Traeth Mawr -Building Mr Price's house , (mostly)

[Jaz]

Do not NOT go for the stick cork down, because when you change your mind ...it is the devil to get back up....you often damage adjacent bits.........and you end up wanting to go AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!

If you do this for the tracks, and need to change stuff, takes a long time to change it...if you can afford it the track bed goes down easily with glues that can pull off again, and reuse the foam, the cork ends up being scrapped off...making a mess.

[Jaz]

The PIR can be messy, a single person who is organised could minimise this. A 25mm sheet can have some bits cut out making 50mm in places. You can sand it, it contours nicely. The dust might need some addressing, but it is insulation not readily flammable and good insulation. Colours goes on well, varnish not too bad (PVA first sops a lot of loss)

Avoid polystyrene the bubbles in it do not cut easily they tear out holes, try just a small sample and i think toy will agree not a good idea.

[Jaz]

With the PIR you can

1. cut in the roads

2. cut in the kerbs

3, rk out pavements

4, slightly set your buildings in the ground

5. repair fairly fast with normal house products

6. paint with PVA / water then it takes minimal colour to achieve nice effects.

 

I would suggest trying to source a small piece and trial it. Remove silver both sides....otherwise in warm weather the stuff curves ....and though removing the silver will allow it to regain its flat appearance it may have wrecked some work before you address it.

 

6. You can embed figures and items by pushing them in. I tend to use a bbq sick to make the hole and not damage the item, when you PVA the surface it can make it mrs robust which is good, BUT it can make white metal figures with little legs bend and break.

 

What can I say I love PIR.

[ChrisN]

Getting the same colour is not the be all, light effects cloth and a second tone often looks more realistic.

 

Jaz,

Yes I see what you mean, however, silver from the pewter showing through is a bit of a no-no.  I am not sure I could cope on the fiddly bits doing a second colour.  I now have to work out how to make lilac and amethyst for the hat. 

 

The only way I can paint is to hold the figure in one hand under the light/magnifying glass, hold the brush in the other hand and then touch at least one spare finger from each hand so there is no shaking, or if there is they shake together and the model and brush appear to be still.  To do this I lean on my elbows and it puts a train on my shoulders which have started to be painful recently.  I am not sure if the two things are related as the pains started about four days after the last lot of painting.

[ChrisN]

With the PIR you can

1. cut in the roads

2. cut in the kerbs

3, rk out pavements

4, slightly set your buildings in the ground

5. repair fairly fast with normal house products

6. paint with PVA / water then it takes minimal colour to achieve nice effects.

 

I would suggest trying to source a small piece and trial it. Remove silver both sides....otherwise in warm weather the stuff curves ....and though removing the silver will allow it to regain its flat appearance it may have wrecked some work before you address it.

 

6. You can embed figures and items by pushing them in. I tend to use a bbq sick to make the hole and not damage the item, when you PVA the surface it can make it mrs robust which is good, BUT it can make white metal figures with little legs bend and break.

 

What can I say I love PIR.

 

Jaz,

I need to think carefully about the depth of scenic material.  It needs to go in the back of my car and the land will mostly be fairly flat.  I will not do polystyrene but I had to put it in as an option.  I may well lay cork under the track as this seems to be standard for ballasting etc.  I shall think some more, and look on Saturday what others do. 

[Jaz]

Jaz,

Yes I see what you mean, however, silver from the pewter showing through is a bit of a no-no.  I am not sure I could cope on the fiddly bits doing a second colour.  I now have to work out how to make lilac and amethyst for the hat. 

 

The only way I can paint is to hold the figure in one hand under the light/magnifying glass, hold the brush in the other hand and then touch at least one spare finger from each hand so there is no shaking, or if there is they shake together and the model and brush appear to be still.  To do this I lean on my elbows and it puts a train on my shoulders which have started to be painful recently.  I am not sure if the two things are related as the pains started about four days after the last lot of painting.

try resting the elbows on foam instead of a hard surface

[Jaz]

Jaz,

I need to think carefully about the depth of scenic material.  It needs to go in the back of my car and the land will mostly be fairly flat.  I will not do polystyrene but I had to put it in as an option.  I may well lay cork under the track as this seems to be standard for ballasting etc.  I shall think some more, and look on Saturday what others do. 

as i said on the pm, always trial a small amount. Because no matter how much one person might really like a material, it does not guarantee another person will.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Jaz

[ChrisN]

try resting the elbows on foam instead of a hard surface

 

Jaz,

Good idea.  I will need to reorganise how I work when I am painting figures.

