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Comments
The brass tubing is 1/32" X 0.006", picked up at the LHS. The armature wire came from Nengineering, I think its about 0.002" or so (you cann't feel it against your skin unless you pull on it, which makes it a bit tricky to work with).
Paul
Paul
Had a great time at the FSMR Expo last weekend. Now that I’ve sorted through all the purchases, I’ve managed to take a pic of the Work Boat Lighter (Sea Port Model Works) that I’ll be building and integrating into the diorama. Should be a fun build … once I have the Shipyard done.
Back to those lamps for the Saw Shed. I’ve blackened and drilled a hole through the lamp shade and added some glue (to act as an insulator for the LED connections):
I’ve free-formed a piece of brass tubing to bring the armature wires up to the ceiling along an outside post:
The main components and threading the wire through the tube:
Adding a spot of white glue to hold the LED in place (but not covering the LED’s main surface, yellow part).
I had the bright idea of using a brass tube running along the lamp support to conceal the wires (used a file to hollow out the side of the tube to bring the wires out to the first LED). Would’ve worked like a charm had I done this prior to installing the roofs ridge beam. With the beam in place it’s not possible to get the lamp shades through the top triangle.
It’s always good to keep checking that the LED’s work as you install the wires through the brass tubes. The device connected to the 9V battery includes a current limiter (20mA) for the LED’s (available from MicroLumina).
Now that I’ve abandoned the tube along the lamp support beam idea, I used tweezers to hold the lamp rod in place while gluing to the beam (with jell type CC glue). I figure the wires are so thin they’ll hide themselves (once painted with black acrylic paint).
Blackened the brass tube and fed the wires through (difficult and time consuming pushing the wires through the bends, but eventually they fit through).
The tube temporarily placed and excess wire wrapped around a dowel (so they don’t get in the way). Next will be securing the brass rod.
That’s it for now, once I have the brass rod in place, I’ll move on to building the roofs cupola and treating the sheet metal roof.
‘til Next
Paul
Jerry
Cheers
Dave
I like what you are doing with the lights, your patience with those fine wires and tubing is amazing. Good touch with the boat.
During the visit to the Belfast & Vinehaven RR (Arnie Hall) I asked him where he got the schooners from. He mentioned he had one that he was not going to use and offered it to me. I bought the Schooner and a Lighthouse from him that will be eventually be put on various parts of the layout.
Keep up the good work knowing that you are inspriting many other modellers.
\marty
Your information on the lights is very helpful. I think they would look really cool installed in the Locomotive and Service Shops to add ambience to the interior.
I am probably to late since the roof is already installed over the machine shop area and the car shop.
Thanks
Steve
great tutorial on the wiring and on the build keep up the great work!
Scott
Thanks Jerry, James, Dave, Marty, Steve and Scott, always appreciated. Marty, I'll be spending a lot of time over on your thread when I get to the ship and derrik.
I’ve managed to make quite a bit of progress on the Saw Shed in the last month, along with dismantling the almost finished
bench-work in the basement (prepping the house to be sold early next year. …but a new house is on the horizon (with about
a 1000 sq.ft. basement all to myself), so all’s not lost). While waiting for the new house, I’ve decided to build the Shipyard
into a 2x4’ module, with the Shipyard diorama being detachable from the module. Lots of ideas on this, but haven’t
cut the wood yet.
Back to the build, finishing off installing the vertical (brass) conduit taking the wires to the ceiling:
To keep things simple, I’ve wired a 20mA current limiter in series with the two LED’s (also in series), that way you can connect the
wires to any voltage (I think the max is something like 90Volts DC). The diagram illustrates the connections nicely (courtesy of
MicroLumina). It’s still important to get the polarity correct, so I’ve used Red for the positive and Green for the negative connections to
the battery (or supply). The current limiter is the black device with two leads (the diagram shows two lead, but there’s actually three
leads, the middle one is not used and can be cut off)
… and the final results:
The wire leads are extra long (about a foot) coiled up and taped under the shed:
Now that the wires are safely tucked away, it’s back up to the roof to install the supports for the metal roofing.
A marker and ruler was used to space the supports evenly (the instructions mentioned to due this prior to installing the rafters, but
of course I skipped over that instruction by mistake):
Installing the supports:
The supports installed on both sides of the roof:
Moving onto the cupola, more staining with the 408.3 Rembrandt chalk and painting the insides PS Roof Brown.
Applying strip wood (as before on so many walls…)
Before I forget, installing the saw drive belt, strip of paper stained (colored) a tan shade with a felt marker:
Gluing (jell type CA) the belt to the upper and lower drive wheel:
The supports for the cupola have been installed and a test fit of the cupola:
Roof installed (I’ll show the metal roofing treatment in my next post…)
Next I’ll be installing the (treated) metal roofing … bringing to an end the Saw Shed build, there sure seems to be a lot of individual
structure builds in this build, all have been a lot of fun (and challenging). The next page in the instructions (p64) will be the start of the
diorama phase … finally.
