Here is the latest building for the town. It's a main street building from Garden-Texture plans. Total materials cost was 2 cedar fence pickets from Home Depot - $5.60 plus some glue, brads, and paint.
Five bucks trumps $20 given that I need at least 50 buildings.
Rex
Very Nice,
What scale are you building in?
Looks like "O" ???
Keep up the good work!!!
I'm a big fan of kit bashing and scratch building.
For the amount of buildings you need I'd say you got a winning combination there.
Happy Rails !
Jess Red Horse.
Red Horse,
Thanks for the compliments.
The building is 13 1/2" wide, 16" deep, and 20" high. It's 1:24 scale. I guess I should have put a figure next to it in the picture to give it some sense of size. Signage is the next step for this building. It's probably going to be the bank or a department store. Any ideas on making signs?
Yes I've got a bunch more to go. It takes about a week to build one so I've got a year's worth of work when I'm not up in the mountains working on the railroad.
Rex in Pinetop wrote: Red Horse,Thanks for the compliments. The building is 13 1/2" wide, 16" deep, and 20" high. It's 1:24 scale. I guess I should have put a figure next to it in the picture to give it some sense of size. Signage is the next step for this building. It's probably going to be the bank or a department store. Any ideas on making signs?Yes I've got a bunch more to go. It takes about a week to build one so I've got a year's worth of work when I'm not up in the mountains working on the railroad.Rex
I found using my computer and print shop helps to make all kinds of signs, you will have to select the proper size font for 1:24,
I've mad signs this way and I've also used 1/2" self sticking letters bought at the office supply store for HO scale signs that go on top of my buildings and bill boards, at 1/2 " they make a big sign for HO scale.
Try looking through magazines for cut and glue signs that you may use, for example, If you need automotive signs pick up auto magazines and look through the ads.
There are many ways to make signs and I believe 1:24 will be easier to find scale signs in advertising prints than HO scale.
Good luck and let me know how it turns out?
I'm thinking weather proofing will be the trick with outdoor signs. UV will wash most paper inks out in a short time so cutting and pasting magazine adds will only last a short time. Paper signs will also have issues with rain and irrigation. How do the office letters hold up in the weather?
I've produced some "decals" for my RC airplanes off the computer. That expensive decal material won't stick to wood very well so I would have to use something else for backing like maybe plastic or metal.
I've thought about stensils and paint but haven't done it yet. In seems like a lot of work and then if the paint runs under the mask I'll end up with a major mess.
Thoughts?
Looks good Rex. I have been using water proof inkjet vinyl for my signs and posters. Give them a few coats of UV protecting clear coat, stick them on a styrene backer and I glue them on with a few dabs of GOOP. My Epson printer inks are supposedly 30 year UV proof but with the clear coat I don't think it makes a big difference.
I got mine on an ebay store - http://stores.ebay.com/MAMMY-MAGNETS-and-MORE_Craft-and-Printing-Supplies_W0QQampdirZ1QQcolZ4QQsclZ0QQtZkm
or you can get them here - http://www.papilio.com/
-Brian
Very nice project. You could always try the paper prints and marine varnishing them.
Jess/Red Horse, surprised to see you over on this side of the fence, thinking of branching out into the great outdoors? ....Join the Dark Side
Have fun with your trains
Wow, it dawn on me that I had posted in the Garden Trains section, I usually like to look up post that have been tagged not answered, Oopps, I'm bagged!
I don't have the $$$$ to start thinking about doing garden trains...LOL!
If it were not for your reply I wouldn't have know that I strayed over too this side of the fence, I'm going back to the other side now and will watch where I'm posting....LOL!
Carry on gents.....
Pay no attention to the wandering Indian...LOL!
Rex in Pinetop wrote: Signage is the next step for this building. It's probably going to be the bank or a department store. Any ideas on making signs?
About 4 months ago my wife purchased a HP Color Laser Jet 1600, which burns the "ink" onto the paper. I had a "brainstorm" concerning signs. For a test run I used some Plexiglas (lexan, or whatever) to make the signboard. Then took my word processor and a sheet of "Vue-Graph" transparency, in the printer command box, I told the printer to print in "mirror image". I used a spray of Elmer's Craft Bond; UPC 0-26000-00421-3 for the 4 oz can, to attach the Sign to the painted Plexiglas, so that the "printed side" was against the Plexiglas. I laid this "test station" in the rose bed so that it was exposed to full sun and water from the sprinkler system. It has been about three and a half months now and there is no apparent deterioration when compared to the "control" half of the sheet I keep in the drawer of the computer desk. I used this technique to put "stained glass windows' in the birdhouses I reconditioned a few weeks back as well as on the upper floor of the hotel. I also used the laser printer on card stock to make curtains for the birdhouses. It seems to be holding up very well. If you want to remind me in a few months I'll tell how it lasts over an extended period of time. I'm planning on using this technique to put some name plates hanging from a few links of chain on my stations and depots.
Tom Trigg
Rex in Pinetop wrote: Here is the latest building for the town. It's a main street building from Garden-Texture plans. Total materials cost was 2 cedar fence pickets from Home Depot - $5.60 plus some glue, brads, and paint. Five bucks trumps $20 given that I need at least 50 buildings.
Here is the latest building for the town. It's a main street building from Garden-Texture plans. Total materials cost was 2 cedar fence pickets from Home Depot - $5.60 plus some glue, brads, and paint. Five bucks trumps $20 given that I need at least 50 buildings.
What about the molding, the cost of electricity to run the boards through the saw, shingles, door and window kits! Seriously though it looks good.
Tom,
You're right. I forgot about the molding. I got 8' from Home Depot for $4. The electricity was also an additional charge - maybe $0.25. The shingles were split from the cedar fence pickets so no additional cost there. The windows were also hand made from those same fence pickets. I didn't use all 8' of the molding so I still think I'm under the $7.50 per building. The next ones will be cheaper.
Rex:
You comming out to Ontario this weekend? Would love to meet face to face with a guy that "putzes" back each time I "putz" with him. I think I could cover the cost of a cup of coffee. Thats about all I'm going to have left after the cost of filling my truck for the trip.
Sorry but I'm not going to be able to make it out there for the train show and that cup of coffee. I'd sure like to but gas being what it is and ... we're headed to Norway Wednesday morning for a cruise on the mail ship for a couple weeks. I did go to the national convention since it was here this year.
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