Wood Structures Question

[Skipper]

I'd like to try wood structures on a new layout I'm building..... I've heard that you should spray the wood with "sealant"... could some of someone tell me a type of "sealant " works best .. a brand name???

 Thanks a bunch!

W Jay

[Skipper]

P.S.

A sealant to spray on the wood before painting?????

 Thanks

 

[markpierce]

Sealant on a wooden structure?  If you want the model to represent a wooden structure, just paint or stain it. 

Mark

[citylimits]

I believe that you may have been misinformed. 

It is suggested in the instructions accompanying plaster kits from, Down Town Deco to seal the out side walls before painting - I don't because I like to play about with effects that I can create with the walls not being sealed. I believe that sealing would prevent this or would nessesitate a more laborious method  using washes and stains of different ratios of paint:thinner/water/alcohol. One of the reasons modelers like to use wood is because of the aged, weathered effects that are possible to create using natural wood.
I've built many wooden "craft" kits and would never have sealant within a mile of those. If you want to seal kits then plastic kits are the ones for you to build and they don't need sealer either.

Bruce

 

[GMTRacing]

What is important is to coat both sides of the wood to prevent warping. This can be primer/sealer or the finish coat you intend to use. I have normally sprayed both sides of my craftsman kits with paint then sandwiched the walls between wax paper and two pieces of plywood to press them straight. If you intend to stain the wood instead of paint it the process works as well. The idea is to get some finish on both sides especially the walls. Hope that helps.  J.R.

[steamage]

 I use  an indoor sanding sealer to brush it on both sides of the walls and also smaller parts of a laser-cut kit before assembly.  The reason being is it protects the walls from humidity from warping over time and it takes less paint to cover the structure when airbrushing.  It also helps the sticky side parts like windows and trim to adhere  better. Doing this still doesn't affect the weathering aspects. 

[simon1966]

I don't seal mine.  Just paint or stain according to the effect I am looking for.  Like others have suggested I paint both sides to minimize warping.  Sometimes things will warp a bit, bit nothing that a night under a pile of telephone directories can't fix. 

Check out my photo album called: "Structure Building Threads" there are several examples of some basic wooden kits under construction.
 
 http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid16755888 and http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid19980162

[shayfan84325]

After the basic shell is built, I paint the inside with tan or gray craft paint to keep the walls from glowing when the lights are on. I've never had issues with warping, but the air is pretty dry in Utah. I usually paint the exterior by airbrushing Floquil paint, before I install the windows; sometimes I spray on wood stain (furniture stain) for a more run-down look.

[simon1966]

Oh, and don't forget good interior bracing.  Sometimes it is necessary to add a bit extra than the kit suggests to provide better warp resistance and strength.

[shayfan84325]

simon1966

Oh, and don't forget good interior bracing.  Sometimes it is necessary to add a bit extra than the kit suggests to provide better warp resistance and strength.

Very good advice; I agree completely.

[Beach Bill]

I only use sealant on structures for the 1:20.3 layout outdoors in the back yard.  They are exposed to much greater moisture, even though they are stored on the screen porch when the trains aren't running.  I have multiple assembled HO craftsman wood kits that have survived just fine without sealant for 40 years or more.  I concur that (in HO) the bare wood gives more options on the appearance of the final finish.

 Bill

[BerkshireSteam]

If the buildings are to look old just use the stuff modelers use to make wood ties look old. A slightly word down board and batten siding structure in a rustic old gray/brown would look better any day than one with a tonned down paint job.

[Casey Feedwater]

I've been building wood 'craftsman' kits and scratchbuilding with wood for 30+ years, and I've never sealed any structure I've built. If I'm building board-by-board over frame, there's no need to. The stripwood won't warp enough to be a problem. If I'm using sheetwood (whether milled board/bat or laser-cut siding), I generally paint/stain both sides of the wood because the siding will warp if only one side is done. This is especially true when using Polly or other water-soluble craft paints. I also use (usually) popsickle sticks cut to size to brace sheetwood walls on the interior side. This will also help prevent warpage. I won't tell you that sealing the wood is a waste of your time. What does or does not work for some of us may or may not work for others of us. I just know that in my own experience sealing wood isn't necessary.

[IVRW]

For me, I do not use any.

[wedudler]

 1. I stain/ paint my wood.

2. Then I glue it together.

 Wolfgang

[Margaritaman]

wedudler

 1. I stain/ paint my wood.

2. Then I glue it together.

 Wolfgang

As do I.  This way if I get happy with the glue then the stain will show through.  The other way the stain won't penetrate the glue and it shows...a lot.

[wingman]

With much regert, I purchased the Peerless Wharf Outfitters structure which consists of wood, metal, and plastic parts.  There werre no instructions with it for assembly and I don't belive there were any to begin with as they tell you to simply look at the photos on the package label to understand how it should look when assembled. 

Before tossing a $60.00 item, has anyone out there put this thing together and can give me some instructions or step by step photos on how they put it together?  There are sticks and parts that are just guesses as to what they are for.  Thanks to anyone who can help me.

 Mark 

 

[dstarr]

 The "sealer" or "sealant"  is somethng from full scale carpentry or cabinet making.  Paint soaks into the softer layers of the woodgrain faster than it soaks into the harder layers.  Result: the wood grain shows thru the paint.  The traditional practice is to make the first coat something transparent like shellac or lacquer which prevents to following color coats from soaking into the wood..  The color coats find a uniform surface of sealer and the wood grain is concealed.

  In modeling we use a very fine grain basswood, which just doesn't have any grain to speak of.  So there is little need for a sealer under the paint to conceal the grain.  I just brush paint with Floquil lacquers with excellent results.

  As others have mentioned, it is a good idea to paint both sides of sheetwood to prevent warping over time.

 

 

[simon1966]

wingman

Before tossing a $60.00 item, has anyone out there put this thing together and can give me some instructions or step by step photos on how they put it together?  There are sticks and parts that are just guesses as to what they are for.  Thanks to anyone who can help me.

Mark, I keep hearing and reading things about Model Tech Studios and frankly it has always stopped me from buying one of their kits.  They have some nice looking stuff, so it is a real shame.  I would contact them via their web site and see if they have anything to say about instructions.

If they do not, then I would be tempted to get a kit from a manufacturer that has good instructions such as Fos Scale  http://www.foslimited.com/HOME.html  by constructing a kit like that you would very likely get a good idea on techniques that would work with the model tech structure.  Perhaps then you will be better able to guess what goes where.  If you decide to give up altogether feel free to PM me and toss it in my direction 

[wingman]

Thanks, Simon.  I didn't realize wha was all involved until it was too late.  You have to go by strictly intuition to build the structure.  If I give up, I'll get a box and mail it to you.

 I will take a look at that site you suggest.

Mark

[ukguy]

Dont seal it.

 If its sheet stock, ie scribed laser cut siding then paint/stain both sides as already stated, or just add some interior bracing prior to colouring.. If its stripwood then it wont warp.

 Sealing the wood will vastly and negatively limit your options on finishing and detailing the model after that point.

 Karl.A

[mainetrains]

I have never heard of sealing the wood before construction. This is what works for me -

brace the walls with some scrap stripwood to prevent warping

spray with a gray primer (I get mine at Walmart) This is good for two reasons - one it prevents lights from shining thru the structure and two, after you paint the structure the primary color if you take some fine sandpaper and lightly go over the structure it will give the appearance of faded paint as some of the gray will show through.

The folks at Bar Mills have some great weathering ideas if you want to check them out.

Dave