While glue and paint need a day to dry, looking at several landscape and electrical ideas.
First layer of stained glass (Sky) in place behind the tunnel portal. The next layer will be the hillside so only small pieces of the sky will appear in the end. This is why I am not concerned about the sky discontinuities on the right panel, and between the back and right panels. Zinc is used around the top edges of the glass.
Yikes, when you blow up the photo, that board really got chewed up.
Alton Junction
Bought this brand new blade today. The tear out was due to cutting on an uneven surface. Tear out doesn't matter in this case because the wood's edges will be nicely finished with a router and sander.
I manufacture saw blades for a living...
That blade needs to be sharpened. You've got fiber tear out and saw marks on the end of your board.
This space reserved for SpaceMouse's future presidential candidacy advertisements
Changed the blade on my circular saw to get a finer crosscut on my Douglas fir base. This case embodies all of the media I enjoy Working with: wood, glass, stone, plastics, and adhesives.
Using traditional stained glass methods on the right panel.
Very easy to clean up excess glass-filled E6000 using a soft tool. Also, two advantages of using PVC foam board are ease of carving with woodworking tools and the PVC does not absorb water when touch up grinding the glass arch.
Thanks Kevin. The rest of the tunnel panel needs to look like a hillside and also blend in with the backplate sky/trees. Note that the portal colours also match the gypsum/sandstone exposure on the lower left of the backplate - all local display location 'stone' - different glass but similar colours. Off to pick up supplies now.
That tunnel portal is really cool.
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The project looks like it is coming together nicely.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Need to pick up a piece of glass at the store today in order to complete the tunnel panel. Also installing a 3-phase line along the track. Two power poles will each have a single crossarm, four glass insulators, three catenary hot wires, and a lower neutral line, the latter being a live electrical wire that will be used later for special effects, probably lighting.
Portal stones laid in and will dry over night. Already the glass pieces are bonded well to the PVC. Making two utility poles with power cables next.
Epoxy putty did not work out so I made my own mortar from red glass dust and E6000. Works well.
richhotrain OldSchoolScratchbuilder Also, the owner of Maritime Hobbies and Crafts saw my project pictures and wants to put my completed display case in his model train showcase for customers to see. I agreed. Two questions. One, will he be able to drive the locomotive out of the case as you planned to do through the arched tunnel? Two, will you have to part with your locomotive or will he supply one of his own? Rich
OldSchoolScratchbuilder Also, the owner of Maritime Hobbies and Crafts saw my project pictures and wants to put my completed display case in his model train showcase for customers to see. I agreed.
Also, the owner of Maritime Hobbies and Crafts saw my project pictures and wants to put my completed display case in his model train showcase for customers to see. I agreed.
Two questions.
One, will he be able to drive the locomotive out of the case as you planned to do through the arched tunnel?
Two, will you have to part with your locomotive or will he supply one of his own?
Rich
I guess the OP did not take my suggestions seriously regarding a lazy susan or the use of glass rail. But I was dead serious. Think about it. How cool would it be to design a lazy susan type turntable with radial tracks to display various locomotives entering and exiting the display case through the tunnel?
As far as glass rail, the OP is planning on using glass ties, glass ballast, and maybe even a glass trestle. Why stop there? Fabricate glass rail and operate the display case and lazy susan with battery power. Dead rail! I love it.
In two more hours the epoxy putty should be as hard as rock if I mixed it well. We'll see how these two pieces bond. The entire arch will be mounted on PVC foamcore with E6000. Before all this is done however, all surfaces of each glass piece will be ground for bonding. (Edge surfaces only)
Two new load-bearing stones added to the arch. Going to experiment with 2-part epoxy putty to put the glass pieces together.
Dave's suggestion was forwarded to the contractor who recommended this simple cost-saving fix for load bearing. This is what happens when you go with the lowest bidder! They will deliver the two new stones this week.
Dave: The grinder uses water to gather the glass. There are no airborne particles. Great observation on the arch support. I'll make some engineering adjustments. :)
I take it that the grinder has a built in vacuum to prevent you from inhaling the glass particles. Do you wear a mask as well? (I'm assuming that eye protection is already part of the package.)
I have to say that I like the project more and more as it develops, but I do have to make one small, very picky observation. That is that your tunnel arch could not be built the way you have configured it. The arch should extend into the side walls instead of just butting up against them. The way you have done it, the arch would collapse immediately! Most people will never notice so if you don't want to do the arch over, just claim artistic license.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Tunnel portal 'stones' have been cut. Now to investigate the best way to attach the pieces together and then to the full right case panel.
Grinder all set up at home and now I am ready to continue with the tunnel portal.
Productive day at National Stained Glass Studio. Selected a stunning contoured glass for the stone tunnel portal. Every small piece has to be cut (if even possible) and ground. Will set up our new glass grinder tonight so I can do lots of intricate work at home.
My final thoughts for the night regarding the tunnel. It's width takes into account the 5-degree angle between the track and the backplate, however, I may leave another 1/2 " headroom in the tunnel depending on how high I think the roadbed might be.
Made a rough sketch of my glass tunnel portal so I can work with it tomorrow at the glass shop. Pieces are large enough to easily cut/grind, but fusing or both are also options. Also need to match this right glass case panel to the right edge area of the back panel to avoid colour and object discontinuities. May also use 3D objects in the display to make this corner transition look reasonable. That's why I left some empty blue sky near the right edge of the back panel.
BATMAN My mother had a piece of glass artwork called Windtree. The trees were made out of glass and stood in front of a glass background. The artist had the glass leaves (just like the ones you are using) blowing across the glass panel behind and it looked quite stunning. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
My mother had a piece of glass artwork called Windtree. The trees were made out of glass and stood in front of a glass background. The artist had the glass leaves (just like the ones you are using) blowing across the glass panel behind and it looked quite stunning. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
That sounds amazing. I hope mine turns out like I envisioned.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Working on the interface tree line between the tracks and back plate. The fir base inside the case will be completely ground covered. The viewer with not see wood or the round bases of the trees.
This is my glass palette where I place the glass that I crushed and sifted. These colours are ordinary stained glass (not the more expensive fusing glass). I coat the tree armatures with glue and dip them into the desired colour.
This is truly amazing looking forward to seeing more progress.