First off, I found a pair of websites about restoring an engine almost identical to this one:
http://www.eldensengines.com/F-M%20Power%20Station/F-M%20Power%20Station.html
http://www.coolspringpowermuseum.org/Exhibits.htm
I learned a lot about the engine from from these two sites. For one thing, it's a 300 horsepower Fairbanks Morse opposed-piston engine, probably model 38F5-1/4. This type of engine has two crankshafts, one at the top and one at the bottom. It also has two sets of pistons, which face each other in the cylinders. Also, the large thing protruding from the top front, which I'm currently working on, is a supercharger.
In addition to powering generators, these types of engines were also used in locomotives, submarines, and surface ships.
Anyway, I've mostly been working on adding all the details to the supercharger. The air filter was made from a short segment of 5/8" styrene tube, with a piece of 1/2" tube stuck into it. An acrylic, elliptical dome was used to make the rounded bottom of the air filter (shown bottom up in this photo):
I cut another segment of 1/2" tube and cut a slit in it, so I could wrap it around the first tube. Later I cut a piece to fill the gap:
A few years ago I bought some photoetched mesh with round holes, thinking I'd find a use for it eventually. It turned out to be perfect to replicate the mesh on the air filter:
I cut a strip of the brass mesh to the proper width, then wrapped it around a much narrower tube before installing it on the air filter. I sealed the ends together with tiny bit of thick CA, which was enough to hold it in place. Then I topped off the air filter with a styrene disk to represent the lid. I still need to add the bolt to the center of the lid:
Here's how it looks on the supercharger. I haven't glued it in place yet, it's just sitting there. The other details were made from various bits of styrene tubes and strips:
Here's the whole engine so far. The orange piece was made from the bottom of a prescription pill bottle:
That's all for now, more later.
Ray DunakinI learned a lot about the engine from from these two sites.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
A few days ago I posted this photo of a styrene test piece for the covers on the engine:
My plan was to make a rubber mold and cast these things in resin. But that test piece was too rough. Well, I tried a couple more and couldn't get it to look as good as I wanted. So I tried a different approach, making it out of 1mm Sintra and scribing the indentations. That turned out even worse:
Even if I could have created a suitable master, I had doubts about how well such thin pieces would reproduce as castings. So I scrapped the whole idea and decided to come up with a non-prototypical design that would be simple enough that I could make all 20 of them individually. My first test of this was extremely simple, just a flat piece of styrene with rounded corners and a nut/washer in the middle:
But I felt that this was TOO simple. I wanted something that looked a bit more interesting. The design I settled on was made by layering two pieces of .020" styrene. Both pieces had the corners rounded, and I beveled the edges of the smaller piece before gluing it on top of the base piece. Here's how they turned out:
I also did some work on the base for the engine and generator:
.
Ingenious solution Ray. I think that they look really good.
Joe
After a very lengthy hiatus from modeling, I'm finally starting to get back into it a little. Currently I'm trying to finish up the two incomplete projects I'd been working on before. One of these is the Grizzly Bar saloon. I last worked on this almost a year ago. Here's where I left off:
Since then I've painted and weathered the upper portion to look like old wood with faded/peeled paint. The corrugated metal was painted with two-part rust from Sophisticated Finishes. I also put corrugated metal on the roof of the patio. Signs were made by printing out the designs onto self-adhesive vinyl, which was then cut out as a stencil:
Because the roof has warped a little, I had to curve the lettering slightly:
The windows and doors were painted separately prior to installing the glass:
I added security bars to the patio door. These were made from styrene:
The building is now complete except for the lights and some interior details:
Enjoy!
Good work Ray!
