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Mikkel

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I've been thinking that railway modelling needs a better public image. People seem to think the hobby is a bit weird and nerdy, when really we’re a bunch of smooth adrenaline junkies. Here are some examples from my own awesome life.

 

 

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Firstly, we railway modellers have really cool gear. These DIY tamping and scribing tools were made from coffee stirrers and my wife’s discarded sock knitting needles. Max bling! The top three are for smoothing DAS between sleepers and under rails. 

 

 

 

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I use Latex gloves to help seal glue containers. After years of doing this, I’m now wondering if they are in fact permeable.  But never mind, it adds a bit of style. I keep the bottles on the back stairs where our neighbours can admire them.

 

 

 
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Recycled kitchen sponge, used as a stop block.  Works quite well I find.  If you’re lucky, there are old bits of food left in there.

 

 

 

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"So what do you in your spare time?”. Oh, I like to put on latex gloves and scrub things with a toothbrush.

 

 

 

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The stuff I use for paint stripping is some serious sh*t. Not sure what the proper English term is, it's called "brown soap" in Danish. Used for cleaning floors. Wild, man.

 

 

 

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At weekends, I really let my hair down. In one recent highlight, I spent an hour painting sewing thread.  

 

 

 

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Then there’s our risk-taking mindset. For example, I recently sorted the kitchen cupboards. 

 

 

 

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This revealed more spices than we’ll never need, so I decided to experiment:  Would spices work as weathering powders? For improved adhesion, I mixed in some baby powder. 

 

 

 

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Feeling reckless, I also tried ground ginger.

 


 

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The verdict? Well it works OK in a pinch, but proper weathering powders are better. The layout smells great though. Makes for a good pick-up line.


 

 

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Speaking of pick-up lines, I like to experiment with dung.

 

 

 

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These are lumps of weathering powder on PVA. I think it could work for horse droppings, though more testing is needed. 

 

 

 

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It also seems to work when brushed into setts. Horse dung would be trampled and distributed pretty much like that, I reckon. Ordinary people don’t reflect on such things. I guess they just lack vision.

 

So there’s railway modelling for you: Living on the edge, every day. Anyway, I‘m off to grab a Red Bull before I tackle those couplings. Hang loose, dudes.

 

 

Edited by Mikkel

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Mikkel,

I like the attitude, and the way you portray us, and the hobby!

BTW, did your wife take the picture of you snowboarding?

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Brilliant Mikkel,

You have captured the real essence of the truth of railway modelling.  Keep it quiet though, the cost of wheel bearings and vacuum pipes will go through the roof.

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Is that ginger in use around the stable block? Brave...!

 

Wonderful post Mikkel (yet again), thank you. Raised a smile at the end of a drear weekend. Can't wait till the next one :)

Edited by Schooner
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Gosh, Mikkel, you really do live on the edge.  Such daring ..... Entering a 'kitchen' - wow! ..... and opening a 'food cupboard'  Your chances of survival must have been very slim indeed.  I know we are all supposed to suffer for our art but this is beyond all reasonable bounds.

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I mixed in some baby powder

Are powdered babies available in Denmark? 
Will we need a special import license to get it from January 1st, 2021?
 

 

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Haha, thanks everyone, we need a bit of fun in these dark times. 

 

The snowboarder certainly isn't me. I do a much better 180 Rewind. 

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Be careful with the quantity of baby powder.  The un-powdered version tends to stick around for 18 years or so.

 

 

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Oh, I didn't know that Mike. Certainly good to know, not good for weathering stock then!

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I didn't know about Dettol, so much there is to learn.


I'm annoyed that I can't find the English term for the "brown soap" that I use for paint stripping. Neither dictionaries nor the web has any meaningful translation. It looks like this:

 

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It seems to be highly alkaline, containing this:

 

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Now that we live in a flat I am trying to cut down on the toxic stuff, and this has worked out reasonably OK so far (smeared on the subject, then left in plastic bag for 2-4 days).

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I hope you clearly label the jars - that stuff looks like strawberry jam.  Potassium carbonate is one of the ingredients used in oven cleaners, often splodged on and left as a poultice. It maybe that a translation of "brun saebe"to English would be "red (or brown) poultice".

 

Kit PW

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I think you have a Danish product produced by a Danish company which is why it is not being translated.  I asked my wife what cleaners had potassium of the various types and she said, (she did a degree in chemical engineering so I assume she should know), 'All soaps have potassium in them."

