My first Scratch Build.

[Steve]

How cool is that!!!!
Excellent work!

[tetters]

Hey WOW!!! Thanks guys for all the encouragement. It helps.

The windows are proving to be a little more difficult then I thought. Difficult, but not impossible. The stairs were gravy compared to this stage of the game.

I tried a couple of different methods, before settling on building them in place. It seems to be a much easier approach for me then trying to build the frame work on the table and then insert the finished window in the opening. Building in place is reeeeeeaaaaaally tedious work. I "assembled" three tonight. Cutting cereal board card stock in 3 scale inch strips is IMHO the maximum width for the material, even with the sharp-est of blades and several light passes with the knife.

However, now that I know how to approach them, hopefully I'll get a bunch more done tomorrow night. Then the interior floor, installing the wood stove chimney on the roof and then finishing off with the doors. I may go the LHS and see if I can score a scale pot bellied wood stove maybe a small desk and chairs, plus if possible the machine ( I don't know what its called... :oops: ) with all the levers to control the switches from the tower. Oooo....and some grain of wheat bulbs to add some light to the tower.

Sorry no pics tonight. Maybe tomorrow when I have some real progress to speak of.

[ocalicreek]

Steppin' on up! Excellent progress on the stairs. How did you maintain a consistant distance between the steps?

For my Walther's interlocking tower I scratched a level mechanism (not exactly sure what it's called either) from a block of wood and some wire. I didn't light the model for some reason and figured it'd be seen in silouhette only from ambient room lighting so little handles & such didn't really matter much.

You may be able to pull off something a bit more detailed, especially if you are going to light the interior.

For a pot-bellied stove, if you've got a small barrel around, just add legs, a flat top, maybe a door overlay and a small straw pipe/stack then paint it black and dry brush it gray. At least that's what I'm planning on doing!

Galen

Oh, pics are in the computer...but I'm pretty tired so it may be tomorrow morning before they make it to the album and thread...

[tetters]

Thanks for the reply Galen.

Steppin' on up! Excellent progress on the stairs. How did you maintain a consistant distance between the steps?

I glued the 2x12 stringer to the side of the tower waited a few minutes for the glue to bond, then cut about dozen treads at about 9 scale inches wide. I placed the tower on its side, and placed a small amount of glue with a tooth pick on the end of each tread and stood it on end in place measuring roughly 7 scale inches down for each one. I'd eyeball it if it looked to high or too low. The carpenter glue I find lets me work at just the right pace for this project. It has good tack, but allows you to move things around a bit before it gets really sticky.

So...I would measure, spot a step, measure spot another, lather rinse and repeat until madness sets in!!!

I waited about twenty minutes before I attached the exterior stringer. The glue has a clamp time of 25 mins, so I want to make sure the glue had set sufficiently before I carefully positioned the stringer on the other ends of the steps.

my Walther's interlocking tower I scratched a level mechanism (not exactly sure what it's called either) from a block of wood and some wire. I didn't light the model for some reason and figured it'd be seen in silouhette only from ambient room lighting so little handles & such didn't really matter much.

You may be able to pull off something a bit more detailed, especially if you are going to light the interior.

Well, one idea I had was to sandwich some 22 gauge wires in between some small pieces of card stock at various positions to make it look like the levers for the machine. Nothing too complicated, maybe even leave some of the insulation at the bottoms just to add some finer detail?.

For a pot-bellied stove, if you've got a small barrel around, just add legs, a flat top, maybe a door overlay and a small straw pipe/stack then paint it black and dry brush it gray. At least that's what I'm planning on doing!

Galen

Oh, pics are in the computer...but I'm pretty tired so it may be tomorrow morning before they make it to the album and thread...

I don't have a barrel, but I do have some wood dowels. I was thinking I could shape that to look like a small wood stove. Ideas abound when you start getting this creative.

[galt904]

Nice work! Good to see some Robin-style cardboard modelling on here again.

[tetters]

Nice work! Good to see some Robin-style cardboard modelling on here again.

Galen's own fantastic scratch build prompted me to get off my arse and try something...anything. So I give him full credit for giving me the where-with-all to attempt this.

I was amazed, still am, by what Robin could do in N-scale with cereal board. I'm working in HO. So I figure anything less then my best just wouldn't do.

[bob_suruncle]

Not sure if this will work on box board but when building with wood a quick pass over the surface with a bbq lighter will burn off any little fuzzies left from sanding or cutting leaving nice smooth edges...... just dont set your first scratchbuild on fire if you decide to try this

[tetters]

Not sure if this will work on box board but when building with wood a quick pass over the surface with a bbq lighter will burn off any little fuzzies left from sanding or cutting leaving nice smooth edges...... just dont set your first scratchbuild on fire if you decide to try this

That actually sounds like it might work well. The operative word being QUICK when performing said action.