My only comment is that the sidewalk outside of the Grizzly Bar is pretty steep. Maybe you should put a medical station which stays open into the wee hours of the morning at the bottom of the slope to patch up the bar's patrons!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The other incomplete model that I'm trying to get finished is the power house for the Mineral Ridge mine and mill. When I last worked on it, I had been in the middle of constructing the large diesel generator for the interior. That part of the project is still on hold, but I'm currently working on finishing up the exterior of the structure. Here's what it looked like when I left off:
I built two different smoke stacks for the building. One is for the generator and one for the blacksmith's forge. The generator stack is made of brass and has a conical cap:
The forge stack is a bit shorter and has a simpler design:
I also decided that the building really needed a pair of ventilation cupolas. I built these out of 6mm Sintra, with styrene strips for the louvers. Since I had already covered the roof with corrugated metal, I had to mount them to the metal with Dynaflex 230:
That's about as far as I've got, for now.
hon30critterMy only comment is that the sidewalk outside of the Grizzly Bar is pretty steep.
Thanks, Bear!
hon30critter Good work Ray! My only comment is that the sidewalk outside of the Grizzly Bar is pretty steep. Maybe you should put a medical station which stays open into the wee hours of the morning at the bottom of the slope to patch up the bar's patrons! Dave
Sidewalk would be a luxury to me in my younger days. The university I went to was built on the side of a mountain. Stairs and hills everywhere. The fraternities and all the free beer were way up the hill - actually, it's known as the Hill, capital H. Going up was easy, you were sober then. One particualrly steep hillside shortcut was affectionately known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Coming down was a real challenge. I accept the Grizzly bar challenge!
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
A little more progress...
Four strands of fine copper wire were soldered to the large smoke stack. The other ends of these wires were tied to tiny eye hooks, which I got from the jewelry section in Michael's:
I sprayed the entire exterior of the building with self-etching metal primer. Then I sprayed a bit of white primer onto the "wood" portions of the cupolas and trim:
I painted the doors and window frames, beginning with a coat of white primer. Next I applied various shades of brown and gray, to simulate the appearance of old wood. When that was dry, I liberally brushed on some Testor's enamel thinner. While this was wet, I added the white/green color coats, using a modified dry-brush technique. The enamel acts as a "resist", and this effect combined with the dry-brush technique results in a look of worn, peeled paint:
I also painted the removable interior of the building's main room. It's a bit rough, but doesn't need to be perfect. Much of it will be obscured by the generator and other items, and most of it will only be visible from one angle when seen through the windows:
The "wood" portions of the cupola and exterior trim were painted in a similar manner to the doors and windows:
Then I had to mask off these areas in preparation for the next step. I will be spraying the building with Rustoleum "Cold Galvanizing Compound". This will give the building a realistic appearance of galvanized metal:
That's all for now, more later. Enjoy!
I like the look of the worn paint on the wood parts!
Thanks Dave! It was actually kind of a "quick and dirty" job. I've had this building in the works for so long that I don't have quite as much patience as I did when I started it. :)
Ray DunakinIt was actually kind of a "quick and dirty" job.
Well, obviously "quick and dirty" works!
I used this photo of the control panel at the Diamond Tunnel mine in Nevada to create the electrical control panel for the model:
I started by importing a copy of the photo into Photoshop, where I retouched it, cleaned it up, straightened it out, and cropped it. Then I printed it onto self-adhesive vinyl. I mounted this on 6mm Sintra. I also printed a second copy to use as a guide in making some details that would stand out in 3D. I mounted these on 1mm Sintra, and cut them out:
I added some thicker pieces of Sintra as needed, and sanded them to shape. Then I glued the details to the main panel:
Next I cut out the slots for the switch levers, and removed the remaining vinyl. I also added some dials made from slices of styrene rod:
The switch levers were made from brass and glued in place:
Next I made a frame for the control panel, using styrene strips and a piece of heavy brass screen:
I painted the frame, and also painted the switches and other details to match the photographic print. Then I glued the control panel into the frame, and glued the entire assembly into the building's interior:
Beautiful,Ray!
Mike
Great work again Ray!
I think that visiting your railway would be an exercise in discovery. Watching your trains run would almost be a distraction!
Getting near the end on this one...
After painting the exterior with Rustoleum's "Cold Galvanizing Compound", I went to work on the weathering. I've noticed that even galvanized metal can become rusted and/or discolored when exposed to the minerals and chemicals that are often found in and around mines, so that's what I wanted here. I used a two-part process to create real rust. This is sold under the brand name Sophisticated Finishes. Part one is an acrylic paint filled with iron powder. Part two is a chemical solution that rusts the iron.
