This thread was started in December 2015
nextceo
Restarting the previous build thread for the Machine Shop that got deleted. Still working thru the weathering on the 100+ castings. I am using Brett’s new weather technique (easy with awesome results) on the Oil Drums and Tanks which can be found in a Tutorial Video that Brett plans on posting on his website soon.
That’s all for now…
Alan
Comments
KKarns
December 2015
Great looking weathering on those castings Alan. Could have sworn there were more pictures of your shop before!..?
ironmountainlumber
December 2015
Hi Alan,
Fantastic job on the kit. I was enjoying watching you build it and glad you are back at it.
This will make a fantastic scene with your logging cars and the tractor repair shed. I wish I had this kit ever since I saw pictures of Anders Malmberg’s build of the kit. Really looking forward to seeing what you are going to do with it. Keep up the great work.
Jim
nextceo
January 2016
Hey Jim,
Thanks for the post. Yep, I’ve studied that build from Anders and have pulled a few ideas from it.
Happy New Year!
Alan
admin
January 2016
Drums look perfect…
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Here are a few updates:
Castings are done…finally.
If you remember from my original build thread, the Famous Front Stonewall on this kit which is made of resin shrank on all four sides due to age…I think its now 15 years old. Because of this, my other walls didn’t line up correctly. To fix this situation, I put a piece of wood under the front wall to raise it up. To fix the sides, I created 2 worn looking beams (one for each side) from scratch and added a few NBWs to increase the walls width. If you look at Brett’s white template right below the stone wall, you can see how it shrank by 1/4 inch…
On the other picture, I added the hand laid the railroad ties from Fasttracks. I used 2 shades of brown chalk, black chalk and rubbing alcohol to “crudely” stain them. I used Weldbond glue to hold them in place. Since the instructions call for the ties to be sunken in the ground, you wont see but the very tops of the ties when the diorama’s complete Hence the ties don’t need to be stained perfectly and it doesn’t matter that the glue oozed out the sides.
Also, if you look inside the structure of the main building, up near the top of the 3 wood walls, I added an additional beam to help keep the walls straight. I also ran a wood beam down each corner. All the beams were stained and weathered to match the 2 beams I created for the stone wall. After building each of the wood walls, I kept them pressed under a stack of bricks for a week to take the moisture of the glue out of the them..but apparently that wasn’t long enough as they still warped on me a little…
That’s all for now…
KKarns
January 2016
Great modeling Alan. The rough sawn board effect you achieved is wonderful! Stone coloring is particularly good. Awesome update and look forward to more progress.
admin
January 2016
yeah, gotta agree with Ken. Love the wood wall…
Bill
January 2016
That’s how you do it! A little out of the box thinking to clear a hurdle. Some NBW’s to go along with the timber and you’ve come up with a very prototypical solution to solve a modeling problem. Well done, Alan!
Nice work all around.
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Hey, Thanks for the comments Ken, Brett and Bill. Now that fun part starts where all the little scenes get created using Brett’s - famous castings. This right here is what makes Sierrawest the best Craftsmen kits…
The boiler scene…I’ll go back later and finalize it such as clean up the wood burrs, add oil / grease spots and scatter around some more stuff.
I cant tell from Brett’s pictures in the manual how the pipes should be weathered. The one with the insulation is probably pretty accurate but for that lower pipe I’m not sure if it would be rusted or have white water stains on it.
Alan
brownbr
January 2016
This is coming together nice. For weathering pipes, I am always a big fan of wrapping with tissue and color it with dirty alcohol (chalk). Looks like asbestos wrap.
nextceo
January 2016
Here are a couple of updates of the finished porch…
KKarns
January 2016
Great work Alan. Love the “mood” shots with the lighting. That boiler scene is fantastic!
I think the weathering on the lower boiler pipe looks fine. Ken
Coors2u
January 2016
I like what I see. That is going to make a great scene.
nextceo
January 2016
Thanks Ken and Dustin. Any updates for us Dustin?
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Just finished running working lights to the Machine Shop. To help hide the wires, I ran them across the top of the beams and then glue down a thin board over the wires…doesn’t cover them all completely as they like to “leak” out the side as seen in the picture…but at least it helps. I also built a small box over top of the 2 black pipes that lead the wires out of the building and under the diorama.
The next step is to run the belts and drive shaft across the ceiling for each of the machines.
