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Comments
Then we apply some carpet tape to several stir sticks, and then cut between them before you peel the backing. If I ever visit Starbucks, it's usually to load up on these. Now apply the castings to the individual sticks, and you have a nice handle so it will be easy to spray-paint all sides.
All the round drums and barrels have a shallow hole drilled in the bottom and are put on toothpicks, and then these are put in some foam scraps so they can be primed. They can now be turned easily to paint bands on the wooden barrels and to make the metal drums two-toned.
The wood castings get a light spray of Rustoleum Camo Khaki, and the resin metal drums get a prime coat of flat black. Some may like Krylon or some other brand, just make it light so you don't obscure any details. I use only shaker rattle cans, outside in my garage, and my air brush continues to age in its original crate in a drawer. The white metal castings will be "blackened" shortly.
The last pic shows all of the resin castings after they have been primed. I'm not sure why there is blue tape on a few of them.
A couple pics, and then I'll show you a really fun build element- the Yarder Under Construction.
One challenging thing for me has always been trying to represent
freshly cut lumber, and especially to photograph it without a big white glare. You can see in the second photo what I mean. I tried to stain the lumber here as lightly as I could but it still looks like it's been sitting around in the weather for a while.
The last two pics show the yarder pretty much as done as it will get for the diorama, but there are lots of details and more bracing to be added once it is "planted". I'll have a couple more shots of this next time.
Karl.A
Looking very very nice. If you haven't done this recently you need to check this out: I went back to your old build thread on Essentials. What struck me most was the difference in your modeling from that time to now. It's really quite impressive how many steps forward you come and how you've advanced your skills. And I'm not trying to suggest that you did anything less than great work back then, but I could see a big difference. I guess it's a bit like someone remarking at how tall your kids are getting --you don't notice it because it's happening right under your nose.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks. You'll be bringing this one along, correct?
The Donkey looks awesome! Fantastic modeling.
Jim
I have some time to fix it as it goes on a third diorama as the office will serve the Donkey Repair Yard and a Tractor Repair facility. A pic of the office, and another of the first attempt at placing these elements on the Gatorfoam base.
The diorama starts with the base being painted with an earth color. The 1/2" Gatorfoam I use is actually a tan color, but I still paint it. Note that I have a blue making tape "fence" around the thing to keep the dirt, glue, etc. in the ball park. Then I mark where the elements will be placed, and put some sticks or toothpicks in holes I punch for any fence posts etc. The small bit of blue masking tape is covering the stripwood base and hole where the jib crane mast will go. Also, any other beams that will be semi-buried in the dirt should be glued in place now.
The scenery is done in layers, and the first layer is the dirt ground cover. Use real dirt, Diorama Dirt, ballast, etc. I first paint on some white glue, then sprinkle on the dirt just enough to cover, mist it with some "wet" water, (couple of drops of dish detergent added). Maybe add a little fine turf grass in spots, and then use an eye-dropper with a 50-50 mix of white glue and water, also with a little detergent, to adhere everything. Don't apply too much- a drop or two spreads very quickly so you can see where you've covered.
Work in small areas (a few square inches at a time) as you'll want to plant the structures and many of the castings so they don't look like they are sitting on top of the ground.
As soon as the glue is applied in an area I place the fence, buildings, and the castings. I usually put a drop of canopy glue under these as well, but the white glue mix is probably adequate to hold them as it gets rock hard.
This is coming along pretty well. And the really fun part, the detailing, is still to come. And I'll tell you about the adventure of making the jib crane next time.
WOW! How about some close ups and side views?
JIm
I wish I had wound the hook line around the gear shaft before the shaft was glued in place to the hoist mechanism. Another watch-out is to be careful when reaming the holes in the little clevises. I didn't have a small cutting reamer and my drill bit was to sharp for the job. I split one of the little clevis devices but I was able to fix it.
The second to last instruction on the jib crane is to take the remaining line, double it up, and secure it to the very top eyelet on the jib. It isn't shown in the photos, and is optional. The two lines are apparently for workers on the ground to turn the crane.
This was a fun build-part for me since I am out of my element using epoxy, ACC to glue metal parts to each other, and it was great practice. I hadn't really done this since building the crane for my "O" Scale Stoney Creek Scrapyard.
One last tip: do a really good job of "graining and distressing" the mast and the jib for the crane, and then staining them, because on the finished model they are literally "in your face". A couple of pics of the process:
the diorama is really taking shape and looking superb. I'm really liking the scenery and weathering you have done so far.
Karl.A
I love jib cranes or any equipment with rigging. Unfortunately, in o scale, I'll likely never build one as I don't think I have the headroom in the house!
Nice comments from Bill and Elliott, and I've had a chance to talk to both of you this week. And thanks to James, Jim, and Ken- I am glad you are liking the build.
James, I could go on and on about the "Evil Etchant". I've used it several times in the last few years, mostly because I think it produces great results, but also because so many people bad-rap it and scare you away from using it. Like any tool or oil-based paint, there are ways to use them correctly and safely.
The first couple of times I used it I tended to rush it, primarily so I could be done with it I guess. Now I am much more relaxed and patient as I've used it a few times and have lived to tell the tale. Here are the more important things to do: I work outside, but I'm sure a well ventilated inside workplace would be fine. Wear old clothes, long sleeves, latex gloves, glasses. It stains about everything it touches, including concrete.
Have several large (16-22oz) plastic rinse cups filled with water. My dunking tray is a 6"x6" plastic storage container and put about 1/4" of the ferric chloride solution into it. initially I put 1 or 2 roof panels in at a time. The first ones take a few minutes to get it activated, but the following ones will progressively get quicker, especially in warmer weather. Soon it will be only a few seconds to get them "cooking". As a result, you will want to stagger putting the panels in to 15-20 seconds apart, because if 2 or 3 started "sizzling" at once, by the time you finished rinsing one of them, one or both of the other two would be gone.
I hold them with an old long tweezers, and once the panel starts "sizzling" I turn it over and wait a few seconds until it sizzles again. Then I dunk the panel in three different cups of water, and then let it sink to the bottom of a fourth cup. The rinsing is extremely important since the etchant would slowly continue to dissolve the metal if not rinsed. After I'm done I'll rinse them a few more times in the sink just to be sure, and then put them on some paper towels to dry. They will change color slowly, and sometimes a nice rust color develops. Later you can do that to your liking with a little pastel chalk.
It helps to have a bunch of extra panels to practice on. They will float, so you can try not holding them with the tweezers, and then use the tweezers again when time to turn the over. You will quickly figure out how long before you remove them before they sizzle completely away. You can get some neat effects like partially eaten away panels, but like all such effects, don't overdo them.
Last thing- disposal. Don't pour it down the drain. The stuff is neutralized by baking SODA, not baking powder. I have a convenient toxic waste (HAZMAT) disposal facility, so I just put my used etchant in a plastic bottle and take it there. There is a ton of disposal info you can Google, and Radio Shack customer service will help.
Let us know how it goes. Email me if you have more questions. I'm sure I have bored silly the faint of heart who won't go near the "Evil Etchant". TMI.