 

I checked some stain removing products and they were shown as 'Irritants', and the ingredient list was poor, 'Anionic Surfactants.'  Others had 'Less than 5% potassium'.

 

If it is unique and good for removing paint from models, is it better than Dettol?  If it is after 1st January you might be able to start a black market importing it into the UK.

 

Customers Officer:  "Anything to declare?"

M: "N,n,n No!"

CO: "What is all this 'Brown Soap' in your suitcase?"

M: "It is in case I get grass stains on my clothes."

CO: "What two suitcases full of it?"

M: "I am a bit obsessive.  I model railways as well."

CO: "I see sir.  Umm, well on your way then."

 

:)

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I note that Potassium Hydroxide (KOH, colloquially known as caustic potash) heads the ingredients list.  According to Wikipedia (extracts):

 

"Like sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide attracts numerous specialized applications, virtually all of which rely on its properties as a strong chemical base with its consequent ability to degrade many materials....., potassium hydroxide hastens the decomposition of soft tissues, both animal and human, .....

The corrosive properties of potassium hydroxide make it a useful ingredient in agents and preparations that clean and disinfect surfaces and materials that can themselves resist corrosion by KOH.

.....

Potassium hydroxide is often the main active ingredient in chemical "cuticle removers" used in manicure treatments.

.....

Preshave products and some shave creams contain potassium hydroxide to force open the hair cuticle and to act as a hygroscopic agent to attract and force water into the hair shaft, causing further damage to the hair. In this weakened state, the hair is more easily cut by a razor blade

.....

Safety

Potassium hydroxide and its solutions are severe irritants to skin and other tissue (my italics)"

 

Take Care!!!

Mike

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3 hours ago, MikeOxon said:

potassium hydroxide hastens the decomposition of soft tissues, both animal and human

Hmmm.

How to avoid habeas corpus: I had the body, but it seems to have disappeared...

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Many thanks for the information gentlemen, that made me wiser on the product.  On a Danish forum the agreement seems to be that the formula is a Danish invention and not widely known abroad. Can't have been very succesful then :D.

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16 hours ago, Mikkel said:

I didn't know about Dettol, so much there is to learn......

 

'Dettol' is a disinfectant with Chloroxylenol as the active ingredient.

 

In UK, Chloroxylenol is used in hospitals and households for disinfection and sanitation. It is also commonly used in antibacterial soaps, wound-cleansing applications and household antiseptics.  Dettol products have demonstrated effectiveness against the Covid-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) when used in accordance with the directions for use.

 

Chloroxylenol is toxic to many animals, especially cats.   A cat may swallow the product by licking its paws after they have come into contact with it.

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Thank you Mike, we modellers are good at re-purposing products, but it's important to know what we are dealing with.

 

Especially at a time where 3D printing is advancing. I found myself needing to lightly sand one such product today, but realised yet again that I didn't know what particular printing material had been used, and what extent of safety precautions were required. I ended up doing it outside on our tiny balcony, wearing a proper respiratory protection mask. May have been overkill, I need to read up on this stuff.

 

12 hours ago, Northroader said:

It wasn’t used at Rillington Place.

 

I won't ask how you know :chok_mini:

 

Edited by Mikkel
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Brilliantly entertaining and useful information all at the same time.  The colour of that dung is so realistic that it instantly brings the smell to mind (now that’s proper modeling for you).  Happy Christmas.

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The layout smells great though. Makes for a good pick-up line.

I once asked a girl if she would like to come upstairs and see my etchings.

She wasn’t impressed by the rocking W-irons I showed her...

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On 25/12/2020 at 10:29, PaternosterRow said:

Brilliantly entertaining and useful information all at the same time.  The colour of that dung is so realistic that it instantly brings the smell to mind (now that’s proper modeling for you).  Happy Christmas.

 

Many thanks Mike. I must do some more testing of that dung, the public road outside the goods yard is currently way too clean.

 

I'm looking forward to what you will come up with in 2021, another layout I bet!

 

On 25/12/2020 at 22:21, Regularity said:

I once asked a girl if she would like to come upstairs and see my etchings.

She wasn’t impressed by the rocking W-irons I showed her...

 

Great name for a band though. 

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Ha! Cheers for the giggles Mikkel :lol:

 

I agree with Mike, that dung looks fantastic...

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