A bunch of little bitty windows. When stuff comes out of the laser cutter, they are covered with a very fine dust, which is vaporized bits of acrylic, and they need to be washed in warm soapy water and dried. The millions of tiny pieces are too small and cumbersome to be dried with a towel or something, so they are laid out to let Wyoming's 15% humidity do its thing. Hence this photo:
It is also a good idea to do an inventory count, so laying out in groups helps. Also, including a small monetary offering to the gods of chaos helps insure that a few stragglers don't get sucked into the vortex of doom . . .
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
ROBERT PETRICKAlso, including a small monetary offering to the gods of chaos helps insure that a few stragglers don't get sucked into the vortex of doom
Is a penny enough to satisfy the Gods of Chaos? I would put out at least a nickel.
I guess drying the pieces with compressed air would be out of the question.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 ROBERT PETRICK Also, including a small monetary offering to the gods of chaos helps insure that a few stragglers don't get sucked into the vortex of doom Is a penny enough to satisfy the Gods of Chaos? I would put out at least a nickel. I guess drying the pieces with compressed air would be out of the question. -Kevin
ROBERT PETRICK Also, including a small monetary offering to the gods of chaos helps insure that a few stragglers don't get sucked into the vortex of doom
I sometimes use dimes, or even go all in and use a quarter. But the shiny silver (aluminum-plated copper-clad) surfaces cause a bright glare in macro photos.
I use a calibrated compressor that delivers 98-degree air in controlled bursts.
There have been a few threads recently regarding bridges. One talked about road bridges, and I wasn't entirely sure what the OP meant by that. I would interpret the phrase 'road' bridge to mean highway bridge; you know, vehicular traffic. But, being a railroad forum, most posters assumed it meant railroad bridge, which is perfectly understandable. So, I didn't post anything thereto.
But it got me to thinking that since I added a little back story about how I arrived at the name of one bridge on my layout, I should add some more info about the other one.
Here's a photo of the inspiration:
The Hart Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida. A highway bridge. When I first came to know this bridge, it was called the Commodore Point Bridge. The project manager for the company that built it was named Winston Littlefield, an old-school engineer from a time when there were giants who built this country using little more than a piece of paper, a piece of pencil, and a slide rule.
When highway bridges in Florida cross deep rivers, they have to rise considerably to allow ocean-going ships to pass underneath. That rising (and the corresponding falling on the other side) necessitates a long, gentle vertical curve in the middle, easily noticed in this photo. Fabricating and constructing such a curve on my layout was possible, but a whole lot more complicated to pull off. So mine is flat. And it is compressed a little. I had plenty of room (N Scale), but 66 inches is long enough and there's no sense being ridiculous about it.
I'm currently doing some more design work on the little Maritime Museum for my layout, so I'm belatedly responding to a comment about this photo posted about a year ago. I apologize for the delay.
7j43k I think those flags read: "If you can read this, you're too close." Ed
I think those flags read:
"If you can read this, you're too close."
Ed
Actually, it reads 'Hurricane Anita'.
Here is the rough first draft of a candidate for the Maritime Museum, laser cut from 0.030" taskboard (a kind of lightweight fibrous papery cardboard similar to the gray chipboard on the back of legal pads). Not wood, not even close, but not paper either. Stiff enough to form fairly straight surfaces that stand up to careful handling.
What I have in mind is an old-timey residence that is large enough and grand enough to house a legitimate museum. By old-timey, I mean from about 1900 or before. A kind of well-built mini-mansion of a style and character that seems suited for a wind-swept and rugged seaside location, and a bit above average within the local gentry. I figure the original inhabitants might have made a little pocket money running rum during Prohibition, or at least they could have kept a lookout for those who did, and they used the proceeds to move up in status and mingle amongst the horses-and-yachts crowd.
I have visited several small museums, and that building looks right in-line for the smaller historical society museums. The right size, and the right style.
The Widow's Walk (I think that is what it is called) on the roof makes it look more suitable for the maritime theme.