That is all…
brownbr
January 2016
I’m glad you are lighting the interior and you will be too. Nice job hiding the wires.
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Finished the roof on the Back Machine shop today. The shingles are an orange paper…I must have missed where it states in the instructions to prime them first. Once I was done with the various weathering techniques that the manual walks you thru, I could still see the orange…hence 2 hours later and a bunch of tinkering, that is the end result. I did decide to glue the roof in place like on my repair shop build since these removable roofs (at least with his earlier kits) always warp and don’t lay flat. I also used wood for the crown of the roof instead of what the instructions call for which is hand laying little tiny pieces of individual shingles. Tried that approach first and didn’t like the results…
That is all…
KKarns
January 2016
Coming along great Alan. The boiler section and the view you have here has to be one of my favorites. Love to have a peek inside the machine shop extension…Ken
nextceo
January 2016
Thanks Ken…yeah, actually on page one of this posting are a few pics of the inside…
KKarns
January 2016
Geesh, how did I miss those! Great work and the lathe looks really nice. Ken
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Hey Ken…just curious but is anyone else building these kits besides you and me? If they are, they aren’t sharing their builds…and for that I blame you. I think your awesome work has intimated everyone else…
KCSTrains
January 2016
Alan, I’m building the water tower, but in the midst of slowly painting the castings. I’m nearing the end and will start posting when I start putting the pieces together. Phil
KKarns
January 2016
I don’t know about that Alan…probably bored everyone silly as slow as I have been going! See…you already got Phil fired up!..I get antsy if I go a few days without working on something…Ken
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Yeah, now there are three of us. Was also wondering what happened to Dave, Bryan, Mike, Dustin, Martin, David, John, Joel, Jim, Tony, Joe, Karl and Bill…haven’t seen any builds from those guys recently…
Ojaste
January 2016
Hmm, I have the Foss Landing scheduled to start June 2016. Meanwhile, I have been building “another” manufactures kit.
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Hey Martin, yep… I’ve been following along on your Wyteck build over on the other forum. Hurry up so you can get onto the Foss Landing build!
brownbr
January 2016
I like the contrast in colors on the roofs.
Alan, I have not been able to take on any major projects recently because I have found myself back in school. My workbench is now a homework desk. I have been able to work on a few smaller projects around the layout. An hour here-an hour there. I have an assembled and unpainted bulldozer waiting for some free time right now.
Coors2u
January 2016
I’m working on my suff. I have a deadline for the expo. I’ll prob do a post build update. Lots to get done before the expo. I’ve been lurking though.
nextceo
January 2016
Thanks Bryan…yeah, I guess School will put a damper on things.
Dustin…don’t we at least get a sneak preview of what youre working on for the Expo?
Coors2u
January 2016
Think “Twin Mines” wink, wink!
nextceo
January 2016
Just added the dirt - Still dry in the attach picture…
I use my fingers to pat down the dirt as best I can to get it to even it out - aka make a flat surface. I then apply the 50/50 glue-water mixture. The issue is when I come back after it has dried, some spots are a little higher than others…and because its now dried, its quite hard making it difficult to even those spots out.
I’d be interested to hear others feedback on how do deal with this issue…
It fix this, do you:
A - Use a razor blade to try and knock down those spots?
B - Do you use rubbing alcohol to wet those areas and attempt to rework them?
C - Do you sprinkle more dirt in those areas to get them to look more even?
D - None of the above..
Thanks for your input!
Alan
brownbr
January 2016
I guess it depends on how big of a bump it is. It not too big, I’d leave it. Some natural variation would look good. If too big work on it. Probably sprinkle some dirt around it to smooth out the transition.
admin
January 2016 edited January 2016
To prevent this from occurring sprinkle the initial layer of dirt on with a spoon using care to insure it is smooth. Do not touch anything to the dirt before it is secured with the glue mixture. The higher spots were created when you patted the dirt with your fingers… I can see your finger marks in the dirt behind the machine shop. Once the glue is set up but not dry (so it is firm) you can use anything flat to smooth it out. For now Alan if it is bugging you re-wet the raised areas with rubbing alcohol then smooth it out as it firms up.
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Put down the hand laid track tonite. In case you’ve never done this before, here is what I did:
1 - Stained the Wood Railroad Ties I got from Fast Tracks with chalk and alcohol.
