Philou

Well! I don't know what happened to Wednesday and Thursday - just a bit of cutting-in and the edge of the ceiling that hadn't been done (showing in the last photo above). Today was non-day due to Mrs Philou's son and partner plus baby arriving today so all hands on deck cleaning and preparing. So little was achieved especially as we had yet another lunchtime do (these dos are like buses - wait for ages and they all arrive together! Honest!) I have about 2hrs of work left touching up the edges nearest the floor. As the young'uns are here, I have a funny feeling that work is going to progress in leaps and bounds I tell you, leaps and bounds. Next week one day is booked for going to 'Big Town' for my electrical gubbins - hoorah - but I still haven't decided whether just to paint or go for a plaster skim. What do YOU think I should do? For: It's a challenge, it'll give a nice smooth finish ready for painting the background to the layout and I shall regret not trying to do it. Against: It's extra work, it'll need a coat of paint anyway (plastered or not), it'll mean delaying the start of the layout and I shall possibly regret having done it! Had Artex still been a thing, I would have done the ceiling in that and just attempted doing the walls - but since asbestos is a no-no, the newer Artex-type coatings just aren't the same. Update tomorrow and a couple of photos showing the state of play. Cheers all and enjoy the weekend, Philip

I'm going for 10mm ply tops and sides, the same as our club uses. The tops won't be wider than 900mm (length will vary, same as @The Johnster to avoid joins coinciding with pointwork). The sides and ends will be no deeper than 100mm and braced on the underside with the same (though with lots of holes to reduce weight AND to pass cabling). Shortish screws and quality woodworking glue will hold it all together. Here's a photo of what can be done, all the modules in the photo have been constructed in 10mm: Likewise, I am not good at carpentry and there is a local builders' supplier that can cut plywood sheet as required - if he has a quiet day, gratis - if busy, a small charge for each cut after the first three or four free ones. Cheers, Philip

Hello chaps, I finished the other two walls this morning and started cutting into the corners this pm. I've probably got a good day's work ahead for tomorrow to finish off. It's only now that the paint is on that the defects are coming to light - so once I've done the corners and the Velux, it'll have to be a bit of a rub-a-dub-dub - still not sure whether I shall just fill in the defects or do a plaster skim - it's a challenge waiting, innit. I haven't posted any pictures today - it'll be akin to watching paint dry. More tomorrow. Cheers, Philip PS: Thanks for all the sympathy icons - the finger is fine - just a small cut. At the time it was impressive as the flap of skin had curled under the rest - and there was no blood! Not straight away, anyway. All uncurled and a bandage to press well down on the cut and all was fine.

Hello chaps and chapesses, The curse of Reg Prescott came and visited me today - I cut my finger to the bone whilst painting. Eh? Read on ................. Having hummed and haa-ed regarding paint or PVA, I went for paint as I had a large, new tub of white vinyl from Lidl (don't laugh at the back) - it's good stuff and dirt cheap at 17.99€ compared to the one my BiL was suggesting - 168€ for 10l !! I diluted it down and set to. I'd done about one-half of the first ceiling panel when my neighbour popped over to have look. He's the ex-professional plasterer. Anyway, he had a good look and he too hummed and haa-ed and rubbed his hand over some of the joints and said 'It's not bad at all'. He then suggested that a quick way of achieving a smooth finish and little cost in time or materials is to get a lamp and shine it along the wall and tackle any high or low spots with a bit of sandpaper/filler as required, using a quality float, and then finish off with a second coat of paint - don't bother plastering. I looked at my stainless steel float and said 'Eek' as it was covered in dried out filler having overlooked it for cleaning the last time it was used. He saw what I saw, had a look and said it wasn't a problem as a putty knife would have that off in a jiff - didn't mention any fingers though. He went back home and I decided to set-to cleaning the float before carrying on with the painting. Grabbing a scraper, I starting cleaning rather too vigorously and the scraper went under the float and there being no resistance, my finger decided that it would carry on and meet the float edge. I can tell you that for a blunt edge it doesn't half cut!! Fortunately, it was the top edge of my forefinger between the knuckle and the first joint and the bone stopped the fun before any real damage was done - not even a fountain of blood. Big grown-up words were said, a quick run under the tap plus an Elastoplast (TM) and I was as good as new - so good in fact that not only did I complete the ceiling but two of the walls as well. I reckon that's about 65m² done and another 40 to be done tomorrow: I have to go round in all the corners with a mini-roller or a brush just to cut-in and finish off before filling and trimming. I also have to plaster around the Velux to tidy up. Even if I decided to cheat and not do any further filling, I would still need a second coat as you can see the paper strip showing through in the photo above, so may as well do it right. Even so, not too bad day's work - one step closer to getting some boards up! Cheers everyone, Philip

