Structure building class 101

[Anonymous]

Phil

Thanks for the instruction! Yours turned out way ahead of mine but I am moving slow and geting there.
Did a great job on yours!!

[toenailridgesl]

One last little addition...

The chimney is made from a piece of plastic tubing with a chunk of balsa jammed in the centre, then a drawing pin pushed into that to form the smokehead.
Then glued straight onto the roof approximately over the stove on the bottom floor.

[vsmith]

Phil, DAM thats a good shortcut for interiors!

I wouldnt have thought of that. Thanks for the tip. I have used photos behind the windows of my facade buildings but now I have another way to try some more interiors.

THANKS! Vic

[Anonymous]

like what you have done, when i get time and the garage finnished tis what i intent to create.
yours in traiNZ
Graham

[toenailridgesl]

Yogi,
thank you for your comments. High praise indeed from one of the masters!

[wd8jik]

Nice job Phil.
I like to add the interior to some of my buildings for my indoor layout.
The first buildings that I did the interior, after I finished I could see very little of the work.
So I removed most of one wall so all of the time I put in could be seen.

I like working with the "plastic card board" it is very versatile and can be used in so many ways for scratch building.

Take care,
Yogi
Bellaire, Ohio

[toenailridgesl]

Ok, I've finished. Added the support posts to the front verandah using strips of cedar, then made up some signs.

For the pix in vertical format, click on the link to see the fullsize version:
http://www.trainweb.org/lgbofozclub/store/finishedfront.jpg



http://www.trainweb.org/lgbofozclub/store/finishedback.jpg

From here we can add porches over the loading dock door and/or back door, woodpiles, gutters, downpipes, whatever you want to personalize your building.
I hope that this exercise has been of benefit to some & that I've helped you to spread your wings a little.

Here endeth the lesson.

[toenailridgesl]

The following is a major cheat. If such things offend your sensibilities please proceed no further.
I decided to simulate an interior on the ground floor so that the structure didn't appear totally empty.
No point in going to huge efforts for something that will be seen only dimly & vaguely at best.
The interior wall is (shock!) cardboard, as are the shelves & shelf supports. Same with the door & door frame.




After I gave the wall & door a coat of paint I did a Google search & found a photo of the interior of an old-tyme grocery store, downloaded the pic, resized it & cut out the bits I wanted. These were then glued onto the wall on the shelves


Made up a counter from more Corblast and glued a base & chimney extension onto an old broken Bachmann coach stove.

These then got a coat of paint & some detailing

and got installed:


and this is what it looks like through the window

[bman36]

Hey Phil,
Nice work!!! Fun to see what you guys are up to. Have fun. Later eh...Brian.

[toenailridgesl]

Have made some progress with the roof. I added a couple of braces to the undersides of the roof pieces as the sandpaper gluing has made them warp a little. Also added a locating piece to lap inside the rear wall.

This next pic shows how the lower locating rib laps onto the top of the side wall

Have also added the porch roof but not yet installed its supports


Next, we fake up an interior :)

[toenailridgesl]

Matt,
yup, did that on my fire house. Incidentally, this structure has been out constantly for 8 years & has windows & trim of balsa so you can see that it's holding up OK.

[Anonymous]

Phil, I'm just a viewer on this one but have you ever cut the wet/dry paper into rows and then cut them half way to create tabs and stagger the rows like asphalt/fiberglass shingles?

[toenailridgesl]

Rick,
I hadn't planned on lighting this one but if you want a how-to on adding lights let me know.
John, excellent suggestion, I'll have a try & see how it looks. I just measured one, in 1:20.3 it's 5inches across, probably a bit too big.

[Anonymous]

Hi Phil
Seeing some of your web site tips, and how you did the door knob on this project it occures
to me that a sequin and a pin might make a high tech door knob..
Gluing the sequin where the door knob should be then putting the pin through the hole in it.
That would give the backing plate for the more detail concious modeller's
What are your thoughts on that would a sequin be too big??
regards John

[Anonymous]

Hi Phil

That looks great. I have been busy with my trestle and other stuff. Almost ready to get back into this project.

