Luke's Garage & Gas Station

[Stuart]

Thanks Russ.  I will continue go forth boldly with confidence and resolve.

Stuart

[finescalerr]

Along with confidence and resolve, it wouldn't hurt also to wear a Chicken Little helmet. -- Russ

[Stuart]

Here's another, more clear, view of the potbelly stove.

[Stuart]

Next is the interior of the gas station.

[Stuart]

The counter is one of my own design.  The drawer is functional and the counter top is a piece of aluminum soda pop can.  The Fisk Tire sign was another item downloaded from a search on the internet and then prepared for printing in Photoshop.

Using soda pop cans for modeling purposes can be a bit of work as I discovered.  After removing the top and bottom of the can I cut the remaining cylinder in half with a pair of scissors and flattened the piece.  Next came the process of removing the printed and protective coating on the surface of the metal.  This proved to be more difficult that I had anticipated.  I tried solvents such as acetone and paint remover to little effect.  The only method I found to work was fine grit wet/dry sandpaper.  Even this required a fair amount of effort.  Once the coating was removed I dipped the piece into a 50/50 solution of muriatic acid to see if that would help to give the metal a slightly etched, non-shiny surface.  It worked but I had to work fast.  Before I knew it the acid started eating through the thin metal. Over all I was pleased with the end result and had enough of non-eaten material to cover the counter top. 

I then made a paper template to match the areas I wanted to cover, laid the pattern on the sheet metal, traced the pattern and then carefully cut the metal.  I attached the aluminum to the counter top with a very tacky double sided carpet tape and then drilled and inserted small brass nails around the edges.  The brass nails are available through Micro-Mark. 

[Stuart]

Using images of small National Cash Register machines, I worked up this version in SketchUp.  I did not find information on exact dimensions so had to do some extrapolating to come up with what I created here.  Hopefully it is a close representation.  Like the lubester described earlier, this too was sent off to Shapeways for printing.  I am not as pleased with the end result of this piece. As you will notice, it will need a good amount of cleanup before it is ready to receive it's final paint job.  The pop-up numbers in the register's window will be created using metal etching on thin brass sheet material.  The end goal is to have it look very similar to the photo of the actual machine pictured here.

[Ray Dunakin]

Even with the printing flaws, that cash register looks darn good.

[Krusty]

Here's another, more clear, view of the potbelly stove.

The finish on that stove is superb. Absolutely spot-on.

[Stuart]

Thanks Ray and Krusty.

[Mobilgas]

Being I'm  a Gas Station nut I'll be following along 

[Stuart]

The Orange Crush cooler was a fun project.

On-line searches seem to provide the quickest and widest variety of reference material.  I was looking for a non-electric beverage cooler, the kind that is simply an insulated box with water and ice.  I found a number of patterns to choose from and finally settled on a combination of a couple I liked.  So, although what I created may not necessarily be historically accurate, I feel it is a believable alternative.

I had purchased a 1/12th scale 1920's Roper Gas Stove by Dee's Delights (see photo) to use in the upstairs apartment of my project.  When I made the purchase I knew I would be altering the piece significantly as it would not fit in the space available.  In the alteration process I removed the four cabriole style legs and used them for the beverage cooler.  Once I had the legs separated from the main stove model I should have taken some time to reduce their thickness.  In reality, a leg of this kind used in this manner would have been stamped sheet metal.  These are way too thick to represent sheet metal.

The cooler box itself was made of a combination of various thicknesses of styrene.  The slatted self at the base is brass angle iron and strip material soldered together and epoxied within the legs.  The Orange Crush decals were put together in Photoshop from on-line downloaded photos.  I did not feel the need to make the lids on the ice box functional so the hinges are representational. 

I made an effort to give the piece some additional character with water spots and a little rust and corrosion where water would generally collect with use.  I plan to fabricate a couple soda bottle crates to stack and place on the lower shelf.

[finescalerr]

You are probably the only person who might notice any imperfection in leg thickness or whether a hinge is inoperable. To my eye your work is commendably satisfactory. -- Russ

[Bernhard]

Stuart, this is truly exceptional realistic model making with a good eye and attention to detail.

Bernhard

[Barney]

Very nice and neat but has the look of realism with its touches of wear and tear
Barney

[finescalerr]

That's what I like so much about it. So many hobbyists concentrate on a very run down, almost dilapidated, appearance. Stuart's gas station looks like one in business and reasonably successful; it may have a few stains but overall it's in good shape and typical of most of what we actually see. -- Russ