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Well, I need another project like I need another hole in my head, so maybe I should start by saying:
This is all Dave's fault!
Yeah, I was coordinating with Dave K. at www.VectorCut.com to get some custom stuff done, and when we had all the details wrapped up he asked me if there was anything else. Told him that I couldn't think of anything, but Mr. Mudgeon could use a boloney & cheese sandwich. Lo & behold, when the package arrived, it included this nice little assortment of bread slices to make a sandwich for Mr. Mudgeon ... though I can't imagine who in their right mind would make a boloney & cheese on pumpernickel! :P ;D
(Notice that Dave included whole slices and half slices ... with some cut straight and some cut diagonal ... and, of course, a corned beef and swiss might be nice on that pumpernickel!)
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Alright ... maybe it's only PARTLY Dave's fault ... yeah, any "normal" person would look at those handy little bread slices and just build a sandwich ... but I figured I should make a SANDWICH SHOP first. ???
Shown above is the highly detailed and artfully rendered "concept" sketch ... carefully drawn on a post-it note. Well, at least this will give me a chance to play with some new materials ... and it will serve as a backdrop for some of the crazy storyboard stuff going on in the Chambers Gas & Oil auto repair shop. (Ginger and her Aunt Millie will move into the walk-up apartment over the sammich shop as soon as the place is ready. Ginger is also partly Dave's fault! She essentially done, but waiting on me to practice making scale sculpted braids a little bit more.)
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Here's the start of construction ... shell made of Taskboard (pressed paper board) and stripwood. Bricks are Pegasus (brand) "small" bricks ... and some black styrene and more stripwood.
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This WAS going to be a "quick & dirty" background build, so I figured on using these oversized windows from a MTH O scale structure, which have good overall proportions for 1/35 scale ... but I'll probably end up scratchbuilding replacements to get a thinner profile on the trim and mullions.
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Used Liquitex Ceramic Stucco and a touch of acrylic paint to add mortar to the bricks, which still need to get toned down a bit. Originally planned to use these Mini-Art stairs as part of the "quick & dirty" approach, but will probably scratch some replacement stairs. Upper level is a simple shell of Evergreen novelty siding and styrene strip ...
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So, now it's my turn to start playing with the Ranger / Tim Holtz "Distress" crackle paints. You can get extremely tiny crackles as shown in this tremendous enlargement. This is on glossy coated paper, and the smallest crackles occur where it becomes difficult to brush the stuff out thin.
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Decided to start on the siding on the upper level first, since the effects here should be more subtle than on the white trim and the actual storefront. At normal viewing distance, there's only a little "texture" to the siding.
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But, there's some very subtle effects when seen close-up ... maybe too subtle? Not sure, but this shot is about 5x actual size. The siding scales to slightly over 7" in 1/35 scale ... slightly over 5" in O scale, so I think the stuff could be used in various smaller scales with appropriate care. The color is a mix of Ranger White and Black paints with a glaze of lighter gray acrylic over that and some black acrylic wash in the cracks.
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Here's the overall side as it stands now. Will judge the overall coloring after I replace & tone down the bright white windows and paint the white trim around the structure. There will also be awnings and other things adding to the overall effect.
Now, I know there are many rough edges and loose ends here ... but any/all thoughts and comments are welcome.
Cheers,
Dallas
Not a bad start. How do the sandwiches taste? -- Russ
Well thats just as nifty as sliced bread! What, you didn't have enough to do with the garage project? ;) ;D
Those bread slices are just to cool. Though I did think that the "Pumpernickle" was some kind of moldy mystery meat. ::) You could use small squares of .005 styrene to represent cheese (with or without holes...another use for the punch & die set :D)
Marc
"the upper level is just a simple shell" Beauty in it's simplicity. Nice Dallas. A bit of food for thought there. And we can all blame Dave for inspiring us to move into different directions. Thanks Dave!
Russ -- Well, it's sort of the opposite of "freezer burn" on the taste of the bread ... bit of laser burn there. :P
Marc -- I had to look twice at the pumpernickel vs. "mystery meet" question there. Should be pretty easy to make some meats and cheeses ... but lettuce and tomato could be a challenge.
Chester -- Thanks! Styrene sheet and strip are my "old standby" for scratchbuilding ... thought the little dentils at the top of the facade might be a pain, but it was easy enough to cut a bunch of those on ye olde chopper so even that went quickly. The finishing is more of a challenge than the build ...
Dave also provided some neat screen doors and sign letters that will get used here ...
Cheers,
Dallas
I'll take a "Ham & Cheese on rye please! ::)
Mr Potato Head
Love's bread!
Quote from: Mr Potato Head on May 01, 2011, 10:58:13 AM
I'll take a "Ham & Cheese on rye please! ::)
Mr Potato Head
Love's bread!
You can have anything you like, except cream cheese & lox on a cinnamon raisin bagel -- the sandwich guy just won't do that! Not to mention, they probably haven't even heard of bagels in this small town. ;D
BTW, speaking of potatoes and bread ... do they make potato bread in Idaho? We're close to Amish country here, and they make potato breads and rolls. Burgers, hot dogs and even ham sammiches are great on those!
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Making a little more progress here and still trying to get the hang of working with that Ranger crackle paint ... real neat stuff, but definitely not your ordinary hobby paint! The side is still in a base color ... front is starting to get some of the finish coats, but still needs various touch-up, weathering and so forth.
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I'll scratchbuild some windows to replace these ... still have to do a little more coloration on the siding.
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Working with the crackle is a bit "challenging" (to put it politely) and especially taxing when doing smaller details like the dentils ... and getting this far with the sign (not finished) made me a bit nuts ... at one point, the Ghost of Bob Ross appeared and said "We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents." (Yeah, that was weird ... but things did get better from there) :P
I'll be doing additional work here to fade the white lettering and the background color ... plus a variety of touch-ups and other weathering . .. and I still haven't made any sammiches! ::)
Cheers,
Dallas
When I lived in Arkansas there was this place that made 'Spudnuts' ... aka Doughnuts made from Potato Flour. EXCELLENT!
The crackle paint on the sign really looks terrific!
Satisfactory. Tackle the windows next; they await your delicate touch. -- Russ
Wall looks great in that last picture. With scratchbuilt windows and maybe a door as well while your´e at it this will be a great cafe. Experimenting with the crackle paints is really worth it as can be seen here. Maybe less crackle on windows and doors would make a nice contrast.
Anders ;D
Quote from: Malachi Constant on May 05, 2011, 11:00:40 AM
at one point, the Ghost of Bob Ross appeared and said "We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents."
Bob Ross.... aaaaccccccckkkkkkkk.... now looking for gun to shoot television. His "work" ( to use a polite term), always reminded me of a Howard Johnson's buffet - crappy beans 15 different ways... :P
Nice work on the sign Dallas... looking forward to seeing how you continue to weather and fade the facade.
Paul
Dallas,
it is one sick thing to lasercut slices of bread. I am not surprised about that, because Dave is just crazy like that. And it sick to use a couple of slices of bread for an excuse to build a sandwich shop. But what's really sick is to build that wall from individual bricks!
But the result is very nice. (please no crackle paint on pumpernickel)
Christian -- Am I supposed to find a "hidden" message in there? (https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-whacky115.gif&hash=ef82ac7a30448b5eb8c0d062897b73e342185c9b) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php) ;D
Coloring: Forgot to mention this, but I found it rather challenging to get desired colors by intermixing Ranger paints ... BUT ... found that mixing the Black and White paints worked very well in getting any desired shade of gray. So, I mixed up a light gray (same as used on the siding) for the background of the sign, then tinted that with acrylic (Reaper/Vallejo) washes and glazes. Washes are obvious. If you mix 1 drop of acrylic paint to 2 drops Vallejo Glaze Medium (for example), you can add a nice transparent layer of color that allows the crackles and washes, etc. to show thru ... and the glazes and washes can be layered as desired.
Made more progress on coloring the siding on the long side of the structure. Gotta finish that up and do the basic sign work on the side ... then more detailed coloration/weathering and onto the windows and such. Thanks all for dropping by!
PS -- I really don't know what the heck I'm doing with the crackle paint ... definitely tricky stuff ... but think I'm managing to make it work out okay (or close enough) ... so I posted some rather lengthy notes on the RRL Forum in case anyone's interested:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29357&whichpage=52
Scroll down to the "Diary of a Cracklin' Madman" posts dated May 7th ... ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
This is turning out great. I really need to look into that crackle stuff.
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Okie-doke ... I've done the crackle painting on the side of the upper story, gave it the first round of weathering and my best (initial?) shot at fading the sign. Windows and door are still in bright white plastic, so please ignore those!
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Thought it best to stop here and have a good look before moving on ... so any thoughts/feedback welcome.
Bricks will get some additional weathering, but I thought it might be useful to set the top half of the building in place for another view. Also, there will additional color with awnings, advertising on the store front, etc.
Thanks!
Dallas
It's looking good for this stage. I see only one thing to work on as you continue, and you no doubt already know about it:
The crackling on the boards is uniform. It probably shouldn't be. Maybe later weathering will obscure that. But I would think that some boards, even entire areas, would have little or no distressing, especially just below the roof. And other areas might suffer from even more chips and cracks. Maybe you can add those with with a knife. (Nobody except those on this forum would nitpick such things,of course.)
Once you tweak everything and replace the doors and windows, it's going to be a rather nice model. I might even condescend to publish an article about it should you be so inclined.
Russ
Russ --
I figured the chipping/distressing could use some fine-tuning ... but I really APPRECIATE hearing (reading) it! It gets hard to see the forest for the trees sometimes, so that sort of feedback is always valuable. That should be relatively easy to address, but I might wait until "actual" doors and windows are ready so I can see everything in context.
I've shot zillions of pix along the way ... some for SBS stuff where applicable, but mostly just to "see" how things look at various stages with "cruel eye" of the camera. Will start shooting some high-rez photos at various stages just in case it all turns out satisfactory. ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Excellent. And, at the risk of being recognized as the pig I am, your garage also seriously deserves publication. -- Russ
Thanks! The garage will be slow-going, as I'm still trying to get the feel for the level of detailing and such that will go into that. Will start shooting some high-rez pix of that too at any notable progress points.
The sandwich shop started out with the intention of being a truly "quick & dirty" project ... and, what I found out quickly is that really doesn't suit me any more. So, it will be a relatively quick & dirty version of a somewhat more refined approach ... if that makes sense. There should be enough fine detailing to make it interesting, without going completely crazy ... which I'll continue to do on the garage as much as possible. ;D
The sandwich shop has also proven to be a great way to get some experience with the crackle paint, which I'd like to use on the repair shop (exterior siding) ... and I really did NOT want to do anything there without some practice.
Cheers,
Dallas
I think the Sandwich Shop is just great so far. As Russ said maybe the crackle paint is a bit uniform but as far as I understand this building will be in the background. I understand from my own experience it´s hard not to at least try to have a background building "perfect" and then when your´e done you realize only one wall will be visible :o ;D!
Anders ;D
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Tonight's crazy experiment ... see if I can cut panels from this ultra-thin fabric (.003" thick) ... stitch those together to make a quarter-round awning ... and drape that over a folding frame, at least somewhat convincingly. :o
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The most obvious thing here is that the lighting on my workbench is not suited for photographing a project this size :-\ .... so one of the upcoming projects will involve clearing a space and setting up for that ...
Meanwhile, the shot at right obviously has too much overhead light on the awning, but I included that to give an idea of the thin fabric hanging over the frame ... and in the larger shot, you can see that I haven't toned down the siding and sign on the front yet (not to mention the unfinished storefront, etc) ... but I wanted to include the view when looking at the building as a whole.
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Feedback & criticism invited: This is the first one ... and I made it on one of those crappy plastic window castings to get some practice before trying it "for real" on a scratchbuilt window. I'll play with some fabric stiffener to shape the bottom edges. Can also vary the amount of creasing that occurs around the wire frame underneath if that effect is too much. (See also the overall view for that too.)
Colors: There's also room to play around here. The first urge was to go "matchy-matchy" with some blue-striped awnings or "pow" with some red-striped awnings ... but I kinda like the idea of just making the awnings a subtle, faded color so they just appear to be "one of those things" instead of a feature ... thoughts welcome there too. Also possible to get different shades of the same colors, etc.
So, any and all thoughts on the first "practice" awning are welcome! I think it looks a lot better than a paper awning, but appreciate any feedback that might help refine the approach ... have more plastic windows on hand for additional tests as needed. ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
No comment until I see it with fabric stiffener on the whole thing. Without that, the cloth doesn't have enough "weight". It looks fluffy right now.
One thought: If the building hasn't had a paint job in twenty years or more, why would it have new looking awnings -- or any awning at all? Inconsistent, n'est-ce pas?
Russ
Dallas, really great job on that one :o!
Agree with Russ about the fabric stiffener. Think it needs quite a bit of weathering as well in this color that stands out a bit. Maybe I would go with blue to tone down the whole thing a bit. Just beware of the doll house effect - might look too cute with a number of these. Maybe you could make a few in paper and test in different locations. Well, that´s just my opinion.
Anders ;D
Nice experiment on the awning Dallas, but I agree with Russ as well, it seems too new and neat for a building that's had no attention to paint. I would think showing a couple of frames with perhaps remnants of tattered, faded and mildewed awnings hanging from them might be more apropos... just my two bits worth... Biggest challenge is making convincing fabric.
Paul
Quote from: finescalerr on May 18, 2011, 01:17:12 AM
One thought: If the building hasn't had a paint job in twenty years or more, why would it have new looking awnings -- or any awning at all? Inconsistent, n'est-ce pas?
Russ
Well, the second part is kinda easy actually ... I live in a rather old part of town here, with many row-houses that are nearly 100 years old ... and awnings are still widespread here. Back before air-conditioning, the "solutions" included: window awnings, high ceilings/transoms, ceiling fans, etc. So, in this case, awnings are just part of the "essential hardware" to make a place live-able.
But ... I'll have to play with the fabric a bit more to give it some "weight" and make it look a bit more faded / tattered. That should be relatively easy, as the fabric is actually the material from tea bags and the stripes were printed on my inkjet printer. So, for this test, I just used a standard stripe pattern without "fading" or "weathering" it using a photo program. Also, brightened it by painting the back of the material, but that effect can be toned down too.
So ... thanks for the input ... "Round Two" when I get a chance!
-- Dallas
Whew! Found a place where I might be able to get some help ...
Before I forget ... in addition to all the great & helpful feedback received here, I have a few friends who read the forum and send notes privately with additional suggestions. So quick thanks to Bill G. and Dave Reed for doing that recently ... and to all who take the time to share constructive thoughts AND criticism. Very much appreciated! -- Dallas
PS -- My signature lines below have a way for non-forum members to contact me! ;)
Quote from: Malachi Constant on April 30, 2011, 12:32:51 PM
Russ -- Well, it's sort of the opposite of "freezer burn" on the taste of the bread ... bit of laser burn there. :P
Marc -- I had to look twice at the pumpernickel vs. "mystery meet" question there. Should be pretty easy to make some meats and cheeses ... but lettuce and tomato could be a challenge.
Chester -- Thanks! Styrene sheet and strip are my "old standby" for scratchbuilding ... thought the little dentils at the top of the facade might be a pain, but it was easy enough to cut a bunch of those on ye olde chopper so even that went quickly. The finishing is more of a challenge than the build ...
Dave also provided some neat screen doors and sign letters that will get used here ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Looking great so far. Looking forward to seeing the completed awnings.
