Chuffnell Regis

[Graham T]

One of the advantages of working from home - or perhaps pitfalls, depending on your point of view - is that when I get tired of writing papers it's a simple matter to take a little break and do some "pottering".  So in the breaks from work today I've been tinkering with the engine shed for Chuffnell Regis.  I'm trying to modify the Scalescenes small shed so that it looks a bit like the shed at Wallingford, using the plans from Paul Karau's book.  I'm not trying for a replica, more to just change the kit item so that it looks a bit more individual.  What could possibly go wrong, eh?!

 

 

Of course this means that I also need to make some windows...  This isn't a new technique, but I thought it might be interesting to show how I went about it.  I started off with a scan of the overlay I'm using to build the walls, and then fixed a sheet of thin clear plastic card over it with masking tape.  Then I used a white self-adhesive label for the glazing bars.  I did consider using two blades at once in my scalpel to get a really narrow parallel cut, but the chuck wasn't big enough to accept two blades.  As it happened, cutting narrow strips with a single sharp blade wasn't a problem anyway.

 

 

Once the strips are cut from the label sheet, lift the end of the strip with the point of the scalpel, and then use tweezers to place it on top of the plastic sheet.  Obviously the scan below the clear plastic provides you with the guidelines.  I added the outer elements of the window frame last.  Then the whole was glued onto the back of the external wall.  It doesn't look perfect by any means, but I don't think it's too bad for the first one.  This is the side of the shed that won't be visible from the viewing side of the layout anyway, and I'm hoping that my technique will have improved by the time I've finished these four windows and am ready to start on the visible ones.

 

Now I think I'd better get back to work!

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by Graham T

[Gedward]

I used this technique for some of my windows too. However, I cut out the whole window whilst the label was on the clear plastic, then removed the centres.

[Graham T]

That sounds like it would be more difficult?

[Gedward]

2 minutes ago, Graham T said:

That sounds like it would be more difficult?

 

It may sound like that but it really wasn't. Because you don't need to stop the blade at each pane. You can just cut horizontal and vertical strips, as you've done already.

[Gedward]

Like this.

 

 

[Gedward]

However, for the signal box, I used diluted oil paint in a bow pen.

 

 

[Graham T]

2 minutes ago, Gedward said:

Like this.

 

 

 

Oh yes, now that does look good!  I like the panelled doors as well.

 

[Graham T]

It's starting to look a bit like water, but the ply is still soaking it up like a sponge.

[Graham T]

So, when does kit-bashing cross the line into scratch-building?  I think I must be getting close with this engine shed ... 

 

At least it's getting me some new skills.  The problem is, that as I get better at this it's hard to resist the temptation to go back and improve the first parts that I've made.  If I keep doing that I'll never get this finished!

 

[MrWolf]

Welcome to the murky waters between kit bashing and scratch building. It works for me and it very much looks like it's working for you too. 

Another method of creating windows from the same era as the labels and the bow pen method which I have used was to scribe parallel lines into the acetate for glazing bars and painting in the gap between.

[Gedward]

16 hours ago, Graham T said:

The problem is, that as I get better at this it's hard to resist the temptation to go back and improve the first parts that I've made.  If I keep doing that I'll never get this finished!

 

I hear you bro. The station on Bovey Tor was my first scratch build. Let's just say it was a heck of a journey. I probably re started half a dozen times. Trying out various materials including styrene bricks, scribing das clay etc. But in the end embossing card, the Pendon method. And that took two or three attempts to get right. 

[Graham T]

8 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Welcome to the murky waters between kit bashing and scratch building. It works for me and it very much looks like it's working for you too. 

Another method of creating windows from the same era as the labels and the bow pen method which I have used was to scribe parallel lines into the acetate for glazing bars and painting in the gap between.

 

Thanks Rob.  Have to say that I'm enjoying myself

 

I was aware of the scribe and paint method, but I've never been very good at staying between the lines ...

[Graham T]

30 minutes ago, Gedward said:

 

I hear you bro. The station on Bovey Tor was my first scratch build. Let's just say it was a heck of a journey. I probably re started half a dozen times. Trying out various materials including styrene bricks, scribing das clay etc. But in the end embossing card, the Pendon method. And that took two or three attempts to get right. 

 

I would never have thought that station was your first one George - it's a cracking build.  As I said, the panelled doors especially caught my eye; how did you build those?

