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Comments
Constructions resumes after a 2-week trip to Japan. After the Clam and Oyster Co building is complete, the basic wharf deck it sits on is constructed. The wharf is a single piece that is laser cut to simulate planks. two different sized planks are used to trim the edges (wire brushed and stained first). A template is provided to locate the center lines of the future pilings and the wharf braces. Once the braces are glued, the underside is painted green and the topside is weathered. Instructions called for Floquil concrete - i used a variety of chalks and some AI. Here is a photo of the Clam and Oyster Co on the dock.
Next is the diorama base. As I am combining 2 kits this will be left for later as I plan to complete all the buildings and other structures first.
So onto the Foss Launch Co. First up is some advance prep such as was described with the previous building. No need to repeat that. The siding on this building is vertical vs horizontal as on the Oyster Co. These were detailed in a similar fashion. One interesting note is that no internal bracing was described for these walls so I decided to make some with leftover strip wood from prior ship models. These must be carefully placed so the wall will go together seamlessly when the trim is added to the edges of several of the walls. Here's the final result of the bracing:
The walls are then weathered and I added some random knots. Again, rather than using paint, I used a variety of chalks and AI followed by a very light amount of white to simulate old white paint mostly weathered away to get to this:
Some trim can be seen lining the freight doors. After the walls are trimmed, the signing is done more dry rub decals. I was worried about this given the age of the decals and difficulty with some of them on the Oyster Co. After doing some research, I decided to give Elmer's spray adhesive a try as I was not entirely satisfied with the double-sided tape described earlier. I think with larger signs the tape would be quite visible. I first tried this on a small "posted Keep Out" decal. These small decals from the Oyster Co building did not work with a variety of methods I tried earlier and there are plenty more of these small decals. Here's the result:
Pretty good so far. Time to try it on a bigger sign: The "Foss Launch Co" and the "Tugs & Barges" sign. Each required several pieces of strip wood to be glued together then some stippled white. The area where the spray adhesive was to be applied was taped off.
A light coat of the adhesive is all that is needed. The decal was then burnished onto the wood and ...
A slight amount of yellowing on the Launch Co. sign, I believe, is from the decal paper. I was able to tone it down with a light brushing and some chalk. So how does this method work if the signs are to be placed directly on the building? The "fast boats for hire" sign goes to the left of the freight door. the entire wall was taped off except for the amount needed for the sign.
And the result:
Wish I had this figured out before I ruined the Coke and Pepsi signs (sigh). One other sign goes on this wall, placed onto several boards glued together. Here is the completed left wall of the Launch Co:
Two more decal are placed directly on the walls. These can be seen on the photos below. The windows have also been placed. Construction is similar to the Oyster Co building. Some holes and cracks were placed and the windows dirtied up a bit.
Next up were the doors - one regular door and six freight doors. The regular door has 2 pieces that come on the same sheet as the window. After prep, they are stuck together. I drilled a small hole and used a tiny nail to simulate a doorknob. It's still a bit bright so I need to weather it a bit. The freight doors had a base tan color and then finished with a variety of chalks - raw umber, grey, black, brown, rust. Curiously, all the right doors were missing the lower hinge. This was easily rectified with a small bit of wire.
The doors were glued in place with 2 life preservers and the walls were then glued together, squaring them up as described before. Although not called for in the instructions, I decided to add some blinds to the windows. As suggested by Karl, rather than black I decided to go with a lighter color - the end result was a slightly dirty, streaky tan. Here are all 4 sides of the Foss launch Co. I think it turned out OK. One issue is the subtle shading on the white Boat-House sign that is a remnant of the spray adhesive. More noticeable in the photos than real life. I am not quite sure how to tone that down without causing damage to the sign or even it it needs it. Any comments / suggestions are, as always, appreciated.
PS - you can see how some of the really small decals look using the spray adhesive on the photo above - note the no trespassing sign.
Next up, the roof
Jeff
Thanks so much for sharing your method and the solution for 20year+ signs and how to make them work and look great.
As for the slight shadow around the "Boat House" sign in the last pic I really wouldn't worry about it, it looks natural and although slightly noticeable it does look as though it should be that way, as if the sign at one point had a darker background under the lettering.
Some people (like me) would work for hours to get that effect... ha
If it does still bother you then a 'slight' vertical swiping of the same coloured chalk you used for your wall base colour will blend it down some, this will also dull down the white of the lettering and age it slightly to match the peeled paint walls.