2 - Glued down the ties using a glue called Weldbond
3 - I then sprinkled down dirt around the ties and sealed the dirt down with a 50/50 mix of glue and water. I think this time, I used Woodland Scenics Glue cause I couldn’t find the bottle of Elmers glue to make my own mix.
4- Let this then dry overnight. Once dry, the dirt becomes hard from the glue mixture helps holds the ties in place.
5 - I got my weathered rail from Micro Engineering
6 - I ran a small bead of Piobond glue down the back of each rail. I got the glue from Fast Tracks..they include plastic tips that allows you to squeeze the glue in a small stream straight from the tube and onto the rail. Don’t try squezzing out the glue into a pile and then using a tooth pick to apply it…it because stringy if you do this.
7 - After the glue is applied to the 2 rails, I set them in place. You now have about 30 seconds to line them up correctly. To do this, set a track gauge at the front of the rail. Then take a second track gauge and set it down right behind the first one. You now want to slide that second track gauge down the rail while holding the first one in place. This will line everything up for you.
8 - I will apply spikes tomorrow after the glue has dried to help keep the rails in place.
The next step is one of the neatest parts for me when building the diorama…the creation of the terrain. The next three pictures show what it looks like during that process…its quite messy so make sure you have a shop vac nearby. My favorite tool is that Yellow grader you see in some of the pictures. It can be bought at Home Depot for a buck or two. As we all know, land is rarely flat…I use that tool to sculpt the land. I wanted a reason to use some retaining walls. Up to the right, I cut a notch in the base towards the tracks to justify the installation of a Timber made retaining wall. In the middle, I’m going to use a stone casting wall I got from New England Brownstone that will protect the area of land that comes out over the cliff on two sides. The land needed to be expanded out over the cliff to allow for the overhead crane and a side rail that will hold extra rail car wheels. The third side will be left open and slope down where a waste area will be created which will hold old rusted out barrels, tanks and other items. The far left handside will be a rock cliff. I’ll be using molds from Bragdon for this part along with his new material called Geodesic in place of plaster. According to Joel over there, he says its faster to make, its much lighter than plaster, its less messy and most importantly it shows much greater detail.
It wouldn’t be a Sierrawest Build without Deer Creek. This next shot shows where the creek bed is going to creep into this scene. As of right now, it will be a dry creek bed. Once I install it on my layout, I’ll fill it in with water.
Here’s just another shot of some low areas I created at the front and side of the Machine Shop.
That’s all for now…
brownbr
January 2016
I like the concept and think it will look great. I’m glad to see that it is going in your layout.
admin
January 2016
Moving along nicely. I really like the low areas. Love where you are taking this.
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Here is my first pass at working with Joel Bragdon’s Geodesic’s product for rocks castings. In the past I had always used Plaster.
Here are the issue I have with plaster:
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Messy to create the castings - lots of powder and water everywhere. Also takes time for the castings to dry.
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The castings themselves weren’t that detailed since plaster is quite thick.
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I usually need a lot of the product which can get kind of expensive.
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It is not flexible to work with which meant I was constantly hitting my completed castings with a hammer in attempt to break them into smaller pieces to hopefully get them to fit…and even then I had to fill in the gaps with Scultamold.
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Since I had to use a combination of Plaster and Scuptamold, they have different densities which means they would absorb colors differently.
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The finished product was quite heavy.
Here is what I found with Joel’s Product:
- The prep work when using his product was actually a little more involved than I expected. You first have to hit the Molds with Mold Release and it needs to dry completely. This can take an hour or two. The next step is you need to spray the Mold with white paint and let that dry as well. I let them dry overnight. These two steps I just listed need to be done everytime you create a new casting. The next step is to take equal Parts of A and B of this Resin Casting you get and mix them together. He gives you some 1 oz pouring cups to help you with this process. You rub it into the mold and wait about 5 minutes. The resin castings liquid is actually quite messy and can get all over if youre not careful when pouring. The final step is to mix equal Parts A and B of this Form product he qives you. The neat part about this product is it expands up to 40 times its weight which means just a little mixture goes a long way. You do need to wait about 15 minutes until this reaction has created your new casting. Here is a picture of what 3 total ozs of this mixture turned into inside my mold.
Up to this point I would say its about a coin flip, both plaster and the Geodesic product are messy to work with and both take some time to get a completed casting. The one advantage the Geodesic product has in the creation process is it took a lot less of the product to create a casting.