Applying this effect to only parts of the structure, and in varying degrees, is a bit tricky. And the zinc in the galvanizing compound seems to inhibit it, which adds to the trickiness. I had to brush the iron paint on, applying a thick coat in some places and thinner in others. Then apply the rust solution. A lot of trial and error was involved, and additional applications of both the iron paint and the rust solution were needed. Here's how it looked partway through the process:
And here's the finished weathering. Time and exposure to real weather will improve it, turning the rust to a more natural coloration:
I added a rain gutter over the door to the blacksmith's shop, and also added a wooden lamp post and exterior lights:
I still need to cement the concrete steps in place, and build up the "soil" around the base of the building.
For the interior of the powerhouse, I painted the ceiling black between the rafters, and drilled holes where the lights will be:
The industrial-style lampshades are from Plastruct. I drilled them out to fit 3mm LEDs, which will be inserted from the top. Then I glued them to the ceiling:
The diesel generator is still unfinished, but was installed temporarily for these photos. I also added lights to the assay office, on the level below the powerhouse:
Meanwhile... the fence along the east side of our yard was replaced recently with a nice, new vinyl fence. But removal of the old fence left one corner of the pathway at the bottom of the railroad unsupported. So I had to dig out a lot of gravel and soil, and build up a small retaining wall of concrete blocks and concrete. Here it is in progress. I still need to dig soil out from under the corner of the step at the bottom of the stairs, and back-fill it with concrete:
That's all for now. Enjoy!
Hi Ray:
The rust on the panels is well done, but I would like to share my opinion on how most galvanized panels rust if you will permit me to offer my worth:
I sold asphalt roofing for many years. Being in the trade makes one susceptible to looking at roofs everywhere you go whether they are asphalt or not. As a result, I have observed multiple corrugated steel roofs and how they have typically weathered.
The weathering that I have observed does not usually occur willy nilly across the roof. Instead, most panels tend to rust in similar patterns. For example, it is quite common to see a roof where only one side of each of the panels is rusting. I suspect that the cause is inconsistent application of the galvanizing during production, but my point is that almost all of the panels will display a similar pattern. There won't be one really rusty panel next to one that has almost no corrosion.
I'm absolutely not suggesting that what you have done is wrong, and I am certainly not suggesting that you change anything! There is a prototype for everything, and I would be hard pressed to match your work. I'm simply offering the result of staring at all kinds of roofing over many years.
I hope I haven't offended.
I certainly respect Daves observations, but my first impression of the finished product was that it looked real BECAUSE it "didn't follow the rules". I've seen some too perfectly weathered model structures that are probably realistic, but looked "predictable". Out in the real world, the elements and the way man made products react to them aren't always consistent.
Edited in: I tried to post a link to a Pinterest picture of a real building that had some of the same elements of Ray's building's "inconsistancies" but it wouldn't take. But it looked like random panels were replaced over the years and themselves were aging at different rates. (Example of Dave's "prototype for everything")
Changing the subject a little, not too many of us have to do landscaping and yard work in conjunction with our model railroads! Dan
SouthgateI've seen some too perfectly weathered model structures that are probably realistic, but looked "predictable".
Hi Dan:
I totally understand your point of view. I have seen lots of examples of weathered corrugated steel roofs that just lack any 'punch' as it were. To me it is a question of what the modeller wants to draw the observer's eye to. Personally, I would like my roofs or walls to stay in the background. I would rather have the trains stand out.
Since were are addressing the topic of corrugated steel roofing I have to speak my mind about models that display said roofing with multiple loose pieces and huge gaps at the seams. That is simply not realistic IMHO. Rarely if ever will you see steel roofs with panels that are so loose that there are huge gaps between the panels, and with panels that are out of alignment with the ones next to them. I have seen numerous 'craftsman' kits with the roofing panels looking like they were applied from a distance of 10 feet with a blindfold on! That is just bogus IMHO. They may look cute but they aren't realistic in any way, shape or form!
A picture of a picture.
Sometimes, when it comes to the rules of how stuff is or isn't, there's no rules!