‘til Next
Paul
Karl.A
Your saw shed work is really cool. Hiding the wiring is going to be an equal challenge when you get to the lamp posts outside. So what you have learned here will be a good solution there.
I had the same type of dilemma about the shipyard as you. I "think" I've settled on putting the Shipyard at the end of 30"x60" module with a mainline going across the other end, in effect a "tee" module. This will allow me to put the Shipyard module in various parts of the main line. Like you still have not finally decided.
You get the "whole" basement? What did you have to give up?
\Marty
Thanks Karl and James, it won’t be long now and it’ll all be coming together. Marty, I just have a really nice wife (and she has decorating rights on the rest of the house).
The saw shed metal roof is coming along well, now that I’ve figured out how to use the etchant (I’ll remember to do this in the spring/summer next time since it takes forever for the reaction to start if the temperature is closed to freezing…and you should always use this stuff outside (or in an extremely well ventilated area).
The etchant I’ve used is Ferric Chloride (from MG Chemicals). The etchant is direct out of the bottle into a plastic container with a couple of plastic containers filled with water to stop the reaction. I initially started the etching in early November when the weather was still above freezing, but then I got side tracked and the next opportunity (to etch) there was snow on the ground.
…the end result, the top row have been lightly brushed, while the bottom row still has a lot of residue remaining on the sheets, a couple of the really deteriorated sheets didn’t make it into the pic (but did make it onto the south side of the roof…).
A light brushing with Rembrandt 408.3 and 411.5 (Burnt Sienna):
The first roofing sheet (north side of the shed, hence not as deteriorated as the south side) is trimmed and glued on below the cupola (north/south sides have been chosen arbitrarily, I’ll figure it all out when I place the diorama).
The sheets are then applied moving towards the right side the shed roof (3 sheets didn’t quite make it to the right edge, so a 4th sheet was trimmed to fit).
The same approach was used for gluing the sheets on the left side of the roof (I think I put the cupola a bit off center on the roof, since I needed to overlap the last sheet a bit (rather than adding a 4th sheet…I think I was off-center by about 1/8th of an inch or so), but once the sheets are glued down the extra (and over-lapping) all blend together nicely.
I’ll be moving onto the other side of the roof to complete the shaw shed, then it’s diorama time…
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy (Modeling) New Year.
‘til Next
Paul
Jerry
The lights, building, and roofing are superb. Can't wait to see this come together.
Fantastic work! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Jim
Thanks Jerry and Jim, always appreciated. Moving along … I’ve finished the Saw-Shed, a fitting end to 2013. I’m pleased with the way the shed has turned out, having never tried the PC board etching method for distressing the metal roofing.
Here’s the application of the metal roofing to the other side of the roof, same technique with adding an extra piece to the (left hand side this time).
Now for the peak ridge cap, this was made with strips of the left over roofing, cutting on both sides of the ridge of the sheet to form
the strip:
Now for the application on the roof, starting at the cupola and working out to the end, will require two strips:
It’s a bit tricky applying pressure to the ridge cap, without collapsing the structure. Using the bus-bar weights to hold the base (from pan caking), I used two scrap pieces of wood to press side ways into the peak with not so much down force. Applying pressure for about 30 seconds seemed to do the trick.
The end result:
The final work on the shed will be to apply flashing around the edges between the cupola and roof. I thought I’d try something different this time, using my white glue and Vallejo Dark Grey (70994) and Black (70950) acrylic paints. After mixing thoroughly in a small plastic container, filled a hypodermic needle (obtained from the local vet a couple of years ago when we had a sick cat), and stuck on a gluing tip obtained from the LHS. A test run was made with a couple of scraps of wood.
The last pic was taken the next morning, a bit of chalk dusting will be done once the flashing is applied to the cupola.
Flashing applied (a steady hand is required since you’re trying to lay a very thin bead of colored glue):
The shed was put aside to let the glue dry (and shrink) and then dusted with the 408.2 chalk. The next string of pic’s was taken with the shed lamps (LED’s) on and my work bench lights off (resulting in very long exposure times … 20 – 30 seconds).
The next two pictures illustrate the effect of ambient light when taking pictures. I needed a long exposure to show the LED lights, so this meant turning off the work bench lights (and of course a tri-pod was used):
Work bench light off and garage lights on (very dim ambient), camera settings (manual focus and Auto Av):
Tv = 20 seconds (the amount of time the shutter is open, determined by the camera if in Auto Av), Av (Apeture Value of F-Stop) = 22.