Q: Are you planning to add lights to this building?

Thanks

Rick R.

[toenailridgesl]

Have made a base for the building to sit on. I used 6mm marine plywood and gave it 3 coats of enamel black paint which should keep most moisture away from it.
It looks like this, but don't do anything with it yet
The base protrudes past the front of the building (but lines up with the back wall...) and on this front protrusion goes the front porch/sidewalk.
I made mine again from 6mm marine plywood which I then finished with cedar floor planks and a balsa fascia. This will sit on top of the base front protrusion :

Here it's test-fit:

Then I applied some wood stain and finished it off with a coat of clear varnish

In this pic you can see the flat black base with the sidewalk sitting on top of it & the trim across the front


Now on to the roof....
Again using Corblast/Korflute, cut two pieces for the roof substructure. Yourmeasurements will depend on what size you have made your building but whatever that is, add a scale foot 15mm to the length and width to simulate eaves.


I clad my roof with wet&dry sandpaper which is waterproof & glued it with Liquid Nails spread with a scrap piece of wood. You can use a number of different roofing styles. I chose to just run strips of "tarpaper" from side to side. On a couple of previous buildings I've slit the sandpaper into 1 ft wide slits (but not all of the way across the strip, you need a single continuous piece to glue down) which simulates shingles.
Couple of little tricks with roofs (rooves?). Leave plenty of cladding overhanging on all sides, you can always cut it size when the glue is dry.
Also I add a strip of 1/8th balsa around the edges of the Corblast roof board to simulate barge boards and to hide the hollow sides of the roof material.

Note that in this pic I have trimmed the sandpaper back but have left an overlap of about 5mm 4 scale inches on all 4 sides. Why?

We need an overlap where the roof joins the front wall so that the sandpaper can be folded up the back of the building's false-front to make a reasonably weatherproof joint. The overlap at the peak where the two roof pieces meet will be glued one over the other, again for weather protection. The bottom & rear lips are mostly for show. Tarpaper usually has a small overlap.

The following pic shows the two roof halves with an added piece of wood glued along the bottom face on the inside. This is where the roof rests on the side walls. I held one roof piece in place temporarily and, reaching inside from the other side, drew a pencil line where the roof and side meet. Then repeated it on the other side. These inner roof supports means that when it comes time to attach the roof it will self-locate, giving you plenty of time and spare hands to do finishing work on the gable peak and rear trim.

Take particular note of the vital modeller's ingredient sitting in the glass to the left of the work space. Wine is the proof that God loves us & loves to see us happy!

[toenailridgesl]

Getting down to the nitty-gritty now. Cut the main roof truss to the inside measurement between front & back walls.
I made my truss from 6mm square wood. If you've been wondering why I left the gap at the top of the front wall roof supports, this is why!

Also added some extra supports to the inside of the back wall, mostly to give a larger surface for the roof to glue to


Now, you've been wondering about those exposed sides in the corners, right? More balsa cut to width, painted and glued the full height of the back wall and the full height of the false-front wall too. Instant camouflage!

And now we're up to here:

[Anonymous]

Phil, I like the doorknobs made out of the dressmaking pins. I'm going to look for some of them. Also your doors look great. The various designs add a lot of interest. Great project!

Regards,
Bill C.
South Jersey

[toenailridgesl]

Now that I've made and painted the doors they need door knobs.
I use round-head dressmaking pins...

and cut the length of the pin back to just go through the door. Note that I've stuck them into a scrap piece of Corblast to hold them steady while they are painted.


