In-ko-pah RR: Dos Manos depot

[Lawton Maner]

And, there needs to be a sunbathing lizard on the top of it.

[Barney]

So realistic - great stuff and inspires
Barney

[Ray Dunakin]

Back in May I did a foam core mockup for the Dos Manos depot:




Now I've finally started to work on the actual model of the depot. First I disassembled the mockup and worked out the size and position of doors and windows for each wall. As you can see by my scribblings this involved some trial and error:




Then I laid out the final design on a 16" x 20" sheet of 6mm thick Sintra PVC board, and cut it out:




Before going any further, I wanted to work out exactly what kind of stone and masonry the building would have. I decided on light tan sandstone in random courses for the bulk of the structure. Then I did a small test piece to see if I could successfully replicate that look using Sintra PVC board. Here's how the test piece turned out. I'm pleased with it:




With that settled, it was time to start texturing the first wall of the building. The first step in this process is to lightly sand the surface using a sanding block and horizontal strokes. This removes the sheen, and the fine scratches add a very subtle texture. Next, I used sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. This was applied with a scrapping motion, horizontally across the face of the wall. This added some more prominent scratches:




This close up view shows the scratches. Most of them will be obscured by the rest of the process, so they don't have to be perfect:




The next step involves tapping on the surface with a rock to give it a rough, uneven texture. For this you need a rock that isn't too rough or too smooth. Here's the rock I used:




After going over the entire surface with the rock, I used a t-square and pencil to lightly draw a series of horizontal lines on the wall. These will be used as guides when scribing the stone courses. Because I'm simulating random courses, the lines don't have to be evenly spaced:






That's it for now, more later. Enjoy!

[finescalerr]

It looks good already. When you add the stonework, can you lighten the dark stones or apply a wash to tie together the colors? On the other hand the contrast between dark and light may be how your camera processes colors. -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Time for a quick update!

I began scribing the stones on the first wall of the depot. The stones are scribed using an ordinary, carbide-tipped metal scribe from the hardware store. The tool is pressed firmly into the surface -- with Sintra, you're not really scratching it, you're indenting it. Here are a few photos of my progress:









I still have to scribe the upper area of the wall (the second story portion). When this wall is done I have several more walls to do. By the time I'm finished with this building I'm going to be pretty tired of scribing stones!

[Bill Gill]

Ray, the depot stonework is looking excellent. One thing I noticed is that the 3D relief on your test wall looks a bit more pronounced than on the depot walls. Several of the stones on the test seem to stand proud of the rest. Is that just the paint and angle of the lighting or is something else at work there?

[Ray Dunakin]

Good eye, Bill! That is indeed the result of another step in the process, which I haven't done yet on the depot wall. In fact I won't be able to add those small protrusions until after the walls have been assembled.

[Dave Fischer]

Here is something I can appreciate-- modeling with a rock. Could we be farther from 3D printing? I have used Sintra for years, and never considered using its weakest trait for such a perfect finish! Long ago I was looking for a way to replicate rough, rolled armor plate for large scale tanks, and this would have been just the ticket. Did you know that the largest model made for the movie "Titanic" was skinned with Sintra? Another great trick to file away as an "Oh, PERFECT!" solution. Can't wait to see more!  DF

[Ray Dunakin]

Yeah, Sintra is very versatile, and easy to work with too! I've textured it to look like stone, bricks, cast concrete, and weathered wood.

[Ray Dunakin]

Well, I finally finished scribing the first wall:






But there are still a few things to do that will give the wall more depth and realism. First off, some of the scribed stones are a bit flat and could benefit from additional texturing. For this, I'll use a small scrap of old patio flagstone:




Here's a "before" shot of a small section of the wall, showing some of the stones that need additional work:




I tapped those areas with the piece of flagstone, and here's how it looks now:




Another little trick to add depth is to carve out a few random stones, using a sharp #11-blade hobby knife, as I've done here:




There is still one more thing I want to do, which will extend some of the stones out a little from the surface of the wall. However, I have to wait until after the walls have been assembled. Also I need to scribe some mortar lines in the edges of the door and window openings, and touch up a few cut marks, etc.



That's it for now. Enjoy!

[Allan G]

Amazing how much subtle/perfect texture those stones make. Great.... Allan

[finescalerr]

You really have nailed down that technique. The wall looks terrific. And what really gets me is that your work surpasses most indoor foreground modeling yet everything sits outdoors, roasting under hundred degree temperatures or repelling rain and dew, and probably sits a good ten feet from the closest viewer.

In other words, you've lost yer cotton pickin' mind, Ray!

Russ

[lab-dad]

In other words, you've lost yer cotton pickin' mind, Ray!

He is in good company here!

I am enjoying this lesson Ray and hope to try it someday.
-Marty

[TRAINS1941]

In other words, you've lost yer cotton pickin' mind, Ray!

He is in good company here!

I am enjoying this lesson Ray and hope to try it someday.
-Marty

Don't worry Ray.   Guys the men in the white coats just entered his backyard!!!

Excellent stone work.

Jerry

[Hydrostat]

In other words, you've lost yer cotton pickin' mind, Ray!

He is in good company here!

I am enjoying this lesson Ray and hope to try it someday.
-Marty

Don't worry Ray.   Guys the men in the white coats just entered his backyard!!!

Excellent stone work.

Jerry

Obviously rather men with white stones entered Ray's backyard. Small ones. I mean the men.

As Jerrry said. Simply excellent carving and texturing.

Volker