SeeYou190 The Widow's Walk (I think that is what it is called) on the roof makes it look more suitable for the maritime theme. -Kevin
Yes. And a few large artifacts and exhibits displayed on the pavilion out back will also help sell the maritime theme: a pair of crossed kedge anchors taken from a Spanish treasure galleon and a long-nine deck gun from the British frigate who captured her. Plus a solid bronze ship's bell or two that're always popular with the bubble gum crowd.
Nice Robert. According to local historical societies, there a few huge farm houses in the midwest that also have the widows walk, so mom or wife could watch for a son or husband due home from the war, or a long voyage.
There are some in the rual (not as rural as it once was) areas around where I live.
Some had enclosed cupalas with a deck surrounding it.
I suppose it all started as maritime related, but it did carry inland as well.
Nice model!
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewi Nice model! Mike.
Hey Mike, thanks.
This model is my first effort on this particular scratch-build. I think I will add a quick coat of rattle can white primer (to kinda diminish the laser scorch marks) and paint the roofs (rooves?) green (to simulate the copper roofs the neauveau riche original owners would have used to impress the neighbors) and place it on the layout to see how it looks in the overall scheme. It can stay there pretty much indefinitely until something better comes along.
The final model will be a little different depending on construction methods and materials used. Some details are normally not shown because . . . well . . . N Scale, and the 24-inch rules always comes into play.
But some details not shown on this rough draft will be incorporated into the final model; such as doors, windows, shutters, stairs, and railings. I will try to find these things from the usual places, but some will have to be scratch-built because they are simply not commercially available. And here's where the educational aspect of this exercise arises.
A lot of people ask me if I plan to ever use 3D printing, and it seems that now is a good time to start. I will make some 3D CAD models and send the files into Shapeways (or some similar outfit) and see what's what. Might work, might not. But we'll see.
Just reading thru the thread, Robert. Excellent work indeed. Something to be really proud of. Well done.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
WOW! Very Nice! Would you be willing to share the laser cut file? My Brother has a 60w laser cutter and I would love putting that on my HO layout.
Thanks
Chuck
Very nice work Robert. I took this opertunity to reread this thread as well. Your approach to layout building is very interesting.
I have been building models a long time, but I have the highest respect for those who work in N scale. I can't even imagine working in a scale that small.
Sheldon
Cheers, the Bear
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Chuck Stuettgen WOW! Very Nice! Would you be willing to share the laser cut file? My Brother has a 60w laser cutter and I would love putting that on my HO layout. Thanks Chuck
Hey Chuck-
Thanks. I appreciate your interest.
I've only just recently started into designing and building laser-cut structures. I'm still working out a lot of the details, and there are a lot of details to work out. I'm trying to figure out where the state of the art stands today, and what I can do to advance the craft.
For this particular structure, I am pondering both an N scale version and an HO version as well. There's more to going from N to HO than simply multiplying dimensions by a scale factor of 1.84 or something. I'm trying to figure out which materials are best to use and how those materials can be cut out, handled, assembled, joined, glued, painted, etc.
When I get a little further along the learning curve, I'll send you a PM. I'd be curious to see how well an interested third-party can take a raw set of drawings and assemble the model. It could be valuable to get real-world feedback and an honest assessment of the design.
Robert, I found that emojis in the quoted post are causing the 403 error. Delete the emoji and the post will work.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Robert, I found that emojis in the quoted post are causing the 403 error. Delete the emoji and the post will work. Sheldon
Rich
Alton Junction
Cheers, the Bear.
Just about ready to place on the layout.
Nice!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Pruitt Nice!
Thanks!
I've recently taken up the sport of 3D Resin Printing, and I posted a few photos in another thread regarding that topic. Instead of using generic publicly-available online .STL files to test and calibrate my printer, I used actual project designs. Since those designs are specifically for this layout build, I am updating this thread and adding a few of the photos here.