I glazed all of the windows using 1mm clear plastic. A good source of window glazing is the clear bubble packs or the old-fashioned shirt boxes that had a clear front (but I think I'm the only one old enough to still remember them :) )


With the glazing done it's time to start assembly of the main structure of the building. I use contact cement for joining these walls, the type where you coat both surfaces, let it dry for 20 minutes, then when you put the pieces together they are together for eternity.
I started with gluing the two side walls to the front wall:

then added the lower floor, gluing only along the front wall face:


Note how the side walls lap inside the end walls


Glue the back wall in place to the side walls & the floor. Finally drop the top floor into place. Note that you'll need to notch the four corners of this upper floor to clear the corner braces.


Progress so far

And to show how versatile this Corblast is, here's one I made before:

[Anonymous]

Hi Phil
Now there is something I have never done put floors in
I take it the same method could be used to inprove kits like the gold rush hotel
which should realy have an upper floor and the absence of a lower floor sticks out like a sore thumb.
That looks realy good one day some one is going to ask you now where did you buy that
regards John

[toenailridgesl]

Made up two floors, once again from Corblast & painted them brown. The flutes in the Corblast make nice floorboards.

These floors will be glued to the floor supports, the 2nd floor ones that we installed way back, and the two lower supports on the front & back walls.
I glued balsa strips to the walls leaving just sufficient clearance under the doors to slip the floor into place.
front floor support
rear floor support

[Anonymous]

Well, I am back and I will be starting on mine here soon. Thanks Phil for all the work and holding down the fort.

[Anonymous]

Hi Phil
I take it a 1 to 20.3 wooden spoon is the next project[:D]
regards John

[toenailridgesl]

The side walls are just two plain pieces of Corblast, 15ft 225mm high & as long as you want to make them. I chose 15ft.

Note that I cut a loading door in one side. This is framed just like the front door

The doors are really a cheat, being just another piece of Corblast with balsa trim. I used the Corblast vertically this time to simulate planking

Looking at the same door from the back you see it's just one piece

and this is what it looks like installed
The sides also have bracing along the front and back. Note that it's inset sufficiently to lap over the top of the bracing on the front and back walls, thus giving a much stronger glue face


Ok, time for a testfit...

[toenailridgesl]

Gentlemen,
following particularly pointed prompting from picky pedantic persons I have edited the above section to include metric measurements in 1:20.3 scale. It is to be hoped that the particular pedantic person doesn't introduce this forum to his alterego ER or we will all be in considerable depths of excreta.

G'day Rick! Glad you could join us!

[Anonymous]

Hi John Busby

Since Phil did start with metric measurements and I need to practice with it on my new metric ruler. I was hoping for continue use of the numbers. Besides I was just messing with him. I/we do chat on MLS Chat once in a while.

Cheers

Rick R.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jmozz

Phil i'am having trougle finding this plastic can any one help jmozz

J

Precision Products sells a styrene foamcore sheet product called Perfic Panels that should be a good substitute, I know they have them at San-Val cause I've seen them there. they come in 18 x18 inch sheets and are 3/16 thick if my memory serves me.

Do a websearch for Precision Products under Dollhouse Suppliers and you should be able to find a closer vendor.


www.appliedimaginationinc.com/precision_products/

[Anonymous]

Hi Rrowan
Suggest you take another look at the dimentions[:)]
Unless Phil is 600 feet tall and bullet proof that wall is not 14 feet wide.
Phil has given the full size measurment as he works in 1 to 20.3 I work in 1 to19
others work in 1 to24, 1 to 29 and so on.
You will have to work your own dimentions out ie 14 x16 =224 so for me to build it the wall is 224mm wide which will more than likely be too big for you.
Phil is trying to run the project so every one can build it not just those working in 1 to 20.3
hence giving real measurments which for that building would be feet and inches.
Sorry if I am stating the obviouse to the knowledgable but not all are blessed with that knowledge.
regards John
.

[Anonymous]

Hi Phil,

Where is the metric measurements??

I don't think it makes a difference but I am using Coroplast that is 4mm thick and I got some Starbilo pencils at a Arts and Craft store, they wipe off with water when done with the marks.

Rick R.