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Docks away!, or, making a virtue out of a necessity . . .


Booking Hall
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Well, it's taken quite a few days, and a fair sprinkling of immoderate language, to complete as much infilling of the track/dockside area as I think looks right. Would I do it this way again? NO! I would go out and buy a few kilograms of DAS clay, even if it cost as much as moondust, and I would still think it cheap! There were a couple of times I actually though about giving it up, but persistence paid off and I got there eventually.

 

Just need to apply the surface finish now . . . . but tonight - a celebratory beer!

 

 

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Thanks for the encouragement Steve. I spent some time this morning shuffling around the three sheets of Scalescenes concrete apron print that I had available, but there just wasn't enough of it to cover the area I needed it to. This was compounded by the fact that the sheets don't 'edge match' in the way wallpaper does, so it proved impossible to arrive at a convincing layout with the few sheets I had. It was bite the bullet time and try the paint option.

 

I was nervous about this as I've so far never managed to arrive at a convincing colour for concrete, and I was doubly nervous because I feared that the card, although glued down, might bow or buckle.

 

I scored some joint lines on a scrap piece and went over them in pencil, digging out a few gouges here and there to represent decay and cracks, then with tester pots of Wilko 'Cloudy Sky' and 'Storm Cloud' (all I had available) I went for it, stippling it on with a large brush. Yes, the card bowed, but dried reasonably flat, but the colour was too dark and too pink. I tried again, this time stippling in some white and an occasional grey fleck, and when dry I was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite similar to the base colour of the Scalescenes print. Now for the acid test, would the carefully laid card on the model stay put? I scribed some joint lines on the apron behind where the goods shed will go and went for it. Success! The colour looked good and the card stayed flat, so I quickly pressed on and did the remainder. There's some selective weathering to be done, but I'm pleased to be over that hurdle.

 

I added the piles to the dock wall and now need to make some timber kerb edging to go behind them and between them at the top, to hide the bare edge of the card overlay. The Scalescenes kit provides a kerb and overlay, but that would be difficult to adapt and fit the way I've built this, so I'm going to make them out of balsa wood.

 

 

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Very nice Paul. It's coming together very well. I couldn't really visualize it properly from the track plan but it captures the essence of a dockyard very well. Good job mate! 

The secret with painting card is to paint both sides of the card with a primer colour or diluted PVA first before you fix it down or assemble it that way it gets all its moving done before you put the proper colour and weathering on. Do the back first and it will lift at the corners as it dries. Once dry turn it over and paint the other side and it will flatten out to where is started from them you can fix it and paint away to judgment day and it won't move again because it's sealed.  

Regards Lez.

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16 hours ago, lezz01 said:

Very nice Paul. It's coming together very well. I couldn't really visualize it properly from the track plan but it captures the essence of a dockyard very well. Good job mate! 

The secret with painting card is to paint both sides of the card with a primer colour or diluted PVA first before you fix it down or assemble it that way it gets all its moving done before you put the proper colour and weathering on. Do the back first and it will lift at the corners as it dries. Once dry turn it over and paint the other side and it will flatten out to where is started from them you can fix it and paint away to judgment day and it won't move again because it's sealed.  

Regards Lez.

Thanks for that appreciation and advice Lez. If only I'd planned it that way . . . :D. But I do now know it can be done when push comes to shove.

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That looks great to me Paul (the tank fits in nicely too). Having tried to do something similar a while back using 2mm plastic 'planks' as track infill, I can say I feel your pain. I can also say you stuck with it longer than I did -- this forum really needs a 'throw it in the bin in frustration' emoticon!

 

Adam

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6 hours ago, Calidore said:

That looks great to me Paul (the tank fits in nicely too). Having tried to do something similar a while back using 2mm plastic 'planks' as track infill, I can say I feel your pain. I can also say you stuck with it longer than I did -- this forum really needs a 'throw it in the bin in frustration' emoticon!

 

Adam

Thanks Adam. I have to say (not entirely modestly!) that the more I look at it the more pleased I am with it, so it has all been worthwhile. That said, I'm also very pleased to be getting on with something else!

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The timber looks good Paul. A little too good really. Timber in docks get bashed about and bruised, even crushed, very quickly. I would knock those lovely straight edges off myself. Are you going with bollards and captains? What about fenders, tyres or airbags?  It's coming on well mate.

Regards Lez.  

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21 hours ago, lezz01 said:

The timber looks good Paul. A little too good really. Timber in docks get bashed about and bruised, even crushed, very quickly. I would knock those lovely straight edges off myself. Are you going with bollards and captains? What about fenders, tyres or airbags?  It's coming on well mate.

Regards Lez.  

Thanks Lez, and good point, I should have thought of that before sticking them down but I can always knock them about a bit during the detail weathering stage. Yes, I'll be adding some bollards and mooring rings, and some tyres hanging down would look the part too. Watch this space!

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Today I've roughly built up the ground levels of the scenic area with some corrugated cardboard and wall filler, filled in some of the sleepers in the loco stabling siding and covered the track crossing with 'stone setts lookalike' wallpaper from a well-known nationwide DIY chain to add a bit of variety to the surface textures. Although a little coarse, when painted up it can look OK as the photo below on my boxfile layout 'Brierley Canal Road' shows. Then, whilst waiting for the filler to harden off, I took stock of what 'ballast' I have.  It comprises a small amount of Peco weathered ballast, an even smaller amount of Javis ash mixed with real coal fire ash, a pot of dried, sieved bonfire ash and some drying soil.

 

 

 

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On 24/04/2020 at 18:02, Booking Hall said:

Timber kerbs made and fitted to the dock wall today. Cut from 3mm thick balsa wood and painted with thin washes of dark and light grey emulsion paint.

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Hi 

This is so evocative of many harbours I've visited and loved. When you get to the cameo stage this picture is just crying out for a small boy sitting at the bottom of the steps, crab fishing with a handline and bucket. 

 

It could have been me some years ago.

 

Best wishes

 

Cam

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On 25/04/2020 at 15:58, Booking Hall said:

...and covered the track crossing with 'stone setts lookalike' wallpaper from a well-known nationwide DIY chain to add a bit of variety to the surface textures. Although a little coarse, when painted up it can look OK as the photo below on my boxfile layout 'Brierley Canal Road' shows.

 

That's a very crafty idea indeed! It looks properly convincing to me in both examples. Might have to add it to the list of methods to try out, if you wouldn't think me too brazen a thief.

 

I continue to be impressed by your ingenuity and supply of materials in restricted circumstances, too!

 

Adam

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Paul, don't forget the lifebelts!   I had to pass a 50 yard swimming test to be employed by the PLA whether I was in the docks or on the river, so I doubt whether your men do!!!   Suppose the nearest 'B' but to you on the coast is Blackpool so is there any place name beginning with 'B' on the Wyre or the Lune?   Just a name not an actual harbour.

EAST QUAY - 27.9.2019 COLIN switching over generator vans at East Quay..jpg

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1 hour ago, CameronL said:

When you get to the cameo stage this picture is just crying out for a small boy sitting at the bottom of the steps, crab fishing with a handline and bucket.

Glad it's looking like a proper harbour Cam, and thanks for that suggestion. I could use it to hide that nasty gap between the bottom landing and the sloping string course.

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59 minutes ago, Calidore said:

 

That's a very crafty idea indeed! It looks properly convincing to me in both examples. Might have to add it to the list of methods to try out, if you wouldn't think me too brazen a thief.

Borrow away Adam! I think I got the idea from another modeller anyway, following which I nipped into the store and ripped of a sizeable piece from their 'sample' roll. It's very cheap that way!

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