I just purchased a Northeastern Scale Models kit and could use a little help building it. I have built a few Branchline kits with good results but this is a bit more challenging. My questions are as follows:
1) The instructions call for gluing the clear acetate window glazing to the plastic windows. My attempt on old kits often ended with a nice glue smudge in the middle of the window. What is the preferred glue / technique?
2) This kit comes with what amounts to a sheet of paper with lines on it for rolled roofing. I know to cut the sheet into strips at the lines but what is the preferred adhesive? Other kits have had a peel and stick, these do not.
On a separate note does anyone know where I can get John Deere Green paint? Does Pollyscale make it?
Thanks in advance for any help.
- Bill Rutherford Lancaster, NH
Central Vermont Railroad
Can't help with the laser cut kit. I have several but haven't yet worked up the nerve to dive in.
For John Deere green paint, how about trying a local John Deere dealer. I'm guess ing they have touch up paint bottles and/or spray cans of the stuff.
Good luck!
Actually, I just bought some John Deere green paint at ACE Hardware. They make it in their ACE brand paints. Matches up pretty well--painted a John Deere bush hog with it and it looks pretty good.
Sorry, can't be much help with the laser kit.
Chuck
B,
1) Get yourself some canopy glue. It still is good to be as neat as possible, but this stuff dries clear in case you can't. Makes things almost idiot proof -- I should know
2) Sounds like you cut the sheet into strips. Best to do this first, then paint, that way the edges get painted, too. Another method is to paint, then cut, then run a permanent black marker or anything that's close to matching the paint and paint down the edges, coloring them. It's so thin the match needn't be exact.
My Wathers catalog lists JD green with Modelflex.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Microscale makes a product called Micro Kristal Klear that will glue the acetate without leaving a smudge. "It will not cause crazing of clear parts" to quote the label on the bottle. It can actually be used to glaze small windows by itself but it does not make a particularly smooth window.
As far as gluing the roof down, I would suggest using basic white glue diluted a bit to make it easy to brush on.
Good luck with the kit.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
MKT or Reading green w/ a touch of yellow seems close enough to me.
I would suggest sealing both sides of the thin wood first. Even though there are many products to do this, I would reccomend spraying w/ a laquer. Applying a water base clear could warp the panels. Deft, although very expensive, would be a great product to use. Dries in minutes. will take all sorts of glues, white, yellow, Ambroid, Ailene's tacky, CA ect w/o too much glue apsorbtion and causing a weaker bond.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Take a look at this, it's made especially for windows
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tes/tes3515c.htm
I use Canopy Cement, too. It works exactly as advertised.
Take a look at the back of the shingles. Campbell (and others, probably) make shingles that have moisten-to-activate glue on the back, like envelopes.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Some ideas:
1. Depending on the window, you can wait to glaze until after you have installed the frame in the wall. Cut the glazing over size and there should be plenty of room on the edges to glue without getting any on the window surface. I some times use Aileens Tacky glue for this because it has a flexible bond and pretty good initial tack.
If you have to apply the glazing before installation in the wall, a very fine bead of glue on the back of the frame only around the perimeter and careful placement of the glazing should yield good results (this may take some practice). Most smudges come from glue on the fingers, too much glue or moving the glazing after it contacts the glue. BTW: make sure that the frame and glazing will fit through the hole in the wall if you glaze them this way. Often times any extra on the glazing will hang up the installation of the window.
2. Rolled roofing: The biggest issue here will be getting a smooth application with out warping or bubbling. I might try rubber cement. Any water based glue may wrinkle the roof paper as it dries. I have successfully used white glue with weight on the roof wile it dried (I've also had problems with wrinkling using this method) Regardless, you will want to brace the back of the roof to keep it from warping later. You might also consider replacing the supplied materials with stuff from BIS or others that make rolled roofing materials.
John Deere green is available form Badger I believe as well.
Good luck with the kit and don't be afraid to do over and to change things if you see a better way of doing something.
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
I should have thought of this with my earlier response regarding the paint.
I have seen use of very fine grit (400 or 600) wet/dry sandpaper, cut into strips and glued down, to simulate rolled roofing. For glue ou might consider a very thin layer of caulk.
This Grain Bin has a paper roof. The instructions called for using rubber cement. I did and it went on fine with no bubbles or other issues. I used a Krylon black spray can followed with a light misting of Krylon Gray primer.
Good luck.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
B Rutherford I just purchased a Northeastern Scale Models kit and could use a little help building it. I have built a few Branchline kits with good results but this is a bit more challenging. My questions are as follows: 1) The instructions call for gluing the clear acetate window glazing to the plastic windows. My attempt on old kits often ended with a nice glue smudge in the middle of the window. What is the preferred glue / technique?
I would recommend painting the window frames and perhaps the entire structure BEFORE glazing the windows. Otherwise paint always gets on the glazing and looks sloppy. I use clear polystyrene plastic for glazing, I cut it to fit and use plastic welder to glue it to plastic window frames. Just a drop, applied to the back of the window with a very fine brush, or the eye of a needle, NOT the bottle top brush, gives a good slop free bond. Capillary action sucks the watery plastic welder in between the glazing and window frame. I get by clear polystyrene from supermarket sandwich boxes or Entemann's pastry boxes.
If the glazing material furnished with the kit is acetate, heavy duty cellophane, then all bets are off. The plastic welder only works on styrene. I would skip the acetate and find some clear polystyrene.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Thanks for all the great ideas. i have ordered the John Deere paint from Walthers. I amgoing to get either some canopy glue or Krystal Klear for the windows. David - Thanks for the idea for the styrene. I tried to convince my wife that it was in the best interest of my modeling skills to go out and get a box of the Entemans Super Cinnamon Buns but so far no luck!
Surely Entemann's makes some virtuous, low fat ,low cholesterol, low sodium, chock full of goodness food in a plastic box.
First off laser kits are not hard and a lot of what they say about sealing the wood is bull. Just use gel ACC to glue it together and make sure you use a lot of bracing (sometimes kits don't come with enough or none at all and without the bracing you will have to worry about warping big time). Now assuming you braced the kit properly, any craft paint will be fine for painting it!. As far as the roof, some like a double sided tape by 3M and swear by it, I like yellow glue and a small paint brush (yellow in case you use acylics in the finish, very water resistant. As far as the windows, canopy glue is fine, I have been known to gut a thicker peice of plastic and use clear latex caulk to adhear it.
Which kit did you get?
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
The N scale farm and garden supply.
rrebell, I have to agree, the laser kits are fairly easy. Actually I find them easier and much more enjoyable then plastic kits - personal preference I guess. You mention a concern about warping without bracing. I have completed a couple of kits without bracing simply because I did not know about it. Thus far everything seems good. Is the warping something I may need to worry about months or even years from now? In part I am thinking that N scale may be a bit more forgiving than the bigger scales simply because the parts are smaller in the first place.
A timely topic for me. Just starting a laser cut wood kit (passenger station) by Branchline Trains. Will face the same questions eventually(except that the roof is a plastic sheet with adhesive backing). Before getting to that stage though,I need to glue the four main walls (wood with adhesive backing facing outside) from which all the other structures will be attached. The two longest walls are warped. Don't know if I can flatten them with techniques-like steam-I've read about in the past (especially with the adhesive). Planning to build a fixture to clamp the corners individually or all four at once as well as add bracing (corners only or diagonally?)so that the completed assembly will not twist and thus prevent the other parts from fitting properly. The trick will be to keep the walls square and the bottom flat. Any suggestions would be appreciated (particularly about the bracing).
Jean B.
Manchester NH
Will the walls warp over time?? Depends. Most of the stuff I built w/o bracing has warped. Maybe you will be more fortunate.
As for bracing walls on corners and diagonals...More the better!! The only trick is working around windows....Search the forum for posts by Bob Grech..He did a tutorial on building structures that had some good examples of interior bracing.
Have fun with the builds.
The thin wood stock used in these kits will warp if subjected to moisture. If you paint one surface with water based wash or paint it will swell and warp. Many modellers will paint both sides to reduce this, but even then you may still have warps to deal with. My personal preference is to paint and detail the walls before assembly, especially if I am going for a peeling paint look. In most cases this can be handled by placing the dry walls under a pile of phone books. Interior bracing is very important. Most kits will provide for this, but you may need to add more. When installing bracing think about how this will look if you are going to detail the interior of the structure. Sometimes you may find you want to move bracing to a more esthetically pleasing location.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
rrebell
I seal my laser cut wood kit walls with cheap automotive primer (at least two coats) and I use a minimum amount of bracing since I like to detail my interiors. Humidity levels vary greatly here in Ontario from season to season, but thus far, no warping!
No bull!