Any body up for a scratchbuilding challenge?

[tangerine-jack]

With the not so nice weather here I know a lot of us aren't outside running trains and attending to other things. Does anybody out there have any interest in a little scratchbuilding challenge? Something small, maybe a passanger platform or shanty. The challenge is that you will be limited to non store-bought materials, just common items found around the home. Your budget?- $0. It's a challenge in creativity.

Any takers?

[vsmith]

Between the MLS masterclass project and my Porter bash I got my bench full, I'll sit in the grandstands for this one.

[toenailridgesl]

Jack,
I won't participate since I don't want to show the rest of you up!


Just kidding :)

[kstrong]

"Nothing store bought?" There's not much in my house that didn't come from a store. [;)] I've got too many irons already in the fire to participate this time, perhaps next winter.

Later,

K

[Tom The Brat]

QUOTE: Your budget?- $0.

Now that's something in my budget! Count me in.

[ttrigg]

Budget $0.00!!!!!

Rules: Nothing store bought!!!!!!!

Task: build passenger platform or a shanty!!!!!!!!!!!

HHMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! Let's see, this weekend, the roses age to be cut down for their annual pruning, as the last of the blooms have just finished. "Rose canes" make for decent "scale logs."

You're On!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOWEVER!!!!! You must NOT count glue and metal fasteners as "store bought materials". I refuse to cut "rosewood pins" to nail this thing together!!!!!!!!

[ttrigg]

Da Boss just informed me that we are waiting another two weeks to prun back the roses. Seems as though there are a few more buds she wants to wait for. She has agreed to the harvest of rose canes for this and other "log" projects!!!!!!!

[tangerine-jack]

All right then, this is what I was thinking. We scratch build some small structure, maybe a storage shed or similar, using non-hobby store bought items. That means no door or window castings, no plastic shapes or sheets, no K&N brass or such. That means “stay the H*ll out of your scrap box!” We are allowed paint and glue, plus whatever tools required that we already own. It should be something that can be completed in one or two evenings.

My thoughts are that it is well and good to talk about ideas on how to build something, but the challenge comes in actually doing it. This is a test of creativity that we can all use to see what the other modeler built and say “I'd never have thought of using xyz like that!" With a zero budget it brings it down to an individual creativity issue, not how much you can buy. The fit and polish of your final result are not being graded, only the innovativeness of your ideas.

Now let’s kick around a few ideas for a theme. I’m open to suggestions………………
.

[Tom The Brat]

I have quite a pile of popsicle sticks.

[tangerine-jack]

They can be allowed if you ate the popsicle they were attached to, otherwise they are "craft sticks" and came from a hobby store. CAVEAT: nobody will know if you cheat, but that defeats the point of the challenge.




Oh what the heck, use em!

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Are you allowed leftovers from other projects??? Like I have some strips of cement board left over from making the base for my station! Trex leftovers from my son's deck.
chunks of plastic pipe and conduit left over from various projects around the house and layout.

[Tom The Brat]

Oh, come on! I live in an asylum[*^_^*] Where would I get material besides Wal Mart?[^]

[tangerine-jack]

That's the idea Bob! Use stuff that is not normaly considered as a "hobby" item per se. I've got a garage full of car and bike parts, some military surplus, all kinds of bits left over from my house renovation, stuff like that. I want to prove that it's possible to make a convincing structure without having to spend money on commercial models or exotic hobby materiel.

Torby, I don't know what to tell you. You're not allowed to spend one cent on any of the materials (unless it's glue or paint IF you run out during the project). Think outside the box. Definitly stay out of the kitty litter box, it's not off limits, just nasty and not weather proof!

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Geez TJ, aint you gonna let him have any tootsie rolls while he works on his project?

[waltersrails]

souinds like fun to me.

[Anonymous]

OK, the weather now has turned sufficiently lousy to let me start a little project. Count me in!!