[ChrisN]

I went to ExpoEM last Saturday and spent rather a lot of money.  Three kits from Cambrian kits, one two plank Cambrian wagon and two four plankers, (Plankers, not plonkers).  These will go with the two, two plankers I bought last year.  They told me that they do not intend to do the covered van or the Guards Van as they have a different wheelbase so it looks like scratch building when I get there. 

 

I also have a number of Dart Castings figures to be modified.  These should keep me amused for a while.

 

The other main item was some on paints so I now have what looks to be a better blue for the soldiers trousers, some Garter blue for their sleeves and some semi-transparent red, green and yellow paint.  They were Tamiya and the stand I bought them from, Hobby Holidays,(?), only had them as they had to buy a complete set so I think he was pleased to move them.  This means that I am now equipped to try and paint tweed.  Time is another matter.

 

I also asked if they had 'Yellow Ochre' and he dug underneath his stand and brought out a tube of the stuff.  It is a 'gouache' so it will be a new experience from every point of view.

 

Finally some plastic strut, well why not?

 

Modelling has been limited due to Grandparent duties and other less pleasant duties but I shall try and post about teachers gowns later.

[ChrisN]

I have introduced you before to Lady Eldin, the Headmistress of the girls school.

 

 

I backdated her and put an academic gown on her as her pose just screamed at me that she appeared to be a teacher talking to a pupil.  The original is of course the Dart Castings figure. 

 

I thought that I would show you how I did the gown.  Here is Mrs Gladys Merryweather a Latin teacher and also Headmistress in a later period.

 

 

I make the gown with paper that covers Bacchus Beer bottles.  Paper bags are too shiny on one side, crepe paper is too wrinkly, tissue paper is too thin and soft.  Although I think this is best it still does not hang like real cloth.

 

Firstly I measure the width of the shoulders and then double it and add a bit so that it can wrap round the figure.  I then using the point of a scriber put a dob of PVA across the shoulders and stick the gown on.

 

 

You will note that it is already coloured black.  I colour on both sides of the paper an area bigger than I wish to cut out with black felt tip so that the inside is coloured before it is fixed and I was concerned that if I painted it, it would be too brittle.

 

I leave it to dry, usually overnight and then wrap one side round, and glue the top, pressing the spare paper over the shoulder..  When it is dry I cut out the arm spaces and glue the gown in place.  When this has dried do the other side.

 

 

This is half way through.  I will leave it there for now as I have learnt that people fall asleep when the thread is too long.

 

One word of warning though.  We all know that the camera does not lie.  When I took this picture it flashed up the message 'Blink Detected'.  So for all of you that thought 'Toy Story', and the 'Little Tin Soldier' were just imagination..............

Edited January 1, 2016 by ChrisN

[Jaz]

I like the board and gown.....clever touches.

[aberdare]

I like the changes you made to the Dart figures, they look very good. 

 

This is something that I have thought about doing but have never bought any figures to try so far, maybe when I am at York next year I'll have a closer look at them and try and decide which ones I can use.

[ChrisN]

We left Mrs Merryweather with a half finished gown.  This leaves the arms poking through the gown and not looking very real.  So to add the sleeves.

 

 

You will notice I have cut back the sleeves with a scalpel and cut out a sort of shield shape for the sleeve.  It is not very scientific, just cut it out and see if it is too big, or to long.  The sleeve has to have a point at the end, and there has to be a notch at the arm, the desired effect is this.

 

 

You will also notice that I have only coloured one side of the paper.  This is because the ink made the paper too shiny.  I do eventually paint it with matt black paint but I prefer it not to be shiny to start with.  The front is glued with a dob of PVA and left to dry.  When dry it is folded round and stuck with more PVA and the top of the sleeve folded over. 

 

When all of this is dry the other sleeve is fixed in the same way.  It is better to cut both sleeves at once.  The whole of the gown is then painted matt black. Here is Mrs Merryweather so far, as many of her girls saw her, welcoming them into her office.

 

 

You will also note I have touched up the paint and added a mortar board.  This is plastic so ' ' thick, sorry no idea, and 3mm square.  A real mortar board in 10" square but I am sure no one is measuring.  The top of her head was painted with Humbrol 85, Satin Coal Black to give the head shape and the square stuck on top.