About meats and cheeses and even tomatoes... You can always get some various colors of Super Sculpey and make them like one would make beads. For tomatoes, make some red and pinkish red-orange "snakes and line/stack them up like the interior of a tomatoe then wrap the exterior with a thin layer of red. Then roll it some more (snake-like) to work out the air/blend, then slice. Some rainbow/shaped hard candy is also made this way.
Also... pimento loaf FTW! :-X :P
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Well, it was a lazy, hazy Sunday here in the old Hampden part of Baltimore, so I went out shooting some photos of many of the awnings and such that I've been noticing around town. Created a couple of substantial photo albums, which I'll link below. Meanwhile, the type shown above seems to be the most "popular" or common around here. I do know that metal awnings were offered in the 1930s, but dunno when this type became popular. (Ads for metal awnings in the 1930s touted that they were fire-proof and thus a good defense against idiot upstairs neighbors who might throw cigarettes out the windows -- of course, I'm paraphrasing a bit there.) ;D
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There are a couple small storefronts in town here that are roughly the size and proportions of my little cafe. Obviously, the signage is more modern ... but there are still plenty of ideas to be gleaned here ...
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This one is across the street and there are some more ideas here ... the places have been "commercialized" ... but they haven't necessarily taken advantage of the most skillful architects or tradesman nor used the finest materials! :)
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Kinda like these simple little awnings ... TONS of awning shots in the photo albums.
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While I was out, I looked for places to snap photos of hand-painted signs and some that would show how blue paint oxidizes ...
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The blue paint turns to a very powdery light blue, often nearly white, as it oxidizes ...
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Also shot some peaks underneath different types to see how the support structures were built ...
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Quote from: finescalerr on May 18, 2011, 01:17:12 AM
One thought: If the building hasn't had a paint job in twenty years or more, why would it have new looking awnings -- or any awning at all? Inconsistent, n'est-ce pas?
On this house, it appears that they replaced or overlaid the siding with vinyl -- cutting around those old awning supports ... but they did NOT repair or replace the wooden windows, which show substantial age ...
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Nor did they repair/repaint the wood trim at the top of the house, above the relatively new siding. ???
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Kinda like the Rube Goldberg awning covering two windows on this one.
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When I started this project, I was originally planning to use some metal stairs similar to these (well, after trying the Mini-Art metal stairs which proved far too substantial). I'd be darned surprised if these houses weren't built in the 1910s-1920s, but both the wooden stairs and metal stairs are obviously later replacements ... evidenced by remnants of concrete landings under each.
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These are some really cool old "handyman special" awnings ...
Will break here so the post doesn't get too massive and continue in a couple minutes. -- Dallas
Awnings & such -- CONT'd from previous page -- bunch of new photos there!(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Flocal-74a.jpg&hash=7dc7dda9250c85c1a19f2ccabdd9574877bdc77c)
I still like the idea of juxtaposing some light metal stairs like these against the wood and brick on the side of the sandwich shop ... but wood stairs are easier to build and more common ... so, we'll see! (Photo shot on May 20th ... notice the nice "seasonal" Christmas decor on the house to the right.)
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Just a colorful selection of awnings ....
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Oooh ... nice find! This one has striped canvas awnings ... some open, some closed (folded) ... this shape would be a LOT easier than the quarter-round that I tried earlier (though I still like those). This is probably aluminum or maybe even asbestos siding that hasn't been replaced in 30-40 years, but awnings are almost a "must" here where all of the houses pre-date the widespread use of central air-conditioning. Very few have had that sort of upgrade, and many folks still rely on awnings, window fans, window-mounted a/c's and such in the desperate effort to beat the heat, which can get real nasty around here. (Quite nice this evening, though! Have the windows open and heard the ice cream truck complete with fake calliope music pass by just a few minutes ago.) ;)
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Check this out ... underside of the folded awning shows a different pattern printed on the other side of the canvas.
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Quote from: finescalerr on May 18, 2011, 01:17:12 AM
One thought: If the building hasn't had a paint job in twenty years or more, why would it have new looking awnings -- or any awning at all? Inconsistent, n'est-ce pas?
Russ
Well, I'm still not sure ... but the folks who live in this place might be able to explain it! Awnings appear to be in relatively good shape, but the rest of the place is falling apart. (PS -- By now, it MUST seem like I'm picking on Russ for that post ... but the truth is that "inconsistent" actually seemed somehow RIGHT ... and having a look around at real places has proven that at least occasionally quite true.)
PHOTO ALBUMS full of awnings, plus some signs and misc. "weathering" or detailing ideas:http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.221598634536837.68951.100000601054495&l=9d350274fd
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.221605707869463.68952.100000601054495&l=09adeb5474
Note: These ARE on Facebook ... but if I've set them up properly, they should be "public" albums that anyone can view without signing-in, signing up or any of that junk. (And if YOU are on Facebook and send a "friend request" please include a note indicating your forum nickname so I can process those without thinking too much on this hazy, lazy Sunday!) ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Hello Dallas, This is really good stuff here!! Thank you for a very informative thread. The siding looks great and look forward to your awnings and stairs :)
Randy
The house in that last pic is interesting -- apparently a duplex, whose owners have very different attitudes toward maintenance! One half is neat and recently painted, the other half is peeling and scabby. I wonder though about the attic window, right in the center. Did they split the interior down the middle too? ;)
Thanks, Randy ... and Michael for the Sculpey vs. pimento loaf ideas! ;D Ray ... yeah, when you're in a duplex, I suppose the bum neighbors are an extra big headache.
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Another quick test build ... different style and pattern. The bracket wire scales out to about 3/4" diameter ... looks like that should go a good bit lighter ...
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Seems like the style and pattern "blend in" a bit better. Obviously could benefit from a little weathering ... other thoughts?
Thanks in advance,
Dallas
Thanks for the class on awnings Dallas. And I like your newer version but for one thing. Somehow can it be made opaque so light doesn't pass through?
Great photos Dallas,
I can find many ideas here besides awnings so keep them coming! Your new awning looks very real to me - excellent job so far :o. Maybe just a bit of weathering all depending how old they would be of course.
Anders ;D
Chester -- Good point! On the earlier, yellow one I went too heavy with painting the underside and think that contributed to the "fluffy" look of the fabric. On the newer one, I went probably too light on painting the underside and used some fabric stiffener ... which seems to make it look a little more like a stiffer canvas. So now the trick is to find a good in between. Started painting another one last night with a light blue underside to see how that would look as a folded awning. Might take a few more "practice" jobs to get it right.
PS -- Thanks to Gordon and Anders for the recent care packages! ;)
-- Dallas
The first awning was kind of cool simply because it was a more challenging design. But I think I like the new one better, it seems to "fit" the building.
Ewww ... it sure is dusty in this thread ... let's see if we can get things moving a bit ...
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Alrighty, after far too many real life distractions and a bit of a modeling lull, I decided to get back into this by scrapping the original second story of the cafe with plastic siding and re-doing it with board-on-board construction. First step, make a BIG glass of iced coffee ... then see if we can whittle some novelty siding from the leftover stir sticks.
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The tools are simple enough ...
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Score across the face of the stick about halfway thru ... then slice from the top ...
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Bevel that edge ... then cut a matching groove on the bottom of the opposite side so the boards will nest together. The first 5 or 10 are a bit tricky and/or tedious ... by the time you've made 50-60 of them, it's smooth sailing! ;D
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Getting more color variations out of those Ranger Crackle paints ...
Yeah, let's do that. The Ranger Crackle paints (aka "Tim Holtz Distress Crackle") work really well, but the colors are, um ... well, they're pretty weird ... or at least not what we as modelers would choose. Haven't had much luck at tinting those colors with acrylic paints, but the Ranger paints do inter-mix well and you can tint the finished colors with acrylic inks ... so let's give that a try.
I ended up using 7 crackle colors and maybe 8 ink colors just to paint one small batch of green boards. 8) ::) :P But this approach does seem to provide quite a variety of options for getting subtle or even very dramatic variations in coloring using those crackle paints.
Following is a summary of what I did on the first little batch ... additional thoughts, ideas, suggestions, criticism, etc. are welcome. The paint was applied in three separate layers as follows ... and after the second layer, you'll see some notes about stopping there for some applications. ;)
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The boards were stained using a couple of Mike Chambers' ink stain formulas (#6 and #9). Then I taped them down, and masked the little groove along the top of each board to avoid building up thickness there (so the boards will nest together properly during construction).
Prep: Stain the boards, mask grooves, spray gloss coat, layer of hairspray, another layer of gloss coat.
First layer: Three shades of Ranger crackle were applied ... the Antique Linen (beige), the Vintage Photo (brown) and a blend of the two ... these were streaked and dabbed across the board ... somewhat randomly ... NOT covering every bit of the surface (let some stained wood show thru). The dabbing is a bit crude and should probably by used ONLY on the first layer, after that it will become too obvious.
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Let the crackle set for 10 minutes or so. Mix up some acrylic inks ... generally diluted 1 drop of ink to 3 drops of wet water. Used these Vallejo colors: Wood Grain (very reddish brown, essentially scarlet), Skin Wash (very orangish), Sepia (golden brown), Brown (which has a red tint) and Smokey Ink. These were streaked across the surface of the boards ... "randomly" isn't quite the right word but fairly close ... various streaks here and there where they looked right. ;) The inks were NOT applied as washes (no overall coverage). Take a sharp knife and lightly score the surface of the paint (not cutting into the stripwood) ... or poke with knife or brush to do some chipping. Let that dry a bit, then scrape surface lightly to dislodge loose chips.
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Best to use some cheap brushes, as the crackle paint is a bit rough on them. I used the bigger brush to streak on the crackle and the smaller brush to streak on the inks.
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Let the first layer dry overnight; apply another coat of gloss coat, then hairspray and gloss coat again ...
Second layer: As mentioned, the Ranger crackle paints do intermix well ... though the color selection isn't exactly what you'd call a "basic palette". So, some creativity and experimentation is in order. I used the Old Paper (green), Antique Linen (beige), a mix of green and beige, hints of Broken China (blue) and Picket Fence (white) ... streaked across the surfaces of the boards ...
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Let that set for 10 minutes or so, then follow with diluted inks ... Vallejo Woodgrain, Brown, Sepia, Smokey Ink, Flesh Wash ... and P3 (brand) Skin Wash and Reaper Blue (VERY dilute on the blue). Score, scrape, chip as desired.
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Stop here? Actually, yeah, this seems like a good stopping point for a lot of applications ... lots of nice variation in the coloring, layers of old paint with varying degrees of oxidation ... will definitely use this on some other projects and/or parts of this project. But, I want a more subtle effect for the siding on the building, so I'll go on and do a third layer ... with minimal chipping.
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Let the second layer dry overnight, then gloss coat / hairspray / gloss coat ...
Third layer: Used the Broken China (blue), Black Soot and Fired Brick with the Old Paper (Green) to mix up three custom shades of green ... streaked those on followed by streaks of the plain green. Disregard that salmon-colored blob 8) ... unless you're planning to paint some siding with the Fired Brick (red) ... then it's good to note that mixing some of the green with that produces some nice orange tones that will be useful there ... and using some black and/or brown will add shades in the other direction.
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Mix up some inks again: Vallejo Brown, Seia, Smokey Ink, Skin Wash and Green (dilute more than others) ... and Reaper Blue (very dilute) ... apply that, then lightly score, chip, etc. as desired. Oh yeah, should have mentioned to scrape/chip the bottom edges of the boards after each application. ;)
BTW, the Sepia and Flesh Wash inks have yellow/orange tints, so the blue ink gives those a nice shift towards the greens.
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Needless to say, after the long lull in posting, I'm a bit out of practice with shooting the pix and getting the proper color balance ... this was the best I could fix the straight-on, close-up shot (about 4x actual on a 19" monitor) ... but it gives a suggestion of the variations in color tones ...
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And it gets a whole lot easier to have some color balance with a broader palette of colors! ;D This gives a more accurate impression of the pastel green color of the siding and the variations in coloring.
Should also mention that it's probably best to work with small batches (say 12 of the 5.5" sticks) given the working/drying times of the crackle paints and the softening with the inks (useful for chipping) ... but you can work several separate batches to keep things moving. I took the first batch all the way thru to see where it may need refinement ... have another 45-50 to go, so your input in welcome before I make a complete mess of all of them! ;D
Cheers & thanks for looking!
Dallas
Looks terrible. Glad you're back at it. Keep up the bad work! -- ssuR
Really nice!
Glad to see you back at this Dallas! Thanks for all the SBS work. Nice texture on those boards.
Looks great! Glad you´re back at it. Keep up the good work!
Anders ;)
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Let the nailing begin ...
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Seems like it would be tricky to get some of these effects with a pounce wheel ... but, if they really are quicker, I might have to try one! ;)
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Or, maybe I'll just put the little people to work doing something useful for a change ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas,
You're not going to like this , but ...prototypically there should only be one nail per stud in each board , which should be just above the top of the board below , i.e. about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half from the bottom of the board .By only having one nail , the boards are able to expand and contract with the changing of the weather . Having two nails introduces extra stresses in the wood and often leads to premature splitting of the boards .
However , as we are not in the real World , carry on as you are ,
Nick
Thanks Nick -- good to know! And, as you can see, we've already experienced some of that splitting (and kinda like it). So it goes. -- Dallas
So, how did you do those nails? They look good.
Quote from: shropshire lad on December 31, 2011, 01:02:12 AM
Dallas,
You're not going to like this , but ...prototypically there should only be one nail per stud in each board , which should be just above the top of the board below , i.e. about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half from the bottom of the board .By only having one nail , the boards are able to expand and contract with the changing of the weather . Having two nails introduces extra stresses in the wood and often leads to premature splitting of the boards .
However , as we are not in the real World , carry on as you are ,
Nick
Thanks again! And, I'll be darned ... I'm borrowing a fair bit of detailing ideas from the structure shown below ... and after reading Nick's post and looking again, it appears that a substantial portion of the siding has been nailed "properly" as he suggests ... but, when I zoom in, I do see an awful lot of instances of two nails together ... AND the splitting that goes with it. Suspect that it wouldn't take more than a 20-30 minute walk around the neighborhood here to find other instances of other idiots like myself doing it wrong (cuz some of us grew up with the "ah, just nail the crap out of it, and it'll stay together" approach) ;D
But there is one thing that troubles me about this ... if I had started doing it PROPERLY ... it would only take HALF as many nails ... and I'd be done by now! Damn. :-\ 8)
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on December 31, 2011, 09:48:59 AM
So, how did you do those nails? They look good.
Thanks Ray ... I'll post some more notes/photos on that as soon as I get a chance.
Cheers,
Dallas
On an old, weathered building like that, I wonder if perhaps the "extra" nails were added later, after the wood started to split?
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Quote from: Ray Dunakin on December 31, 2011, 09:48:59 AM
So, how did you do those nails? They look good.
There's nothing very innovative here on MY part ... the idea was borrowed/adapted from something I'd seen in Marc's "5x5x7 Project" ... shown above and described here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=640.msg10129#msg10129
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For "mass nailing," I pre-paint a buncha strips of Plastruct .010" styrene rod (one laying diagonally across the siding here) -- brown & black from a rattle can. This gives a shadow color to the edge of the nail heads, which would be extremely difficult to paint with a brush once they're set in. (Marc cut individual nails, painted the heads and then sunk them in -- I ended up doing over 500 nails here, and this works out quicker for me with the "mass nailing" -- YMMV) ;)
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This would drive some folks bonkers ... I find it kinda meditative and relaxing ... like basket weaving in the looney bin:
-- I glued three rows of siding in place, then did the nails for those, then moved on to the next three rows. This allows me to get in with the knife from the edge and breaks things up a bit ...
-- Mark the nail locations with a felting needle (optional) and drill holes for those.
