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Gerry Leone tips Cheapskate modeling

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  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 2,360 posts
Posted by kasskaboose on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 7:09 AM

Great tips!  My train mentor provided some other useful stuff.  Consider them "dual use" technologies, haha:

1. Unwanted dental tools to remove stray ballast from areas (perhaps getting them makes the dentist even more worthwhile, haha)

2. Beauty supply brushes to spread ballast more smoothly or for applying weathering powders

Emory boards are fantastic.  I never knew about using them. Thanks! 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 6:53 AM

riogrande5761
What are the emery boards used for?

Finger and toe nail files.   But they also work great for model work, filing and sanding.

Mike.

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 6:43 AM

mbinsewi
 
BigDaddy
Big emery boards, that look exactly like the more expensive sanding sticks, for a fraction of the cost. 

 

I'm a fan of those.  Wife works in a podiatry office, plus has her own business.  She keeps me well supplied with a variety.

Mike.

What are the emery boards used for?

 

As for the fine mist spray bottles, some one tipped me off on that 20 years ago.  I think the idea is the spray is gentle enough that you don't displace the ballast.  Of course soak it well enough to get more than a crust at the top.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 569 posts
Posted by drgwcs on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 9:59 PM

BigDaddy

 

 
drgwcs
If you get a fine enough spray out of that type you don't neet wetting solution to do ballast

 

I was going to disagree with that statement, but I am having second thoughts.  When I tore my first layout down, I found areas where the white glue I used to cement the balast only glued the very top layer. 

That's what people say happens if you don't use enough wetting agent, but had I not torn the layout down, I would have never known, unless I had a plague of scale groundhogs.

 

I was a little sceptical at first too. I soak it real good until you can see the liquid at the top. A fairly thick layer of ballast beside homosote or deeper sections might be a different story. I use cork. Jim

 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 9:10 PM

BigDaddy
Big emery boards, that look exactly like the more expensive sanding sticks, for a fraction of the cost.

I'm a fan of those.  Wife works in a podiatry office, plus has her own business.  She keeps me well supplied with a variety.

Mike.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 8:55 PM

drgwcs
If you get a fine enough spray out of that type you don't neet wetting solution to do ballast

I was going to disagree with that statement, but I am having second thoughts.  When I tore my first layout down, I found areas where the white glue I used to cement the balast only glued the very top layer. 

That's what people say happens if you don't use enough wetting agent, but had I not torn the layout down, I would have never known, unless I had a plague of scale groundhogs.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • 569 posts
Posted by drgwcs on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 7:27 PM

BigDaddy

Great video on MRVP today that deserves it's own thread.  Leone is big on recycling things to use in MR.  Today: Stuff you can find in a beauty shop.

  • Pointy Q-tips, some of them have a paddle tip on the other end.
  • Beauty shop spray bottles that put out a fine mist, unlike the recycled Fantastic sprayer
  • Big emery boards, that look exactly like the more expensive sanding sticks, for a fraction of the cost.
 

Cool- dollar tree had some beauty shop spray bottles that worked great for scenic cement. (They had a colored bottle) If you get a fine enough spray out of that type you don't neet wetting solution to do ballast- much easier. Jim

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Gerry Leone tips Cheapskate modeling
Posted by BigDaddy on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 7:13 PM

Great video on MRVP today that deserves it's own thread.  Leone is big on recycling things to use in MR.  Today: Stuff you can find in a beauty shop.

  • Pointy Q-tips, some of them have a paddle tip on the other end.
  • Beauty shop spray bottles that put out a fine mist, unlike the recycled Fantastic sprayer
  • Big emery boards, that look exactly like the more expensive sanding sticks, for a fraction of the cost.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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