In-ko-pah RR: The Mineral Ridge Mill

[Ray Dunakin]

I've stopped work on the Princess Shilo Mine for a while, so I could get going on the Mineral Ridge Mill. The space available for this mill is very limited and challenging, and will only permit a very small mill. My goal is to create a freelance structure that is at least plausible and follows prototype practices as much as possible.

I had previously built the foundations for the mill, and the large wooden ore bin. The next step was to design the mill building. It's a fairly complex shape, with an irregular footprint, that goes up the slope in steps. The easiest way to design the building was to build a mockup out of foam core art board.

I started with the grizzly and sorting house on top of the ore bin. Because there will be mine tracks leading to the sorting house from two different levels, I originally planned to make the sorting house a two-story structure. Here's the first mockup, sans roof:




After seeing this in place, I didn't like the looks of it. It was too tall and would block the view of structures that will later be added behind it. I cut it shorter, changed the shape of the roof, and added an opening in the roof where ore can be dumped from the higher of the two mine tracks.




Next I went to work on the main mill structure, starting at the level just below the ore bin. As with the sorting house, I started out making it a taller structure, then decided to cut it shorter. (When determining what will look best, it's easier to cut off excess material than to try putting it back on.)






Anyway, here's what I ended up with. I haven't added roofs yet, and may not as they aren't critical to the mockup. The next step will be working out the size and location of the doors, windows and certain other exterior details.






The actual model will be constructed using Sintra PVC board, with corrugated metal applied to the exterior. I don't intend to model the interior, though it will have lights. I may install just enough timbers and other bits to give the impression that the structure isn't completely hollow.

That's all for now. Enjoy!

.

[finescalerr]

Even more than the structure, I find the overall concept of a steep hill with a mill on one side and commercial structures on the other kind of cool. Are you figuring out this stuff as you go along or is it all part of a previously devised "grand plan"? -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Mostly making it up as I go.

[NE Brownstone]

Must be fun being a garden gnome at your house.

[TRAINS1941]

Ray that is just an awesome RR your building.

Jerry

[Hydrostat]

I like your approach and your results very much. Your building in situ results in very credible structures and shapes. I would not have wanted to live on the other side of the road ... might have been somewhat dusty .

Volker

[Ray Dunakin]

Progress continues to be very slow lately, but here's a brief update:

I've cut out the openings for the doors and windows, and built the roofs. Each roof is removable for access to the interior:






Except for the large freight door, I'll be using Grandt Line doors and windows for this structure, as they are almost identical to the styles typically seen on mill and mine structures. However, since this is supposed to be a fairly old and weathered building, I've added more prominent wood grain and a few cracks:




The exterior of the mill will be clad with corrugated metal. I originally wanted to use the very nice, galvanized stuff sold by Rainbow Ridge. However, this structure will require about 10 square feet of material, and I can't really afford that much right now. Also, if I make my own I can make it thinner and more pliable. So I'm making it out of .001" thick shim brass from McMaster-Carr.

I cut it into pieces a little over four inches long, then heat each piece with a torch to anneal it. Next it is sprayed with oven cleaner. I let it soak in the oven cleaner for a while as that seems to slightly etch the surface. After rinsing and drying, then I place it over a piece of corrugated material and use a dull pencil tip to embossed the ridges. Then I cut them into strips a little over 1 inch wide. A very laborious process, but I have more time than money.





So that's where things stand. I still have a lot more corrugated metal to make, and then apply it to the structure. Also need to paint the doors and windows, and cut glass to fit. And I haven't built the sorting house yet, that goes on top of the ore bin.

.

[TRAINS1941]

Ray that's a nice looking window.

Is that final look of the metal roofing??  or will there be some more weathering??
Nice job all the way around.  Thanks for posting.

Jerry

[artizen]

Back in the day when all this stuff was built by hand, wasn't the nominal sheet size of corrugated iron about 6 feet long x 3 feet wide? I know the current standard here in Australia is 762mm wide which would be about 2 feet 6 inches but the new lengths are of course determined by the machine making the stuff - up to eight metres long (24 feet). I know back when my father was a bricklayer, all materials were designed to be handled manually up and down scaffolds without the use of cranes or machinery.

[lab-dad]

Ray.
Why not use the disposable metal trays from the grocery/dollar store?
I also use a paint tube crimper (from michaels) to do large scale corrigated.
Looing great!
Marty

[Ray Dunakin]

Jerry, the corrugated metal will be painted to look galvanized and weathered.

Ian, most of the corrugated on the buildings I'm using as reference, is about 2' x 8'.

Marty, I'll have to look into that paint tube crimper. I've used a paper crimper before but the corrugations are really oversized. It's not too bad on a roof, but on walls, next to doors and windows, it's much more noticeable.

[Lawton Maner]

The tube squeezer has been discussed on another piece of this forum.  In a link to the origional article it points to  where someone had taken 2 of them and made an even larger roller for corrugated sheets.

I once rolled some from shim steel and then dipped it into vinegar with a dash of salt added and had instant rusty roofing.

[Ray Dunakin]

Time for another progress report... Mostly I've been making corrugated metal sheets and gluing them to the structure.

At first I used Loctite Pro Line Premium construction adhesive, a thick, gooey, polyurethane glue. This would have provided a very strong and durable bond, however there were some issues.

One, despite being thick and gooey, it didn't grip enough to hold the corrugated panels flat prior to curing. This meant only a few panels could be applied at a time, which then had to be pressed down with weight until the glue cured -- and if it wasn't very level, the panels and weights would slide off. (I found this out the hard way.) The other issue was that excess glue was difficult to clean off and tended to stick to everything, including the weights.

So I switched to using DAP Dynaflex 230, a paintable, weatherproof sealant. I've never used it to attach brass to plastic before, but I have used it for several other applications outdoors and haven't had any trouble with it. So I think it will hold just fine, and is definitely not going to decay or deteriorate due sun or weather. It's gummy enough hold the panels flat without weights, and excess material cleans off easily with a damp rag.

On February 22 we hosted our club's monthly meeting/open house, so the mill was on display despite being far from completion:




Since then I have gotten a lot more of the corrugated metal panels installed. The rear of the structure is mostly hidden by the cliff, so I only put the metal panels on where they would be most likely to show:




Currently the walls of the main structure are finished, with only two sections of roof left to cover:






Here are a couple closer shots:





One small issue with this adhesive is that it air dries, and since the brass and the PVC substructure are both non-porous, the stuff in the middle of each panel remains soft for several days. Until it becomes firm, the structure must be handled carefully to avoid crushing the corrugated ridges.

The window frames have only been put into place to give an idea of how it'll look. They aren't painted or glazed yet and won't be permanently installed until after the structure has been painted.

That's all for now, enjoy!

.

[TRAINS1941]

Ray Beautiful scene.  And once a again very nice work.

Jerry

[lab-dad]

Ray,
Don't take this the wrong way but that don't look like corrugated steel to me.....
It looks like, well what it is - brass.

-Marty