-- Grasp the painted styrene rod near the end with tweezers.
-- Touch it to a drop of Vallejo Mat Varnish. This acts as a light adhesive, which won't leave any visible residue.
-- Push the rod into the hole. Cut it off very slightly above the surface. I just hold my fingernail flat against one side of the rod and push the knife against the other side. It takes very little pressure to slice .010" styrene rod ... and after 500 of these, there's no visible groove in my fingernail! 8)
-- If you cut the rod too high, you can use the back-end of a scale-hammer-size drill bit to sink it in a bit ... or sink it in a lot and leave a hammer-sized dent in the siding to show the work of a clumsy-overzealous carpenter. :P
-- Repeat ... repeat ... repeat ...
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Closer view ... the next crazy step: go back with a tiny brush and touch all those nail heads with steel & rust tones ... then go back again with tiny dabs of flaking crackle paint.
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Siding is all nailed in place ... now I just have to put some trim across the top, scratchbuild some doors & windows, build out the storefront and a few other "little" things like that. Piece of cake.
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Next up: carve some corbels and work out the details of the top trim. Then I'll go back and start touching up those nail heads while waiting for crackle paint to dry ... la-la-la. :P
Cheers,
Dallas
From the first set of photos (before the SBS) I thought you used some very thin tubing to impress tiny circles into the wood. Now I see it required far more work. -- Russ
I like the way the set nails look, but what a lot of work!
Michael
That looks really great :o! Thought all this work wouldn´t really be necessary but what a difference! Excellent work!
What´s going on in Curt Mudgeon´s garage?
Anders ;D
Thanks! The Mudgeon cousins are sitting around talking about motorcycles and women ... and dreaming of going out for a sandwich. Meanwhile, I'm just glad that things are moving along here again. ;) -- Dallas
Wow, I am glad to find nuttier, er, more detail oriented folks than myself! Nothing like a laserboard on rye after all that hard work. I am also glad to see more progress.
Russ, please mark this down as self analysis for the year...
"This would drive some folks bonkers ... I find it kinda meditative and relaxing ... like basket weaving in the looney bin"
I do enjoy your SBS works Dallas. I think it gives good insight into creative thinking processes. The resulting nail heads are rather convincing for the effort they require, so the maddness feels worth it. I think what perhaps makes this look a bit odd is having to remember this is a timber siding, and I imagine nailed up a bit different to weatherboards/clapboards, and hence the two nails per stud approach. In the photos, it can be a bit difficult to pick how the siding really is (no fault of the modelling, just one of those photo things where it can sometimes be difficult to really capture what we are actually looking at). This form of timber siding wouldn't nearly be modelled as often as standard weatherboards, so for a good number of viewers, the false memory would kick in and say there are too many nails. Closer inspection, and probably an explaination of the type of siding, would probably satisfy the viewers who expect the nail patterns to be different, as done here.
One thing I would wonder though...would all the nails have a prominance on the timber wall? I imagine that at one point in time, they would have sat fairly flush to the timber and be nearly hidden by paint. Despite the flaking paint over the ages, would some nails still be masked over by the remaining flakes of paint, or be deeper set after the clumsy-overzealous carpenter had belted them in? Just wondering if the nail pattern looks too regular, and needs just a few to disappear under paint, or rust out all together.
Cheers,
Dan
Quote from: Chuck Doan on January 03, 2012, 12:44:37 PM
Wow, I am glad to find nuttier, er, more detail oriented folks than myself! Nothing like a laserboard on rye after all that hard work. I am also glad to see more progress.
Sorry , Chuck , but it is official . You are the nuttiest fruitcake of the lot .
And long may it last ,
Nick
Quote from: danpickard on January 03, 2012, 01:01:02 PM
One thing I would wonder though...would all the nails have a prominance on the timber wall? I imagine that at one point in time, they would have sat fairly flush to the timber and be nearly hidden by paint. Despite the flaking paint over the ages, would some nails still be masked over by the remaining flakes of paint, or be deeper set after the clumsy-overzealous carpenter had belted them in? Just wondering if the nail pattern looks too regular, and needs just a few to disappear under paint, or rust out all together.
THANKS for the suggestions/input! Some of them are flush ... most of the ones that "stick up a bit" only do so by about 1 or 2 thousands of an inch (which actually makes it a bit easier to go back and paint them).
So, next steps:
-- Go back and dot the nail heads with steel and rust tones. Those that lie in areas where the siding paint has been chipped away will just get some rusty detailing.
-- After the nail heads have the first coloring, I can go back and sink more of them flush. The mat varnish is a light adhesive, and a little push with the end of a drill bit will sink them easily ... but that probably won't be necessary, as the crackle paint (next step) has a fair bit of thickness to it and will likely form a fillet around the edges of some nails.
-- Then I'll go back with the various crackle colors and inks ... as mentioned above, the crackle paint has a fair bit of thickness ... so some nails will more-or-less disappear and many will become more subtle ...
-- And, if I manage to pull this all off, all those nails should add up to a rather subtle effect that adds depth and detail without becoming a focal point. Maybe I'll do an "interesting" bent nail or two on the lower level, more in the focal area ... ;)
Quote from: danpickard on January 03, 2012, 01:01:02 PM
Russ, please mark this down as self analysis for the year...
"This would drive some folks bonkers ... I find it kinda meditative and relaxing ... like basket weaving in the looney bin"
;D ;D ;D
If I'm ever forced to put a string of Christmas lights back into one of those little plastic nests and get that to go back into the box, I'll certainly have a psychotic episode ... the nutty business with the nails ... well, just like basket-weaving in the looney bin ... while looking forward to a little tapioca and maybe bingo later. :)
Quote from: Chuck Doan on January 03, 2012, 12:44:37 PM
Wow, I am glad to find nuttier, er, more detail oriented folks than myself! Nothing like a laserboard on rye after all that hard work. I am also glad to see more progress.
Yes, well ... meanwhile, THANK YOU too! IIRC, you used the approach of treating various siding boards individually prior to assembly ... I did that here and think it will make a huge difference in the final appearance. Or, maybe I picked that up somewhere else, who knows? I think it was Chuck's fault. ;)
Quote from: shropshire lad on January 03, 2012, 02:53:11 PM
Quote from: Chuck Doan on January 03, 2012, 12:44:37 PM
Wow, I am glad to find nuttier, er, more detail oriented folks than myself! Nothing like a laserboard on rye after all that hard work. I am also glad to see more progress.
Sorry , Chuck , but it is official . You are the nuttiest fruitcake of the lot . And long may it last , Nick
Yeah, not sure I'm up to the challenge of doing 1/35 scale wasps nests in the eaves ... and it's always nice to know there's someone nuttier out there. Nice try, Chuck. ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Quote from: shropshire lad on December 31, 2011, 01:02:12 AM
Dallas,
You're not going to like this , but ...prototypically there should only be one nail per stud in each board , which should be just above the top of the board below , i.e. about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half from the bottom of the board .By only having one nail , the boards are able to expand and contract with the changing of the weather . Having two nails introduces extra stresses in the wood and often leads to premature splitting of the boards .
However , as we are not in the real World , carry on as you are ,
Nick
Well, I figured that I wouldn't have to walk far to find examples done "ye olde ham-fisted way" with incorrect nailing ... and I didn't. Fellow modeler Bill Gill sent me photos from a couple of old garages near his home in New England. While I fully agree that Nick has described the "correct" and/or "preferred" way of doing this, my experience with (loosely) studying old structures on this side of the pond leads me to believe that many more than a few were built by less-skilled and/or less-knowledgeable "carpenters" ...
(And, I certainly appreciate Nick's input because I really and/or obviously didn't know that ... and it might come in handy if I decide to build a structure that represents the work of a skilled carpenter. In this case, I'm going for more of a working-class area where a "make do" attitude would be more prevalent. This will become even more apparent on the actual "storefront" portion of the building, where the owner may have well done the "handyman renovation" work!) ;)
Bill's photos also show a nice variation in texture on the old novelty siding boards ... from relatively smooth to rather rough grain with varying degrees of weathering. Thanks, Bill!
This one really matches the texture and nailing that I had in mind when setting out on the project ... even though I was going from memory/impressions and didn't go out to shoot photos for the siding. (Thanks again to Bill for the photos.) -- Dallas
You would (sometimes) see two nails at joints, especially with wider siding. But otherwise, yeah- one nail, through the bottom of the board you're hanging and into the top of the board it overlaps.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2001.jpg&hash=a233d74d3199b1985e7816ab7e80879fe9fcab65)
Making little bits of progress ... all of those pesky nails were painted/blended into the siding and should now produce a rather subtle effect. Worked out a series of crackle painting steps to produce some nice mustard-color siding ... which isn't shown yet. 8) And, doing some work on corbel and cornice design ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2002.jpg&hash=1e096bab9d6dabb37951bf12b66232856ca3d434)
Sample corbel carved from basswood ... tools shown are diamond-crusted bead reamers from the craft store ... pretty handy for dressing the curved surfaces. Pretty easy job here, but I'll need a bunch of these, so likely that the corbels will be laser cut or cast in resin ... we'll see.
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Laid out the cornice, which will be rather similar to the one shown below ... did some additional build-outs with stripwood and tacky glue to check the profile vs. the flat drawings ... forgot to snap a photo of that, but it's similar to the arrangement shown below.
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Not following this exactly, but should be fairly close ...
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Playing around with colors ... don't get too hung up on the shades/tones shown in the computer graphic, that's just a quicky. Have a nice mustard color for the trim worked out ... will work on the other colors and play more with the storefront, signage, etc.
So, it's nothing "substantial" at this point ... mostly just dropping by to say "hello" and show that we're still working on the sammich shop! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Looking good!
I should see about picking up some of those bead reamers next time I'm at Michael's.
Really some nice work there Dallas :o! This will be a great addition to the garage. We need to see the sandwiches soon..... ???!
Anders ;D
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Just sayin'.... ;D
Quote from: Chuck Doan on February 01, 2012, 02:30:23 PM
Just sayin'.... ;D
a) Ain't much goin' on 'round here ...
b) You're "board" with this lack of progress ...
c) I shoulda done a much sloppier job on my nails and put lots of big globby discolorations around them
d) Another example of novelty siding double-nailed cuz they didn't consult Nick first!
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Alrighty, Mr. Weisenheimer ... there has been some "secret" progress ... first, a flash back to the corbels on my "inspiration" building. I sent this shot to VectorDave for discussion of getting them laser cut ...
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Dave said he suspected that the corbels on my structure probably had some round ornaments as shown in this photo ... but, of course, scaled to suit those simpler corbels. Neither of us know what these kinda corbels are called, so the temporary unofficial name is "dangling dingleberry corbels". Dave said that he could easily laser cut the corbels and maybe I could find some beads to add the dingleberries ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2011.jpg&hash=568a91a6910092d7fa454fd25f4e8282cb96da6b)
I did manage to find some suitable (and very tiny) beads ... but the prospect of doing that repeatedly made me a little agitated ... sure, 100's of nails no problem ... but buncha tiny beads rolling all over the place and shooting out of the tweezers ... no thanks. So, decided to cut a "pattern" corbel from styrene, add the dingleberry and cast them in resin. (And, the thread was "boarded up" until I got around to making a mold and casting some to make sure it would actually work!) ;)
No fancy equipment was harmed in the production of this little pattern! ;D Perhaps useful, photos show what I call "the Swiss cheese method" for removing a large amount of material quickly without (a) gouging my fingers or (b) distorting a thin profile like the neck of the corbel.
Sketched the original on paper, scanned that, tweaked the proportions a little on the computer then used glue stick to tack that to the styrene ... cut, shape, round edges ... add a little photo-etch washer ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2012.jpg&hash=12a292108143ba2796de9b7a4a0d581be803f61f)
The little beads have a hole thru the middle so you can make a necklace or do something silly like that with them ... glued a piece of styrene rod in the center to make a plug ... glued a piece of .010" wire into the corbel so the dingleberry would be pinned in place ... cuz you really don't want your dingleberries getting away from you unexpectedly ... OR breaking off in mold ... ouch! Drilled a matching hole in the styrene/bead assembly, glued that in place, cut the end and added some more photo-etch bits to look like ornamental turnings at the bottom of the dingleberry.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2013.jpg&hash=81ee0f7b9d75b63f282bd72b0445709d1917910d)
Test fit as shown ... then made a mold and started making castings ... need to make a bunch more. Meanwhile, I've been painting, prepping and "pre-nailing" a bunch of little trim pieces so this all can go together ...
AND ... VectorDave has sent me some more goodies ... some of his HO gingerbread that will likely serve as some small molding trim somewhere ... AND ... he's custom cut some dentils to fit between the corbels. Those aren't present on my "inspiration" building shown above, but very commonly found on similar structures and should be a nice touch.
Gotta say, doing three layers of crackle and installing nails on every little bit of trim has been slowing things down, oh, maybe a bit ... and those laser board sandwiches are indeed getting pretty crispy. Might have to bake a fresh loaf one day ...
Will post some new pix once some of the cornice work, corbels and trim gets installed ... buncha painting & prep to do first.
Cheers,
Dallas
d)
Clever. And not bad. -- Russ
P.S.: Where's Dave been hiding? -- Russ
Well, he posted this new "limited edition" HO station on facebook yesterday (photo below) ... so I suppose getting all that together has been keeping him busy ... but he's been replying to recent emails quite promptly.
PS -- FB description of new kit says it has "engraved" shingles, which sounds like a new thing that he probably fiddled with a bunch to get looking right.
;) -- Dallas
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2014.jpg&hash=496ffcfa2fe0795cb67cea73b8e58cd57a90813b)
Easy COVE molding -- Many of the older buildings around here have cove molding just below the top lip, cap or whatever you call that bit up top. Rather than settle for quarter-round with the curve going the wrong way (convex instead of concave), I thought I'd see about making some with the proper curve ... and it ended up being really easy. ;)
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Glue some Evergreen styrene angle in place ... brush on a coat of Vallejo Mat Varnish and let that go tacky so the putty will stick ... roll out a thin snake of putty (Magic Sculp, Milliput, etc) and press that into place ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2016.jpg&hash=29f3f3f2bdba421f11469848dcbf4cadc19fa69f)
Dampen the end of a suitable blunt instrument or sculpting tool ... in this case, the end of a paint brush ... and work that along to get the desired shape. Remove excess and clean the tool occasionally, keep it dampened but not soppy wet to allow some smoothing. Let the putty start to firm, then go back with a bit of liquid hand soap or aloe and a touch of water to smooth a bit more ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2017.jpg&hash=cd46f0d8d7283b3d84fee0fc4969817556f03c17)
Always tricky to photograph white styrene ... and the off-white putty doesn't really help! :) Kept the photo a little dark in hopes that it allows you to see the shape ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2018.jpg&hash=951ceff936bc6c9b8fc70e51aae9076b46c2195b)
Here's the building upside-down ... some "plain" angle stock along the front edge and the "coved" molding along the side. I'll let that harden completely before doing the front edge to make sure of getting a good contour at the corner. Pretty subtle detail here, but hopefully paying attention to these little things will make the building "look right" ... and maybe even somewhat realistic! ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Nice trick, I'll have to try that sometime!
Worth copying and keeping. Thanks, Dallas. -- Russ
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2019.jpg&hash=9070175496d8d7627169a8151403ead6a54be90b)
So, I was perusing Dave K's site at www.VectorCut.com and nosing around in all the various categories ... and this set of HO ornamental trim (Set #1 "Aunt Lucy's) caught my eye because ...