Now that the Geodesic casting has been created, it has the consistency of leather and is extremely flexible for about 1/2 hour. After that, its going to get quite stiff. With that said, if you need more time to work with the product, you just need to run it under a heat gun or hair dryer for a few minutes to loosen it back up. According to Joel, you can loosen up his castings up years later if you need to just by applying heat. During the installation process is where this product is far superior to plaster. You can bend it, twist it, tear it with your hands or cut it with scissors to get the exact shape you need it in. Its also quite easy to install with the use of a hot glue gun. Because the product is extremely light, just a little glue it required to get the casting to hold the shape you want. Here is a completed picture after I cut up the one casting I created…
After its installed, the next step is to coat the already white castings with a product that Joel provides you called Gesso. This Gesso allows the castings to hold color. The only draw back is you need to let the Gesso dry over night before applying colors to it.
Once its dry, you then brush on a black powder called Tempera which creates a great looking shadowing affect, At this point, you will also notice all the intricate details in the casting that you wont find in a plaster casting. You then immediately take a sponge and clean the surface with water leaving behind the black shadowing in all of the crevices.
The final step is to apply various shades of Greys, Browns and Yellow acrylic paints. You apply them in a wash format which means a little bit of paint mixed with a lot of water. After applying numerous color washes, you let them dry and apply again the next day. The technique he uses is one of building layers of colors. According to Joel, this process will give the rocks a reflective property that’s found in the real world…
Here is where I stand after the installation of my already painted Stone Wall Castings I got from New England Brownstone as well as only one coat of washes on the stone work. As you can see, the stone work still appears quite white…but I’m sure will look much more impressive after 5-6 layers have been applied. I can also tell you my diorama is much lighter than if I would have used plaster. My final conclusion after using the Geodesic product is that I will never go back to plaster again…
I did not invent this process but followed Joel’s step by step instructions. His process can be found in more detail on the Bragdon website…
In addition to applying 5-6 more coats of washes to the rock castings, the next step is to use Scuptamold to blend the rocks and walls into the diorama.
That’s all for now…
brownbr
January 2016
Those look great. I used his molds with plaster on my layout. You have definitely gotten better detail on your castings than on my plaster ones.
KCSTrains
January 2016
Thanks Alan for the detailed description. You’ve made me a believer. I really like what I’m seeing. Keep up the good work. Phil
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Thanks Phil…yeah the details on the castings look great in person…the photos don’t do it justice.
KCSTrains
January 2016
Alan, I have a question about the spacing of the rail ties. I have a Fast Tracks template for branch lines that has ties a lot closer than you have them. Is there a standard? Thanks. Phil
nextceo
January 2016
I manually hand laid my ties. I thought the farther spacing gave it more of a backwoods feel.
KCSTrains
January 2016
Thanks. I’m hand laying as well. I got the template to help me with spacing and that’s when I noticed the difference. I guess it’s a matter of preference. Thanks.
Karl.A
January 2016
Really looking great Alan, I love the topography you have created, such a dramatic focal point to draw the viewer into the diorama. Great work.
Karl.A
nextceo
January 2016
Thanks for the comments Karl…glad you’re back…
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
After 6 light washes over the rocks, it was time to lay down the first coat of dirt…
brownbr
January 2016
Fantastic. A few weed here and there will really make them pop. I’m amazed at the difference in crispness between the foam you used and plaster.
You have got to roll up some corrugated metal and line the drain in the wall.
admin
January 2016
wow… looks awesome.
nextceo
January 2016
Thanks for the nice comments. Yeah, actually I created a pipe out of a straw for the retaining wall. I was going to install it once all the scenery was completed.
Coors2u
January 2016
The transiton between the rocks and the dirt look fantastic so far. I like where this is headed.
KCSTrains
January 2016
Alan, great build. I like the way you are detailing your scenery. Phil
Karl.A
January 2016
Great blending of the rocks into the hillside alan, very natural looking transitions. Such a great starting point, cant wait for more, I love spending time on scenery work.
Karl.A
nextceo
January 2016 edited January 2016
Thanks Karl and Phil. Just got all the lights hooked up tonite. Also, on a side note…Brett just posted his weathering technique video under the Craftsmen Kit University section of the website. This is the process I used on the oil drums for this diorama.
