My Laser Cutting workbench and my odyssey in model buildings.

[Giles]

We'll be there on Saturday - absolutely - I'll find you!

[Barnaby]

Giles that photo makes me wonder if you actually set fire to it, what you have achieved there is brilliant.

 

Now where is my blow-torch...................

 

Best

[Knuckles]

Pic on previous page truly is something special!

[BrushType4]

Low relief sections based on our GWR Engine shed design.

 

 

[BrushType4]

Our latest fully finished and detailed Coal Office kit.

 

[Giles]

This building looks even better in the flesh.... superb!!!

[2ManySpams]

Good to see you yesterday at Telford. The models look as good close up in real life as the do in photos.

 

I was particularly taken by the detail of your sash windows, very interesting.

[BrushType4]

As a little side project of my own I'm going to follow the well trodden path of converting Big Big Coaches into scale length and diagram.

 

So my drawing of a SO

mk2 coach.pdf

 

The laser cut sides 

 

I am working out if I can use a jig and router to cleanly cut the coach so the sides need minimal fettling to fit.

 

[BrushType4]

Our Welsh flavoured stone Signal box is going through our paint shops. Built, primed and ready to start the detailing. 

 

Parts built and primed in Halfords grey primer.

 

 

With all our finished kits, we go the extra mile, for example here we using a coursing tool to widen out a random number of the stone joints. Next, we will show you how we bring texture to the otherwise flat laser cut stonework.

 

 

[bill badger]

The stone work on the box looks excellent. Can I ask: what is the smallest size of stone 'block' cut into the wall. I'm wonder if laser engraving would answer for cutting the shape of pavings slabs (with some cracks at rounded edges, perhaps scored by hand as you show) for a platform surface in N gauge. The real life paving stone are around 130cm by 90cm (although some half slabs are used), which I make to be around 9mm by 6mm at 1:148. Am I barking up the wrong tree? I do find that my eyes prefer to see 3D texture in structures even at N gauge; flat surfaces (e.g. brick paper coverings) don't look quite right. Even if the texture is a bit overscale, it seems to me to be the lesser of two problems.

 

Cheers

Duncan

[BrushType4]

The stone work on the box looks excellent. Can I ask: what is the smallest size of stone 'block' cut into the wall. I'm wonder if laser engraving would answer for cutting the shape of pavings slabs (with some cracks at rounded edges, perhaps scored by hand as you show) for a platform surface in N gauge. The real life paving stone are around 130cm by 90cm (although some half slabs are used), which I make to be around 9mm by 6mm at 1:148. Am I barking up the wrong tree? I do find that my eyes prefer to see 3D texture in structures even at N gauge; flat surfaces (e.g. brick paper coverings) don't look quite right. Even if the texture is a bit overscale, it seems to me to be the lesser of two problems.

 

Cheers

Duncan

The line width is about 0.2mm so the smallest box is less than a 1mm square.

[BrushType4]

A bit more work on the Signal Box. A stone base colour mix Humbrol : Matt 28 Camouflage Grey, Matt 33 Black and Matt 98 Chocolate has been applied.

 

 

The slate base colour has been done a bit lighter on this build using Matt 28, Matt 33 and a bit of Metallic 53 Gunmetal.

 

 

As this is a Western Region box, the window sashes and casements, box upper works and interior has been painted in neat Matt 103 Cream.

 

 

 

[BrushType4]

For the stonework a question has to be answered, stipple with a brush or even a sponge? Pre colour each stone, then highlight, or just build up with layers?

We went for pre-colouring, then dry brushed some muck with a swirly motion over the whole - with more at the bottom (as is usual), then picked out highlights and shadows very lightly with a grotty old brush - dabbed on a tissue to slightly dry it before applying!

Paint colours were a mix of: Matt 28 Camouflage Grey, Matt 79 Blue Grey, Matt 170 Brown Bess and a dash of 33 Matt Black.

Now we've got this side worked out, we can crack on with the other 3 sides.

 

[BrushType4]

We've opted for red bricks - which gives it a fairly typical "North Wales" appearance?!

Colours used are mostly neat, but occasionally mixed: Matt 82 Orange Lining, Matt 100 Red Brown and Matt 113 Rust. Applied with a fine and slightly flattened end brush.

 

 

 

They may look a bit bright in the photos, but will be toned down and weathered here and there before - and again after the mortaring job.

[BrushType4]

A crisis today when a colour photo turned up showing the brick details to be white brick. Hey ho, we are pushing on with red bricks as 'I like em'!

 

 

While the great red/white brick debate raged, work was done on the inside and ground floor window and door details.

 

 

 

 

[BrushType4]

As the chimney is still separate we were able to dry brush a mixture of Matt 82 Orange Lining, Matt 100 Red Brown and Matt 113 Rust, then pick out lots of individual bricks with the above colours neat from the tins. A handful of bright orange ones were lightened with a touch of Matt 61 Flesh.

Finally, some Matt 98 Chocolate and Matt 33 Black was mixed and dry brushed around the outer edges of the brickwork - with a bit more added to the chimney top and bottom to represent many years worth of airborne soot and dirt.

For uniformity, the same colour has been similarly dry brushed under the window and door lintels, sills and wherever pollution carrying rain might have run off and down the walls! 

This last part should be cured enough by tomorrow afternoon for a single coat of quick drying gloss varnish to be applied before mortaring.

[Fourpenny One]

That brickwork is stunning.  Thank you for sharing the results of your expertise.

 

(I can't imagine it painted white.)

[BrushType4]

This mornings update and Ronseal gloss varnish has gone on and is drying nicely so should be ready for mortar later....

 

 

A bit later...here is the first pass with the mortar;

We used an emulsion tester "Black Pepper" as I wanted a subtle, pale and slightly warm grey colour to represent Portland cement.

 

 

It was applied with a broad brush in patches about the size of a 50p piece, then quickly wiped off with a slightly damp cloth. Despite the gloss varnish acting as a barrier, the paint dries very rapidly when thin, so it must not be spread over too large an area at a time.

The damp cloth will sometimes draw out slightly too much of the "mortar" from inside the courses at times, so in the end there is no substitute for a moistened finger tip to clean up.

Despite Pete using his 'special tool' the courses still look a little too regular - and there are still one or two places that have not filled as well as we would like. A very fine brush will be used to dribble a bit more watered down emulsion here and there.

When the mortar has dried enough, a gentle rub down the brick and stonework with a fine abrasive block will be used to matt down the surface.

 

 

 

 

[BrushType4]

A bit more progress 

[BrushType4]

Nearly there...

 

 

[BrushType4]

Just about done.

 

[BrushType4]

Been playing around with producing a range of GWR brick built station buildings though I may try and do the stone versions as well.

 

[BrushType4]

Starting to add bricks. This is the hardest part for me as I obsess over getting the correct pattern.

 

[BrushType4]

A bit more done on the station. I'm not happy that the roof line is quite right just yet. It is also interesting that there are no doors on the road side.

 

[BrushType4]

A bit of progress today on the Southern Signal Box.

 

Lasercut baseboards too.

Edited December 7, 2017 by BrushType4