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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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 Posted - 08/08/2008 : 6:02:40 PM
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I had been looking for a Bar Mill’s billboard, Star Diner # 171-227, but could not find one and most places were sold out, and, I was told Bar Mill’s doesn’t make Billboards anymore. Knowing it was 4” x 2” I decided to make my own version.
I started with a copy of the billboard from a website. Left picture. And after a little work, came out with my own. Right picture.
I'll post the how I did it following this posting.  
 
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 Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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DaKra
Engine Wiper
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 6:29:38 PM
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Hey thats cool!  I like how you took an item from the virtual world and made it into something in the real world. Actually I think your hand made sign has some better features than the laser one, especially the white on red lettering. The interconnected letters on the BM product don't look like anything I've ever seen on a 1/1 scale road sign.
Way cool!
Dave
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Country: USA
| Posts: 456 |
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UKGuy
Fireman
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 6:42:26 PM
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Fantastic looking sign Louis, I'll be looking forward to your process on this one.
Karl.A
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Country: USA
| Posts: 5428 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 7:16:22 PM
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Dave, thanks for your posting, I'm glad you find this version that good.
Karl, thanks glad you like it, and that you will check back again on this project. 
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Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
Edited by - desertdrover on 08/13/2008 09:18:40 AM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 7:22:12 PM
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Louis,
Great job on the billboard. I'm looking forward to the 'how to'.
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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: 23233 |
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MarkF
Engineer
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 7:28:58 PM
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Great job Louis. Bar Mills stopped making those terrific bill boards? I hadn't heard that!
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Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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Country: USA
| Posts: 9276 |
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Tyson Rayles
Moderator
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 7:41:34 PM
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Very nice work Louis!
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| Mike |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 10169 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 7:43:07 PM
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Thanks guys for the postings and kind words. I first copied the website billboard and scaled it down until I got the 4” x 2” measurement I needed to work with. Then I copied and cropped the top Diner for a cut out, and pasted it to Microsoft Excel and made up new sign boards, with one extra saying “1 Mile after Tunnel” for the location I’m putting the billboard on the layout. Once this was made in Excel, and printed onto heavy paper stock, I painted over the sign boards with Zap CA, the super thin kind by pacer. This made the paper stock turn into like a sheet of plastic. I then cut out the sign boards and cut out the Diner sign, like cutting out paper dolls. (I had children, that’s how I know)! lol
 
Then I needed a drawing of a billboard frame for a guide, so I found this one the website for a template, and picked up some Cosmetix 6” wood disposable cosmetic applicators for 69 cents at a locale Christmas tree store to be used as the billboard poles. These things scale out to be 9” diameter poles. At that price they work for me. I also got a package of MidWest scale lumber #8004 2” x 8”s for the frame work and sign board backing.
 
After cutting all the poles and boards for the billboard, I made a jig with the copied template taped down onto a piece of pine. I also drew the locations for my sign boards, and where the top diner sign would go, and the arrow. Then I used pins to hold the poles in place while I ACC glued the frame work together.
 
I stained all the wood with Fiebing’s leather dye mixed with denatured alcohol. I used an eye dropper mix of 70 drops of dye to a 20oz jar of alcohol. All wood pieces were stained prior to gluing the frame together. The Sign boards had two strips of the 2” x 8”s glued to the backs, top and bottom for support. Here are progress pictures of the billboard sign.
In this addition area of the layout that I am working on, the finished sign will be mounted to the left of the tunnel entrance. The delivery vehicle to the left of the sign will be a Woodland Scenics “Peters Painting Vehicle” to give the illusion that the billboard sign is newly painted, with painters just finishing up the job. I took a truck cab, and half of a car rear, installed lights, truck headlights and car tail lights, and have them appearing to go through a vehicle tunnel. Now a little scenic work, with rocks, bushes, trees and grass, I may be on to something here. Your thoughts please, good or bad. 
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Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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Frederic Testard
Engineer
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 8:02:02 PM
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Very nice sign, and very interesting tutorial about the making of it, Louis.
Thanks for sharing.
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Country: France
| Posts: 16456 |
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Dutchman
Administrator
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 8:03:07 PM
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Louis,
You did a fabulous job cutting out the word 'Diner' with the star. Something tells me that's where it would all fall apart with me.
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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: 23233 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 10:03:58 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Frederic Testard
Very nice sign, and very interesting tutorial about the making of it, Louis.
Thanks for sharing.
Frederic, thanks I'm glad you like how it came out.
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Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 10:08:59 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dutchman
Louis,
You did a fabulous job cutting out the word 'Diner' with the star. Something tells me that's where it would all fall apart with me.
Bruce thanks, but the cutting out was the easy part. A pair of small sewing scissors and crossed eyes and a thick pair of glasses did the trick. 
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Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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UKGuy
Fireman
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Posted - 08/08/2008 : 10:32:28 PM
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That is some exceptional scissor work Louis, I have been looking for a method to do this kind of 'cut out billboard', the soaking in CA is a stroke of genius, many thanks. I definately see something similar in one of my future builds. Sometimes it so obvious you just cant see it, thanks for the insight.
Karl.A
EDIT I just thought, right as I hit the send button, as usual, did you experience any running of the ink when you applied the glue?
SECOND EDIT I just realised that it probably took me longer to type that question than it would have done for me to grab my bottle of thin CA(which is next to the mouse) and drip it onto one of the many scrap printouts I have here on my desk, dont bother answering I'll go and try it.
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Edited by - UKGuy on 08/08/2008 10:38:39 PM |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 5428 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/09/2008 : 07:42:08 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by UKGuy
That is some exceptional scissor work Louis, I have been looking for a method to do this kind of 'cut out billboard', the soaking in CA is a stroke of genius, many thanks. I definately see something similar in one of my future builds. Sometimes it so obvious you just cant see it, thanks for the insight.
Karl.A
EDIT I just thought, right as I hit the send button, as usual, did you experience any running of the ink when you applied the glue?
SECOND EDIT I just realised that it probably took me longer to type that question than it would have done for me to grab my bottle of thin CA(which is next to the mouse) and drip it onto one of the many scrap printouts I have here on my desk, dont bother answering I'll go and try it.
Thanks for posting Karl, glad you liked the project. To answer your question on the ink running. (I'll answer it anyway, but I'm sure you found out) No, the ink did not run, the super glue is so fast it doesn't have time to run. I did the first with mod podge, something like white glue, and the letters ran alittle. So the super glue is the way to go.
And, I don't know about your CA so close to your mouse, watch that spill! lol
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Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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George D
Moderator
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/09/2008 : 08:28:18 AM
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That’s a unique sign, Louis – looks great. Thanks for your very informative tutorial.
George
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Country: USA
| Posts: 9915 |
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desertdrover
Engineer
Premium Member
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Posted - 08/09/2008 : 4:59:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by George D
That’s a unique sign, Louis – looks great. Thanks for your very informative tutorial.
George
Not a problem George, glad you liked the tutorial, I'm just trying to help, like all you guys have been giving me ideas and help.
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Louis
Pacific Northwest Logging in the East Coast |
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Country: USA
| Posts: 11269 |
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