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I'm leaning toward something like this boxed cornice for the storefront and the "running trim" (top rows) in that set looked awfully similar to the gingerbread-y bits on this store ... (oh, and never mind that I'll have my hands full making THOSE funky corbels!) 8) ::)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2021.jpg&hash=f0928fb04c053215ffdc1e3e27b48104084cad93)
Had a suspicion that the HO gingerbread would work out nicely as smaller trim in 1/35 and sure enough, it looks like the parts will play well with the construction underway! ;D (The mustard color corner trim is new ... trying to keep things rolling with little bits of progress here and there.)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2022.jpg&hash=fbd0737357e6fe4d51a17942d324181740f4a91a)
While corresponding with Dave about the corbels, he mentioned that he could easily zap some nice little dentil trim to fit between them. Those arrived today along with the HO gingerbread and they'll add another nice layer of detail to the cornice underway ...
So, on with the cornice work and a big THANK YOU to "VectorDave" for his continued great service and willingness to provide those little custom bits. Gonna go back now and order some of the HO/multi-scale flowers so I can put a little flower box under Millie's kitchen window. :)
Cheers,
Dallas
That coving came out great!
Dave did it again! Excellent team work from the two of you. Those little flowers you are planning to use are real neat I used them for the Krakow diorama.
Anders ;D
Definitely! Really appreciate Dave's help here and with various other aspects of the project ... I just hope I remember stuff from seeing all the neighborhood ladies do flower arrangements when I was a kid! ;D
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2023.jpg&hash=93e011eb4f04ad126265c482cc3666e00e899ef0) (https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2024.jpg&hash=2f21c31282604671825f72904c912515940364a3)
Layering the dentil trim ...
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These pieces will be painted with the mustard trim color ...
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The center or background piece will all be painted green, including the inset/raised panels ... with a little highlighting and shadow there just to bring out the relief ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2027.jpg&hash=8a90d93a9a2e4ea42fed1dc909045a0f6aac4ec0)
Playing "fiddle sticks" with all the loose bits. Top lip, corbels and dentil trim will all get the mustard color ... the background "panel" will be green.
Cheers,
Dallas
Shaping up to one heck of a cafe ::)! What a difference from the "first" cafe. Only shows it´s worth going back to improve and fix up details here and there.
Anders ;D
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Slowly plodding along painting & chipping individual corbels, adding dentils, etc ... got to this point ... and, obviously, need to do some additional shading, blending and/or coloring work to make the mustard trim pieces look right ... but it was getting really hard to judge all that "in context" with so much of the context missing. :P (At this point though, all those tiny little nails do seem to be showing up as a more subtle detail now.)
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Thoughts & opinions WELCOME here! So, I did some computer fakery to rough out some context and make a sort of "working plan" to help judge the bits and pieces as this proceeds. There are still bits of dentil work and other trim missing at the corners, etc. Still additional coloring and shading, etc. to do ... but any/all thoughts ... including random thoughts and fleeting impressions ... are welcome here. Still have to do the corbels and dentils for the front, so there's plenty of time to work things out along the way ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bouldervalleymodels.com%2Fimages%2Ffsrr%2Fcafe-2030.jpg&hash=73a3907dae03003f78d44e6ff810e19d55718795)
VectorDave was kind enough to "upsize" some of the flower box fronts used on his HO scale Stanton Street diorama ... smaller one for the kitchen window ... and larger one for the other window. Thanks Dave!
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And here's what the original (tiny!) version looks like on Dave's Stanton Street diorama, well worth a visit:
http://www.vectorcut.com/Diorama
Cheers,
Dallas
You do plan to build up the doors and windows, right? -- Russ
Doors & windows? Yes! Those big ugly plastic things will go bye-bye. I'll scratchbuild some nice working windows with thin mullions (muntins, muttons or sumptin's) and glazing ... and I think I've worked out a way to make a raised panel door with the proper "sculpted" inset panels and the correct assembly that will appear to have the right woodworking joints ... gotta finish up the rest of the corbels, dentils and get this trim painted first.
Definitely need the computerized fakery to "see" where it's going so I can color things properly ... mostly wanted to see how it would look with the mustard trim around the windows & door and white sashes and actual door. Gets a bit tedious at times handling all these dang parts individually, but seems to pay off ... need to have a bit of a "preview" to see what needs done and how to prep the windows and all that junk ...
Cheers,
Dallas
That is a good way to figure out what you want to do.
Quote from: Chuck Doan on February 03, 2012, 02:54:37 PM
That coving came out great!
I'll second that. Great technique. Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant but where is Curt Mudgeon these days ??? ??? ???
Anders
I ran a promo on my website that went rather well, so Mr. Mudgeon will be busy helping me crank out On30 kits for a few weeks ... then, with a little luck, he'll get a visit from a cousin from a distant land ... or something weird and fun will happen! ;) -- Dallas
I did cast the rest of the corbels needed and made a few other bits, but haven't gotten any farther than that yet ...
Holy Crap! Brace yourself ... yup, I've made a little bit of actual progress. Heck, I'd better brace myself ... before I fall over in disbelief! (https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railroad-line.com%2Fforum%2Fdata%2Fdallas_m%2F2012710369_fainting-smiley.gif&hash=1d6470b45b71b0e0ff85ca66d99d27590ad70ee5)
Got started on the windows for the sammich shop ... basically a combo of techniques described by Ken Hamilton and Frederic Testard:
http://public.fotki.com/khamilton/models/model_how-to/how_to_build_window/
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=35452&whichpage=29
Used Frederic's approach of sandwiching the bits that make up the interior channels ... but used styrene, thinking that would allow a thinner profile of the divider between channels or at least less worries about wood fuzz on tiny bits ...
Little window just about ready to install ... framing for bigger windows underway ...
Holy Crap! A little bit of actual progress. (Yeah, I said that before, but I still can't believe it!) (https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railroad-line.com%2Fforum%2Fdata%2Fdallas_m%2F2012710369_fainting-smiley.gif&hash=1d6470b45b71b0e0ff85ca66d99d27590ad70ee5)
That clunky door will get replaced ... built a frame for that ... more, whenever ... meanwhile, stuff is laid out to build three more windows as time allows. ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Like it Dallas, nice tidy work ........ Good to see you making progress on this, must do the same myself!
As an aside, and I know there was thread/book on this subject when I look at this thread on my home PC I just get links to the pics but if I look at it on the IPad the photos show direct ???
Huh?...what project is this?
Glad to see you making some progress again!...very spiffy!
Gordon ol' chap......what you are experiencing is "the curious case of the suddenly no longer visible attachments". Mine happened on the PC back when the original thread discussion occured, and never rectified itself....though I lack the spiffy iPad....with me they work on my Android phone.
The one ddety with it is that on my laptop....also a PC....every now and then the pics show...sometimes if there aare multiple attaached images some will show as links while the others show as pics.....no rhyme or reason. Think of it s just another quirk of an already nutty forum.
Dallas, I'm glad you found some time to work on something for yourself again. The window and door add immeasurably to the model. -- Russ
Ditto
Good to see you working on the project again. Nice window and dorr.
Jerry
Well, life has been crazy and modeling time was really hard to come by for a long while there ... so a big THANK YOU for your support and encouragement as I get back into this! ;D
But ... I think y'all really let me slide on that door ... at least I hope so ... cuz I'll just look like a big dumb jackalope for what follows otherwise. (Wouldn't be the first or last time for that, though.)
Okay ... crappy old door is shown at left below ... built a new door frame using the same techniques as the windows ... layered styrene bits on the inside to make it nice and square followed by stripwood trim, etc. BTW, looks like it has a black backing here, but that's just the black styrene interior of the building showing ...
The door is also a sandwich of styrene and stripwood bits ... cut the middle of the sandwich from black styrene (then added some white strips around the edge because it wasn't big enough) ::) ... added a backing to that (not shown), so the middle wood bits would have a nest ... then painted, weathered & layered the stripwood pieces ...
Wanted one of those old-fangled door knobs with a flattened-oval profile ... so I rolled a whole bunch of balls out of Sculptamold ... then mashed those with a finger tip ... let those harden a touch, then soaped the finger tips to rub out any fingerprints on those. Made a whole bunch more than shown here hoping there would be one or two in the bunch that had the desired shape. ;)
Made the strikeplate (or whatever you call it) from .005" styrene ... sure is tricky cutting a tiny key notch under a #78 hole! :-X Screw heads embossed with a dulled-down thumbtack. Cut slots in those later (actually just scored the paint on them.) ;)
Don't worry, I'm almost done torturing you for today! ;D
Here's the crappy NEW door to replace the crappy old door! Molding was done by adding .015" styrene rod around the inset panels. Originally planned to put some putty in the grooves to make it quarter-round ... but, as you (hopefully) see in the photo after this one, those little grooves (seem to me) to produce little shadow lines that I would have painted in ... so I think I'll let it go at this ...
Almost forgot to add the inset that proves that I tried to slot the stupid little screw heads! 8) Yeah, guys, I know they would/should be flathead screws in beveled insets ... YOU try that! ;D
Last one for today! ;D :-\ :P
Here's the crappy new door in place ... also went over all the green siding with a variety of water color pencils to add a little more tonal variety and shading there. Will continue to tweak coloring as all the components come together.
Thanks again for the support & encouragement (but don't hold back on anything that needs attention!)
Cheers,
Dallas
That looks great-specially that finish! Of course, larger pics could be nice... :)
Quote from: Chuck Doan on July 17, 2012, 02:55:20 PM
That looks great-specially that finish! Of course, larger pics could be nice... :)
Oops ... I was trying not to be too obnoxious there! (Well, then there's also the thing about all the bumps and warts that show up in the larger photos.) ;D ::) :P
Here are larger versions of the last two photos ... if anyone needs more info on the build (kinda doubt that here, but ...) let me know which pix are needed.
While I'm at it ... and looking at the larger pix here ... you'll see there are some hints of pinks, blues and purples in the white ... and I'm curious about any/all thoughts you have there. Here's the thing ... when I look at Marcel Ackle's work, it seems like I see a whole rainbow of colors in seemingly unlikely places that really make it "work." Now, I certainly don't have to tell anyone that
I am not Marcel, but I've been trying to put a slight bit of that into what I'm doing in hopes of maybe getting some similar effects (eventually, with practice, yaddy-yaddy!)
Cheers,
Dallas
Yeah, that helps! Love that crackle.
Excellent. It looks really crappy. -- Russ
I agree with Chuck; the crackle finish on the door is great.
Bill Martinsen
Great work on that door, the finish looks awesome.
Someday I want to figure out how to get a good crackle finish that won't fall apart outdoors.
QuoteSomeday I want to figure out how to get a good crackle finish that won't fall apart outdoors.
Why not just paint it with cheap paint and wait???? ???
Seriously, Lovely finish! Can I assume you used the art store "crackle" paint or?..........
-marty
Good to see you back at the work bench. Now just make sure Mr. Mudgeon will sober up so we can see some action here ;D ;D.
That´s a great looking door and very nice work with the knob and the plate.....excellent!
Why do you want to copy Marcel Ackle? He has a very distinct colorful style that is immediateley recognized as his. It fits in to his potato cellars etc. but probably not to your café so just keep up the good work and you will have a very personal café........just my honest opinion.
Anders
Quote from: lab-dad on July 18, 2012, 06:10:42 AM
Seriously, Lovely finish! Can I assume you used the art store "crackle" paint or?..........
-marty
Yes ... the Ranger / Tim Holtz "Distress Crackle" that we've discussed here a number of times ...
Only thing I did slightly different was to do two layers of crackle ...
-- First layer: browns & grays ... smears of brown crackle paint ... and smears of black & white mixed together ... then knife and flake that a bit ... idea there is just to have a little more "old color" show thru where the top coat cracks.
-- Second layer: white ... with some diluted acrylic inks for coloring ...
Quote from: Junior on July 18, 2012, 08:07:48 AM
Why do you want to copy Marcel Ackle? He has a very distinct colorful style that is immediateley recognized as his. It fits in to his potato cellars etc. but probably not to your café so just keep up the good work and you will have a very personal café........just my honest opinion. Anders
Thanks for the input! I don't really want to "copy" Marcel ... but there are elements there that appeal to me in a way that seems to fit in with my own "style" (if I can call it that) ... so putting some subtle colors in the white door creates a result that I find appealing, and that's my take on how to adapt things that I like from his style ... if that makes sense!
There are also stylistic elements that I'd like to copy/adapt from YOU & Chuck, etc ... but that's going to be a little tougher! ;D
Thanks all! Gotta do three more windows for the upper story & finish the cornice ... then on to the rest of the crazy project.
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas, just catching up!
Great door, love the finish and that door knob and the key plate are great ...... tried this slotting of screw heads in 1/35 before , mine ended looking like they had been attacked by overly large screwdriver, yours look perfect to me .
To get stuff that good I would need to move up to 1/16 scale ....... now thats an idea ::)
And now ... a silly little side trip! ;D
Got to thinking about that open window ... you see, we're not planning to put a detailed interior on the upper level. So there was some concern about the viewer's attention wandering too far. Sure, we can add curtains ... and we will, but maybe we could add something on the window sill to stop the viewer's attention there. Hmm. Ripening tomatoes? No, too tricky. What we need here is something "easy as pie."
Put a blob of "pie filling" in the pan... roll out the top crust with a really gigantic rolling pin and cut it into strips ...
Go watch a video about making lattice pie crust in 1:1 scale. Briefly consider why we're making a silly little inedible pie instead of a nice tasty real one. ::) ??? :P
Finish the crust around the edges ... and don't forget "the money shot" 8)
In our next installment, we'll bake our lovely little pie ... this might take a while ... we're still waiting for the light bulb to warm up! ;D
Cheers,
Chef Dallas
Hey kids, it's pie time!
Easy come, easy go ... ;D
BTW, if the text looks fuzzy ... CLICK the photo names to enlarge! ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
LOL! Tell Mr. Mudgeon to save a slice for me!
Bricks?
Curious what y'all might think, so ...
ALL thoughts, comments & criticism welcome (and invited!)
Thanks in advance!
Dallas
FYI: Scale is 1/35 ... photos appear 3x to 4x actual size on a 19" monitor.
Thanks again!
Dallas
Alternate coloring ... still working on it! ??? 8) :P
Dallas,
there is a visual disconnect. I think that the texture of the brick is too coarse for the clean lines of the brick layout. It's not here or there. The brick pattern and the thin mortar lines suggest a fancy brick wall, but the finish is too rough for that.
However, if this is supposed to be a rough back or side wall, then your brick layout is too clean.
I think you should consider "hand laying" separate paper bricks. ( I think Marc Reusser had a little test somewhere here a while ago.)
Hi Christian --
THANK YOU for the critical feedback -- much appreciated! Agree with the points you mention ... but had to give "the easy way" a shot before moving on to however many attempts it will take to do it the hard way or ... well, we'll see what we end up with! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
I have never had much success with brick walls so I am the last one to ask but think Christian summed it up pretty well.
don't know how you made the wall but I would be interested to see what it looked like with highly smooth bricks ..... type "Accrington Brick" into a search engine and you will find the sort of bricks I mean .... These are are often laid with a tight / narrow mortar line.
The other point which you should look into is the brick pattern (bond?)..... With alternating rows of headers, sorry not technically proficient to describe properly , but have a look at some of the threads posted by Mr Brick man himself "Shropshire Lad"
Dallas,
what about that brick that you have in the pie comic? That one looks a lot better.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1439.0;attach=10137;image)
Quote from: BKLN on July 27, 2012, 01:13:19 PM
Dallas,
what about that brick that you have in the pie comic? That one looks a lot better.
Thanks guys ... definitely help to have the critical feedback, thoughts & discussion!
