You used WHAT to make that???!!!

[fontgeek]

Old or ruined computer or music CDs can be used to make great mirrors or mirrored windows. I use a scroll saw to cut them, but you could use an Xacto or heavy duty scissors to cut them. I sandwich them between a couple of pieces of scrap wood, and drive a nail to fasten the two pieces of wood through the center hole. The wood keeps the edges from shattering, getting frayed, or cracking. Sculpy or epoxy paste gives you a way to make a frame that fits perfectly, and impressing textures into the Sculpy or epoxy lets you make them as ornate as you wish.
CD jewel boxes are a great source for clear, flat plastic. Great for making windows.

[ghelman]

Phil, I believe that your water tower did inspire mine. It has been a while since I built it, and I can't remember where some of the ideas came from. Did you publish in the GR?

[VulcanCCIT]

Long ago I used the screw tops to mini bottles of alcohol...some liquor stores still sell them.  2 tops glued together make a nice barrel ...stained or painted :)  This was for S guage, not really G ..but maybe someone can use this for something.

[toenailridgesl]

Wow, what great ideas. Not much to add. I did build a water tower. I banded it with copper wire. I strpped off the coating and stretched it out. Then layed it around the tower. To keep it in place I drove copper tacks into the tower around the perimeter. and soldered the wire at each tack. Not sure how real this is but it looks nice. I also made the roof from brass sheet and angle brass. Again probably not what was ever used on the real ones but looks good in the garden.

Nice job. Sure reminds me of mine, of which I published a how-to page on building this tank 5-6 years ago.

For those interested, the how-to page is here:
http://www.trainweb.org/lgbofozclub/tank.html

[Anonymous]

Did not know where to place this, so here it is....enjoy. Need me to get closer I could.

William

[Anonymous]

Sorry guys I have not the money just yet to get this kitbash off the ground yet but you can use a 12v cpu cooling fan (under $8.00, non bearing) to cool a engine and so far my test shows it reduces heat by 56% which keeps the motor and me happy. I hope.

I am making my own SF M.O.W. sweeper and I did not skimp on anything. Just need bearings???!!!

William

[John Busby]

Hi

Has any one mentioned El Cheapo thin self stick vinyl floor tiles for roofing slates.

A real painful job it will be to cut the individual tiles, but if you have the time and the patience worth it.

We really should pay more attention to roofs as we spend a lot of time looking down at them.

regards John

[bman36]

Wow...I totally forgot I had started this thread. Thanks everyone for all your contributions! Talk about excellent ideas for scratch building. Keep it up. Later eh...Brian.

 

[Anonymous]

I am glade to see this thread is still alive and active! I to am disabled but I think I have lost my sanity.

For high wheel or mow truck use lower guage wheels. Makes it to scale and if your anal as I am placing a motor on the high rail truck it will wiz around the track with your workers!

William

Note: true value in the front wheels on truck needs to be off the rail and back tires need to be on the rail. All the strobes and flashers are online.

[S&G Rute of the Silver River]

Using a mess of old popsicle sticks (it was hot) ,a spool and some sheet metal( off a car door) I whiped up a light wrecker that is now a busted loading dock and the lift is in a box awating a new base. The wrecker had a wreck at my friends, seems it didn't like rolling off the table down a flight of stairs and onto a stone floor. 

[Railscapes]

Ok, this one may blow you away.

I worked at my second career as a granite countertop fabricator/installer. After becoming "disabled", due to the obvious... bad back. I have been just working on keeping my sanity, (that's going OK) by staying busy in some way... any way. My injuries do limit my mobility but not my desire to create.