 

I haven't tried embossed styrene, but think it would probably look too uniform.  The brickpapers from Scalescenes are working well for me so far, but the prints are very sensitive to water.  Could well just be the ink/paper combo I'm using of course.

[Gedward]

Thanks Graham. Just as you strongly considered building your own finescale, track I guess. It is a long process, but now that I'm retired, I have the time to spend on details. The whole purpose of this project is to learn scratch building.

 

The doors are made from 0.25 mm styrene sheet. Basically the panels are cut out separately and then layered together. I usually paint the components before building. Then you only need to do touch ups once it's all together.

Edited May 19, 2021 by Gedward
Editing copy and typos

[Stubby47]

17 minutes ago, Graham T said:

I haven't tried embossed styrene, but think it would probably look too uniform.  The brickpapers from Scalescenes are working well for me so far

 

An interesting viewpoint.

 

To me the Scalescenes sheets are just as uniform, in fact far more so than the Slater's brick sheets which have a tendency to wander off true.

 

Which medium I use (not that I've scribed anything yet) also depends on the position of the building (front / back) and the overall look of the scene. 

 

But your engine shed is looking great so far, and by the look of the detail on the drawing it will have multiple brick layers, which certainly moves the 'look' away from a flat printed wall.

[Graham T]

1 hour ago, Gedward said:

The doors are made from .5 mm styrene sheet. Basically the panels are cut out separately and then layered together. I usually paint the components before building. Then you only need to do touch ups once it's all together.

 

I did wonder if you'd used styrene.  Thanks, I might try that.

[Graham T]

1 hour ago, Stubby47 said:

 

But your engine shed is looking great so far, and by the look of the detail on the drawing it will have multiple brick layers, which certainly moves the 'look' away from a flat printed wall.

 

Thanks.  There are indeed multiple layers, here's the back wall (the one that you won't be able to see once the shed is on the layout) more or less finished.

 

 

The windows look a bit shoddy, but they're sandwiched between two layers of wall, so redoing them would involve a complete rebuild.  Luckily they won't be visible anyway...

[Graham T]

And here are the windows that I've made for the front wall, the visible one.  An improvement I think, and to the naked eye (well mine, anyhow) they look fine, although the camera is pretty merciless in showing up the errors.

 

[Graham T]

I need to think about guttering for this building.  Options that come to mind are Ratio and Modelu.  Anyone like to make recommendations, or share their experiences?  Thanks

[MrWolf]

I've used the Ratio items quite extensively, the seperate brackets for the downpipes are a neat idea, if a little chunky. They are hollow, rather than the solid half round of a lot of kit components. Easy to chop about and stick together, importantly, they're not brittle, but not like cheese either.

 

[Gedward]

Have decided to scratch build all pipes on my structures. Probably using heavy gauge florist wire for the down pipes and half round styrene for the gutters. The connectors will be modelled from masking tape wound round a couple of times.

 

I'm leaving all the small details such as pipes, guttering, window sills etc. till last as these are likely to go missing in combat.

[Graham T]

7 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I've used the Ratio items quite extensively, the seperate brackets for the downpipes are a neat idea, if a little chunky. They are hollow, rather than the solid half round of a lot of kit components. Easy to chop about and stick together, importantly, they're not brittle, but not like cheese either.

 

 

Thanks, the Ratio items do look good.  Maybe I'll use those and mix in some Modelu brackets...

 

1 hour ago, Gedward said:

Have decided to scratch build all pipes on my structures. Probably using heavy gauge florist wire for the down pipes and half round styrene for the gutters. The connectors will be modelled from masking tape wound round a couple of times.

 

I'm leaving all the small details such as pipes, guttering, window sills etc. till last as these are likely to go missing in combat.

 

You could use 1mm styrene rod for the downpipes, might be easier to keep straight than wire.  Perhaps just use wire for any curved joints, and mask the change in material with a bracket?

 

[Gedward]

3 minutes ago, Graham T said:

You could use 1mm styrene rod for the downpipes, might be easier to keep straight than wire.  Perhaps just use wire for any curved joints, and mask the change in material with a bracket?

 

Very good suggestion. I was mainly concerned with the dog leg bend. But a mix of the two might work out well.

[Graham T]

The dogleg - that's exactly what I meant for the wire!

[Graham T]

The main walls are now complete, thank goodness.  The upper one in the photo will not be visible, fortunately - so the glue stains will be unseen!  I think the other wall looks better.