Here are the rest: We've really gone into digital - holding sidings illuminated with alphanumeric LEDs: A non-club member's modelling - he drove all the way from Montauban - waaaaay down in the south-west, about 800km (500miles): I've posted this one up to show the difference in approach between UK ballasting and French - mine's on the left. As you will see graded grains make for finer ballast, whereas .................................. it just grates with me as it's like budgie grit. It's actually waste sanding - er -sand but it's too round and not been sieved to try and achieve at least a scale size - I'm working on it: Cheers everyone and have a good weekend, Philip

Hi chums, I managed to do all the little strips around the big timbers yesterday and I didn't have to open my new sack of MAP (drat!). My SiL is doing some big building works and I'll see if he needs some - otherwise anyone on here can have it for free, nada, zilch BUT you'll have to come and collect it or pay the postage (nett weight 27.5kg) :). Today I went over to the club open day. There were 130 junior modules all daisy chained together and overall it was quite impressive. No public arrived until after lunch regardless that it was a free event - the doors had been open since 9.00am! I was disappointed in the running of the modules as one problem arose in that the modules were not perfectly aligned horizontally - 120-odd interfaces - which cause some stock to derail at the board joints (note to oneself - don't have pointwork or curves starting at a joint). I raised the issue with Hon. Chair who said that part of the problem came down to the public (and some members) leaning on the modules and depressing the boards at their joints - fair comment. Another problem that arose (especially on the DCC section) was poor electrical continuity - that was possibly down to poor soldered joints, poor contacts within the bus or not enough powered feeds (note to oneself to up one's soldering skills when the time comes). However, the club members were enjoying themselves and the public seemed reasonably impressed - free innit. Instead of boring pictures of my now-jointed plasterboard, here are a couple of pictures from today's open day. The pictures are not the best as I was avoiding the use of flash (too washed out otherwise) and the photos were taken at 1/15th second: The one below (though very fuzzy) I have included as it shows a three-way split of boards and the source of one set of 'steps': All the signals are protected by dead sections - red? no go: Couple more to post up as the above have reached the 10Mb limit ..............................

@JeffP I like that. I did consider diluted PVA, but having received the diluted paint advice, I put the idea to one side. It means that I can use my hand spray to apply rather than brush. @Re6/6 Thanks for the confirmation as I hadn't considered diluted paint before. Now I have a choice! It'll be down to how much of each I have in stock. Cheers, Philip

Hi chums, I went down to woods yesterday as part of the seminar - quite interesting on how the professionals (L'Office National des Forêts - equiv. of the Forestry Commission) value trees - big trees are not necessarily more valuable than smaller ones. Quality oak can be worth 500 - 800€ a cu. metre and that would be only the part nearest the root (about 2.0 - 4.0m at most) getting cheaper as you up. They could see defects that we couldn't - sort of rivet counting! Did you know that the top end nearest the crown goes into making pallets or sleepers (see - a railway connection)? Not one of the others with me even realised the railways needed sleepers!! No pictures today as they would have looked much like the day before yesterday :). I have managed to complete all the big missing strips and tackle most of the cut-outs around the Big Beam. I have about an hour's work left to do. I was supposed to be going to the club for the best part of the weekend - I fear lack of fuel (and it's cost) has put paid to me going everyday (60 mile round trip each time) - so I shall finish off tomorrow. Plastering will follow. I was speaking to a retired professional plasterer and he advised me that I should give the walls and ceiling a coat of slightly diluted vinyl before applying the plaster coat so as to cut down the suction. Not sure if I want to go there - more work and more delay. More delay will mean more 'Oi! Haven't you started the baseboards yet?'. What to do? I saw the news this evening and I 'truss' that the UK will be back on an even keel sooner rather than later - ho hum! Good luck everybody. Maybe a picture or two tomorrow showing the room fully scrimmed. Cheers, Philip