I think Ray's building just looks great, no 'splanations needed.
Thanks guys!
Dave, I'm always open to constructive criticism and suggestions. No worries there. In this case, I was trying to get something like this look:
...combined with a bit of this:
However, the real-rust method turned out harsher looking, at least for now. It should mellow as it ages.
Way back in January 2015, I finished the interior of a radio repair shop. That same building had room for another shop which was going to be a barbershop. By March of 2015 I had scratchbuilt a barber's chair:
Then the barbershop got put on the back burner while I worked on some other projects. Well, I'm happy to say that I've finally finished the barbershop, more than three years later!
I started by building a corner cabinet with a mirror. The parts were cut from thin Sintra PVC board:
The mirror was something I had bought from the craft store a few years ago. It had a thick, very oversized frame cast out of polyester resin. I had to sand off most of the frame to get it down to a useable size:
Once I got this far, I decided to add a counter extending to the left:
I added a couple strips of quarter-round rod to hold the mirror in place and hide the gaps:
After adding some styrene strips to represent drawers, and slices of styrene channel for handles, the cabinet was painted. Here's a shot of it temporarily in place in the building:
Then I started making all the little details. A coat rack was made from a strip of styrene and short sections of thin brass rod:
Various bottles were turned from clear acrylic rod and hand-painted. Vintage signs, posters, calendars, etc were printed on self-adhesive vinyl. The "glass" on the clock was cut from a cheap plastic "google-eye":
I wanted a simple wooden chair for waiting customers. I tried ordering one in 1/24th scale from a vendor on Shapeways. The first batch arrived and were too small. I notified the vendor, he made some changes, and sent me another batch. These were too large. Finally I just scratchbuilt a chair in the correct scale. Mine's the one in the middle:
I painted it to look like varnished wood:
More details were created to fill up the east wall, including a scratchbuilt magazine rack:
Here's an overhead shot, with the ceiling removed:
I made ceiling light fixtures from an acrylic "tulip" bead, a white fluted bead, and a plastic button. The bases of the lamps were painted with a metallic "steel" paint:
Continued in next post...
At last the building was finished and reinstalled on the layout. I also have added curtains and lighting to the Grizzly Bar Saloon:
The town of Mineral Ridge is really starting to look alive. Once I've finished adding interior details and lights to the remaining structures it will really be impressive:
Far out, Ray! Thanks for sharing, regards, Peter
Really excellent Ray!!!
I'll take back a bit of what I said about corrugated steel. Obviously there is a prototype for everything. Thanks for the example Southgate.
Super job on everything, Ray. It all blends in so naturally. 'Course, being outdoors adds considerably.
I have wondered what the advantage of two crankshafts opposite each other would be, but FM made 'em.
Dave, Regarding a prototype for everything... if I built a corrugated structure model where the corrugations ran horizontally on the roof, and posted it, I'd expect to get flamed by about a half a dozen members.
But there is just such a building like that visible from highway 97 here in Bend Oregon. It can even be seen on google satelite too.
58 SE Aune St, you can probably Google map it. Dan
A brief "infrastructure" update...
I finished that small retaining wall that was needed after the old fence was taken out. It goes down about two and half feet, and extends under the bottom step of the concrete stairs:
Another bit of recent fence work...I had an opening put into the wrought iron fence along the front of the layout. Now there are two entries to the layout, one at each end. This is much more convenient, and will also alleviate the bottleneck that forms when we have large groups come to visit:
In the background you can see the new vinyl fence going up the hill. I used to have a handrail mounted to the posts of the old wooden fence. I need to figure the best way to mount the handrail to this new fence, since the posts are hollow PVC.
As a suggestion, if the hollow vinyl posts are sunk into concrete, you could put smaller steel posts inside them and cement around them in the bottom to reinforce them. If that's the main concern. The tops do come off, I'd hope.Then drill your hand rail mount bolt holes in the vinyl and steel posts.
Or, pre-drill the steel on a drill press, put inside the vinyl. Then drill the vinyl. Bolt 'em together. Then fill the concrete in. Easier that way.
The work you did at the bottom of the stairs looks pretty solid and nice. Dan