I used a few pieces of stone leftover from a large kitchen job, to fabricate a polished granite arch bridge. The bridge is located in a prominent spot on my cousin's garden railroad in Pottstown, Pa. (it was a gift)

Stone cutting is moderately dangerous but it's really not too difficult and if you can find a source locally, I reccomend trying it. (hint... Local stone shops have a whole lot of leftovers from prior jobs, and they would love to see someone come and pick thru it... Most of it will never "move", so I'll bet you the price will be extremely low, and you will be doing them a favor by getting it out of their way. They are probably way too busy making kitchens, to ever take the time to go thru what's in their yard. It's old stuff too them. All they are thinking about is keeping up with the demand for kitchens)

It usually comes polished on one side and 3cm thick. (1 1/4") If you would like your bridge to be "polished" (like a mirror) then you will need to either spend a lot to have one made, or to buy the diamond polishing pads yourself and hope you can master that skill without screwing up a lot of stone in the process. It might be one of those, "don't try this at home" type of things. In that case you can just e-mail me and I'll help you thru the process.

I was actually going to start to design and build them for folks as an "artist/contractor" but since I came up with that idea, my back and hip have gotten worse. I do still want to see more of my bridges out there in the real world, and I would love to see all of the garden railroading community enjoy them too. So if this sounds like something which you would like to hear more about, or if you have dimensions for a hole you want to span, run it past me and we'll see what happens. I'm willing to "train", so don't be shy. You can learn a new trade, too.

E-mail address: [e-mail]

[piercedan]

I have found out that desktop computers have a 50/50 chance of having the right size fan for the Aristo TE to allow you to go to 10 amps with a fan cooled TE. 

Desktop computers have wires going to the front panel from the mother board and these female connectors will mate with LGB connectors, just watch polarity.  I use them to connect lights in cars.
A blow torch and banging the mother board will remove the connectors for these cables.

Also, a laptop power supply can be as high as 20 volts DC and 3 amps, perfect power supply for many trains just add a controller.

[emdgp92]

Straight pins make great gearshift levers in G scale cars. Not only is the part the right color (chrome), but sometimes the "ball" end doesn't have to be painted. I've used this method on many cars over the years--the most recent being a Tamiya Ferrari Testarossa. Thinner pins could be used for levers on MoW trucks, tow trucks, locomotives, you name it :)

[GAPRR]

Celotex Drop ceiling tiles cut into strips & broke up into smaller pieces for mountain strata, rock faces in hills, etc.

Found objects; tower fans from Walmart for skyscrapers (average price-$17 to $37 in working condition). That's a lot cheaper than a skyscraper in kit form. I leave the fan part in operating condition. Plastic sign material from Walmarts dumpsters to make buildings from scratch.

Carpet fibers for foliage. Buy a deep pile rug from the Dollar store & cut out clumps w/sharp scissors for foliage. Prefer dark greens. Paint brushes from the Dollar store for reeds in your lakes & streams. I use sharp scissors to cut off clumps of the brush & imbed them in a wet lake when making the water or you can use E6000 to glue the reeds on or some fast setting glue. Make awnings from PVC 90 degree elbows cut at a certain spot on a bandsaw. All kinds of rock from the garden dept. in lg. bags or the pet dept.(for fish aquariums) in small bags at Walmart. I use a lot of Lava rock & then add coloring. Pringle canisters for silo's. Paint them w/latex paint. I get scrap sign boards(wafer board) from my local sign shops & scratch build a lot of buildings w/it.(free). Real dirt & sand for rough roads. Sheetrock mudd for roads & RR crossings. When it dries, it cracks like real old time roads. If the cracks are too big, fill them w/caulk. If you have a section of your layout that you have ripped up & you don't want to sand it down the rest of your life, cover it w/thin construction cardboard. Like the display boards you find in the stationery dept. at Walmart.Paint it w/asphalt grey latex.

I've used plaster for mountains, foam for mountains, pine bark & a bunch of other stuff, but, I like plaster the best over aluminum screen. It doesn't crack & is super strong. But, now I've got completely away from that & only use Celotex tiles now.

I've been in the Model RR'ing hobby for over 45 years & I learn something new everyday. You just gotta get out there in those craft stores, Walmart craft depts. & other places & look. Your mind will see things that will work on that special RR project.

Have a GREAT Day!!

