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Comments
Progress post. Again, I get more out of these big pics than you do. Some of the most glaring "need to be fixed punch-list" items are a few rafters that are too high, paint touch-up on NBW's, and a NBW that misses alignment with its truss rod. Most of the rafters have been added, both stairways, NBW's, wing wall, trim pieces. Looking like a mine building. Like the tipple support frame, it will be tough covering up the rafters. I thought about one of those hokey "roof under construction" scenes, but nah.
Karl.A
As with any model I like to do research. I have been looking at images of roofs and studying how the rust effects the panels different. The roof believe it or not is one of the most important parts of the model. Only because it is the first thing people see. Here are a few of the images that I've been saving.
For the first time I am not going to use the “Evil Etchant” and will try Brett’s (and Roger Malinowski’s) method of coloring them with chalks. Of course if I’m not happy with the result I can always just start over with my old ferric chloride circuit board etchant.
If you are never going to build this kit, skip this paragraph. Bill Obenauf said in his build-thread on this kit currently running on the Sierra West Scale Models forum and RRLine that there is an inconsistency between earlier versions of Template 1 and p. 40 of Brett’s instruction manual. The lengths of the panels should be 9 at 1⅜” for the lower roof with hip roof; 5 panels at 1 5/16” for the lower roof above the ore bin; and 10 panels for both sides of the upper tipple roof. Before you cut, check the lengths on your model. It is important to trim the corrugated stock to the longest length you will need before you begin cutting the panels. If you trim the stock strip to the shortest length first you'll waste stock and could run out of it. As Brett says “cut the panels down to size measuring off the roof itself and move on with the construction sequence.”
Maybe the above will help somebody somewhere. Anyway, here are some progress pics before the roofs go on.
I sent you an email earlier about the purlins, but based on the middle picture above, it looks like you already figured it out. That's exactly how I trimmed mine off.
Dustin--if my opinion carries any weight, I think the second picture in your first entry most looks like the type of roof you'd see on a mine like this. But that first one (the really small one with the green-ish panels) is VERY cool. Maybe it's the chimney, but it's almost got a "residential" feel to it. Ah well...I'm looking forward to see what route you take!
Carry on, fellas!
Karl.A
You are doing outstanding work on the Mine. Carpentry is super. I also like the photos that show off the framing. The camera is unforgiving and shows so many things we don't see with the naked eye or even with magnification. I'm having issues with that now on the Lineside Shed build I've just started. That said, I don't see much, if anything, that you need to fix. Looking forward to your continuing progress. It will be awhile before I'll feel ready to start on my Mine kit.
David U
I've been away for over a week, but I'm doing some thinking, planning, and a little work. First, Brett and Bill Michaels did their corrugated metal panels by spraying with a gray primer, baking them for three minutes at 350℉, and then applying Rembrandt chalks, mostly varying shades of the rust colors. While they both look great, they are different looks from what I am trying to achieve.
I've a file of rust photos, and Dustin recently posted one that I've tried modeling a few times without any real success. Here is his, and another I took of a quonset building.
Notice how the rust is streaky and splotchy, but doesn't really blend gradually from one shade to the other. So this look is what I'm trying to accomplish. I actually cut extra panels from some additional corrugated I had on hand (I also got to use my nifty little panel cutter some more! One side of the upper roof I finished the way Brett and Bill did theirs. I think Brett gave credit to Roger Malinowski for this as well, and I read Roger's treatment of this method as I also have his O scale version of this mine. Mine turned out OK, but my gray primer was a little too blue, and the rusting effects too uniform. So then I got out the Evil Etchant, and next time I'll show you how that turned out. I wind up putting both treatments on opposite sides of the same roof, tacking them in place so I can choose which I like best.
Here are the pictures of both sides of the tipple roof- the first one showing using a primer and then blending gray and rust colored chalks on each individual panel.
The second photo was taken after I went outside to the picnic table on the deck, and dipped several panels of the aluminum in Archer's Circuit Board Etchant (used to get it at Radio Shack). After rinsing a few times and then dried, I touched them up with Rembrandt chalks using rust colors. They turned out very randomly, and maybe too much so. The last panel on the right stayed in a little longer and thus has air holes and the bottom right has rusted away.