 

Her head was already round.  Lady Eldin's model had a hat with a brim and a flat top so it was attacked with a file to make it more head shaped and then painted.

 

You will notice that Lady Eldin has a tassle.  No?  Look again, it is there.  Mrs Merryweather does not have one at the moment but I will be making one and photographing how I do it this week.

Edited February 27, 2016 by ChrisN

[ChrisN]

I like the changes you made to the Dart figures, they look very good. 

 

This is something that I have thought about doing but have never bought any figures to try so far, maybe when I am at York next year I'll have a closer look at them and try and decide which ones I can use.

 

Jim,

There are some you can use and some I think you cannot, although Mikkel has used at least one that I will not try to.  The men are fairly easy as it is difficult at this scale to see if the turned down collar they are wearing is 1930s- 50s semi-stiff, or Victorian/Edwardian stiff.  They just need an appropriate paint job.  I think one of Stadden's figures had something like a trilby so that is an extra type of hat.  Flat caps in the twentieth century tended to wear ties, well at least the Dart ones do which I think is not appropriate but you may be able to use them.

 

Railway workers from Dart will need their caps making into kepi type caps, so a bit of filling.

 

Ladies are a bit more difficult.  Adding skirt length with either DAS or Milliput, and an appropriate hat.  Removing long hair and creating an 'up' hairstyle.  The other thing is though someone said they thought Dart ladies were like men in drag.  So for Mrs Griffiths I tried to thin her waist out a bit with a needle file.  Tight waists are essential in 1895.  It did not work so I added a bit elsewhere, probably Milliput. 

 

It is a study in itself.  There are other figures from Model Railway Developments and Aiden Campbell both of which are fun if a little variable in quality and size.  I have MRD's Station Master, perhaps I will post a picture of him if you would like.  I also trawl the military model sites for figures which are as good or better than model railway figures but there are not many that are useable by model railways and even less, by civilian railways pre 1910.  Still, I keep looking

[Physicsman]

Hi Chris.

 

Wow, I'm impressed by all the effort you've put into the figures. I know it's a great interest of yours, but my ignorance (and previous total lack of interest) in this level of detail puts me to shame.

 

Great work - and a few characters that I can relate to way back in my secondary school days, what, with all the gowns.... "You boy, come here before I cane you for your insolence!"

 

Jeff

[Physicsman]

And btw, congrats on reaching 1,000 posts - many of which have been in my KL thread.

 

Jeff

[ChrisN]

Hi Chris.

 

Wow, I'm impressed by all the effort you've put into the figures. I know it's a great interest of yours, but my ignorance (and previous total lack of interest) in this level of detail puts me to shame.

 

Great work - and a few characters that I can relate to way back in my secondary school days, what, with all the gowns.... "You boy, come here before I cane you for your insolence!"

 

Jeff

 

Jeff,

Yes I remember some like that, and the pose of that lady just made me see her leaning over a girl having a 'quiet word'.

 

I do have figures and have put a lot of thought into them but the main reason being that up until recently I did not have a railway.  Actually, still do not have one but we are getting there.  You may not have figures, but you have/had/will have a railway.  Figures for your era usually just need painting, so unless you wish to have a school outing......

[ChrisN]

And btw, congrats on reaching 1,000 posts - many of which have been in my KL thread.

 

Jeff

 

Thank you, so I have.

[aberdare]

Hi Chris

 

Some useful pointers there so thanks for that.

 

I know the other figures well as I always have a chat to the owner of MRD at Doncaster and buy a few every year, but I am yet to paint any to see what the results are like, the last set of figures was the one with the Holmes and Watson.

 

I also have around thirty Aiden Campbell figures and have enjoyed some long chats with him at York about the best way to paint especially with my colour issues, I got some mixed bags of cheap flashed figures which need cleaning up but I thought they would come in handy for cutting up for interchangeable parts. So look out for a few Frankenstein type characters when I get around to it.

 

like Jeff I congratulate you on reaching the 1000 mark.

[ChrisN]

Hi Chris

 

Some useful pointers there so thanks for that.

 

I know the other figures well as I always have a chat to the owner of MRD at Doncaster and buy a few every year, but I am yet to paint any to see what the results are like, the last set of figures was the one with the Holmes and Watson.