Regards,

Bill C.
South Jersey

[FJ and G]

I finished my outdoor train shed at 12 feet long. It is the one that fell apart b/c I put Thompson water seal prior to the glue and the glue just melted. Also, it sunk into the clay and probably would have eventually disappeared.

Today, I finished the shed and reballasted down to the bedrock. Also, added exterior grade wood filler to fill in the cracks. It's not as pretty as before but it's functional and should stand up to many years of abuse (I hope).

Also, I rewired everything from series to parallel so the lights will be better.

I'll try to eventually take photos but I'm pretty beat right now after heaving clay all day with the shovel. Someday plan to get to Virginia Beach to see how the other garden RRers are doing, btw.

[Anonymous]

Some foam panel packaging material leftover from Christmas, and a can of diet Pepsi put through the paper crimper…






…glued together with some leftover Liquid Nails and sealed with some leftover exterior latex paint result in a sandstone shed.

The doorknob is made from a large finishing nail.

Regards,

Bill C.
South Jersey

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Dern Bill, that looks almost as good as Niblock's!

Now it's a real challange, surely somebody can knock Bill of his preempted throne?

I'm Thinking, thinking, thinking, smell the smoke?

[Tom The Brat]

That's cool, Bill!

[tangerine-jack]

Excellent! Who's next? Remember, there are no prizes or real time limit, just a creative challenge.

[Anonymous]

Thanks GR gang! Just trying our best to recycle. [:D]

Regards,
Bill C.

[markn]

Here's the real challange-how do you post the pictures? really! Help-I used up my computer expertise just getting them out of the camera and on the computer...I vaguely remember a thread about posting-was it here or another site?

[tangerine-jack]

This might help, I keep it in a file for just such an emergency!

It's not easy, but I will certainly try. Ok, you don't actualy post photos on this site, what you do is create a hyperlink to another URL. Here's how:

1. Open an account at www.shutterfly.com an upload your photos there. This is where having DSL pays off.

2. Open a blank "word" document, you will cut and paste here later.

3. View your photos on shutterfly, now click on the photo to view it, right click and go to "properties"

4. You will see a URL address that looks something like this:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d901b3127cce935a8bd9b7bd00000016108AbN2rVm4ct7

5. Cut and past that URL onto a word document for temporary storage. Do step 3 and 4 for as many photos as you want

6. Now got to the forum and look for the symbol under the “format” line in the header that looks like a mountain and says “insert image” when you place the cursor over it.

7. Click on the mountain symbol and you will see this- [img][/img

8. Now place the cursor between the inner set of brackets [img]cursor[/img and paste the URL from your word doc. Do this for each photo you want to post.

9. You should see this something like this [img] ttp: /im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d901b3127cce9350016108AbN2rVm4ct7 [/img

10. Now go to “preview” and if all works out, you will see you photo via the hyperlink you just created. It takes a little trying to get it to work the first time, but don’t give up, it gets easier!

[Tom The Brat]

Hmm. I think we need to put that in a sticky locked place[;)]

[ttrigg]

Rene already did just that. Look at the second thread in this forum for "Research links to useful sites". The first link is how to post photos, complete with pictures of what your screen will look like while doing it.

[markn]

Thanks for the help..let's see if I can do it-

OK-here's my offering; I didn't make it specifically for this challange but the basic structure seemed to fit the rules...the walls and roof are 3 1/2" x 1/4" beaded board planks leftover from a wainscoating project, held together with some scrap lattice-I admit the lettering is store bought but having it outside for a couple of months, I plan to paint the signage with some cheap craft paint to hopefully have it fade like the real barns-Mark

[FJ and G]

hey Mark, that's pretty cool

[Tom The Brat]

Nice barn!

[Puckdropper]

Methinks I'd like to get in on this, but amazingly I seem to lack a measuring device. Scratch that, I just found a 10 inch ruler/hole punch.

Now that I started thinking, I got all kinds of materials to use. Good thing it doesn't have to stand up to the outside!