Yet another O'neills Fabrication JimM

Jim M

Karl.A said:

Thanks for the process, materials and links, Jim,
Many of us new to lighting appreciate your detailed post and information.

I for one will be looking that stuff up.

Karl, I'm glad I could contribute something useful.

I also used SMD (surface mounted diodes) in my welding shop. These are very small too and lie somewhat flat. It takes some patience and a steady hand to solder. They seem to throw more light.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CUGA2EK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I wired them using twisted magnet wire, which is the wire they use to wrap the magnet in an electric motor. I got some fine wire from Evan Design.



There isn't the typical insulation on this wire so it is very small and I was able to pass this through a 1/16 inch brass tube as a conduit. The insulation is a coating that must be scraped away.

brownbr

I like that pre-twisted wire. Gonna need to get some. I've been using magnet wire that I have to twist myself.

EmeryJ

Same here Bryan. Thanks for sharing Jim. What are those "conduit boxes"? That is a very nice clean install.

Jim M

Conduit boxes I printed with a 3D printer. Here is the drawing I made. I printed one as just a pass though with no down tube just to attach to the peak.

Robert.G

WOW, that's pretty amazing stuff...

brownbr

Very cool.

EmeryJ

Great idea Jim. Time to fire up the printer again.

CraigH

Jim, Are the conduit boxes as old as the building ?

Karl.A

Electrical history....

“””” Some early electric lighting installations made use of existing gas pipe serving gas light fixtures which had been converted to electric lamps. Since this technique provided very good mechanical protection for interior wiring, it was extended to all types of interior wiring and by the early 20th century purpose-built couplings and fittings were manufactured for electrical use. “””

Jim M

I just made them to mount and hide the wires. Not prototypical but I'll go with what Karl posted. Great information there.

Karl.A

Indeed Jim,
By the way, I need 20 for my sawmill and 25 for my loco shop.... haha

Wiring, and hiding it is what stalls so many of my builds. I love this solution.

Jim M

Be glad to print you some.

Karl.A

Thanks Jim, I'll be in touch privately to talk about the specifics.

The SierraWest forum, community and especially the members are absolutely the best.

OK, lets get back to this great build !!
(sorry for the diversion)

Robert.G

Karl, no diversion at all. We all learn from each other. N'est ce pas ?

Jim M

I've been working on the "pallet tear down" scene. I'm definitely going to tweak some of the greenery but it's coming along. Hard to believe how much time it takes to create a small scene. Sorry that the color on the pictures aren't very good, no natural light.

Mountaingoat

Love what you have created in this scene......Rick

Karl.A

Looking good so far Jim, the scene is coming together so well, and natural. I know you're up where things grow green and lush, so thats what you see every day, however if I may, you said you were going to 'tweek' the scenery, so I'll share some things... they may not be applicable for you but just in general for us all...

Karl.A

I like to use chalks to 'weather' my scenery, darker chalks to add shadows, variation and depth to bare dirt.

408.3 is great with a soft make-up brush to dull down any greenery I feel is too bright and stands out to my eye.

Dry brushing the little tufties we all like to use with a light tan on the top 2/3's of the stalks adds depth and realism, showing dead long grass with new growth below. Sawdust can also be added to the tips to simulate dead seed pods. (These steps are more easily done before 'planting.')

I also like to dab a 1/2" brush into my base ground dirt container (dry) to load up the brush, and tap it along the edge of any greenery to blend it and eliminate any hard transition/line and make it more natural looking.

These are just general scenic ideas and not directed at Jims pictures above.

Jim M

Great suggestions, thanks

brownbr

I like the paths you made.

KCSTrains

Jim, a good looking build. I really like the detail you have put into each scene. Great job. Phil

Robert.G

Very convincing, favorite, last pic. Great atmosphere .

Alan_H

I like this one as well. Lots of great ideas for the castings!

Jim M

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments, encouragement and the suggestions. I'm really putting a lot of thought in Karl's suggestion of using chalks on the scenery, I never would have thought to do that. Thanks so much.

Joel

Really nice work Jim. I like the wonky shelve, adds a bit of character. Just be careful, too much and it becomes cartoony.

Jim M

Thanks Joel. The shelf drives me a little crazy but if I tried to fix it, I'd probably make it worse so I'll leave it alone.
I'm in a bit of a creative funk lately so no new progress to show.

admin

Wonderful modeling and storytelling! Love following your build.

Jim M

It's been a while. My creative juices seemed to wane when the pandemic hit and I just hadn't felt like do any modeling. I'm back at it now and hope to finish up in a week or so. I've painted 95% of all the details and have a couple scenes completed. Lighting was great today, so I took this photo which I thought was cool, so I decided to post. I'll post the entire diorama when I've completed the build.

Karl.A

Looks great Jim ... just a little teaser pic huh... waiting keenly to see more.

Pappy

Jim, looking great! can't wait to see your progress soon.
Love the color of the doors.