TStage--that station came out well.

[tstage]

UPDATE II:

Well, i stopped by one of my LHSs and talked to my friend, Jim about some of my ideas about fixing the plank flooring and to pick up more 1 x 8. (As I suspected, they had to put in an order from Walthers to get more 1 x 8.)

Jim did think that the Dulcote would possilby work for a giving the floor a low gloss finish. He also thought that a light wash with diluted wood glue and alcohol might also even out the shine to make it more uniform in appearance.

When I asked Jim about sanding, he thought it might work. But, with the cramped space, he warned that I might also run the risk of gouging the floor in the far corners. It would also be difficult to retouch-up the "stained" floor after sanding, requiring the need to restain the entire floor again to get an even look.

Also, filling in the gaps with saw dust would work but then you'd have to repaint the areas and the wicking action could further stain the surrounding boards, again, giving the floor an uneven appearance.


SO...WHERE DO i GO FROM HERE?

Once the 1 x 8 planking comes in, my first task is to finish up the floor in the back office area to get that part of the project completed. After that, I think I will go ahead and construct a "test" floor to try out some of the ideas mentioned above to see how tricky implementing the ideas is in reality. After I run my "experiments", I can then determine whether to pursue repairing the planking or leaving it alone.

I'll keep you all posted...

Tom

[pcarrell]

It's cool.

I was just thinking of a project of my own, that's all.

[tstage]

Philip,

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the input and ideas - really! [:)] There are two types of polyurethane: solvent-based and water-based. I've never tried thinning them down either one. it is a possibility, but the issue again is avoiding introducing bubbles into the polyurethane.

I do plan on stopping by my LHS tomorrow morning and will ask my friend Jim what he would recommend doing in my case and report back. Thanks again for the feedback and suggestions...

Tom

[pcarrell]

Can it be thinned? What is it's base?

As you can see, I don't know a lot about it. I've used it once or twice for other things, but not for modeling. When I read your post it was the first thing that popped in my head, thats all.

[tstage]

Don,

You and me both. [:)]

Tom

[DigitalGriffin]

Excellent work Tom. Very well done.

Hopefully I can learn a thing or two from your detailing work!

~D

[tstage]

Philip,

FYI: Polyurethane does come in duller or flatter finishes, too.

The other issues would be the thickness of the dried Polyurethane layer and bubbles. PU has a tendency to be thick and you have to be careful about applying it so that you don't introduce bubbles on the surface. (I.e. You DON'T wipe the excess off on the side of the container. You let it drip off.)

Hmm...It's a thought though. Thanks! [:)]

Tom

[pcarrell]

Polyurathane might work to solve several problems at once. It is kind of thick and so it will settle in low spots and not build up on high spots. This will even out the floor without sanding it. It will also fill in the gaps and yet it will still appear to have spaces between the boards to keep the "character" of the floor, thereby preserving that rustic look. Polyurathane dries very glossy, so you can either leave it that way for a well cared for or freshly varnished floor or you can weather it with chalks or powders to tone it down. The one thing I don't know about is whether you can dullcoat it or not. I don't know if there would be a reaction or not with the polyurathane.

Just a thought........

BTW....AWESOME work! Most impressive indeed!

[tstage]

Chip and Trevor,

I had given sanding a fleeting thought. Yes, the spacing is confining but I could possibly do that. If I did, I'd have to "restain" the boards after I sanded it with a Q-tip and dry it immediately so that it blends in with the rest of the floor That might be a bit cumbersome.

Maybe I can build a similar flooring model of just few stained boards and experiment with the sanding idea on them to see what happens. If it doesn't work, then the model is only affected. I'll have quite a few strips left over anyhow from when I purchase the three that I need to finish up the floor.

The other thought was just to leave it as is. The uneven floor does give it a characteristic "rustic" and need of repair look. However, I do like the idea of the sawdust, Chip, as "filler" between the floor boards. Much to comtemplate...[%-)]

Thanks for the input, fellas! [:)]

Tom

[Anonymous]

I was thinking along the lines of sanding as well, followed by a sealer of some sort. Dullcote, or any clearcoat varni***o give it a finished look.