Gordon -- Yeah, the "new" (un-pitted) version of the material that I used on the recent samples would do a nice job of the Accrington brick ... but I think I want to go with a rougher look. The simple bond pattern shown is used all over the place locally, and that suits me fine for this ...
Christian -- Thanks! I've repeated a panel of that cartoon above ... and, yes, that is closer to the desired look. The individual bricks that I used for that are "crappy" in some good ways (nice surface texture) but really crappy in other ways ... very uneven thicknesses and a trapezoidal shape to way too many of the surfaces. It does photograph reasonably well (though obviously has some flaws in coloring here) ... but ...
In the spirit of "George Washington's axe" ... I've redone the upper story of the building ... and now it's time to re-do the lower level. Along the way, it occurred to me that I'm building a CORNER shop and there should at least be a corner window (duh!) ::) ??? :P ... that would be enough to cut into the existing structure. But, pondering that a bit further, it occurred to me that there's no reason not to put in a corner DOOR ... which would make sense with the location and allow a peek into the interior.
So ... the "brick update" for the moment is that I've started another test based on another idea using materials on hand ... looks like it has potential so far. Will post that for review when it gets further along ... have a couple of back-up ideas using materials on hand ... but also some bookmarks for ordering better quality individual bricks if it comes to that! 8)
And, as a postscript, the "George Washington's axe" is an American idiom that might not be recognized elsewhere ... so short version: The axe is a valuable artifact. You're offered the opportunity to buy the artifact with the assurance that despite the fact that the head has been replaced a few times and the handle has been replaced a couple of times, it's still the "original" axe! :-\ (So, I've rebuilt the upper story ... I'm replacing the lower story next ... and it's still the original stupid project!) ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Christian,
Quote from: BKLN on July 26, 2012, 07:00:51 PM
... I think you should consider "hand laying" separate paper bricks. ( I think Marc Reusser had a little test somewhere here a while ago.)
... did you have this thread in mind?
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1468.0 (http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1468.0)
Cheers
Marc did an OUTSTANDING job in that thread ... have looked at that many times ... something like that is one of the possibilities ...
Thanks for posting that link here, good fodder for folks who want to do it right!) ;D
Meanwhile, very encouraged by the "experiment" currently underway ... have to get a bit further along to see if it's going to work or how bad it really turns out ... or whatever is going to actually happen! ;D
-- Dallas
Dallas , Me Old Mucker , don't waste your time pissing around with silly little bits of paper , do the job properly and make your own bricks using a mold like these , http://www.dioramadebris.co.uk/135-scale-german-standard-size-bricks-mould-1350001-3-p.asp or http://www.dioramadebris.co.uk/135-scale-brick-wall-section-mould-1350029-22-p.asp . Admittedly the wall sections are boring stretcher bond but it seems you don't mind doing boring stretcher bond , so I guess when you've had a go at the kiddies stuff you'll be confident enough to try out doing proper walls with more interesting bonds .
Nick The Brick ( and that is definitely a "B" ! )
Thanks, Nick -- Bookmarked for future purchase! Those would definitely be useful. ;) -- Dallas
OH CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They have 1:16 molds!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Thanks Nick! (Make sure you get your kickback from my order!)
-Mj
Quote from: lab-dad on July 29, 2012, 02:27:52 PM
OH CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They have 1:16 molds!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Thanks Nick! (Make sure you get your kickback from my order!)
-Mj
Glad to be of service , Marty , just mention my name and they will add 10% !
Nick
Why did the chicken cross the road? To see the bricklayer lay a brick, of course! ;D
And, now that we've done a bit of that ... it's time to ask:
Whaddaya think?
Still needs some additional work, but at this point I think it would be useful to have some "fresh eyes" take a look and get some input, so ...
ALL thoughts, ideas, comments & criticism welcome and invited!
Thanks in advance!
Dallas
For comparison, here's the current test panel next to the crappy old brick that was shown in the pie cartoon. -- Dallas
Dallas what a nice difference even the color is so much better.
Jerry
Looks like a brick wall to me!
Only needs some stains.
-Mj
APPROVED.
;D
THANK YOU for your help here!
Alrighty, we will need some further refinement & improvement in the final round, but I think the approach here is a winner! 8) Before getting started, I went up and down a nearby street that has lots of buildings done with the nominally 3x8" brick that I favor for this project and shot TONS of photos ... example below.
The basic approach is a modification of the cobblestone-making techniques by Gordon Ferguson, which are illustrated here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=549.msg26842#msg26842
And described in a how-to here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=549.msg30151#msg30151
Made an embossing tool by laminating various styrene strip to the desired size (compared to a "stock" size of K&S rectangular brass tube) ... so the interior matches the 3x8" brick face. But, this will have to be modified for the next round because ...
The deep opening in the embossing tool and the soft clay resulted in very rounded "cobblestone" or "bread loaf" shaped bricks (top portion) that had to be flattened (bottom portion) by scraping ...
Improvements for next round:
-- The DAS clay is available in a TERRA COTTA color which would provide a nice base and have an appropriate natural color for chipping ...
-- Make the embossing tool with a SHALLOW interior so we start off with flatter brick surfaces!
Marty's right! It needs more color ... actually, there WAS a lot more color here, but that got worn off while handling the piece to do the mortar. Guess I need to seal it FIRST next time! (Doh!) :-\ ::) :P
Mortar was done by pressing tiny ribbons of Magic Sculp into the grooves ... have to slap on the magnifiers and do that with a little more care in the next round, then do some coloring on the final mortar to get it "just right" (or close enough!) ;D
Printed a proto photo to roughly scale size along the way to check thickness of mortar lines ... reasonably close!
The mortar lines at the top and bottom of the sample piece are really gross ... but let's ignore that here! :-X :P Just showing that the overall "flavor" and general color should work here. ;)
Will go for some more color variation in the finished piece, but probably something fairly subtle like the bottom photo ...
Thanks again! ... for your input & assistance here. Currently running a sale on my On30 web site, so I'll be tied up with that for a bit. Meanwhile, I'll get hold of some of the terra cotta DAS and make a "flat top" embossing tool for the next round ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Looks good!
... looks promising ... 8) ... just adding another brickwall for reference (in case of interest):
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.feldbahnmodellbau.de%2Fgallery%2Fimage.php%3Fmode%3Dmedium%26amp%3Balbum_id%3D11%26amp%3Bimage_id%3D339&hash=83803fefa38481874515d13d05d8ed5ee7d36942)
Dallas, admire your patience and bravery to take my little technique to this sort of level .................. I was working in 1/24 and the randomness created by my sloppy workmanship I could get away with for street cobbles but you managed to tighten up the whole process and do it in 1/35 !!!
If you ask Nick nicely sure he will give the dimensions for all those Kings, Queens and other oddly named and shaped bricks etc ;)
Quote from: gfadvance on August 01, 2012, 10:34:40 AM
Dallas, admire your patience and bravery to take my little technique to this sort of level .................. I was working in 1/24 and the randomness created by my sloppy workmanship I could get away with for street cobbles but you managed to tighten up the whole process and do it in 1/35 !!!
If you ask Nick nicely sure he will give the dimensions for all those Kings, Queens and other oddly named and shaped bricks etc ;)
Gordon --
Thanks again for your original post! That immediately looked "do-able" to me and I rushed out and got the supplies as soon as you listed them ... and here they sat until just recently. ;D The actual stretch of wall that I've got to do is a little more than 2x the size of the sample piece, so that will be a bit of a job ...
Then I'll really look forward to doing some cobbles so I can get nice and sloppy! ;D
And, of course ... it appears that some fancy brick sidewalks are in order too ...
I'm afraid to ask Nick about Bricks ... he'll tell me all sorts of things that my feeble little mind can't process! 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
Nick may find a nit or two to pick but I think ya done good. -- Russ
-- Jig + styrene strip + paint + pre-painted stripwood (latter two appear in final photo) ;)
-- Styrene tile + strips ...
To be continued ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Got the 1/35 brick mold that Nick recommended from Diorama Debris:
http://www.dioramadebris.co.uk/135-scale-german-standard-size-bricks-mould-1350001-3-p.asp
... hope I haven't buggered things too badly from the start!
Some preliminary planning on the stoop ... and a high-tech PencilCad 2.0 rendering of the revised storefront design ... somewhat larger than actual size on a 2x2 post-it note! ;D
Work in progress with various loose ends ... any/all comments, suggestions and criticism welcome. Please pardon Mr. Mudgeon for going first on the criticism ... it's kinda his thing! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Looks alright to me , though I would have had the curve more semi-circle like . To try and lessen the width of the front of the mortar joints of the brick on edges on the curve .
Nick
I think that means he would have preferred you build it from Legos. -- ssuR
Thanks, Nick ... good idea. Larger radius and/or 3/4 bricks would make an improvement there. Think I might also tighten up (thin/reduce) the mortar lines on the herringbone bricks. Largest lines there are the same as the mortar joints in the Diorama Debris wall section. Looks good on a wall, but a little large on a stoop ... but that effect might go away with some dirt & weathering. -- Dallas
Glad to see some progress-an interesting design.
Great work on that entrance - kind of Art Deco style and great for a Sandwich Shop. I wouldn´t worry about the spacing of the bricks and as you said just some weathering would take care of it. Windows look great too!
Anders
A little planning and a start on the next bit ...
...
Looks great Dallas! Is that where the main window will be located (last pics.)? Can also see you upgraded the DioPark chair a bit.....neat idea!
Anders
Hi Anders --
Yes, there will be a bay window over the brick portion shown in last photo with a table and chairs inside ... the DioPark chairs are nice, but I added a couple strips of styrene to the back of each so my little guys wouldn't fall thru the back! :)
Cheers,
Dallas
PS -- Prototype inspiration for the storefront section ... decided that I prefer the brick colors reversed as shown at right ... also, I'll be framing the windows with woodwork and back-dating the roof, signage, etc.
On this prototype, the colored bricks are actually glazed like tiles ... decided that painted brick would better suit the humble nature of this little shop. Cast the bricks for this section in Durham's water putty, as that takes paint well ... and you can use the crackle paint and familiar chipping methods on it ... more to follow (as things progress).
Cheers,
Dallas
A little more progress on the brick bay ... mitered corners ... prep for peeling paint. -- Dallas
Great to see those prototype pictures and your brick work looks very accurate! It´s fun to work with those little bricks however I had an easier ride with mine as the brick walls on the Bike Shop were in bad condition and also over painted.
Now we are all waiting for those FREAK sandwiches to be displayed in that big window ;D ;D! You already have the Tamiya tomato that Chuck referred to as a stale muffin ;D ;D!
Anders
Dallas -
I've eaten there - decent cheese steak. My old shop was off Union Avenue, down the hill from Falls Road.
Mark
Mark --
Don't know if that one's still there ... Bella Roma at Falls Rd and 36th makes a better cheesesteak and a real good pizza ... but their building is boring! 8)
This one had a sign out today offering soft shell crab sammiches -- mmm! Had already eaten ... might have to drive by tomorrow and see if they still have them.
For those who don't know, it's kind of a local thing (Baltimore, New Orleans, couple other places) ... as blue crabs grow, they shed their shells and grow new ones. Right after they shed the old shell, the new shell is just a thin, slightly leathery coat that fries up real nice! Not for the squeamish I suppose, but dang good. ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Beautiful! I like the new direction you're taking with this structure.
Chipped bricks on toast!
-- Experimented with using the Ranger / Tim Holtz Distress Crackle paint on plaster bricks and that didn't work so well ... the plaster sucks up the paint too quickly ...
-- So, I made the bricks for the front bay with Durham's Water Putty ... which does NOT take stains very well. That's a drag for making exposed brick, but works well for doing painted brick ...
-- Mixed several shades of the Ranger Crackle to make the base coat: Fired Brick + Broken China (scary bright light blue, which shifted the color over toward purple a little) + Black Soot (which brought it back around to a maroon color.
-- That coat was put on heavy enough to crackle and peel a bit, which put on some base texture and exposed some of the color cast into the Durham's bricks ...
Chipped Bricks on Toast ... continued from bottom of previous page
The "Picket Fence" (white) crackle was toned down a bit with some of the Black Soot crackle ... then washed with Reaper Bone Shadow (warm, putty/gray) and Shadowed Stone (darker gray) and diluted Vallejo black ink ... the wet coats facilitated some chipping ...
Black bricks were washed with the same Reaper colors ...
After the paint was chipped, I let it dry thoroughly for a couple of days ... then used various diluted reds and inks to add more variation in color to the exposed brick in the chipped areas ... then a couple fairly heavy coats of Krylon clear flat, hoping that would "glue" the crackle paint in place and prevent further unwanted chipping (and that did work!) ;)
Mortar was laid in with thin bands of Sculptamold (like Milliput) shaped with a plastic toothpick ... still needs coloring on the mortar ...
Next up: Color & discolor the mortar a bit then have a look to see what's needed for final coloring / weathering. This photo is about 4x actual size on a 19" monitor.
Cheers,
Dallas
Very nice!
That could have turned out a lot worse. -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on September 04, 2012, 12:46:14 AM
That could have turned out a lot worse. -- Russ
That could have turned out a lot better too... ;D! Just kidding looks great to me. Will the Sandwich Shop be located next to Mudgeon´s Garage?
Anders
Anders -- The garage may end up being a short walk from the sammich shop ... ;)
Now, who's going to be the first to try laying wonky bricks like these?
It's actually an effect known as "the cafe wall illusion" -- all of the bricks are square/rectangular and the mortar lines are parallel ... if you don't believe it, hold a straight edge against the screeen! ;D
I definitely will NOT be doing the side wall like this! ;D -- Dallas
That is one freaky optical illusion.
Quote from: Malachi Constant on September 04, 2012, 10:37:20 PM
...Now, who's going to be the first to try laying wonky bricks like these?
... now that's really weird ... ::)
Quote from: Malachi Constant on September 04, 2012, 10:39:08 PM
I definitely will NOT be doing the side wall like this! ;D -- Dallas
... oh come on, don't be such a spoil sport ... ;D
BTW: your "sammich shop" (wall) already looks the part!
No big earth-shaking news here ... (not that you'd expect that anyway!) ::) ... but it's always nice to make a little progress ...
Some construction work underway ... the outside of the long black wall will get covered in bricks. I've made a couple thousand of those, which should be enough ??? ... or at least a decent start. :P
Starting to mess around with interior bits and making sure everything will fit in the cramped little shop ... the missing long wall will be attached to the top floor panel to form a pull-out "drawer" interior ... more on that later. ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Good to see some progress. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do the pull-out interior for this structure.
It's starting to shape up. -- Russ
Thanks guys! Now, hold on to your hats ... time for a massive update! (Well, massive for me anyway) ;D
I've been on manic overload at work ... which is actually a nice change ... and entails many, many hours making resin castings at a couple of other workbenches. During that time, my mind sorta wanders a bit ... and recently it worked out all this crap for me! :D So, this stuff all came together remarkably fast when I got to the modeling bench ...
First, a couple of construction pix ...
A copy of the linoleum pattern that I used, in case anyone might find that useful ...
I stitched the pattern together (copy-n-paste) and made a sheet larger than needed ... printed on regular paper ... allowed ink to dry ... several coats of Krylon clear flat ...
Installed on floor before side wall was placed to avoid impossibly awkward situation! ;D :P
("Massive update" continued from previous page)
The long stretch of paneling adjacent to the angled front door "stays" inside the building when the interior is removed. The thin white strip underneath it is a temporary shim to insure that the floor will slide underneath the wall ...
And, if that doesn't make any sense ... look at the second photo! 8)
This wall attaches to the removable portion ... the white section nearest the building is the bottom ... which overlaps the risers on the subfloor. The square opening in the wall aligns with the channel that divides the "backroom" sections from the front ... and "might" provide a handy conduit for some wiring later. ;)
Building and interior separated ...
BTW, I borrowed the idea for the drawer-style (slide-out) removable interior from Bob Santos here:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=30102&whichpage=25
The removable interior should:
a) Make it easier to work inside!
b) Allow the photographer to follow characters inside "just in case" any silly little cartoon stories might take place in there ... and shoot from angles that would be impossible just looking thru the front door or windows. ;D
And, since it's likely to take a while to do each of the various components ... here's one of those photos repeated with some "notes" about where things are headed. 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
Lord have mercy. Now I see where you're going with this thing. Adequate.
Would you mind if I use your linoleum artwork to pave the streets in my 17th century Wild Man of Borneo Old West street scene?
Russ
Very interesting!
Quote from: finescalerr on September 15, 2012, 01:41:32 PM
Lord have mercy. Now I see where you're going with this thing. Adequate.
Would you mind if I use your linoleum artwork to pave the streets in my 17th century Wild Man of Borneo Old West street scene?
Russ
That sounds lovely ... go for it! ;D
Starting to sort & prep some interior details ... yellowish pieces from Verlinden Kitchen and Food Supplies sets ... gray from Tamiya field kitchen ... tan parts from DioPark Dining set ... ketchup & mustard bottles are O scale oil bottles from Berkshire Valley ... and some laser cut bread courtesy www.VectorCut.com
Don't worry about the bricks ... that's not a "crunchy surprise" :-X ... those are standing in for some condiment trays ... and there will be a nifty (hopefully!) glass sneeze guard around that prep area on the front counter.
Removable interior makes it easy to get inside ... and the rest, well I'm working on it!
Meanwhile, the natives grow restless ...
(If you have trouble reading the text, click the link to enlarge photo) :)
Cheers,
Dallas
Wonderful and funny, Dallas!
What website am I on? -- ssuR
Quote from: finescalerr on September 21, 2012, 12:29:58 AM
What website am I on? -- ssuR
Yours . Nothing more need be said !
Quote from: shropshire lad on September 21, 2012, 12:37:25 AM
Quote from: finescalerr on September 21, 2012, 12:29:58 AM
What website am I on? -- ssuR
Yours . Nothing more need be said !
Oops! I forgot which website I was on when I posted that ... is THIS any better? 8)
No, this can't be my website; the bikini hides too much! -- ssuR
That's hilarious!
-- Mock-up for some "wall objects" ... ended up making the clock a bit smaller ...
-- Found some images ... test printed at desired size and made adjustments so they'd print okay in miniature: "re-painted" some of the pixels in the Coke logo so the lettering wouldn't close up ... made some adjustments to the black & white photo, etc. Printed the images on white decal film with extras "just in case."
-- Made picture frames from styrene. The open frame is the clock (back side) ... the lower inset seats the "glass" ... the upper inset seats the back of the clock with clock face ... tried to get some depth to the clock ... but stopped short of making teeny-tiny separate little hands! 8)
-- Painted frames, added decals & thin transparency film ...
-- Voila! Wall objects ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas I think we need to send you for psycho analysis. ;D ;D
I think you just plain nuts. But you do awesome work for a crazy guy.
Those framed doodads certainly turned out well. But what happened to the bikini girl(s)? I mean, really, it's supposed to be a MODEL, right? -- Russ
Those turned out well. The framed dollar bill is a nice touch.
Really great work in this thread!
All that framed stuff looks very good and so does all the interior furniture etc. although not finished yet. And of course that giant sandwich :o! I think that framed dollar bill might be in danger.......whatch Mudgeon! The whole café business would be a great comic book.
Anders
Why not use a small ladies watch for the clock?
Then it could actually keep time!
Oh wait it wouldn't keep time in 1/35th...darn.
Seriously though this project is sure fun to watch!
-Marty
Thanks guys! Marty -- Got a bit of a chuckle from your post ... I'm one of "those" people who seldom wears a watch (and avoids shoes whenever possible), so the thought of making a working clock never even occurred to me. Maybe I should have taken those watch gears that someone mentioned off my "watch list" and actually bought them! ;D
Meanwhile, time for a ... Coffee Break!
Been playing around with the arrangement of "shelf" objects. The glasses shown below are nice little 1:24 pieces made by Linden Swiss ... some are sitting crooked because they have little nubs on the bottom that need to be nipped off ... and they need a coat of gloss varnish to get rid of the frosty look ...
The mugs are super crappy white metal castings also for the 1:24 dollhouse market ... the proportion are a bit off, which is almost tolerable, but the castings are just way too crappy ... (so we'll get to fixing that here) ;)
PS #1 -- Don't worry about those big ugly dishes ... I have some better ones lined up ... just playing with the arrangement here using the crappy saucers that came with the crappy mugs ...
PS #2 -- The Linden Swiss glasses are also available in 1:48 scale for those interested. I got them from the "Virtual Dollhouse" ... a shop just up the road here. The owner is a very nice lady who is quite pleasant to deal with.
Link to 1:24 Linden Swiss glassware:
http://www.virtualdollhouse.net/VDSTORE/Half-Scale-Finished.htm#Half%20Scale%20%281:24%29%20Linden%20Swiss
Link to 1:48 Linden Swiss glassware:
http://www.virtualdollhouse.net/VDSTORE/Half-Scale-Finished.htm#Half%20Scale%20%281:24%29%20Linden%20Swiss
PS #3: Don't worry about that scary "VDSTORE" bit in the links ... ::) :-\ :-X ... it's just an unfortunate abbreviation for Virtual Dollhouse in this case. 8)
There seems to be a shortage of 1:35 scale coffee mugs ... only ones I've found are in the DioPark dining set ... they're nice (shown in another photo further on) ... but a bit dainty ... and not offered separately ...
So, the simple solution was just to make some ... 1/8" styrene tube drilled out to accept some 3/32 styrene rod to make the little bottom lip ... rounded off the bottom of the outer tube ... cut a slice of 3/32 rod and put that in the bottom ... added handles from .015" wire. (The entire piece of 1/8" tube used was drilled out to 3/32" to make the cup wall suitably thin at top.)
If anyone checks the measurements, that makes a nice "substantial" mug ... like what you can get nowadays if you're a coffee fiend such as myself ... a bit bigger than ye olde traditional coffee cup ... but we'll get back to the size thing in a minute ...
Comparison: Super ultra-crappy white metal mug ... scratchbuilt mugs (hey, they're stackable! That'll work nicely with the shelf arrangement) ;) ... and the dainty little DioPark coffee/tea cups ... which are nice, but you only get two in the dining set ... and that's just not enough! :-\
And back to the size thing ... according to the scale rule, the new mugs are pretty chunky ... but our scale 1:35 figures tend to have chunky hands ... so I *think* these proportions look better than using the dimensions of the smaller, more traditional mugs. Well, that's my story ... I'm sticking to it ... and coffee should always come in BIG cups (or glasses if on ice) ... IMSOO (in my strung-out opinion). ;D
Russ -- There's a beautiful nude girl lovingly painted on the inside each little cup ... drink up to see more! ;D
Another PS -- Sorry to go on so much about stupid little coffee cups ... but there are a bunch of us here doing 1:35 stuff ... a coffee mug is a VERY ordinary item that's hard to find ... and I hope this will be a simple, useful little bit for someone! ::)
Cheers,
Dallas
Wow, nice mugs! How many more do you have to make, and how much sanity will you have left when you're finished making them? ;)
Serious question: How'd you get the handles shaped and positioned exactly the same?
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on September 27, 2012, 11:40:18 PM
Wow, nice mugs! How many more do you have to make, and how much sanity will you have left when you're finished making them? ;)
A bunch more ... no problem ... insufficient sanity to cause worry ... they're actually pretty quick and easy, so I'll just make a few whenever I have a short little bit of modeling time and need something to do. A heckuva lot more fun than cleaning up crappy castings!
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on September 27, 2012, 11:40:18 PMSerious question: How'd you get the handles shaped and positioned exactly the same?
a) They're not exactly the same ... but reasonably close!
b) Marked a particular groove on some grooved tweezers and used that as my bending jig ... so they'll come out reasonably similar ... the wire is .015" phosphor bronze from Tichy, which bends pretty easily. Clip the ends with some Xuron nippers. Mark hole locations on mug using a scale rule and try to get the drill pretty close to target! ;D
c) Also, the little grooved tweezers with the mark were used to start each bend, then grab the wire with some more substantial tweezers and give a little nudge with finger tip to get the bends about right.
Cheers,
Dallas
"Super crappy mugs"......think I´ll agree but yours turned out great! How about No.115 "Cake Stand with Ribbed Cover" (from the Virtual Doll House shop) to be placed on the counter?
Anders
Very good work. I would never attempt to emulate such detail because, as a publisher, I have gained wisdom about such things. All this fuss about 1:35 coffee mugs: We are a bunch of very sick people. I am the sickest of all because I am impressed.
On that other subject: I don't believe for a moment there are beautiful girls in bikinis inside the coffee cups. Even if there were, such girls would be of no value to any of us although Mr. Mudgeon might get some odd jollies. Nick might, too, but that's another matter altogether.
Well, enough from me. I mean, really, haven't I inserted foot (A) into mouth (B) and set aside to dry?
Russ
Dallas,
I really love to watch the progress on your "sammich shop" ...
Quote from: Malachi Constant on September 27, 2012, 10:44:10 PM
... So, the simple solution was just to make some ... 1/8" styrene tube drilled out to accept some 3/32 styrene rod to make the little bottom lip ... rounded off the bottom of the outer tube ... cut a slice of 3/32 rod and put that in the bottom ... added handles from .015" wire. (The entire piece of 1/8" tube used was drilled out to 3/32" to make the cup wall suitably thin at top.)
... but these coffee mugs are terrific ... :o ... really look the part ... 8)
Cheers
Thanks guys! A little bigger bit of silliness this time ...
-- I'll be using a bunch of stuff from the Verlinden #888 Kitchen set ... but that wash basin seems a little too "rustic" for this project!
-- The other cabinet should provide a suitable sink base ... cut the top off of that and a bit extra to allow a recess for the sink in the counter top ...
-- Increased the width (or depth?) to match the other cabinet ... added a couple little drawers and that stupid little dummy plate you find under most sinks ...
-- No granite here! Only the finest Grade A Styrene will do here. 8)
-- Laminated those pieces ... added a backsplash and some other styrene bits ... then flooded the top very liberally with styrene cement, which (a) melts all the styrene joints together and (b) forms a fillet that should hopefully (c) make it look like a one-piece enamel-coated cast-iron top. (If you do the flooding-with-cement thing, wait a good long while before touching or handling ... then wait a little longer ... to avoid finger prints and other nasty distortions.) ;)
-- Picked up the Verlinden #946 Bathroom set ages and ages and ages ago to provide a sink and toilet for the garage ... eventually! ::) Meanwhile, robbed the spare bathtub faucets for this project ...
-- Some little detail parts from the bathroom set ... the doodad in the middle is an old-timey shaving brush. Combined that and the bottle on the left to make a soap dispenser ...
Added some putty to round out those pesky corners in the sink ... wouldn't hurt to round out the bottom edges a bit more, but I have a sneaking suspicion the sink will become filled with dirty dishes and that won't matter!
And, of course, the reason for this particular nonsense: on a project like this, seems like it would be just plain silly to do everything but the kitchen sink! ;D (Where's the groaning smiley?) 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
Sink top and accessories look great Dallas.
That is all really neat Dallas, must have a go at this 1/35 stuff again
Inspirational :) :)
Looks great, especially the sink top!
The 'sink cabinet' is really outstanding, Dallas. I'm just wondering what details you're still gonna add there...
Thanks guys! Sink has received a base coat of paint and will get some more coloring, etc. Meanwhile ...
Today's Episode: A stupidly simple way to amuse one's self for a little while! ;D
I got some of this Makin's Clay to try out. It's supposed to be an air-dry (no-bake) alternative to polymer clays:
Got it here ("while supplies last"):
http://www.dickblick.com/products/makins-clay/#description
Here's the company's web site and it appears that Hobby Lobby carries the stuff:
http://www.clayfactory.net/makins/makinsclay.htm
Decided to start with something simple using the lightest tan in the "earth tones" set. Found that the tiny amount that I wanted to use was drying out too quickly. Instructions say you can mix acrylic paints into the clay for coloring, so tried adding a drop of the American drying-time extender (acrylic medium) and that seemed to work. Kept bigger portion and smaller working portion in little zip bags to seal.
Rolled a bit into a little snake, nipped off bits with a knife and mushed/rolled with the sculpting tool shown.
Searched for some images of vintage potato chip tins and will make one of those when I get a chance ... meanwhile, somebody's happy for a change! Kettle cooked, too. ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Scale potato chips! Too cool!
Trying to suggest something smaller for you to make, but not much is coming to mind.
Maybe a mouse. lol.
Just wondering if you tasted them. They certainly look real .... -- Russ
Dallas, you are completely nuts ::)
Actually that is it ....... If you have crisps(sorry, chips) you must have some salted peanuts
Thanks all! The chips turned out to be unbelievably simple ... think they'll really "pop" with some slight touches of color once loaded into a tin, etc. The clay looks promising for other little items. BTW, rec'd a PM asking if they're really as translucent as they seem in photos ... yes ... with the drying-time extender added, it was possible to mash the clay super thin. (There's one chip overlapping the joint between gray resin counter and white styrene added to that -- you can see the underlying colors thru that chip.)
Well, Gordon ... at the pub, one would hope to find a variety of salty snacks ... but we don't usually serve peanuts with sandwiches here! (Peanut butter & jelly notwithstanding) ;)
Meanwhile, here's a nice tin of crisps for you ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas, interested in this straightened version of the label?
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railroad-line.com%2Fforum%2Fdata%2FFrederic%2520Testard%2F201210485443_gordonWeb.jpg&hash=debcdcb6682a7bd9b0b04909e7576822f1ed7da6)
Merci Frederic!
Peux-je demander une autre faveur? (To straighten this Dan-Dee label)
-- I think the Dan-Dee chip can is more typical for the era ...
-- Don't worry about the puffs on the side, I can fake those ... have other shots with enough info to do that.
-- Mainly concerned about getting the "Potato Chips" script straightened ... have this other flat logo without glare that I can paste in ... the other text will be so small that I can simply paste in similar text without worries.
Thank you!
Dallas
I'll do it. If you give me an email address, I'll send you versions not too compressed.
Thank you! Email: dallas(at)bouldervalleymodels.com
I have a very old version of PhotoShop & can open most file types. "png" format seems to work best for printing the tiny decals ... but ANY file type is okay ...
THANK YOU for your help -- I'm rather clumsy with this particular type of work (straightening curved images)!
-- Dallas
Here we are. While you didn't ask for it, I tried to straighten the bottom text, and it's not convincing. The top part seems better.
I send you a mail but here is the image.
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/104377982/dandeeWeb.jpg)
Excellent! Thank you! No worries about the small text ... I can replace that easily ... what you've done will be a tremendous help and make it much easier to create a flat label (decal) to wrap around the tin. Much appreciated! -- Dallas
A little more progress ... got the sink painted ... forgot to dust it before shooting photos ... oh well! ::) 8)
One shot shows it out in the open where you can see it better ... other shows it back in the corner where it will go once some other bits are ready.
Cheers,
Dallas
That turned out great!