Work bench lights on and garage lights on (bright), camera settings:
Av = 1 seconds, Av = 22.
Final pic of the shed:
I’ll be moving onto the diorama and ship-building phase in the new-year, still working out how to incorporate into a 2’x4’ module (and still have the diorama removable…).
‘til Next, Happy New Year and all the best in 2014
Paul
I love the ridge treatment and that needle trick is now on "my things to do" list. My daughter did similar by filling the needle with chalking for sealing the seams before pouring Envirotec epoxy.
Great tip with the syringe for the tar seal it worked perfectly. Thanks also for the previous lighting how to, seeing the shed lit up like that I cant resist trying something on my next build.
Karl.A
I just wanted to add my thanks for all the effort you've put into this posting. Not only is your work absolutely terrific, this posting is the most thorough, beautifully done build posting I've ever seen. Not only have you done a wonderful job of showing your work, the whole thing has been an amazing tutorial about your techniques. I've learned a great deal from you, and I've enjoyed trying some of the new things I've picked up to my own work. I can hardly wait to see your completed diorama. Each thing you've done is even better than the thing before. The shed is stunning.
Thanks again.
Andy
Your work is my bible and has been my motivation while waiting for the arrival of my own kit.
Respectfully,
John Maguire
Seattle
I would once again like to thank Paul for his excellent documentation of his build, I know it isn't quick to do, it is appreciated by those of us following along and enjoying the thread.
Not only has Paul masterfully executed and performed the plethora of techniques explained by Brett throughout the manual he has also added to these with a few of his own, ie:-the now famous bus bar weights and the incredible lighting "how-to".
Talking of "Bibles".... the first SierraWest kit I ever built was Shelby's. After that nothing else came close.
Seven years later that manual has always been on, or next to my modeling bench. I have often joked with Brett that it is my modeling "bible". His manuals and modeling taught me everything and are often referred back to, even on unrelated projects.
Karl.A
Thanks Marty, Karl, Andy and John, always appreciated. I think creating this build thread provides the time to really look at what’s been done thus far and to deal with things that “always” show up in pictures (but not necessarily at the work bench).
Now for the diorama portion of the build … I’ll be making the diorama following Brett’s instructions (layout). The plan is to have the diorama fit into the end of a 2x4 foot module and still have the diorama removable (to bring with me to Expo 2015…).
Once again, time to clear the work bench and make way for the plywood (I just shoved everything off to the side…).
Now for cutting a piece of ¾” plywood to size … but first I had to dig out the table saw, which is usually buried under a bunch of stuff during the winter months (really looking forward to the new house with the new layout, work-shop and crew lounge located in the basement ... fall 2014).
First attempt, using the dimensions in the instructions, and then discovering I’d need a lot more real estate (water) to accommodate the Lighter boat (you’d think I would’ve figured out this prior to cutting…
Pushing the foam and structures back about 2”’s seems to work:
So now I’m back to digging out the table-saw to cut a new base… this time I think I’ll pick up some MDF board (since the first base was my last piece of usable plywood). I’m also thinking of curving the front portion of the board (water).
‘til Next,
Paul
This is going to be great to follow you.
Karl.A
John
Thanks Karl and John, always appreciated.
Slowly making progress on the Shipyard, I’ve been busy dealing with winter conditions (even in the garage) and prepping the house for selling (2 open houses thus far, but no bites yet). The new house is all set, they’ll be breaking ground this week, delivery will be in July or August. Looking forward to having the workshop in the new (finished) basement.
Moving on with the Shipyard, managed to clear space and dig out the table saw. This time I used ¾” MDF with an extension of two inches or so, complete with a curve at the front (hence string to draw the curve and a jig-saw to cut).
Test fitting all the elements:
Now for the gluing, according to the instructions, hot glue the foam to the MDF. First time doing this and I failed miserably. I think you need to be real quick in getting the hot-glue down and then positioning the foam (or maybe cutting the big piece into several smaller more manageable glue-ups). The worst thing is there’s no wiggle room for aligning the foam once placed (at least in my case).
My first attempt resulted in a bit of mis-alignment and the foam was not secured in all places (ie easy to pry up). Decided to start over but this time use my “go to glue” (Weldbond, which states it’s ok for Styrofoam).
With the Weldbond there was plenty of time for wiggling the foam into place, and once dry the foam was securely attached to the MDF.
Next, I’ll be aligning the main dock and cutting/trimming some of the foam.
‘til Next,
Paul
I must have been sleeping your last two posts!! Can believe I missed them.
It is sure looking good. Your getting down to the good stuff now. Can't wait to see how it goes from here on in.
You see they posted the size of a large diorama for the show in 2015. 36"x36" just thought if you hadn't seen it before you make it to big!!
Jerry