Wow, over 1400 views! I really appreciate the interest. Tonight I am moving to the Layout Forum as I begin a new thread on the construction of my first freelance layout section for the villages of Cheverie and Kempt Shore, both real Nova Scotia communities.
So I'm going to stop my posts in this thread but will be back when I have made the complete structure. Thanks everyone for your comments.
Only showing one more end wall because the staggered lumber pattern above the door was suggested in this thread. It turned out great after four grades of sandpaper and a coat of polyurethane. I won't be showing the other seven end walls when they are complete.
Today I cut a batch of driftwood branches to restock my supply of logs for construction timber. The new load of West Jeddore driftwood dried out quickly and passed the taste test - i.e., no taste of sea salt. Cape Blomidon sandstone filler applied to my third wall and drying over night. Also crushed Parrsboro coal and Cheverie satin spar gypsum to use inside the seed and feed mill.
I am building a home layout with the theme Nova Scotia geology. I have challenged myself to only use Nova Scotia driftwood from real tree branches for wood.
Hi, I've been following your threads and I'm wondering.........
- Is this structure for a layout or a diorama type display?
- The structure looks like "civil war era" to me. Will you have that era RR equipment around it (i.e. "the General")?
Have to say, I appreciate the massive effort you are going through to build this, but if the structure is to be "one of many", you might be better off with some of the laser cut wood structure kits that are readily available.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mbinsewi suggested staggering the lengths of the boards above the door and I like it. Here is the first of that wall pattern. Will apply sandstone filler after the glue dries.
After several hours under the weight of one of my wife's antique irons, the timber frame is firmly attached to the wall.
Just picked up scraps of glass at the stained glass store. I'm leaning towards dark amber for this building. The interior will be lit up by LEDs through the future control console.
The pieces I collected are rainsoaked with fresh water so I'll dry them out in the sun for a few days. The inspectors have arrived to check out the new load.
West Jeddore is a beautiful lobster fishing village on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. It is here, on the cobble beaches, where I gather my driftwood for my model railroad structures.
All wood is driftwood from West Jeddore. I am getting ready for another field trip to West Jeddore as I write this. After two full days of rain, the driftwood will have been fresh water cleaned so time to get some before another windy salt-spray Atlantic day happens.
When I chose to use graph paper as a 'wallpaper' backing I changed the dimensions of Bunn's Feed and Seed Plant in Model Railroader because all of my internal structures will be easier to design and build using the same technique. For those of you who have access to the August 1973 issue you will note that there are very minimal external features drawn, and no inside features. That's what I like about the article - it sets my imagination free!
So, yesterday I easily built the inside end wall timber frame which has been sanded and currently being painted. The frame will be bonded to the inside of the wall. There are allowances for a removable sloped roof, side walls, and end-to-end timbers. The only tool used to make the frame that you don't see is The Chopper.
The reason I used gypsum and binder on the inside wall, if you are wondering, is all about physics. Because the wall is so thin, the application of sandstone-binder on one side of the wall will eventually cause the wall to bend as the binder cures (the wall is now bilaminar). An equal and opposite force (one of Newton's Laws) is required on the oppostie side to keep the wall flat. Instead of red sandstone filler on the inside, I want the wall white so it can be painted with any colour. Since gypsum powder is the closest mineral/rock I have to white, it was chosen.
Just came back from the hobby shop where I bought tan brown paint for the inside wall and dark brown for the inside timber framework. I also bought a $275 Bowser Executive Line MLW C630M CB&CNS #2028, but that is not going to be discussed in this forum (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more ...)
Definitely can do that on subsequent builds. Good idea. I am building two more of these walls today so I will try your suggestion.
Looking great! I think one thing I would have done, is stager the length of the boards above the door.
Mike.
My You Tube
A coat of polyurethane and my signature 2-mm driftwood-sandstone walls are complete, pending a little trimming. I have a few plastic HO walls just to measure their thicknesses: 1.6-mm so I am happy with two. Every wall has its own character.
Two walls sanded, cut out, and applied a mixture of gypsum and white acrylic paint to the inside walls. Will design the office-side wall today.
Timber style wall cut out.
Tomorrow the first wall will be cut from the graph paper, leaving the glued paper on the back. Then I will use gypsum powder from Windsor to gyprock the inside wall. The side walls will be designed and built. Tinted stained-glass windows installed. The polished sandstone floor, which needs to be filed much thinner, will be used for the office part of the building. A 'concrete' foundation (gypsum) will be poured with electrical and forced air conduits coming up through the wooden section of the floor. An animated door will be developed with an actuator, lighting installed, air vent installed, and the roof will be designed to lift off. Lots to do.
As I approach the thickness realm of HO scale plastic models, the wall is holding up very well. Wood patterns starting to show up with sandstone filler taking up the slack for a nice smooth surface. A little more sanding at this grade, then to my finest grade.
Will be able to sand a second wall tomorrow and begin to design the office-side wall. A third end wall in progress - there will be 10 walls in total, all a little different from each other.
... to see if that's the one you want by running water over it from the tap. It won't take long to dry and then you can return to sanding further if you want the pattern to change as the piece gets thinner. Looks just like a marble floor.
Really interesting thing about sandstone is that as you sand it, you can easily bring out the pattern ...
Polyurethane brings out the colours nicely as this little experiment showed. This piece with be cut into tiles and refinished.
While wall components dry, I am working on decorative two-colour Cape Blomidon sandstone flooring. This piece will be filed to the appropriate thickness then cut into small tiles.
Raining today so tomorrow will be a good day to collect more West Jeddore driftwood since it is getting a good fresh water cleaning.
jlehnert Very interesting. Waiting to see the final results
Very interesting. Waiting to see the final results
This is one solid wall. Two driftwood logs from West Jeddore, fine sandstone powder from Cape Blomidon and wood glue is all you see. Every wall will have a unique look - I can control this as I select timbers to lay down. Course sanding is finished, after a few morning chores, fine sanding will begin. Second wall coming along even faster than the first because my skills are improving.