[ocalicreek]

I don't have a barrel, but I do have some wood dowels. I was thinking I could shape that to look like a small wood stove. Ideas abound when you start getting this creative.

That's the spirit! Craftsmanship and ingenuity live on!

Not sure if this will work on box board but when building with wood a quick pass over the surface with a bbq lighter will burn off any little fuzzies left from sanding or cutting leaving nice smooth edges...... just dont set your first scratchbuild on fire if you decide to try this

Yeah, you'd hear 'click click click...hisssss...WHOOOFF!' with my luck. I'd be left holding the smoldering remains of a few weeks effort.

Galen's own fantastic scratch build prompted me to get off my arse and try something...anything. So I give him full credit for giving me the where-with-all to attempt this.

Don't mention it. I too am really glad to see cardstock modeling on the Gauge again...I hope Robyn is up there smiling down on us! Personally I'm just glad to be modeling more frequently than in the past couple years.

Hey tetters, if not a cereal box challenge, perhaps a tissue box challenge? I emptied one of those the other day and nearly threw it away! :o It'd be fun to build, say, a hanky factory from a tissue box, or a granola mill/factory from a cereal box, etc. especially if the original box art were visible on the inside to be able to show folks!

Galen

[tetters]

How about a brewery from a couple of six pack boxes. I know of a few brands that sell beer in 12 packs that would so suitable for card stock modeling.

When you return the empties bring the finished model with you and tell the guy at the counter that it is the case that the beer came in!

Here is where I am at so far. I went to the LHS today and could not pass up the convenience of having some 2x3 strip wood to cut my windows from...yeah I caved. It is speeding up the windows though, and I'll be glad to get them done. Just 8 left. Then I plan to give it a couple of light coats of primer to seal it. When the glue dries I'll lightly sand the window frames to make them nice and flush.

I also picked up a pot belly wood stove ( So much for that little scratch build. At $1.50 for two, how could I say no? ), and some very tiny yellow LEDs. They came with resistors which I'll wire up in series to a 1.5 volt power pack I have on hand to test light the interior once I prime it. I also carved up the doors and put them in today too.

Moving along.

[ocalicreek]

Here is where I am at so far. I went to the LHS today and could not pass up the convenience of having some 2x3 strip wood to cut my windows from...yeah I caved. It is speeding up the windows though, and I'll be glad to get them done. Just 8 left. Then I plan to give it a couple of light coats of primer to seal it. When the glue dries I'll lightly sand the window frames to make them nice and flush.

I also picked up a pot belly wood stove ( So much for that little scratch build. At $1.50 for two, how could I say no? )

It's all a question of balancing money vs. time vs. interest or willingness to take a long short-cut, if you know what I mean.

On my section house I used a combination of card for the walls and scale lumber for the battens. I had an old N-scale Campbell trestle that never got built and those tiny timbers are great for window frames! (I know, some N-scalers and maybe a few HO'ers are cringing at that thought, but at least it's getting used!)

Looking good, keep us posted!

Galen

[LiveSteamer]

Beautiful Job. You do some mighty fine work

[tetters]

It's all a question of balancing money vs. time vs. interest or willingness to take a long short-cut, if you know what I mean.

On my section house I used a combination of card for the walls and scale lumber for the battens. I had an old N-scale Campbell trestle that never got built and those tiny timbers are great for window frames! (I know, some N-scalers and maybe a few HO'ers are cringing at that thought, but at least it's getting used!)

Looking good, keep us posted!

Galen

Ha! Don't get me wrong, I don't feel the least bit guilty about my long short cut though.

A good tip I got from a couple of guys at the LHS was to use microscope 1 mm thick slides for windows. Real glass, score it with a knife and snap it. I'm going to give it a try when I'm ready to put some in. I found a local science superstore that sells a pack of 72 slides for $10 bucks. Should be able to do a ton of windows with that amount. I figured, I have a small smooth jawed set of pliers I have at home. I may put some shrink warp on the jaws to protect the glass from scratching and see how it works.

For 10 bucks, I think its worth a shot. The guy who suggested it said you can get really small panes of glass and when they are installed they look beautiful. Gotta try it!

[doctorwayne]

Shane, there's an article in the January 2009 issue of RMC on using slide cover glass, including info about a nifty scribing tool.

Wayne

[tetters]

Shane, there's an article in the January 2009 issue of RMC on using slide cover glass, including info about a nifty scribing tool.

Wayne

Yes! That's is it! I talked to a couple of genetic scientists in my building and one of them knew exactly what I was looking for. Except, they don't use them anymore, because they are like, so 1950's style research and all.

I'm going to this place on Sunday to pick up some "building supplies".
http://www.etool.ca/home.html

I'm looking for a Diamond Scriber and Cover Slips.