 

I also have around thirty Aiden Campbell figures and have enjoyed some long chats with him at York about the best way to paint especially with my colour issues, I got some mixed bags of cheap flashed figures which need cleaning up but I thought they would come in handy for cutting up for interchangeable parts. So look out for a few Frankenstein type characters when I get around to it.

 

like Jeff I congratulate you on reaching the 1000 mark.

 

Thanks Jim,

I spoke with Hubert of MRD last year at ExpoEM but this year he was busy and did not appear to have any new figures.  Many of his and Aiden's I have to sit inside coaches.  I think I have Watson and Le Strade but Holmes is a bit of a one off.  Fiona Scuttlebucket is an MRD figure.  If I am right his sheep are perfect for Welsh Victorian sheep.

Edited January 1, 2016 by ChrisN

[Jaz]

Congrats on the 1000 plus posts. Unfortunately that now gives you gobshite status.....

[ChrisN]

Well, I did warn you.  Here is how to do a tassel on a mortar board.

 

 

Start with a piece of cotton.  (Sorry, I had to put it in just in case anyone did not know what it was.)  I suppose I should have put it next to the reel.  It is about 2 inches long but could have been slightly longer.

 

 

Tie a knot in it as above.

 

 

Push the loose end through.  You need to push it through so that the cotton end is lying in the same way as the other end.  This is counter-intuitive as if you pulled it through the knot would come out.

 

 

Pull the knot tight round the end you have put into it.  If it has been done correctly the ends will lay side by side.

 

 

Cut off the loop you have pushed through as close to the not as possible and then cut the two ends on the other side.

 

 

Very, very, very carefully, holding both the cotton strands at the knot with your finger nail or something else, tease out the strands with a pin.  It is very easy at this stage to pull the whole thread or strands out.  The final one I did is at the bottom, and there are at least two other attempts there.  The first one I did took 5 or 6 goes.  Mrs Merryweather waits in anticipation.

 

 

The tassel is then attached with superglue.  The glue hopefully is absorbed by the cotton making it stiff so that it sticks out as shown.  (The camera noticed Mrs Merryweather blinking again!)

 

 

Once the glue has dried you can then fold the tassel over.

 

I am not so pleased with this one as the first but I could argue I was hurrying to photograph it on a busy day.  Also she may need some paint touching up.

 

Exciting?  Well never mind I cut some wood today for the legs so the railway is progressing, f only slowly.

 

All the best, and thanks for listening.

 

[Jaz]

clever idea, thank you for sharing. I am sure I will be copying this before long

[ChrisN]

As mentioned in the last post I have cut the legs for the baseboards.  I measured the first with my trusty tape measure.  It measured 1795mm.  Yes half that is 892ish mm so I promptly measured 792mm.  I looked at it and thought it was wrong, let the tape measure back quickly into the reel and it broke the end off, disappearing inside.  That is the second one in two months so it looks like I might have to buy a new one.

 

The only measure I had was an old cloth type measure which only measures to 1500mm.  Not wishing to do nothing I measured 900mm from one end, then 90mm from the other, then the difference between the two, finally using my granddads set square to mark the cut.  I now have twelve legs, for the baseboard that is, from six cuts. 

 

As I said the wood was not all the same length even though it was sold as 1800mm.  It was not straight either, or cut perpendicular at one end.  So I am grateful for the idea of levelling screw legs, and these arrived today.  They were not expensive but the postage was nearly as much as they were.  The ends are not self levelling, and my son tells me his Father-in-laws pillar drill is not working so I shall have to think how I drill the ends.  Still we are progressing.

 

Tomorrow I may get chance to paint the final bits of the soldiers.

[Jock67B]

Morning Chris,

Just found your thread via the link on this mornings post in 'Lunester Lounge' - still finding my way around RMweb after quite a few months! Well impressed with the figures - I'm going to have to make convincing versions of my dad and the other drivers and shed engineering staff at Hurlford 67B and so I hope you don't mind me cribbing some of your ideas. I also liked the way you planned your layout, which by the way, is the stage mine is at so it will probably be next year before I can consider starting a thread! I can't work as fast as AndyP due to illness and I have to justify the expenditure to the chancellor aka Joanna the wife. I shall certainly continue to follow your thread with interest and thank you for the inspiration,

Kind regards,

Jock.

PS Don't be surprised if a few 'likes' appear on older posts!

Edited June 4, 2014 by Jock67B