GAP RR (Gulf-Atlantic-Pacific)

[Anonymous]

regulaly visit my local lego store - for £6 you can buy a tub of bits , including large and small steering wheels which i use for backhead detail and operating wheels , also a rather neat moulding in black that replaces the steps on rodgers locos . loads of other bits that can be utilised for scratchbuilding tho the plastic they use is not suited to solvent cement.

[fontgeek]

Gesso is a thick, workable base coat, normally used for prepping stretched canvas for oil painting, it is white, and somewhere between a paint and a paste, it gets brushed onto canvas, and worked or leveled out to give the painter a surface that the paint will adhere to without soaking in. It can be applied in multiple coats to achieve whatever texture or depth the artist wants, it can be sanded, scraped, gouged, scratched, etc. for the desired texture. Painters routinely purchase it in anything from a pint to 5 gal. quantity.
If you want cobble stone streets, lay down one smooth coat and let it dry, then stretch out the net sacks you get from fruit, potatoes, or onions, then, with the net stretched to the desire size flat against the surface, apply a second coat of gesso, you can use a squeegeee to get it smooth, then lift the net and let it dry. The netting acts as a stencil for teh grout lines or seams. I found that having the net stretched using a large embroidery hoop makes it easy to handle and lift.
Because gesso is made to be painted, it can take almost anything you could think of, and if history is considered, gesso has lasted hundreds of years behind paintings, and has lasted through paintings being rolled up, unrolled, restretched and framed.

Fun stuff.

[paultheloon]

what is gesso?

[fontgeek]

For doing more decoative siding or roofing shingles, try using craft scisors that cut a scalloped edge, they are availiable in various sizes from craft stores, Walmart, Costco, etc. Using these on tar paper or similar materials will give you an easy way to get the texture popular in the mid 1800's to the early 1900s. Cutting the strips, and then offsetting each strip will give you a perfectly spaced shingle. You can also choose from a wide variety of patterns for the scisors, and like using lace for decorative iron work, you can use the decorative edges for creating the ornate molding or trim for Victorian style buildings.

Talk to your local sign shops, or go dumpster diving in their bins, they use all kinds of PVC and vinyl materials, foamcore, coroplast, and will usually save scraps or screwups for you if asked. You just have to be willing to pick up material on a regualr and consistent basis.

Using Gesso on the exteriors of buildings will give you the ability to get sculptable textured finishes, like stucco, plaster, bricks, stonework, etc. Gesso is what oil painters use to prepare a raw canvas, it goes on like a very thick paint or light plaster, but stays fairly flexable. Some of it's abilities are that it can be applied in many layers for additional depth, it can be sanded, scratched, carved, etc. once it is dry, but while it is wet, you can use a pallet knife to get plaster or stucco effects, impress sandpaper for a grittier texture, impress string to give grout lines for stones or bricks, apply it through stencils for more sculpted textures or ornamentation, when applied to cylinders, you can impress the gesso with popscicle sticks or coffee stirrers to get fluted columns, etc. The possiblilities are darn near endless. The fact that it will accept any type of paint also helps make it a great addition to your****nal. You can purchase it in large or small quantities, and it is availiable in name or generic brands for the more frugal amongst us. Check out your local artsupply stores, and look in some of the departments you wouldn't normally visit.

[CPT Stryker]

You can use empty pellet gun CO2 cartridges for many different things. If you have a military railway, you can add tailfins and paint them green w/ yellow markings to make bombs. They can be used as liquid propane tanks, air compressor tanks or any other compressed gas tanks.

[Anonymous]

HI All; has anyone used a glass cutter for scribing cardboard and wood for siding? I tried it the other day on some old brown cardboard that is the backing for note books and such and found it does a pretty fair job. I'm gonna try using it to make "bricks" next. Wish me luck! Jeff

[GP-9_Man11786]

Yes I do, but its blury and out of focus. Sorry. I will take another next time I go to my O-Gauge Hi-Rail club where the fence is located.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by GP-9_Man11786

For a conveyer belt on my sawmill, I used an old sanding belt.

To make a raught-iron fence, you can take paper clips and solder them together side by side and either paint them balck or let them rust.

I also took a few of those palstic "cell packs" that seedlings are sold in and made "Hazmat" containers out of them. This was largly based off a Lionel car.

Do you have a pic of the fence?

[GP-9_Man11786]

For a conveyer belt on my sawmill, I used an old sanding belt.

To make a raught-iron fence, you can take paper clips and solder them together side by side and either paint them balck or let them rust.

I also took a few of those palstic "cell packs" that seedlings are sold in and made "Hazmat" containers out of them. This was largly based off a Lionel car.

[John Busby]

Hi Capt Carrales
Thank you for placeing the picture here.
Signals even ones as simple as this example seem very often to be overlooked on garden railways wonder why??.
Yey back to two stars again[:D]
regards John

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by John Busby

Hi all
This one is for the Birits and Colonies semaphore signals Finials.
as I used square alluminium tube for the mast take one plastic end cap
drill the center.
Pu***hrough a aprox 2mm dia flat head nail 40mm long superglue nail head ot inside of cap note it will not stick very well.
Drill a plastic conical bead that is aprox 5mm dia and 10mm long so it is a neat sliding fit on nail. cement this to end cap ad super glue to the nail.
grab a scoluped ball shaped plastic bead aprox 18mm to a neat sliding fit on the nail
couner sink one side slightly cement this to cone bead and superglue on nail.
You should have aprox 20mm of nail protruding from top of beads file point slightly to remove sharp point.
Paint White with Red or Yellow ball depending on signal type pus into signal mast.
one signal finial that while not dead scale looks the part.
measurements are a guide only but produced to me the best look.
regards John

I am very pleased to present this item, made by our own John Busby...

John begins by saying, "I described what I had used to make a signal finial that's the
decorative spike on top of the mast. This was a very simple signal to make the triangle is actually bolted to the mast as per the AUS prototype."

[wchasr]

While in NYC a few weeks ago walked past a trash ple in front of an apartment building with many old wooden slatted blinds! I thought briefly of getting my friends to help me haul them on the subway to teh hotel and then back on the bus too! Like I said only briefly. I knew they would say NO! Oh well.

Chas

[John Busby]

Hi all
This one is for the Birits and Colonies semaphore signals Finials.
as I used square alluminium tube for the mast take one plastic end cap
drill the center.
Pu***hrough a aprox 2mm dia flat head nail 40mm long superglue nail head ot inside of cap note it will not stick very well.
Drill a plastic conical bead that is aprox 5mm dia and 10mm long so it is a neat sliding fit on nail. cement this to end cap ad super glue to the nail.
grab a scoluped ball shaped plastic bead aprox 18mm to a neat sliding fit on the nail
couner sink one side slightly cement this to cone bead and superglue on nail.
You should have aprox 20mm of nail protruding from top of beads file point slightly to remove sharp point.
Paint White with Red or Yellow ball depending on signal type pus into signal mast.
one signal finial that while not dead scale looks the part.
measurements are a guide only but produced to me the best look.
regards John

[ghelman]

Thanks Annie. I really enjoyed making it. I had an idea for it and it came out just as I wanted. That almost never happens when I build things. Something always changes my plans and I have to regoup. Anyway have a great day.

[Anonymous]

Hey I like your water tower mister [:)]
The one big advantage of being a woman is that I can go anywhere and buy anything without so much as a blush. I can also use any kitchen appliance I like for assisting my modelling endevours without causing fights and upsets too.
Ok another tip. I was having trouble last night getting two different kinds of plastic to glue together on my Hartland/New Bright hybrid loco 'bash', - sooooooo I went out to the garage and got my pot of PVC plumbing cement off the shelf. The stuff stinks and you have to be careful of the fumes, BUT can it ever glue plastic! [:)] [:)] [:)]

Annie