Hello chaps, The ceiling was awaiting this morning and I managed to do quite a bit - I would have done the ceiling in its entirety but I thought I ought to put up some reinforced corner strip first - this took a little time and meant that time was lost to completing the ceiling - it makes no difference as what I did today won't need to be done next time. I also completed the galvanised edging to the Velux. Here we are, the ceiling minus a strip and a half but plus the corner edging: Still no prizes for tidy work! No work tomorrow (wot? again?!). This time Council business as I'm going for a tramp in the woods (hope he's quick off the mark - ta boom tish!) learning what we as a commune can do to preserve our woods during these climatic changes using good stewardship. I'm the elected member responsible for our woods - I suppose in the UK I'd be the chop steward - Ithangyou. Keep safe, Philip

Hello chums and chumesses, A day of mixed fortunes today. We were supposed to be going to 'the big town' directly after a visit to the quacks for a prescription renewal. However, due to distinct lack of petrol and diesel (the French are revolting - again, and always have been) in these here parts, we decided that 'the big town' visit could be put off a week. Instead, we headed for home and on the way back I got a bag of jointing plaster. Got home to find M. Maire waiting for me to tell me that tomorrow he and I would be out marking parcels of woodland (putting new replacement numbers on posts rather than fixed to the trees themselves). I did say ages ago that I'd do it with him - but no date had been fixed - rats! Anyhow, after lunch I set to and did all the infills along the purlins and fixed 6 of the 8 angles around the Velux before the plaster mix started to go off. No photos today as I didn't think anything would really have shown. Got back indoors and tidied myself up to find M. Maire waiting for me again this time to say that the numbering was off, as the third person who was to be part of the 'gang' had gone down with Covid - both he and his wife (she's 85 so fingers crossed). It seems that a ceiling now awaits for me instead - hoorah. Back into the barn I went and hurriedly tore the paper tape to length ready for the off. I may have to do it in two parts as there does seem to be rather a lot of ceiling! Pictures tomorrow then ................. Stay safe everyone and masks back on, eh? Philip

Hello chums, The internet fell over yesterday - no internet, no telephone and worse (for Mrs Philou) no telly. Luckily we do have a dish so I was able to swap the set-top boxes for the evening. Everything seemed to work this morning except we couldn't make calls but receive only - finally it came down to our phones have given up (batteries won't charge). Back to the work in hand - another part of the ceiling is done, but annoyingly I'm running out of jointing plaster and won't have enough for the whole of the last part. I'll see if I can get a smaller sack instead of a 35kg one. Here are a couple of photos: I'm going to have a lot of little infills to do around the purlins and I have to set up the quoins around the Velux, these will be in galvanised angle. That'll take at least a day. Tomorrow and Monday will be non-work days, long Sunday lunch (oh yes, yet again :) ), and Monday we're going to 'a big town' to get electrical bits'n'bobs and other household things we can't buy easily around here. I think my working week is going to be disrupted as the weekend (as from Thursday) will be setting up and operating the club's Junior Modules. I just hope the old mojo won't dissipate! One good bit of news - a double parcel arrived from the UK and within them 2 packs of Accurascale HAAs. My birthday present from Mrs Philou - she didn't know, but it's just what I wanted. Downside, she had to pay €40, yes, forty! euros VAT! She wasn't best pleased. What she didn't know either, was the week before I received my FrankenFell from KR (I happen to like it) on which I paid €0 VAT! So it's a case of win some - lose some. Cheers everyone and have a good weekend, Philip

@Flying Fox 34F Thanks muchly, Paul and Mike, The Stationmaster and SR71 - one year older, but I don't feel 72 years old - yet! (It's also a reason why I want to get this room done and the layout started asap - time is on no-one's side). Cheers everyone, Philip