I have found Photoshop to be an indispensable dusting tool. -- Russ
Starting on the stove from the Verlinden #888 kitchen set. Looks like an old coal- or wood-burning job, so maybe a retrofit to burn gas is in order ... I just hope it don't "blowed up!" :o
There ya go ... "modernized!" 8)
It's not a tiny stove ... but it does have some really tiny little parts! :P
Suppose it'll need some paint and such ... so it goes.
Cheers,
Dallas
Those burner grills look like they must have been a paint to make.
Next time we'll se the blue color of the flame under a pan...
Thanks guys! Kinda fun to see the changes in the stove there ... look forward to putting some burgers or something (pancakes?) on that griddle.
Ray -- The burner bits weren't really complicated ... just a bit of repetitive action with two pair of tweezers! Before starting, I thought "what the heck are burner grilles supposed to look like?" ... and just as I was about to surf the web for some photos, I thought "oh yeah" ... then went to look at the gas stove in the kitchen here. ;D
Frederic -- Great idea! It occurred to me after the pieces were together that I could have planned ahead for some flickering LED's, etc ... managed to let it go as "just an idea." ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
I don't think some modelers ( not including forum members ) ...know how much work is involved in getting the Verlindin castings cleaned and ready for finishing.
They would have to be the worst castings I have ever purchased ( i have a large range ), but when completed, they are great.
Dallas... i've been lurking and watching your progress....
cheers mate "M"
Quote from: k27rgs on October 10, 2012, 04:59:42 AM
I don't think some modelers ( not including forum members ) ...know how much work is involved in getting the Verlindin castings cleaned and ready for finishing.
They would have to be the worst castings I have ever purchased ( i have a large range ), but when completed, they are great.
Well said! I make castings every day ... and on the rare occasion when I make one with surface bubbles or a thick, ugly backing ... that goes straight into the trash and the customer never sees it! :) The Verlinden stuff is hit or miss ... but there is a lot of useful stuff at a low price. The cabinet that I used for the base of the sink had a completely wonky top, which I cut off. The stove needed minor repair of bubbles, replacement of some incomplete handles (which look better with wire) and leveling of the claw feet (which are a cool detail). But ... that kitchen set has a LOT of stuff that I'm putting to use and it's a LOT quicker than scratchbuilding every little bit.
Meanwhile, I chopped the top of the wash basin base from the Verlinden set and added a new styrene top to make it a work counter. (That particular Verlinden casting was completely good!) Primer on the stove with some flat black on top so I don't have to get a paint brush underneath the delicate parts ... just pick out the details ... (but first it needs a bit more flat black from the front). 8)
Also ... both Frederic Testard and Bill Gill were kind enough to send me "straightened" versions of the Dan-Dee potato chip can that I posted earlier ... making some progress on re-working that to produce a miniature version. That's just a "test" print on the counter there ... will try to make the actual canister a little bit better! :D
Mailman brought some neato-boffo pre-painted photo-etch kitchen accessories from Eduard. Set #36185, available from Lucky Model in Japan with free shipping:
http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=36185
Bunch of close-up photos posted here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=1518.msg37264#msg37264
Cheers,
Dallas
I actually made a few RTV moulds of the Verlin castings down to the sprue. I then ended up with much cleaner product.
It might sound crazy or a lot of work. It was simple and quick.
Just a couple LITTLE things this time ... didn't find a spatula in either the Aber or Eduard photo-etch kitchen sets, so it's time to get out the nippers and some scrap brass ...
Happened to notice that these little micro-brushes could be used to clean the glasses ...
There are LOTS of useful parts in the photo-etch and resin sets on hand ... but it's fun to fill in the missing pieces. (Honestly, I think my giant fake coins are getting more realistic all the time. Pretty good tarnishing on this one, eh?) 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas, either you have shrunk or your modeling skills are terrific. Nice work, although I secretly suspect you've lost your cotton pickin' mind. -- Russ
Dallas,
I must admit you are the nuttiest one of this bunch.
I had hoped to win but you have us all beat.
Congratulations!
BTW nice utensels.
Marty
Well, if it that's true ... the only reasonable response is to up the ante before someone tries to steal the crown from King Nutty! ;D
Okay ... so the mouse trap isn't really "fine scale" ::) ... but this little scene will go beneath the high-boy fridge. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :P
Cheers,
Dallas
As one who has recently been involved with some work where my 1/35 scale plants roots , all of 2 to 3 mm long were picked up for insufficient taper I can well appreciate how this road leads to insanity.
Dallas, we may well be on the same road, you are just a few miles ahead of me ;)
But it's great work Dallas and very entertaining !
LOL!! You have indeed upped the ante, and provided some laughs as well!
Thanks guys! That was definitely fun, but it's time to work on something a little bit bigger! ;D
The boxtop photo for the Verlinden kitchen set shows some ornamental trim on the stove doors -- apparently hand-painted, which didn't seem like a job that I wanted to tackle! So, I downloaded some clip art patterns and messed around with those a bit.
Set shown below is 4x actual size used ... brown set used on the stove ... blue set is for the coffee grinder shown in the Verlinden photo, which I haven't done yet! 8) And, of course, anyone who wants to is welcome to use the decal pattern ... that's why it's here! You can open the PNG file in PC Paint (etc.) and set it to print at 25% on the "page set up" tab. ;)
Here's the stove painted and decaled ... or at least the first round! Will see how it looks in context ... when there is more context ( ;D) ... and decide if it needs anything else ... well, definitely a few doo-hickey details on top and some burgers on the griddle, but we'll get to that! 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
Looking good!
I'm picturing bright red nail polish for the "feet" on the stove. ;)
So is the "decal" actually white paper with the artwork printed on it? -- Russ
Russ --
No ... the decals for the stove and coffee grinder were printed on Testor's clear decal film. Also did some little red stripes for the coffee mugs, but not sure how those are going to work out yet.
The decals that I did for the framed photos & clock were done on white decal paper. Will also use that to make the potato chip can.
Cheers,
Dallas
Time for some more background decals ...
-- Dug out some Reality-in-Scale "Small Cans" that I'd gotten a while back and those proved to be slightly disappointing. They're only "small" if you're feeding an army! Only the smallest of the four sizes is what you could call "grocery size." Also, the printing on the decals is mediocre ... suitable for background items (which I'm doing here) but not as sharp as the Dio-Art paper labels shown below.
-- Also in the stash, some Verlinden cans (yellowish resin) from their "Bottles, Crates & Cans" set ... the two smaller sizes of these worked well alongside the smallest R-i-S cans (gray resin).
-- Dio-Art printed labels are nice and sharp! But, I also "used up" the Reality-in-Scale decals, since these cans are very much going to be background "corner-of-the-eye" details ...
-- Some small and medium "grocery size" cans next to a super-jumbo, mega-Cosco size bottle of Testor's cement! ;D The sharper labels are from the Dio-Art sets ... but these will all go on a top shelf in the very back corner. Should be just a barely-noticeable bit of detail to add some depth ... unless I screw up all of the actual focal points! ;D 8) Boxes were from one of the other Verlinden sets ... I think it was the Workshop & Warehouse Stuff set or something like that. PS -- Yeah, the cans are pretty crooked here ... it's like tiddly-winks ... until they actually get glued down, you can't straighten one without knocking over the rest!
-- Next up ... a plate shelf something like this ... without the ornamental column detail.
-- A few big pieces of styrene and a LOT of little pieces! :P
Some of those little dowels are a little ::) but I'm definitely too :o to straighten then out at this point! Just tell yourself that they'll mostly disappear when the rack is filled with dishes! ;D
Those "corner of the eye" grocery items will go on the top of the dish rack ... so they'll literally become "disappearing" background items, but hopefully add a little depth. Of course, we might not need that in the end ... looks like there will be about 40 zillion stupid little details in here before it's all done! 8)
Lighting is pretty harsh and uneven here ... that's a future project! ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas, you have lost your cotton pickin' mind. But if you finish the model I would love to publish an article. -- Russ
Dallas, how about something behind the stove to keep the nice painted wall from getting grease splatter from the cooking?
-Younger
Dallas,
That plate drying rack is a little piece of plastic magic :o
Younger, great idea ........ Dallas I reckon about 36 , 6" square tiles ..... of course all individual and hand painted please
That plate shelf is really something.
Russ -- I'd be delighted! Can't imagine when the term "finished" might be used here, but maybe we'll make enough "progress" on the interior or something to suit an issue?
Jerry / Gordon -- Oh crap, another project! Yeah, I suppose a bit of tile back there would be the thing to do!
Ray -- Thanks! Forgot to say that your suggestion of painting toe nails on the oven's claw feet cracked me up! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
It would go in the Modelers' Annual, Dallas. You have almost a full year to mess with it. -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on October 25, 2012, 12:31:57 PM
It would go in the Modelers' Annual, Dallas. You have almost a full year to mess with it. -- Russ
Ah, piece of cake! Conveniently ignoring the fact that I've been building and re-building this stupid thing for a year-and-a-half already. ;D But, it does seem like we're on a bit of a roll here now, and that's certainly a good incentive. (Damn fine incentive actually, and very pleased you've asked!) I'll contact you privately about some of the particulars ... I've been shooting progress photos with my old Nikon D40 ... but dear-old-Dad has a D5100 (or probably something even better by now) that I can borrow when the time comes to shoot high-rez pix ... we'll get into that. Meanwhile ...
Your thoughts & ideas, please!Before I get too deep into the (excellent) backsplash idea and screw it up too badly, let me ask for your help up front! ;D Now, I really, really, really don't want to have to cut into the wall ... because of the way it's constructed and the likelihood of causing disaster there. However, there should be a number of ways to approach this. Some thoughts:
-- install an asbestos panel floor-to-ceiling behind the stove (and hood?) and frame in a tile back splash ...
-- or whatever variations y'all can imagine ... and, if you can imagine them well, as much detail in your description as possible please! Example photos are okay -- don't worry about hijacking here! (Thanks in advance!)
I've already downloaded a bunch of tile mosaics ... here's one that looks reasonably suitable stuck in place with some poster tack ... and a few unfinished stove-top details loosely placed. Think the teapot will get a copper finish, the cooking pot will get a blue spatterware finish and the coffee pot will get a tarnished steel/aluminum or whatever that would be finish. The griddle area will probably get some near-finished hamburgers toward the rear and one with cheese melting near the front with that little spatula shown before ready to serve-it-up.
Once "the plan" is worked out, then some effort would be made to snazz up the image, create the impression of grout lines, surrounding tiles and/or whatever!
PS -- Please don't limit yourself to trying to make "this" idea (mosaic tile backsplash) work ... any/all thoughts, ideas, alternatives, etc. are welcome! Sometimes, I like to just "try" things, knowing they might have to get re-done ... but it's also really nice to get some things "right" the first time, and your help is very valuable there! ;)
Thanks!
Dallas
Dallas, if you really wanted it simple, a stainless hood and a sheet of stainless for the backsplash would do it. Not very creative, though.
-Younger
This whole project just,....well....continues to confirm my thoughts that you are insane in the membrane! ;D :P
hi dallas
i think you bring out the interior designers in all of us any way .
the range hood should be copper and the splash back mosaic tiles .what you are looking for is french or spanish country style kitchens.
kind regards kim
Quote from: marc_reusser on October 26, 2012, 04:13:56 PM
This whole project just,....well....continues to confirm my thoughts that you are insane in the membrane! ;D :P
So, no new info, eh? ;D
Quote from: 1-32 on October 28, 2012, 01:19:37 PM
hi dallas
i think you bring out the interior designers in all of us any way .
the range hood should be copper and the splash back mosaic tiles .what you are looking for is french or spanish country style kitchens.
kind regards kim
Thanks, Kim! Jerry and a couple others suggested stainless steel backsplash ... which is definitely "practical" and suitable for a 1940s setting, but my lurker buddy Bill Gill came up with a better suggestion: pressed tin panel(s)! That's equally practical, but a little more "telling" of the time frame and the modest setting. I really like the mosaic tile look, but I think it will prove to be a little too "fru-fru" ("froo-froo?") for this setting ... so I've done some tests and it looks like we'll go with some miniature pressed tin. And, you're spot-on about the copper hood ... will do!
Meanwhile, just another little "wall object" for the back wall by the sink. Obnoxious close-up ... with an actual-size inset and a "normal" close-up ... think we've got roughly the right feeling here, but open to comments. It's stuck to a grungy old piece of cardboard for now, so the glue could dry before I check it in place on the wall. Also, picked up some spray paint needed for the dish rack ... which may have to wait until the hurricane passes. ::) :P
Cheers,
Dallas
Well, no glamor shots at the moment ... just reporting in. Currently mired in some pesky little bits ... but I thought I'd go ahead and report that it initial attempts to add some shape to some of the "flat" PE parts in the Eduard kitchen accessories set looks promising ...
Used a "giant" hammer, some various pieces of styrene rod and some pressed paper board (Task Board) under the pieces and literally POUNDED some shape into the frying pans. Cut the points off a bunch of round toothpicks and used a bunch of those to pound some depth into each of the little muffin tin openings ... toothpick only lasts for one or two muffins! ;D Then ya gotta turn it over and straighten out the hole thing with fingers, steel rule, etc. Looks like this effort along with a little shading with some paints/inks will give enough depth/shape to these items ...
Another slow-moving bit: trimmed out a zillion little PE dishes, pounded some shape into those and printed decals ... no pix yet ...
Cheers,
Dallas
-- Not hard to imagine a little place like this having a mish-mash of plates from different sets as found in the Eduard PE set ... but that seemed a little too distracting for this background stuff ... so the plates all got repainted and decaled in a traditional, boring cafe pattern! ::) :P
-- Brushed Vallejo mat varnish onto the surfaces where the plates would sit/touch the rack ... it acts as an adhesive, but completely "disappears" (clear & flat). But, it doesn't set very quickly, so ya gotta be a little careful to get things where ya want 'em and not bump 'em too much while working.
-- Still have to add the smaller plates on the lower shelf ... but will leave some open space so y'all can decide if it's half full or half empty. ;D
-- The place is ever-so-slowly fillin' up! Stove backsplash will get replaced with pressed tin panels as soon as we find a scale hardware store that carries them. ;)
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas,
I've seen oversized coins for comparison many times before ... but oversized fingers/thumbs seems new to me ... ;)
BTW: ... very nice work ... keep filling up the place ... ;D
Dallas,
Excellent task, ... now I wish for dishes in the scale 1:22,5 :)
@Gerald
It´s a photoshop gimmick ;)
Quote from: fspg2 on November 11, 2012, 02:11:05 AM
Dallas,
Excellent task, ... now I wish for dishes in the scale 1:22,5 :)
@Gerald
It´s a photoshop gimmick ;)
Well, I don't think YOU will have any difficulty making dishes ... but if you want to be "lazy" ... there are some made for the 1:24 dollhouse market ... and real plates do vary in size. For example, these are glass:
http://www.virtualdollhouse.net/VDSTORE/Half-Scale-Finished.htm#Half%20Scale%20%281:24%29%20Linden%20Swiss
Maybe I should try to disguise the fake fingers better?
I find the absence of scale food on the supposedly dirty dishes an unforgivable oversight. -- ssuR
Quote from: fspg2 on November 11, 2012, 02:11:05 AM
@Gerald
It´s a photoshop gimmick ;)
... ;D ;D ;D ...
@Frithjof
... long time no see ... ;)
Quote from: Malachi Constant on November 11, 2012, 11:49:53 AM
Maybe I should try to disguise the fake fingers better?
... definitely absolutely ... but on the other hand ... ::) ... do you really think it would work, disguising giant fake fingers with bulgy green eyes ... ???
And your telling me Marty Jones is crazy??????
Jerry
Quote from: finescalerr on November 11, 2012, 11:56:06 AM
I find the absence of scale food on the supposedly dirty dishes an unforgivable oversight. -- ssuR
Ah, yes ... well, tonight I baked made-from-scratch chocolate chip cookies with my two lovely little nieces ... and I can tell you everything there is to know about dirty dishes, pans, bowls & floors ... and smiling facing smeared with gooey chocolate chip cookies and ice cream! Suitable miniature mess will follow ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Quote from: Malachi Constant on November 11, 2012, 08:02:30 PM
Quote from: finescalerr on November 11, 2012, 11:56:06 AM
I find the absence of scale food on the supposedly dirty dishes an unforgivable oversight. -- ssuR
Ah, yes ... well, tonight I baked made-from-scratch chocolate chip cookies with my two lovely little nieces ... and smiling facing smeared with gooey chocolate chip cookies and ice cream!
Cheers,
Dallas
And your nieces got a bit on themselves , as well !
As usual great work Dallas, looking forward to much more from your magic hands!
Anders
Well, somebody was waaaaayyyy overdue for a personal modeling break ... so, tonight I made a nice, safe asbestos mat to put under that big clunky stove ... and a tin backsplash to keep the crap ... er, grease & stuff ... off the wall. You can see all the irregularities in the homemade tin when you look this close (first photo) ...
But, I think that once all the "foreground" stuff shapes up, it will become "just" a background texture as intended. Think I'm gonna cut the height down by about a row ... and, in case it isn't incredibly obvious ... everything's kinda jury-rigged and crooked and stuff at this point! ;D
Dallas good to see you back at this project.
Looks great especially that grime & grease stopper!!!
Jerry
Yeah, I found crazier than Chuck and Mark!
Dallas fantastic job!
Franck
Don't stop now! -- Russ
Quote from: finescalerr on March 24, 2013, 12:15:05 PM
Don't stop now! -- Russ
Okay! We'll see if I can get it rigged up for mounting with some trim tonight ... meanwhile, here's a quickie photo that adds a foreground "object" and pushes the backsplash back a bit ... though, of course, we're still gonna look right at that since it's the "subject" for the moment. :P
Cheers,
Dallas
Geez I had to clear a lot of dust and cobwebs from this topic! Definitely good to see you back at it.
When we last left off ... long, long ago ... the backsplash had a black wash over the "duller" side of aluminum foil ... which looked okay ... but was a nightmare for photography ... if the lighting & camera angle wasn't just right, it would go totally dark or glare terribly ...
So, I finally got around to re-painting that ... variety of Reaper metallics, grays and Vallejo Grease & Oil for a transparent black to give (hopefully) just enough shadow to define the embossing.
And then, with the wider backsplash, the hood from the Verlinden kitchen set seemed like an odd mis-match ...
A perusal of ye olde folder full of reference photos provided a neat design from a 1919 photo, which also features an old stove that appears to have been retro-fitted to burn gas ...
The shape of the new hood was made as shown here:
http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=2184.msg42785#msg42785
Dave at www.VectorCut.com makes some HO scale window fans that happen to be just the right size for venting a 1/35 stove ... so once those arrive, we'll set about the final detailing and "actual" mounting of the thing ... meanwhile, a wonky crooked goofy looking preview of things to come thru the miracle of poster tack! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Nice! I really like all the gas piping on the front of the stove.
Generally satisfactory. -- Russ
This thread is like the living dead!.....an I thought I dragge projects out! ;D ;D ;D
Nice to see you working on this...once again. I too really like the addition of the gas piping around the front of the stove. Very real-world datail, and something I have not seen modeled before.
M
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1439.0;attach=10359;image)
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on July 16, 2013, 04:15:27 PM
Nice! I really like all the gas piping on the front of the stove.
Thanks, guys! I really liked the old coal- or wood-fired stove from the Verlinden kitchen set, but it seemed like it needed to be "modernized" a bit! ;D So, I added the piping -- inspired by a variety of photos like the ones below -- and re-did the top with gas burners and a griddle for making chee-buggers! 8)
Quote from: marc_reusser on July 17, 2013, 03:22:31 PM
This thread is like the living dead!.....and I thought I dragged projects out! ;D ;D ;D
Yeah, it started out with the intention of doing a little "quick & dirty" backdrop project, but that just didn't float my boat ... so I started getting into it ... and then started getting into every stupid little detail like piping the stupid little stove and all that ... and it's a kick ... and a dang slow boat!
And there's still coffee grinders and cutting boards and sandwich fixins and all kinda nutty little details left to do ...and a fridge to be scratchbuilt and ... egads ...
Suppose it'll just keep going until I get too old, too blind ... or ... heaven forfend ... finish!
Who knows? It
could happen ... ::) :P 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
When you really need to vent ... you need Ventilux! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Neat :D
Cool.
great and deep pull everything without vacuum
Very nice! Is that raised lettering? Hard to tell from the pic.
Quote from: Ray Dunakin on July 22, 2013, 10:35:44 PM
Very nice! Is that raised lettering? Hard to tell from the pic.
Thanks guys! Painting underway ...
Ray -- Yes ... just barely raised ... from photo-etched letter sets by Royal Model ... should show up as raised once painted ...
Cheers,
Dallas
Now, for a little more nuttiness! :P
Kept thinking that space between the clock and the shelf could use some sort of tall, skinny little detail ... but what should it be? ::)
Hang on ... got an idea! 8)
Better make sure that sucker will kill those pesky scale flies! ;D
Yup, that'll do ...
For now, we'll just stick it to the wall with some poster tack (and/or fly guts!) in some easy-to-reach place ... and we'll worry about hammering a scale nail into that back wall later .... ;D
LMAO!
Your a nut!
I love it!
Mj
Didn't you hang it in the wrong place? -- Russ
I wouldn't want to eat in a place were that thing was hanging next to the Stove ???
Quote from: finescalerr on July 25, 2013, 12:29:13 AM
Didn't you hang it in the wrong place? -- Russ
Yeah, I just stuck it to the wall with some poster tack for a quickie photo ... it goes on the back wall by the sink as indicated in a previous photo ... becomes a distant background object.
Now, all I have to do is figure out how to wire it up to do static grass for Mudgeon's 1/700 scale dioramas! ;D
-- Dallas
Those aren't raisins in Mudgeon's Famous raisin cookies! (that's what makes them so flavorful)
Great detail!
Shoulda put in a Kit Kat Klock.
Quote from: Bexley on August 01, 2013, 12:09:18 PM
Shoulda put in a Kit Kat Klock.
That was the first thing that came to my mind too. But then I saw the Coca-Cola clock already in place.
Well, Marc reminded me elsewhere that I have some diorama projects that might be due for an update ... now I don't have any "big" updates like Anders ::) ... but I've made up a checklist of "little detailing tasks" yet to be done in the sammich shop, and I've been making little bits of progress on those as time allows ...
An earlier photo, showing things kinda stuck in place with poster tack ... and the dish rack having lots of empty places yet to be filled with little decaled, photo-etched plates ...
So, I installed a bunch more plates in the dish rack (which will show in a subsequent photo here) ... and got that installed and leveled. BTW, Vallejo mat varnish was used to "glue" the plates in place ... very handy, as it dries both clear AND flat ... and there are only tiny little edges where the glue can be applied with a little brush ...
Took down the paper "place holder" clock and installed & leveled the "real" clock and the little towel rack made earlier ... painted some frying pans and a muffin pan and hung those under the dish rack ... replaced the earlier stove back splash and hood (neither of which is permanently mounted yet) ...
Test fit the tiny little flyswatter on the back wall and found that it looked rather big & clunky there ... ::)
The flyswatter didn't "work" there, so did some doodling on the computer ... tried to think of parts on hand to keep things simple for a change. ;D
(Sept 20 update -- continued from previous page)
Didn't have enough "little hanging utensils" to do the rack shown in the doodle ... but found a nice assortment of knives in the photo-etched Eduard set that was on-hand ... so spent a little time trimming those out. Worked on the arrangement of those INSIDE a little plastic container lid so they wouldn't get lost ... still need to get those mounted and do the paint touch-up on those ...
Next photo shows the dish rack "full" of dishes ... minus the empty slots ;) ... clock, business license and first- dollar "wall objects" that were made ages ago mounted in place ... place-holder for the knife rack ... and some preliminary test lighting back in the dark corner. (The white strip to the right of the towel rack is a place-holder for the magnetic knife rack -- which will probably be the next thing to get finished and installed.)
Next up: finish the details that go on top of the sink and stove ... will keep going down that checklist a little at a time ... meanwhile, it is nice to see some of those various things that have been sitting in little bead containers get stuck in place! ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Looking good Dallas! Nice to see progress.
Nice progress. I like the choice of the new bits over the fly swatter.
Admire your patience and skill with making all these little bits and pieces......I would have tossed in the towel way back. :)
Quote from: marc_reusser on September 20, 2013, 01:55:59 PM
......I would have tossed in the towel way back. :)
Dang! Really should have tossed in the towel
before it got glued to the wall! Guess it's too late now. ;D :P
Chuck -- Thanks for the encouragement!
Marc -- Thanks for the feedback on the new arrangement ... got the teeny little knives glued down today ..
Cheers,
Dallas
Very nice, the new details look great!
I kind of liked the little stick-on printed clock but everything else certainly is acceptable. We all know it's the little details that take so much time to do well. Satisfactory. -- Russ
Alway great to see an update on this build with all the fantastic little details! Keep them coming more often!
Anders
Good to see you working on this again. Great details. Just love the swatter!!!
Jerry
Thanks Ray, Russ, Anders & Jerry! There are still tons of details left to do ... fortunately, some of them are already "underway" ...
Lots of the details are rather tiny, and I did make a good move in that regard a while back ... picked up a case at Michaels that holds 24 little screw-top bead containers. So, the tiny pieces can be sorted and stored ... and the containers are all clear, so you can actually see what's there. When arranging the little knives, I actually laid them out in the lid of one of those containers to prevent from scattering.
Hope to paint the knife rack tonight and work on some of the sink and stove-top details ... thanks for checking in!
Cheers,
Dallas
Dallas - One little "nit-pick"...
I would expect the knives to be stored closer to where they would be used, not in the corner behind the stove.
Otherwise, very impressive work, and soooo small.
Carlo
Quote from: Carlo on September 21, 2013, 09:54:37 AM
Dallas - One little "nit-pick"...
I would expect the knives to be stored closer to where they would be used, not in the corner behind the stove.
Otherwise, very impressive work, and soooo small.
Carlo
Hi Carlo --
Perfectly good point and appreciate your input! Actually, kinda flowing into "back stock" and "front stock" here ... there's a dish rack over the sink ... but other dishes will be up front where they're handy ... likewise with various utensils and stuff. So, dirty dishes and such go to the back ... some get cleaned and stored there ... and some moved up front ... I think it'll all make (some) sense when it comes together! (And, there will definitely be some nonsense, but I have to finish a few more figures for that!) ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Way back in 2011, when this "sammich shop" insanity was just beginning ... Dave K. at www.VectorCut.com was kind enough to make some laser-cut sammich bread for me ... thanks, again, Dave! ;D
Tonight's insanity ...
Yup! It's a half-eaten 1/35 scale sammich on delicious, nutritious laser bread. ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Awesome sandwich, and the pickle looks great too! It's all making me hungry!
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11293;image)
Tried cutting the "crust" off some laser bread ... and it looked like french fries! Bad news for the customers who wanted the crust cut off their bread ... good news for the folks coming in for hamburgers! ;D
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11295;image)
If you notice the big honkin' hair stickin' off that sammich, you won't have any trouble figuring out why it's only half-eaten ... oh joys of miniature photography! 8)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11296;image)
Significant progress in the back corner ... have to paint a little soap dispenser (already made!) to go to the right of the sink, then that's just about it. The white styrene strip was a place holder for the magnetic knife rack (also made, but not finished) ... I'm gonna take Carlo's suggestion and move that up front ... (thanks, Carlo!) ;)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11297;image)
All this stuff is in the "way, way back" of the place ... behind the stove ... which is behind a little prep counter ... which is behind the main counter and ice cream freezer, so I'm thinkin' that's just about good enough for that stuff. Next up: light the vent hood and detail the stove top! "Hambugga, hambugga, cheeps, cheeps ... no Coke, Pepsi!" ;D
Cheers,
Dallas
Ewww there's a sandwich in my hair!
Looks great Dallas-terrific details.
Satisfactory. -- Russ
As usual.....entertaining and great imagination ;D!
Anders
Dallas.
You still might want to come up with a way to get clean edges on your plates. You can buy hole stamp sets that have small sizes and, if you use a piece of soft aluminum as a cutting board and a mallet... presto. Well, some of the hole cutters in my set give very clean edges and others not so good, so results may vary. The kinds of hole punches that have a set of dies (male and female) tend to leave a jagged edge or spot (paper punch) and most leather punches I have tried leave the edge kinda rough. Perhaps laser cut?
Cool details, particularly the sandwich. But it breaks the good news/bad news rule. The bad news is the food is not that good. The good news is there is plenty of it. Guess you just gotta be a 1/35 scale patron.
It's good to see the kitchen getting a little messier! But the sink really needs a sponge / rag or some sort of cleaning stuff!
Quote from: Max Corey on September 27, 2013, 03:42:08 AM
You still might want to come up with a way to get clean edges on your plates. You can buy hole stamp sets that have small sizes and, if you use a piece of soft aluminum as a cutting board and a mallet... presto. Well, some of the hole cutters in my set give very clean edges and others not so good, so results may vary. The kinds of hole punches that have a set of dies (male and female) tend to leave a jagged edge or spot (paper punch) and most leather punches I have tried leave the edge kinda rough. Perhaps laser cut?
Hi Max --
Thanks! Yes, the scalloped edges on the plates can be a bit distracting ... especially in the extreme close-ups ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11301;image)
They are actually
photo-etched plates made
with scalloped edges ... the set is made by Eduard and pre-colored as shown above ...
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1439.0;attach=10448;image)
The colors in the Eduard set seemed a little too "girly" for this app, so I painted them all white, printed decals and decaled them all ... I also "stamped" them all in a homemade press to give a little more relief to the somewhat flat PE pieces, which served to make a few of the scallops go wonky here and there ... and if you've ever sat down and had a conversation with a scallop, you'll note that they're not all that stable to begin with, but quite delicious when properly cooked ... oops, meandering there ... so I've tried to place them with the wonkiest scallops away from view ... but, as always, there's always something!
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11302;image)
Scalloped plates with red stripes do occur in nature ... ;D
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2255.0;attach=11297;image)
And, while those scalloped edges will continue to be a bit distracting in the extreme close-ups ... I think as the whole place comes together with (much more) foreground stuff, figures and so forth, the plates will simply read as plates and the "action" in the place will be sufficiently interesting to allow the plates to become background items!
Now, all this isn't to "defend" against the wonky plate critique ... (you
are right, they can be distracting) ...
all critiques are quite welcome & appreciated ... many are put to use ... however, some items will just fall into a bit of a compromise category ... and in this case, I can live with the wonky little scallop plates! Mmm ... scallops. Quite literally, I have neither the time nor the talent to "perfect" everything ... however, I'm pretty well convinced that I can put it all together in away that makes a rather pleasing scene (more along the lines of an effective theatre set than a Chuck Doan diorama!) ... so that will be the actual goal here! 8)
Cheers,
Dallas
Quote from: BKLN on September 27, 2013, 06:02:39 AM
It's good to see the kitchen getting a little messier! But the sink really needs a sponge / rag or some sort of cleaning stuff!
Thanks, Christian! I painted a little soap dispenser last night ... will have to take a shot at making a little sponge or rag and see how that goes!
Cheers,
Dallas