the cheapest, nastiest holding hair spray she could find during her weekly shopping foray at Target. Ever resourceful, she returned with not one but two bottles claiming that the different terminology used to describe their holding power might well prove a deal-breaker in "adhering your ground foam". (I swear the woman is a closet model railroader).
Anyway, prior to her trekking off, I applied two fairly liberal spritzings of Dove Extra Strength hair spray (the stuff I already had here) on a predesignated area covered in the WS Earth Blend, waiting about five minutes between applications.
For the purposes of scientific documentation, here's what the area looked like after spritzing:
OK, several hours later (I would guess four, maybe a bit longer), I first performed the "finger" test, gently patting the material with an index finger, then checking for any traces of Earth Blend on the tip. Results: nada, zip, zilch.
Upping the ante, I then administered what I call the "Miniature Tornado Test", ie: vacuuming....and no, not with one of those mousy little numbers, but an honest-to-gosh, Tim Taylor approved Shop Vac type, holding the nozzle approximately 1/2 inch above the surface. Here's the result:
Sharp-eyed forum denizens who say: "But that's the same picture you posted above!" would be 100% correct; it is because nothing came up...nada, zip, zilch....cross my heart, etc, etc, etc.
Not believing the results either, I then administered what I term the "You Have to Be Kidding...Take This!" test, consisting of rubbing the tip of the vacuum nozzle on the surface itself in an attempt to forcibly remove the turf...here's the result:
Those same sharp-eyed denizens might notice a change this time, and they would be right - the dark area in the lower center is where I rubbed the nozzle against the foam...here's a closer peek:
Bottom line: I'm REALLY quite impressed.
So....what else will this stuff work with? Pushing the proverbial envelope, I quickly cobbled up a gravel driveway for one of the houses, using Sandstone colored tile grout, Blended Turf, and Aussie "Opposites Attract Extra Strong Hold + Touchable Feel" hair spray. <no comments, gentlemen>
After application:
I'll let you know if it holds the grout after it dries....
Overall, I think I'm going to make the switchover...the hair spray is relatively inexpensive (3.00 per bottle), seems to hold everything reasonably well, and best of all, smells GREAT.
Next up: After a long phone conversation with Steam earlier this afternoon, I will be trying the "Clay Reigel" ballasting method that he suggested...more to come.
WARNING/DISCLAIMER: In order to avoid any misunderstandings as well as possible divorce proceedings, it is STRONGLY recommended that married men advise their spouses they are using hair spray to affix ground foam BEFORE actually using it!
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Edited by - Harsco on 01/02/2010 5:15:43 PM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1101 |
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MarkF
Engineer
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Posted - 01/02/2010 : 6:48:17 PM
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Interesting results Rick. I would have never thought of using hairspray, but it is a great answer to some of the problems you posed. And it looks like it will hold the test of time. As always, the area is looking better and better! Your 'futzing' around is really paying off!
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Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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Country: USA
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LVRALPH
Fireman
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Posted - 01/03/2010 : 06:23:10 AM
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Rick, here is a pic from Mike L. at the op session. The bushes on the hillside are polyfoam with hairspray using Bob Van Gelders method of holding the gound foam colors. It has been holding for years.
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Edited by - LVRALPH on 01/03/2010 06:31:35 AM |
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akimmons
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 01/03/2010 : 08:05:57 AM
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Rick, you used what to hold it down?
Aussie "Opposites Attract Extra Strong Hold + Touchable Feel" hair spray.
Sounds...hmmm, manly. Does Mrs. Harsco know about this? Is there really a Mrs. Harsco?
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Arnold Kimmons
General Manager
Royal & Edisto Railroad
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19182 |
Edited by - akimmons on 01/03/2010 08:06:50 AM |
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Country: USA
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akimmons
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 01/03/2010 : 08:16:48 AM
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OK, I'll be serious this time
I've been using hairspray for years to hold ground foam (and recently static grass) to weed armatures when making trees. The results are great. I recommend it.
As to the spray pattern/atomizer issue, I've been using a bottle from WallyWorld that came with eye glass cleaner. It has a very fine mist and a small spray pattern. I have two, one for wet water and one for dilute matte medium. As you said, you just have to remember to rinse it out after use.
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Arnold Kimmons
General Manager
Royal & Edisto Railroad
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19182 |
Edited by - akimmons on 01/03/2010 08:17:40 AM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1354 |
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Harsco
Fireman
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Posted - 01/03/2010 : 09:00:43 AM
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Arnold, not only does Mrs. Harsco know about it, she purchased it. I assumed my post would garner at least one chop-busting comment....LOL. Congratulations, you're the winner!
Ralph...I was looking at that specific area last week during the session (in fact, that's my train!)...very nicely done; I like how you've modeled the typical northeast rural landscape: underbrush and brambles.
I guess I'm kind of re-inventing the wheel here; obviously the hair spray thing is far more prevalent out there than I assumed. I had heard/read about it in the model press, but never anything definitive, such as brands, recommendations, etc. Like most things in life, we'd all love to have one solution that answers every problem, but the truth is like surgeons, we need to tailor our tools and materials to the specific situation. A preliminary check this morning would indicate that the hair spray isn't nearly strong enough to hold the grout down, which I can live with...
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Country: USA
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LVRALPH
Fireman
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Posted - 01/03/2010 : 10:13:10 AM
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Ralph...I was looking at that specific area last week during the session (in fact, that's my train!)
That would'nt be the er ah train that required the wrecker...would it?
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Harsco
Fireman
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Posted - 01/03/2010 : 12:21:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by LVRALPH
Ralph...I was looking at that specific area last week during the session (in fact, that's my train!)
That would'nt be the er ah train that required the wrecker...would it?
Yep...the very same one that was very firmly on the track...until some mysterious "Beth Supervisor" with a fetish for wreck trains happened to walk past....LOL.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1101 |
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Harsco
Fireman
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Posted - 01/04/2010 : 1:50:55 PM
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"I have two, one for wet water and one for dilute matte medium. As you said, you just have to remember to rinse it out after use."
Arnold: just out of curiosity....do you make up your own dilute matte medium? If so, what ratio water to matte medium? I've attempted to push diluted white glue through a hair spray/eye glass cleaner type of sprayer and the results were less than satisfactory ; the ratio I use is 50/50, but even a 40% glue and 60% water mix wasn't getting pushed out very well.
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Country: USA
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akimmons
Fireman
Premium Member
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Posted - 01/04/2010 : 4:20:45 PM
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Rick,
I mix my own matte medium and use about 4 parts water to 1 part matte medium and a drop of detergent. It that doesn't work just add some more water. It will still be strong enough to hold down grout and foam. Good luck,
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Arnold Kimmons
General Manager
Royal & Edisto Railroad
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19182 |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1354 |
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Harsco
Fireman
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Posted - 01/04/2010 : 4:33:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by akimmons
Rick,
I mix my own matte medium and use about 4 parts water to 1 part matte medium and a drop of detergent. It that doesn't work just add some more water. It will still be strong enough to hold down grout and foam. Good luck,
OK, that would explain why you are successful using a finer mist sprayer...the mixture is thin enough to pass through without clogging. What I wasn't sure about is how thin you can make the mixture before it no longer holds anything.
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1101 |
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Harsco
Fireman
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Posted - 01/16/2010 : 10:39:02 AM
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A quick progress report;work continues, albeit at a slower pace...
Having put in the roads, I've been continuing to put down a basic ground cover of dirt and Earth blend around Lucknow to try to tie things together. Here's a few shots around the area:
The "west" side of Lucknow showing the concrete bridge approach in the background and American Rag and Metal in the foreground:
The residential section:
A little further to the west is the new, as yet decided "customer" and a side street. The concrete approach structure will be continued over here...the building shown is a stand-in until I make up my mind. The two tracks on the left curing into the Great Abyss are the PRR passenger mains which will join the HTRR freight only tracks at Rockville...
A closer view of the still-as-yet-unfinished Lucknow Feed and Seed (Agway) facility:
Several shots of E.C. Crosby & Sons....the building locations have finally been determined and the gravel parking area installed:
Finally, PRR SW-1 9137 (courtesy of Steam Nut Rentals) photographed running light from it's regular assignment as the Harsco Hot Crew at Herr Street to Enola Yard for it's monthly inspection:
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Edited by - Harsco on 01/16/2010 10:45:14 AM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 1101 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 01/16/2010 : 11:41:09 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Harsco
Having put in the roads, I've been continuing to put down a basic ground cover of dirt and Earth blend around Lucknow to try to tie things together
Everything is blending together nicely, Rick. I'm glad that you did the test with the hair spray. I've used it to adhere ground foam to dried weeds to make bushes, but not tried it for a general adhesive.
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Bruce
Modeling the railroads of the Jersey Highlands in HO and the logging railroads of Pennsylvania in HOn3 |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 23231 |
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