Looks great Tom. The last time I saw it we were poking fun at you about the wood grain in the flooring being out of scale. You still had a plain plywood bottom at that point. We were just kidding of course, because it still looked incredible! But if that pushed you to do the 1 x 8 flooring which is so much better looking then we shall continue to make jest with you. Who knows what soaring heights that will propel you too[(-D]

Great Work!
Trevor

[SpaceMouse]

I know this is tight spacing and all, but is there any way to sand it down and smooth out the rough edges? The saw dust can be used to fill the places where it doesn't quite line up when you Dull Cote it.

[Anonymous]

Tom one word "WOW"!!!!!

[tstage]

UPDATE:
I'm almost done with installing the 1 x 8 flooring. However, I ran out of dimensional stock today so I'll have to go to the LHS tomorrow or Wednesday to pick up another pack, of which I only need about three strips to finish up.

Here's a pic of the progress so far. I removed the office dividing wall for a better view:



I do like how it's turning out. However, it took me a few planks to work out the technique of installing them correctly. Even then, working with 1/2 a roof overhead has been a real challenge.

You can't really tell by the picture much. But, if you look at the flooring of the warehouse section (closest to you) up close, you can see where a few of the boards separated and don't sit up flu***o one another. There's also a few spots where I accidentally got CA on the top surface of the flooring.


DILEMMA:
I was thinking of masking the CA "stains" by painting the plank surface with some Dulcote - to mimick a shellacked floor. Any thoughts on that approach? Or, should I just leave it as is? How about just "shellacking" the office area and leaving the warehouse "rustic"? I'd appreciate anyone's input. Thanks!

Tom

[tstage]

Tim,

I did. I used some very thin model "ply" sheeting, but it was too uniform looking. (If you click on my layout link below, on p. 2, you can see what I'm talking about.) The 1 x 8 planks break up the uniformity while only adding .011" to the height of the flooring. I'll try and post an updated picture soon.

Tom

[trainfreek92]

Tom-I tohught you already put down a floor??? Why the change?? Nice work on that station[:D] Tim

[tstage]

Well...thanks fellas! I appreciate the encouragement. [:)]

Chip,

Yea, I think you were on your excursion when I posted it. Actually, I'm still workin' on it. Other than some touchup, the outside is pretty much finished. However, I did decide to install 1 x 8 plank flooring on the inside....AFTER I attached the roof! Thankfully, I made 1/2 the roof removable when I originally put it together. Even so, it would be a WHOLE lot easier to install the floor if the entire roof came off. I'm still coming up with ideas for the inside.


Antonio & Fergie,

I'd be delighted to tell you. It's an Alexander Scale Models NYC Freight station. The prototype is located in Caledonia, MI. (Chip picked it up for me.) The kits are no longer being manufactured and sometimes sell on eBay for a pretty penny. (At this very moment, there are two available.)

Tomar recently bought the rights to the ASM line and, according to the Walthers catalog, will be bringing the kits back out sometime in the near future. The individual parts of the original kit were die-cut or "punched" out - which left some needed filing in order to clean up the edges. I'm hoping that the newer, re-released kits will be laser cut instead.

As I mentioned above, even though it's a kit, I did do some "kitbashing" or additional work on it. The outside is pretty much unchanged. It's the inside that I've detailed out more extensively. I've installed/added the following to the freight station:

- Baseboard and window trim
- 1 x 8 plank flooring
- Working slide doors
- Center beam bracket
- Additional interior wall to divide up the front section into two smaller rooms
- Removable roof (on back portion of building)

Still to accomplish:

-Interior and exterior lighting
-Station details --> hand cart, crates, pallets, boxes, furniture, people, etc.

Anyway, there you go. I'll be sure to post some updated pictures sometime soon. Thanks again for your kind words and encouragement.

Tom

[Fergmiester]

Wow, I'm impressed.

I tried to start a thread on photos of people's work earlier this month so members could show their work. This is what we really need to see as it is inspiring.

I wish we could see more of this on a regular basis.

Maybe Bergie can be approached to do a sticky for show and tell.

Well done TStage! Can you tell us who made the kit please

[Anonymous]

Agreed! Tom, this is really splendid modelling. An inspiration for us all.

Trevor

[AntonioFP45]

Was this a kitbash or scratchbuilt? Either way that station is stunning work! Great job!


[4:-)][tup][8D][tup]

[SpaceMouse]

I must have been gone when you posted your progress. It looks really good. I stole this picture from your Railimages account.