ISW Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 Platform Staircase - Finally, some progress Yes, I know it's hard to believe but, there has finally been some progress with the platform staircase. As you will recall (if your memory is long enough ...) my first attempt ended with an assembly of 'bananas', with the cereal packet cardboard having 'curled' during the sub-assembly glue up. So, I started again. However, this time I sandwiched all the sub-assembly glue ups between lollipop sticks, clamped together to keep them straight. This worked just fine. Final assembly was, just as before, with some 'temporary scaffolding' (cardboard) in place to get the correct overall dimensions. Once the glue had dried, I started drilling holes into the staircase treads to accept the vertical poles of the handrails. I used my 'dremel' clone for this purpose: If you are wondering what the 'stains' are around each hole, then this is just thin superglue. I drizzled it on to strengthen the hole because I had to keep drilling the holes larger and larger (well, from 0.9mm to 1.5mm) to accept the hardrails. This worked really well. I could then insert the handrails into the holes, but not before drizzling more superglue on the handrails themselves to given them a bit more strength / structure. After all, they are only ~0.7mm thick cereal packet cut to a width of ~1mm: No, it wasn't easy. Getting all the holes to line up, whilst simultaneously pushing them (very carefully, with tweezers) into the holes took a fair amount of time. I was happy that the handrails were vertical! At least it's finally together, and is now being prepared for a coat of paint from the airbrush. I'll be painting the whole thing black (to cover up the cereal packet labelling) and then into crimson red. Ian 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishplate Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 15 hours ago, ISW said: I could then insert the handrails into the holes, but not before drizzling more superglue on the handrails themselves to given them a bit more strength / structure. After all, they are only ~0.7mm thick cereal packet cut to a width of ~1mm: 15 hours ago, ISW said: No, it wasn't easy. I suspect that was an understatement! What a superb result you've achieved 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted March 10 Author Share Posted March 10 2 hours ago, Fishplate said: What a superb result you've achieved Thanks for the complement, but now I have rather ruining it a bit by painting. Mutter ... I've not painted 'raw' cereal packet cardboard before, having generally covered it with inkjet printed textures. The airbrush paint seems to have 'expanded' some of the stair treads, which are now a little more 'curved' than I would like. I'm leaving it to fully dry before I attempt any remedial works. My initial thoughts are to cut the stair tread at an obtuse angle, shorten one edge by a tad, and then glue a thin 'patch' over the joint. I could do this on top of the tread (as I was planning on adding a black paper overlay to mimic rubber treads) or underneath. If there are any better / easier methods I like to hear about them! Ian 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted March 23 Author Share Posted March 23 Platform Staircase - Complete, although not perfect Having left the red paint to dry on the staircase, it's obvious that the 'wavy' staircase steps are not going to straighten themselves. Ah well, will just have to live with it; until I can think of a good 'repair' solution. In the meantime, the staircase has been plonked on the platform (it will need to be 'sunk' into the surface in due course). I moved a few trains [1] in the station to take a photo: Getting there, slowly. [1] - moving a few trains was a task in itself. I've not run any trains for months! Ian 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted March 23 Author Share Posted March 23 Getting Some Trains Moving again While I've been faffing about with the platform staircase, I've not been running any trains whatsoever. I don't think I've moved anything under it's own power for about 6-months. So, when I came to move something, a few problems reared their ugly heads. Firstly, one of my MegaPoints 12servo boards started acting up. After a bit of troubleshooting (disconnecting power & MegaPoints networks between baseboards) I determined the particular one that was 'crashing' the Lower Level MegaPoints system. It's no surprise that it's the first one I ever installed on the layout! I tried the time-tested method of crawling under the baseboard, lying on my back, and unplugged the servos to see if one was causing a problem. After a while I'd found a culprit, but the act of unplugging had dislodged some wires from a 3-way socket. Did I mention this was my first servo board installation ... There was no way I was going to be able to effect repairs working under the baseboard. This is where having separate baseboards comes in really handy. I disconnected the jumper cable between the baseboards, removed the M8 bolts, and pulled out the baseboard: It's about 5-years since this baseboard has been out-of-the-layout. Anyway, it was swiftly turned over to allow 'repairs' to be conducted: I then made up an extra-long baseboard jumper cable to allow me to power up and test the MegaPoints 12servo, which worked perfectly once again. It was then just a matter of putting the baseboard back into the layout, reinstalling the bolts and re-connecting the baseboard jumper cables. Secondly, any attempt an running trains resulted in a lot of stuttering due to loss of power. A thorough clean of all the rails was the order of the day. I have @61656 to thank for the tip of using white spirit (I'd be previously using IPA), which went very well, apart from the smell that'll take a while to dissipate. Finally, I could run some trains ... Ian 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 Sticky Labels With the platform staircase finished [1], thoughts are turning to the platform canopy. [1] - not really, but it'll have to do for the time being! The canopy is really large and will need several duplicated sections. It's a glazed canopy, so I'll be using clear plastic from old Peco turnout packaging. On my 'test' sample, I used my Cricut cutter to cut out some white paper for the glazing bars, and then glued these on with spray adhesive. Refer to: I've seen may other people using sticky labels for this purpose (and window glazing in general) so maybe I should be considering this method instead. While browsing at a local car boot last weekend I come across a seller (booter?) with some old rolls of sticky labels, so I bought one. I 'think' it'll last a lifetime (and probably longer) ...: Bit of a bargain at £1. The next trick will be to try some in the Cricut to see how/if it can cut out window glazing reliably and accurately. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andi4x4 Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 Hi Ian, Be careful using these. I have used them in the past for similar purposes only to find the adhesive dries out over time and they start falling off. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 5 hours ago, andi4x4 said: Hi Ian, Be careful using these. I have used them in the past for similar purposes only to find the adhesive dries out over time and they start falling off. Good point. However, since my options are either self-sticky labels or paper with manually applied spray adhesive, I think I'm stuffed either way ... I have tested the stickiness of the labels, and it is quite good. I do have a few things in my favour. The size of the label when cut for glazing will be quite substantial (50x30mm), and it will be applied on top of of the flat clear plastic so gravity will be on my side, for once. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andi4x4 Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 4 hours ago, ISW said: Good point. However, since my options are either self-sticky labels or paper with manually applied spray adhesive, I think I'm stuffed either way ... I have tested the stickiness of the labels, and it is quite good. I do have a few things in my favour. The size of the label when cut for glazing will be quite substantial (50x30mm), and it will be applied on top of of the flat clear plastic so gravity will be on my side, for once. Ian Have you considered the possibility of self adhesive vinyl ? May be able to get some offcuts from a local sign maker. If you get some of the thinner variety your Cricut should be able to cope with it just fine. Regards, Andi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ISW Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 7 hours ago, andi4x4 said: Have you considered the possibility of self adhesive vinyl ? May be able to get some offcuts from a local sign maker Andi, I hadn't, but thanks for the idea. There happens to be sign maker not far from me, so maybe I need to drop by their place to check about 'off cuts'. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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