KCSTrains
February 2016
Alan, I like the lighting and I think it is very important. I signed up for a lighting platinum clinic at the Expo. I don’t know much about the process of installing the lighting. Phil
KKarns
February 2016
The relief looks terrific Alan, well done there. Lighting of course is splendid as well. Interior is shaping up nicely…Ken
Karl.A
February 2016
Great shots Alan. The lighting really does show things off very well indeed.
Karl.A
Bill
February 2016
Cool!
Love the look of that dry stacked retaining wall and the dirt that spilled over.
nextceo
February 2016 edited February 2016
Thanks for the comment Bill. Ive been going back and forth for the past month on switching over to narrow gauge since I think it looks much better with the logging theme. The struggle was with the idea that I eventually plan on building a layout with all of these dioramas but I cant seem to find ANY Hon3 locomotives that are DCC and have sound. I guess Ive decided that when I’m ready to build my layout in a few years, worse case scenario, I can use locomotives from Blackstone Models. Hence, I ripped up all the track on both the Machine Shop and my completed Repair Shed and laid down narrow gauge track. That also means I “get” to build the Work Train all over again in the Hon3 scale. Here is the new track on the Machine Shop..all that’s left is to spike it.
brownbr
February 2016
I like the narrow gauge better.
Karl.A
February 2016
Like Bryan I also prefer the narrow gauge look. It just seems t fit better with the whole theme and style.
Backwoods , Branchline, away from the main, run down and gritty.
Karl A
nextceo
February 2016
I planted my home-made trees tonight.
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The Deciduous Tree is was created from Sage Brush (trunk portion of the tree), Supertree Material for the leafy branches, and then sprinkled with Flock.
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The Pine Tree was hand made with 30 gauge and 24 gauge wires that were twisted and then glued into a piece of wood and then coated with a bark texture from TheScenicFactory to hide all the wires. The leafs are just Woodland Scenics Foliage that is cut into strips and then glued to the branches.
brownbr
February 2016
I love those sage trees.
The pine looks like a sparse lodgepole pine high up in the mountains somewhere which fits the scene. The branches are peeking through the top of the foliage pad. If you rotate the pads around so the branch peeks out below the foliage pad, this might improve the look of each individual branch.
nextceo
February 2016
Thanks for the comment Bryan. I actually glued the foliage underneath the branches near the top and as I got near the bottom of the tree to the larger branches that sag, I glued the foliage on top of the branches. Ive seen 3 different articles / videos that recommend this as the “best way” to model this tree…
KKarns
February 2016
Alan, you’re the king of terrain that’s for sure! I can’t seem to get past flat and/or lumpy. Well conceived and executed…Ken
KCSTrains
February 2016
Alan,
I love the trees. Thanks for the reference on the bark material. I’m toying with creating bark for Southern Yellow Pine. With this material and a small screen, I think I can duplicate pine bark. Also, my go-to for limbs on a pine tree is caspia that I paint and flock with foam. I learned this from an ON3 modeler. It translates well to HO. Phil
nextceo
February 2016
Hey Phil, thanks for the post on the Caspia. I use to use that stuff but now I cant find it anymore at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.
Karl.A
February 2016
Walmart has it too Alan.
Karl.A
nextceo
February 2016 edited February 2016
Nearing the finish line. Just letting the Glue/Water mix dry and then need to apply the Bushes, Weeds and Buffalo Grasses. After that I’m adding a Truck and the Bonus Repair Car that came with the kit and I believe that’s a wrap…
KKarns
February 2016
Great work Alan! Again, love the terrain and the details look wonderful. Are you going to make the EXPO, I’d love to see this thing first hand? Ken
nextceo
February 2016
Thanks Kenny…yeah…the 16.5 hour drive is the part I’m struggling with…
Coors2u
February 2016
Dio looks great Alan, 16.5 hrs yikes. Thats why I’m flying.
admin
February 2016
Let’s see more!
Karl.A
February 2016
Looks fantastic Alan, I’m with Brett on the “Lets see more!”
Karl.A
nextceo
March 2016
Final Build Pictures can be found here…
#104 - Machine Shop: nextceo - HO Scale Builds - SierraWest Scale Models Forum
Jerry
March 2016
What everyone else said. Plus this is just “AWESOME”. An as Brett said Hall of Fame for sure.
Jerry