Another update for you all! I got the one part of the ceiling scrimmed today - so I'm under way. It wasn't hard but as no doubt Reg Prescott* would have found out, by not using your hawk correctly soft, wet plaster has a tendency to fall in your hair, on your face and on your clothes before ending up on the floor. I was able to do it fairly easily as it was all in reach from the floor - no tippy-toes needed either! The next part of the ceiling needs the use of steps - I haven't got a hop-up and so it's going to be up and down, up and down. There won't be an update tomorrow and possibly no message as it's my birthday and Mrs Philou has been sweating her little cotton socks off - bless her - getting lunch ready today for tomorrow. It's choucroute** (French version of sauerkraut), my favourite. The neighbours are coming round so I expect it'll be an all afternoon affair - again! You're all welcome to come round and have a drink. * For those who don't remember who was Reg Prescott, he was a very inept and unfortunate handyman/DIYer who had nothing but mishaps, a character created by the late Kenny Everett. **Choucroute is fermented cabbage cooked and served with potatoes (and an apple to reduce the acidity of the cabbage) and lots and lots of assorted smoked meats and sausages - probably very bad health-wise. It's being cooked today so that it's all ready beforehand AND the flavour improves over 24 hours. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Saliva away - here are two photos: Still not getting the cigar! Cheers everybody and have a good evening, Philip

@simonmcp Ah, I could just stop once I've jointed all the plasterboard and give it a coat of matt white, but in this instance the walls will become part of the layout (it won't be going anywhere as it'll be too big) and be background-painted accordingly, so I'm attempting to have it as smooth as possible. It won't be a Barry Bucknell finish (you may be too young to recognise the name) more like Reg Prescott - unfortunately :). I've done a quick 3D drawing of the room as now constructed and width-wise nothing had changed but I seemed to have gained about 25mm over the length - so not bad considering I didn't really have a proper base-line originally. Only 1 right-angle but I'll live. I shall now use the room to its full width making the baseboard follow the bow in the wall. It means that the one station that bends prototypically, can be twisted slightly as it curves in the same direction as the bow in the wall. Using the odd-shape of the room to the full, I now gain 200mm at one end in width and 300mm the other and I can ease the curves at each throat by a metric tad. Cheers, Philip

Hi chaps, The last wall was done this morning - do you wanna see? Do You? Do you? Aww go on go on go on .......... Oh, Ok then - here's the photo, but still missing that cigar: This afternoon, Mrs Philou helped me take some measurements of the room as it was all well and good having a general arrangement drawing based on some very iffy measurements taken between iffy stone walls, but now I have some nice straight walls. The results are in and I have a difference of two, yes 2, millimetres along the length along the two edges - things are looking good. The room isn't square as I followed the bow of the existing with the plasterboard and the measurements I shall transpose into my 3D file so we shall find out what the actual size and shape is this evening. This may, or may not, have an effect on my proposed layout. If I have two square corners, it'll be thumbs up. Some time this afternoon was also spent scraping the fresh snobs off the floor and giving a sweep under the ceiling area that I shall be attacking tomorrow. I also tore some lengths of jointing tape, so all ready for the off. More tomorrow. Cheers everybody and thank you all for the encouragement, Philip @5BarVT Lucky rabbit got away complete with his four paws! We have got four cats though ..................... I forgot a top tip - I tear the jointing paper rather than cut with scissors, as it gives a nice feather edge.

Hello everybody, Just to make up for the lack of pictures yesterday, I now bring you two photos showing two more walls scrimmed making that three with the last one being done tomorrow. Hoorah! After that will be the ceiling. Boo. That will take at least three days to do as I find working overhead very awkward. I have worked it out that plastering is going to take me an additional seven days - one day each for the walls and three for the ceiling (and that's assuming that I can get the mix right and apply the two coats correctly each day and that there's an 'r' in the month, the wind blows fair, the weather is fine, my lucky rabbit foot's not damp etc., etc..). :). Here we are, the two walls - but still no cigar for tidiness: Cheers everyone - more tomorrow, Philip

@The Johnster Well, what an interesting thread! It has given me food for thought whilst getting on with my railway room. I do agree that if you're going to attempt to get the layout right, why not go just that bit extra and get the operation right too? I can understand from the man on the Clapham omnibus' view-point of 'not much happening - boring' but as mentioned elsewhere perhaps flip-charts explaining why at that moment not much is happening or the speeded-up clock during quiet times? I've nothing to show yet and it won't be to very 'fine' standards (16.5mm and 99% RTR) but I shall attempt to make it look 'right' with buildings based on the prototypes and in their correct locations - which means there won't be many buildings at all! Having read through, I shall now also try to operate correctly, but alas, my signals though lit, will not be operable (old Ratio kits made up during Covid) due to the plastic being fairly brittle - but if I can, I will. Good thread and not as many brick-bats as I thought. One point regarding the Warley photo, cannot the organisers simply refuse to let them in? I really, really, hate them especially in the crowded Metro! Cheers, