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Comments
Temporary placement of the trees to get a feel for the scenes. I added a couple of dead vines to the tree on the right. I made the low area near the tracks a wet area with greenery, a rusted metal barrel and a rotten wood barrel. Water to come.
Ed, coldest day of the fall here today. Got to freezing last night. Kind of early for us but not for Chicago.
Alex. I used this product for the first time. Had good results. Robert tried to convince me I needed an airbrush some time ago. He is right, but I couldn't justify the cost at the time. Maybe one of these days.
Kidding aside, I was experimenting with pine cones yesterday so Brett's 3D printer post today was timely. I found these little buds on a dwarf spruce. You can get a feel for the size of them next to the casting in the container. I tried one on a tree but found that they look oversized (they are about 4"x8" scale) and lack detail. Covering the tree in these will take away from the tree not add to it I think. Looking forward to seeing what Brett comes up with.
Got the lampshades put together. It's a fiddly process but worth the effort. Start with stamped shades and .025 stainless tube. Cut the tube to length by putting in pin vise, snug down the chuck without crushing the tube, and cut with a very fine razor saw. Take the shaded and poke a hole in the cone then run a .026 drill bit through. I use the pick to try to flare out one end of the tube just a bit. Slide the large shade onto the unflared end and hopefully it stops at the flared end. Put a tiny bit of superglue on the top of the cone where it meets the tube. Try not to let any get on the underside where it will clog up the hole of the tube. If so, it can be drilled out...I also make a couple extras in each batch...lesson learned. After the glue is completely dry, repeat for the other end which is a ceiling/wall cap. You can see in the photos that a couple of the small ones are not quite square. Not to worry, these will straighten out when they get attached to the ceiling/wall. For the goose neck, I slowly rolled the tube around a drill bit...maybe around 3/16". After I was satisfied with the shape I put in the pin vise and cut it off.
Tomorrow I will thread the wiring into the tubes and give a coat of brown primer. Priming the wires helps hide them in the structure. I just put a small piece of painter's tape on each end so I know which wire is which. A couple other tips on wiring with magnet wire (other lessons learned): Twist the wire for the full length of the wire. It's much easier to work with inside the building and tie a knot in the end of the wire so they don't get mixed up when wiring to the board.
More tomorrow.
Emory, to get the bend right I hold the tube tight against a round object. I used a drill bit with a 1/4" shank for this bend but I have used a 1/4" threaded bolt as well. The bolt was easier because I used 2 together almost like a vise to hold the tube in place but I can't seem to find them right now. so your thumb will take the place of the 2nd bolt.
Hold the tube tight in place (perpendicular) against the shank of your round object with your thumb. Keep a little bit hanging to one side with the long end to the other. With the other thumb press and roll the tube around the round object. You are basically pressing it into place not trying to bend it. It will take the shape of the round object without crushing or kinking. When you are happy with first bend, reposition your round object and get your 2nd bend using same process. Not as easy as a jig but it works.
Stephen is right about putting the wire in before bending. It is easier to do but it's not impossible to do after it is bent as long as you twist the wires.
Speaking of wires, my new spool of magnet wire is a tangled mess and is unusable. I ordered more so wiring is on a temporary hold.
I'd like to find some pics of a roof, or other wooden structure that is stained by years of pine tar accumulation for that back corner of the right roof panel. If you have any, post them here.
Brett, the compressor seemed right. I'm sure you will make a better version. This casting was a bit muddy. I was thinking that a fire extinguisher on wheels might work in this scene also.
Those drafting tools that Brett recently tantalized us with should help make the scene with the chair and drafting table even more detailed. Dynamite scene! Creativity abounds.
http://www.craftsmankituniversity.com/vanforum/uploads/imageupload/923/BZO36F6YEV0Z.png
http://www.craftsmankituniversity.com/vanforum/uploads/imageupload/255/IJRJ6NU445LL.jpg
Later Dave S. Tucson