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Backdrops for your Layouts,how to....

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:16 AM

mobilman44

IMHO, I think a dirty white wash on the bricks would bring out the mortar lines.   Also, that center stone is just a wee bit out of alignment.

Nitpicker !

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Posted by blownout cylinder on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:17 AM

ABS=plastic pipe...http://www.ppfahome.org/abs/absgeneral.html#definition

I took a small section of pipe and cut it into 2 sections...along the long axis of the pipe..hence 1/2 pipe

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:19 AM

blownout cylinder

ABS=plastic pipe...http://www.ppfahome.org/abs/absgeneral.html#definition

I took a small section of pipe and cut it into 2 sections...along the long axis of the pipe..hence 1/2 pipe

BC,

I'm confused.  What does that have to do with OP's photo?

Rich

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Posted by blownout cylinder on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:40 AM

richhotrain

 

 blownout cylinder:

 

ABS=plastic pipe...http://www.ppfahome.org/abs/absgeneral.html#definition

I took a small section of pipe and cut it into 2 sections...along the long axis of the pipe..hence 1/2 pipe

 

 

BC,

I'm confused.  What does that have to do with OP's photo?

Rich

I am  incorporating those ABS things as PART of my backdrop. That is why I am posting here..maybe you have an idea? Not to mention..who asked what ABS was?  

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...

http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:46 AM

blownout cylinder

 richhotrain:

 

 blownout cylinder:

 

ABS=plastic pipe...http://www.ppfahome.org/abs/absgeneral.html#definition

I took a small section of pipe and cut it into 2 sections...along the long axis of the pipe..hence 1/2 pipe

 

 

BC,

I'm confused.  What does that have to do with OP's photo?

Rich

 

I am  incorporating those ABS things as PART of my backdrop. That is why I am posting here..maybe you have an idea? Not to mention..who asked what ABS was?  http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_hihi.gif

Cool, how about some photos of your backdrop in progress.

Rich

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:49 AM

blownout cylinder

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/images/smiles/doh.gif  http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif

OK...now I am looking for a glue idea for ABS half cylinders and foamcore backdrops...what would work?  http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif

Ahh, OK, I see what you are asking now.

How about hot glue because plastic glues are going to melt the foam core board.

Rich

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Posted by ChadLRyan on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:55 AM

What if the house looses the furnace? or the project is placed in a non-conditioned environment space?   I would consider a rubber based cement, like Barge, Goop etc.  It should be more tolerant to temperature changes.   Just a thought & another viewpoint... 

Chad L Ryan
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Posted by JohnReid on Sunday, November 20, 2011 8:39 AM

These are old style hand made bricks that were made in molds but were not always the exact same size or shape.The gray blocks are limestone.
This is an early piece of work when I had lots yet to learn about bricks walls.I am happy with the amount of relief given by this thickness of watercolor paper.The color of the mortar between the bricks is another story.I would now suggest that you paint the foamboard nimbus gray before laying any bricks at all.The limestone blocks were done this way.
I incorrectly thought that I might save some time by putting on the first coat of paint after gluing on the bricks to the foamboard.Actually there is no simple way to do it .Each brick must be painted by hand one by one.Do not use an airbrush for this operation.The surface and all four edges must be covered and be super careful not to get any glue on the paper as it will stick out like a sore thumb.
I use a soft round brush for this and a paint called JoSonja gouache acrylic that dries absolutely flat ( no shine) .It is called gold oxide.This first coat of paint will become the lightest shade on your finished wall,unless of course you choose to darken it later.When applying your paint strive for even coats otherwise you will end up with blotches.Water color paper is not very forgiving of mistakes in this regard.
Try to think of each wall as you would a painting and make it interesting for the viewers eye and that means do not try to be too perfect.Vary the mortar thickness as well as the point where the edges of the  bricks meet. etc....
Every wall has a history,so try to build some of that into your wall.They all weather differently,are modified over time ,as well as used for advertising.For dioramas they can be essential for helping tell your story.

Once Upon a time.........

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Posted by JohnReid on Sunday, November 20, 2011 8:42 AM

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 10:46 AM

blownout cylinder

 I am  incorporating those ABS things as PART of my backdrop.

An example of one of my backdrops using a variety of materials.

