In-ko-pah RR: Dos Manos depot

[finescalerr]

It looks appropriate for depot with that kind of architecture. I have no problem with the appearance or the flat roof. -- Russ

[Bill Gill]

Ray, I agree, the the design of the east wing looks good. Maybe it's just having seen the white walls for awhile now, and liking  the way the depot stands out from the background and the hotel, but the east wing could be a different material from the main mid section, say stucco, to emphasize it is an addition when the tourist traffic increased, then it and the main building could be painted white to please the architect so that the two blend together...or not...

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

[Ray Dunakin]

I'm finally making progress on this again, after taking a short break.

About a year ago I found a sheet of 13mm Sintra in the cutoff bin at a local plastics dealer, and I've been holding onto it ever since. I decided to use this to make the arched walls of the passenger waiting area. I don't know if it's because this stuff was old, or what, but it was quite a bit harder than the 6mm stuff I've been using, and was kind of a pain to work with. I had to use a jigsaw to cut it. I also found it more difficult to scribe. It might have been easier if I'd just laminated two sheets of 6mm Sintra together, to get the required thickness. Anyway...

After cutting it out, I taped the plugs from the arches in place temporarily, to hold a pushpin marking the center of the arch. Then I scribed the stones around the arch, using a small metal ruler as a guide:




When I'd finished scribing the stones on the face of the wall, I used a special tool to continue the mortar lines around the corners onto the edges of the arches. This was just an X-Acto knife, with the edge of the blade ground flat:






Here is the exterior side of the wall. It is complete except for some details that will be added after assembly. As you can see, I have changed the shape of the wall's top edge from the original design:




Here's the interior side of the same wall. When I shot this photo, I still had to scribe a few more lines near the top. On the left end, there was no need to include all the scribing since that is where the adjoining wall will be glued to this one:




That's all for now. I still have two more walls to do for this part of the depot.

[michael mott]

Ray that looks fantastic! you really are a master at this Sintra carving. Interesting to note that you found this stuff more difficult to sribe because it was harder.

Michael

[finescalerr]

You are really a master at this kind of construction. So I have a question: How hard to you have to push when you scribe? -- Russ

[Bill Gill]

That's terrific stonewwork as usual, Ray, and I like the new roof line.

[lab-dad]

WOW!
I am definitely going to try this to finish the walls on my machine shop
Very inspiring Ray!

-Marty

[Ray Dunakin]

Russ, it's kind of hard to describe how much pressure is needed, but generally speaking I'd say "moderate".

On this thicker stuff, which I got second hand, it took more pressure than usual, and also seemed harder on one side than the other. I don't know if that's due to it possibly being old, or what. I'm not even sure if it's Sintra or another brand.

The biggest problem I had with the thick stuff was cutting it. Could not cut it with a knife, had to use a jigsaw, and then it would melt and gum up, partially resealing the cut. The melted stuff becomes very hard when it solidifies.

[Ray Dunakin]

Another thing about my experiences scribing Sintra... I'm doing it in 1/24th scale, PLUS it's for outdoor use which means I have to put on a relatively thick coat of paint. So I have to go kind of deep. For indoor use or in a smaller scale, subtler impressions would be better, which of course could be created using less pressure.

This evening I spent a few minutes just trying out a very quick test to see how it would be to scribe bricks and stones for a 1/48th scale structure. This took very little pressure. In fact, having gotten used to pressing harder, I had to keep reminding myself to go easy.

[finescalerr]

That gives me a pretty good idea, Ray. When I scribed paper bricks and boards my finger started to hurt after a while ... from "moderate" pressure! -- Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

I forgot to mention something in my previous post... When I designed the walls of the waiting area, I used a drawing program to create simple templates. These were printed onto paper, cut out, and then traced onto the Sintra:




After texturing both sides of the north and south walls, I glued them to the main structure. The joint was not perfect, especially on the angled, south, wall, so there was an uneven gap at the joints. I filled these gaps with JB Weld's "Water Weld" epoxy putty, taking care to press it firmly into the gap. After it set, I sanded it down, and then scribed it to match the walls. Here are before and after shots of the north wall, followed by the south wall:











Here's how the whole thing looks so far:






The base of the waiting area is removable. I scribed 1/2" squares on the floor to represent terra cotta tiles:




Small stainless steel screws hold the base of the waiting area in place. The base can be removed for painting, and for easy access to the waiting area interior:




Here's a shot of the end wall in progress. I have to align the stone courses to match those at the corners of the north and south walls:




That's all for now. Hope you're all having a great Thanksgiving!

[michael mott]

Ray you really do have this sintra stone work down to a fine art.

Michael

[finescalerr]

It is unfair to keep your models outdoors. Also, you should have skipped Thanksgiving dinner so you would have more time to work on the structure. Two demerits. -- Russ

[Stoker]

*snip*

The base of the waiting area is removable. I scribed 1/2" squares on the floor to represent terra cotta tiles:



*snip*

That's all for now. Hope you're all having a great Thanksgiving!

What? Square Saltillos? No San Felipe or maybe Arrow & Picket pattern tiles? Tisk, tisk. I would hate to see The Master's face when Torgo tells him about the progress on his new train station 



*The preceding fairly snarky reply was sarcasm. 

Real comment: Ray, your work is always amazing. The detail you get with hand carving Sintra is really impressive. I am sure The Master will be pleased....