Jump to content
 

Caley Jim

Members
  • Posts

    4,627
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Caley Jim

  1. I would have reacted with a 'Craftmanship/clever', but 'friendly supportive' seemed more appropriate, given your wife's situation. I'm sure she will be well looked after. Take care, Jim
  2. I can almost hear the 'ping' of the block bells from here! takes me back to working the block bells in Greenfoot box in my teens. Jim
  3. Yes, some occasions it goes well. other times it's just not working, so you have to put it off until another time. Jim
  4. I hope I'm not being cheeky here, Mike, but what paint do you use for your lettering and do you use it neat? I vary between enamel and acrylics, both slightly thinned to make them flow off the brush easier. I moisten the brush first with either thinner or water (depending on the paint I'm using) and blot it on a tissue so that it's just 'damp'. I then pick up just a spot of paint on the tip of the brush, how much depends on whether I'm doing the main lettering or the smaller bits. For the latter there may only be enough paint on the brush to do one vertical stroke. I clean the brush in thinners (or water) after perhaps every 2 or 3 dips in the paint so that the paint doesn't clog on the brush. Apologies if this is teaching you to suck eggs. Jim
  5. I'm currently using brushes bought from the 'Brushes 4 Models' stand at Model Rail 2 years ago. A mixed pack of 10, ranging in size down to 10/0, for £5.00 seemed a bargain worth trying out, even if they didn't last long. Truth is they are the best brushes I've used for keeping their shape, especially remaining pointed, and that includes Windsor and Newtons. They are branded 'Artmaster Allmedia series 10' and 'Artmaster Micro detail series 25'. The latter are particularly fine and good for lettering and small details. They don't seem to have a website, but do turn up at some of the shows. I had to apologise to him last year for not buying any more as the original ones were still going strong and there are some I haven't used yet. Usual disclaimer. Jim
  6. I create the surface with card and then simply apply the thinned DAS (which has had black and/or brown powder paint added to it - you can also use acrylics) with a soft brush or palette knife then smooth it as it dries. Be aware that the mix can look far too black when mixed, but will dramatically lighten when dried. The coating of both the road and yard surface in this photo was pretty well black when I applied it. Working in 2mm scale the texture is pretty much OK as laid, but in larger scales you could dust fine sand on the surface for texture. You can create ruts using the edge of the palette knife and make dips for puddles which you then 'fill' with some varnish or PVA. The areas of whin setts in the yard were created by dampening the surface and indenting it with a tool made from scrap etch, one sett at a time - a rather laborious job! The setts were then given a very thin wash of black. I make up the mix(es) in recycled tubs with lids which sandwich fillings come in. If the mix dries out, simply add some water, stir it about as it softens, and you can continue using it. See my layout thread below for other ways I use this. Jim
  7. To be pedantic, I think DAS is actually a form of very fine papier machè. It's certainly slightly fibrous, which you can see if you water it down to the consistency of thick yoghurt, which is what I use for coating roadways etc, using a No.6 soft artists brush. Jim
  8. I've used watered down DAS for many years now. Far less messy and lighter than plaster and you can colour it by adding powder or acrylic paint. If you want to change or add to it just wet the area you want to blend into and it will soften again. Jim
  9. From the Connor era (post-1856) onwards CR locos had front steps. On the 'Crewe type' 2-2-2s and 2-4-0s they were over the axlebox of the leading wheels, while on the 0-4-2s they were incorporated into the slidebar supports at the cylinder end. Drummond designs weren't fitted with them at first, but they were added later in most cases. Jim
  10. I do almost all my paInting with brushes, after an initial spray with a rattle can. I always use several well thinned coats, usually of enamel. Jim
  11. To glue plasticard to mountboard, try Easitrac glue. It will securely glue plastic and paper to metal and plastic to wood and I've also used it to pre-coat plasticard before attaching printed brick/stone paper with Pritt. Jim
  12. Powder paint is mostly used in schools and nurseries these days and seems to be mostly supplied in fairly large quantities and rather lurid colours. https://www.amazon.co.uk/powder-paint/s?k=powder+paint I have several small tins of Rowney make, which I think I inherited from my father (a primary school headmaster) but they don't seem to do it any more, although it seems there is still some around. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225756034930 I believe you can create it by scraping chalk or pastels to form a powder. I've found that dusting it lightly over painted stonework helps to give it a more 'stony' finish, for want of a better description! I would guess that weathering powders are pretty much the same stuff. I use black to 'weather' coal wagons, though you have to be very sparing with it! Jim
  13. How are you preventing the rods from jumping up out of the tappets on the locking bars? Jim
  14. Phoenix Paints CR wagon red oxide with some white in it. The doorway surrounds and lintel are painted with that mix then dusted over (dry) with white powder colour. Jim
  15. If you want ready made track you will have to stick with N-gauge standards. Sorry, can't help with the 'finest' RTR track. Having said that 2FS Easitrac plain track and turnouts are straight forward to assemble. For turnouts all the parts are provided, ready prepared. Jim
  16. Took me a year of lunch hours plus several weekends to clear the loft in my parents house when my father died. And there was a loft in the garage! Filled two skips in all! (and that's not counting the stuff I held onto 'because it might come in useful') Most of the latter has undergone two house moves since then! Jim
  17. I've used (and am still using) Precision thinners with both old and new Humbrol paints without any problems. All brush painting. Jim
  18. I had a similar issue with the locking on Kirkallanmuir. I got round it by increasing the spacing between the locking bars. Jim
  19. That interior looks pretty good to my eyes! 👍 Jim
  20. Can't talk about other companies, but CR fish wagons, some of which were basically 8T dropsides on passenger rated underframes, were painted in NPCS livery of dark purple brown with yellow lettering. Jim
  21. No swaged gold plate? She looks at least upper middle class! Jim
  22. These will keep you out of mischief for a wee while (or perhaps not!). That is after you've washed the windows of course!😉 Jim
  23. As long as you don't start coughing and sneezing! (Coughs and sneezals spread diseasals) 😁 Jim
×
×
  • Create New...