I really dont think it's necessary but it's an option if it bothers you.
Also, it's an easy option you can leave until later when you are much further along and things are together, you could revisit it and evaluate it then.
Wonderful work so far.
Time to do the roof for the Launch Co. The shingles are similar to those of the Oyster Co thought they are given a green base and black, grey, off white are used to give the variation. The roof comes in 2 parts: the main section has the peak running the length of the building and is glued to the middle and right walls; there are 2 "wings" that are glued to the front and back walls.
The process of laying the shingles down is the same as the Oyster Co except there are areas on the main roof that are left bare as they will be covered by the wings. Here is the roof with all sections shingled and glued on.
Next, the shingles need to be placed on the valleys. Instructions call for a single long strip that comes from the sheet the shingles were on. I chose to cut small :shingles and apply individually. I think it gives a better look.
The peaks were done in the same fashion. Final result:
The flat roof comes next. This will be covered in tarpaper. A problem I noted was the width was too short.
This was an easy fix - 1.5 mm wood plank was glued to each side to make up the difference. The "tarpaper" is applied much like the canvas awning on the Oyster Co. I went with a more tradition tarred roof that has been significantly faded by the sun. I also added a few patches to cover "leaks." Once the roof is glued on, a small stove pipe is added to the rear low wall and a finial is added to the peak of the green roof. A few more finishing touches of dirt and grime were added to the roof as well as some rundown from the stovepipe and finial to complete the structure. A few white blotches of "bird poop" were added to the green roof as well.
The large dock for the Launch Co is next.
Jeff
I love shingled roofs, both looking at them and doing them.
Yours looks amazing.
Thanks for all the wonderful comments. This has been an enjoyable kit thus far.
Now onto the large dock. This is similar to the dock that the Oyster Co. sits on thought it is much bigger and comes in 2 parts. The 2 sections were glued together and then square stripwood was glued along the perimeter and the same was used for the cross beams. After I applied some chalk followed by AI, (similar to what I did with the other dock, this one developed some serious warping. I used gorilla glue and instructions called for epoxy. Maybe the problem came about if the alcohol leached through the dock and loosened the glue on the beams. This was the result:
I thought there was no point in trying to salvage that, so, time to make a dock. Using leftover wood from prior ship models, the underside of the dock was made with 3x2 mm walnut. The template was a big help. The boards are made from 1/16 x 3/32 basswood and weathered following the Dr Grunge advance wood clinic (thanks Ken). Here is a photo of work in progress:
The boards are not yet completely finished with the weathering process. This will be done when all are in place. If I like the result, I may do the Oyster Co dock in a similar fashion. Here's what that look like now.
Concurrent with building the dock, I have been working on the rowboat shed. I'll post those pictures in my next update.
Comment / suggestions always appreciated.
Jeff
Grant - your log is great and will be an wonderful reference when I get to the Shipyard
jeff
One thing I have learned after many years of building Brett's kits, and also being privileged enough to see a couple of them being developed is that, everything is specified for a reason.
It has all been well researched and is used specifically in specific areas because it is the best solution for that situation.
To be honest (and this isn't aimed at you Jeff) ... the only time I've ever seen anyone have a real problem with a SierraWest kit is when they deviated.
I've said it at least 1000 times, and I'll say it again, "Follow the instructions and you'll end up with what is shown on the box.
Jerry
As I complete the new dock, here is work on the rowboat shed. It is a rather delicate structure. The templates supplied with the kit were essential in construction. First photo shows a start with the 3 roof trusses and the walls. Scrap wood used to keep the wall studs lined up.
A little further along the side boards for the walls have been aged and applied. The front wall was to only have the rowboat brace, but I added a few boards at the bottom. Spacers used for ladder to keep distance between the side rails constant.
The floorboards were then weathered and glued together. Small slots were cut to accommodate the wall studs and 2 cross braces were added to connect the walls. The trusses at each end sit on these braces with the third one midway. This photo shows most of that.
Here is a close up of the rear wall:
Beams to support the tarpaper roof are added next. I used a slightly wider beam for the lower and upper most beams.
The tarpaper is prepared as described for the roof of the Launch Co. A few hooks are fashioned from the small brass rod supplied and glued to the studs. Some scrap boards are glued to the end trusses for support. Final result:
Jeff
As Roberts and Tom mentioned before: great wood colour.
I still love the colour of the main building!!