Alton Junction

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Posted by mobilman44 on Sunday, November 20, 2011 11:47 AM

Richotrain,

   That is soooo cool!    Being from Chicago I recognize the "Lee" sign, as it is a well known and obvious landmark.  You really did it justice. 

So, that is obviously Dearborn station, and its a really good likeness and very impressive.  You did good! 

You know what really hits me?   Its the fact that you show the gaps between the buildings!   Chicago laid out a nice gridwork of north/south and east/west streets, and your layout/backdrop really shows that.

BTW, a Chicago trivia question of many years ago was:  "what are the three Chicago main streets that are laid on an angle?"  

 

 

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

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Posted by sfcouple on Sunday, November 20, 2011 2:25 PM

mobilman44

Richotrain,

   That is soooo cool!    Being from Chicago I recognize the "Lee" sign, as it is a well known and obvious landmark.  You really did it justice. 

So, that is obviously Dearborn station, and its a really good likeness and very impressive.  You did good! 

You know what really hits me?   Its the fact that you show the gaps between the buildings!   Chicago laid out a nice gridwork of north/south and east/west streets, and your layout/backdrop really shows that.

BTW, a Chicago trivia question of many years ago was:  "what are the three Chicago main streets that are laid on an angle?"  

mobilman, can't answer your question but a few years ago my nephew, brother and I visited that great city and rode what I guess is called the "El."  Anyway, we were just amazed at how close it got to buildings/apartments.  If the windows could have been rolled down we could have carried on conversations with some people.  

I know my response is a little off topic, but we had a ball in Chicago---a wonderful city with a rich history.  There is also a fantastic HO Scale Model Railroad in their Science and Technology Museum that was fascinating to watch.  

Wayne 

Modeling HO Freelance Logging Railroad.

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 4:01 PM

sfcouple

 

mobilman, can't answer your question but a few years ago my nephew, brother and I visited that great city and rode what I guess is called the "El."  Anyway, we were just amazed at how close it got to buildings/apartments.  If the windows could have been rolled down we could have carried on conversations with some people.  

I know my response is a little off topic, but we had a ball in Chicago---a wonderful city with a rich history.  There is also a fantastic HO Scale Model Railroad in their Science and Technology Museum that was fascinating to watch.  

Wayne 

Wayne,

Check out the Chicago layout thread elsewhere on this forum.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 20, 2011 4:07 PM

mobilman44

BTW, a Chicago trivia question of many years ago was:  "what are the three Chicago main streets that are laid on an angle?"  

 

Hmmm, are we talking about Archer, Milwaukee and Ogden?

OK, let's drop back to back drops.

Rich

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Posted by Geep Fan on Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:06 PM

Checked out your photos John on the photo bucket. Some very nice modelling here!

Corey

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Posted by JohnReid on Monday, November 21, 2011 5:25 AM

Thank you Corey ! glad you like my stuff.

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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Posted by JohnReid on Monday, November 21, 2011 7:04 AM



A good modeling bud of mine has done a great picture tutorial on window making.See my albums "KH pics".
Unfortunately I haven't had time to put the text and the proper pic to go with it in order however the pics themselves are pretty much self-explanitory.

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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Posted by JohnReid on Sunday, November 27, 2011 7:19 AM


The sill is made with a square piece of wood to which glue was applied and then rolled in sand.The header was made in the fashion of the day.It is nice to work a bit of design and color into a wall this large.Check your references for ideas.

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 27, 2011 7:35 AM

JohnReid


The sill is made with a square piece of wood to which glue was applied and then rolled in sand.The header was made in the fashion of the day.It is nice to work a bit of design and color into a wall this large.Check your references for ideas.

Can we step back here for a moment?

Are you telling us that you built this structure, stone by stone, brick by brick, and the window frames by constructing individual components like sill, sash, jamb, grilles and panes?  What about the porch?

We need to know more about what is going on here.

Rich

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Posted by secondhandmodeler on Sunday, November 27, 2011 7:48 AM

richhotrain

 JohnReid:


The sill is made with a square piece of wood to which glue was applied and then rolled in sand.The header was made in the fashion of the day.It is nice to work a bit of design and color into a wall this large.Check your references for ideas.