Here is a CAD rendering of a pile cap for the main piers of Win Littlefield Bridge:
And a photo of the actual 3D print:
Here's a photo of the pile base, the pile shaft, and the pile cap:
And a photo of the assembled bridge pier:
And finally a photo showing the pier in its location on the layout for when it replaces the existing 'place holder' pier:
The resin prints feel a lot smoother than they look. After a coat or two of sandable primer we'll see what's what.
Very nice. Those look really good.
3D Resin Print Project No 2 . . .
Corner turret with witch hat roof for the Maritime Museum. N scale. Exploded view and assembled view.
And a photo of the pieces and parts as they came out of the printer. A little sanding and filing and general cleanup. Then assembly.
Dang, forgot to add a penny to the photo.
Hi Robert,
Just out of curiousity, could the window frames and wall trim details be printed separately so that they would be easier to paint a different colour? Also, could the window frames be printed separately with more details like sills and header trim pieces that project further from the basic frames? If that level of detail isn't practical in N scale, could it be feasible in HO?
Also, have you already sanded the tower parts shown in the pictures? I'm curious to know how much sanding is required. They look pretty clean to me.
Thanks,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
hon30critter Hi Robert, Just out of curiousity, could the window frames and wall trim details be printed separately so that they would be easier to paint a different colour? Also, could the window frames be printed separately with more details like sills and header trim pieces that project further from the basic frames? If that level of detail isn't practical in N scale, could it be feasible in HO? Also, have you already sanded the tower parts shown in the pictures? I'm curious to know how much sanding is required. They look pretty clean to me. Thanks, Dave
Hey Dave-
Yes, the frames (and any other details) could be printed separately and then painted and applied. But, that would mean a bunch of little bitty appliques about the size of my little fingernail. Gluing them on and lining them all up would be as much trouble as masking them off. The window frames are square and they are all on outside corners (no tight inner corners to deal with). And yes, doing this in HO would be a lot easier. For one thing, the pieces would be the size of my thumbnail.
Similar story regarding the copings and cornices and the horizontal trim accents.
But my plan was to simply add some texture to an otherwise plain wall section. The windows and frames I'm using are commercial store-bought units, and they already come in a contrasting color or they can be painted as you describe. We N-Scalers try to not ask for too much . . .
Regarding sanding and finishing . . . here's a photo.
The circled parts show what was described in that other thread as 'elephant's feet'. Not much sanding and filing to do, but I'm using Tichy windows, and they have a little flange that fits snugly into the square opening from the inside. So, those tiny ridges need to be flattened and squared up.
Yes I had trouble with pesky overexposure issues when I tried to design a small slotting concept to fit my well car halves together. The slots were always smaller then they were supposed to be. If you figure out how to get rid of that before I do, by all means please let us know. Its a pretty big dilemma for designing tight fitting parts.
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
ROBERT PETRICKYes, the frames (and any other details) could be printed separately and then painted and applied. But, that would mean a bunch of little bitty appliques about the size of my little fingernail. Gluing them on and lining them all up would be as much trouble as masking them off.
Thanks for explaining that.
I have acquired almost all of the structures needed for my layout. In hind sight I think I may have missed an opportunity to create my own unique structures, especially for the the larger buildings in the downtown scenes. Compared to what I have spent in kits, I could very likely have purchased a decent 3D printer and made them all myself. One significant advantage would have been the ability to print windows, doors and other architectural details separately to make the painting process much easier.
I played with Walthers Modulars when I was working on my first layout plan and I loved the flexibility and creativity that they allowed. Unfortunately they were exceedingly expensive up until they discontinued them and started to clear them out. Unfortunately the buildings that I made won't work on the new layout.
Trying something new. With valuable assistance from Mark Pruitt.
Here's a YouTube video of a CAD animation of a double-leaf bascule bridge I designed quite a while ago. Based (more or less) on the Burnside Bridge in Portland. At the time I was using a much older version of AutoCAD, so the image might look a little raggedy. But, I'm not entirely sure that even if I re-created it again today, it would look any better.
EDIT to add image of actual bridge . . .