I sprayed a light coat or two of Krylon Workable Fixatif on both sides of the roof, which I have been using as a Dull-cote replacement ever since Mr. Testor screwed up yet another great product by changing the formulation on Dull-cote. It seems to keep the chalk in place. All the roof panels on both sides are tacked in place to a strip of 3M double-sided tape applied to the center purlin.
Let me hear some opinions as I continue experimenting.
Dustin and I are also doing this thread in Modeler's Forum, and here is a reply from my friend Mark Dalrymple from Australia:
Mark: "Mike - after priming my corrugated roofs, I paint them with a metallic paint - usually gun metal grey. This gives them that poxy look - like the rust is starting to bubble up through from underneath. I then paint/ chalk my roof colour over this. Just thought you might want to give it a little experiment to see what you think."
Me: "Mark, I will certainly try this. Do you air brush or paint the gun metal? I was thinking I would try one of the Reaper or Vallejo metallic paints, although I think I still have Floquil Gun Metal. Also, what brand and color primer? I assume it was a rattle can. Also am thinking of trying a "peeling" paint method with the rust color paints using a "resist" such as hair spray, mineral spirits, or rubber cement, etc. over the prime/ gun metal base."
Mark: "Mike - actually I don't own an airbrush. I typically brush paint - both primer, gun metal and top coat, and then fix chalks with alcohol. Up until now I have used Floquil. I find by doing it this way I can install the roof first and then paint. Often in my structures roofs need to be flashed into existing walls and the like and painting first leaves these touch-ups which can be tricky to blend. It also means I can make sure I get paint on all the edges. I also put nail indentations in my roofing before cutting into individual pieces using a blunt compass. I then flip the pieces which makes them look like lead headed nails. You need to get the nails at purlin spacing's, and if you want the bottom of the pieces to vary in length a little, you need to account for this.
I like the first photo as a starting point - but think it would look better with that metallic texture underneath. The second one looks too random to my eye."
So I wound up with some fun experimenting for a couple of days, and I think any of these things will work. The lack of control of the etchant is good and bad, but Roger, Brett, Bill, and Mark all do a great job with their similar methods. Though I'm not done yet, Mark's idea of Gun Metal (I actually used Reaper's "Shadowed Steel" acrylic) has some merit. It looks like there is a steel roof under there. So here is what I went with after taping all the panels to a cardboard sheet:
1) Sprayed a light coat of Color Place (Walmart) Gray Primer
2) Dry-brushed Reaper Miniatures 09052 "Shadowed Steel" They have many metallic colors in little Vallejo style bottles.
3) Light brushing of Rembrandt 704.5 grey chalk.
4) Some light brushing and dabbing of Rembrandt browns and a occasionally a very little black chalk.
5) Applying rust with the burnt sienna chalks, mostly 411.3
6) When I got them about right I gave a light spray with my Dullcote replacement, Krylon Workable Fixatif. As Bill Michaels points out, some of the chalk disappears so you still have to touch up- or in my case add some more color- maybe.
I haven't totally figured this out, but I am getting close to something acceptable.
A few photos as I am about ready to move on to the head frame. The chute extensions and shed roof were added, as was the railing. I also added the flashing and made the strips ⅛" wide before folding.
I have Krylon and Testors, but you know, I didn't think there was a problem with dull-coat. It's my go-to but companies change formulas all the time. It's a lacquer spray isn't it?
One thing I've got to admit - experienced modellers tend to poo-poo Testors sometimes which is geared toward kids and novice hobbyists, but their cans last forever without fail, and the paint is good (albeit usually enamel based). I've used several cans from about 20 years ago when I was painting some gaming figures and they are like brand-new and just keep going. The "big" cans one gets in the home hardware type stores last a couple sessions then either clog beyond rehabilitation or break or whatever.
I wanted the panels to look rusted but not falling apart.
After they cooled I dry brushed them with an acrylic I like. It is called dark iron. It gave all the panels a metallic look. Then it was several layer at a time of different mediums. I let each one dry. The enamel washes can be thinned with turpinoid. It actually a technique I got from plastic model builders.