 

Can we step back here for a moment?

Are you telling us that you built this structure, stone by stone, brick by brick, and the window frames by constructing individual components like sill, sash, jamb, grilles and panes?  What about the porch?

We need to know more about what is going on here.

Rich

Keep in mind that this is all G scale construction, not HO or N.

Corey
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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 27, 2011 7:51 AM

secondhandmodeler

 Keep in mind that this is all G scale construction, not HO or N.

It is?

If so, is everthing in G scale scratch built "stick by stick", to steal a general construction term?

Rich

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Posted by secondhandmodeler on Sunday, November 27, 2011 7:57 AM

I believe quite a bit of it is.  There are kits of course, but a lot of what I've seen is scratch built.  I don't know if it's all "stick by stick" though.  I think all of John's threads have been about his G scale modeling and photography.

Corey
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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, November 27, 2011 8:01 AM

secondhandmodeler

I believe quite a bit of it is.  There are kits of course, but a lot of what I've seen is scratch built.  I don't know if it's all "stick by stick" though.  I think all of John's threads have been about his G scale modeling and photography.

Corey,

Thanks for that clarification.  I hadn't given any thought to what scale the OP was working in. The thread is a bit sporadic so it is hard to follow precisely what is going on here and how the construction was accomplished.

Rich

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Posted by JohnReid on Sunday, November 27, 2011 10:37 AM

Everything is built by hand stick by stick ! That is why I have only built four dioramas in 12 years,working just about every day.I generally build in 1/16th scale which is considered minimum for a museum scale piece by most curators today.Cars are 1/18th scale and trains 1/24 (G)

HMS Victory took 6.000 shop hours over many years and it is 1/72 scale.

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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Posted by JohnReid on Monday, December 12, 2011 4:26 PM


Here I have placed the panels in such a way as to catch the setting sun.The amount of relief on the brick depends upon the angle of the light shining on the brick.Just the brickwork on this diorama took 3 months working on it just about everyday

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Montreal Canada
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Posted by JohnReid on Monday, December 12, 2011 5:09 PM

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

  • Member since
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  • From: Montreal Canada
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Posted by JohnReid on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:43 PM

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

  • Member since
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Posted by mobilman44 on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:49 PM

It would be nice if some narrative or description accompanied the posted pictures so as to inform of as to the reason for posting, what it tells us, and why we should care.   

While a good picture may be worth 1000 words, I suggest about 30-50 are first needed to start us off.   

ENJOY  !

 

Mobilman44

 

Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central 

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Posted by JohnReid on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 7:36 AM

I wanted something different for the garage panel so I thought that some old siding might do the trick.Another wall of bricks would be boring and besides I wanted to try something new.
There are a number of manufacturers of crackle paints out there and they are usually found in craft or art stores.Each has its own instructions and they do vary a bit.I am doing this in 1/16th scale so I want fairly large cracks,for the smaller scales I would recommend a bit of experimentation.My intention here was to make the garage look like an old converted horse stable.I tried to build a little history into the wall to reflect this.The upstairs window has been converted from a hay loft opening to what looks more like the other windows.
The siding in this case is tongue depressors laid one over the other starting at the bottom.I used already crackled boards for this and finished the wall with pastels after it all was in place.The texture on the boards is a little heavy and the shading not yet too subtle(it has been changed since this pic was taken)Sometimes you have to take a little artistic license when doing finishing on a piece for display.Do it too subtle and the viewer can't see it standing behind a glass case,do it rough and it looks overdone when viewed close up with a camera.

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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Posted by JohnReid on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 11:11 AM

Note:

I can see now that the way I started this thread can be confusing (*** it confuses me) It was meant to help me save time as I post my stuff to 26 different sites,aircraft,ships,cars,RR ,Art , etc.....  I have finally learned how to post a pic and text together which helps a lot.
Instead, from now on I will now post pics and text together.Once in awhile I will post a thumbnail which will take you directly to other pics of interest on the that topic .
Sorry bout that ,ya gotta have patience with me as I am 71 now and not all that familiar with computers.

Once Upon a time.........

My photobucket:

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/JohnReid/

I am a man of few words but lots of pics

 

I quit drinking beer because the download was taking longer than the upload !

 

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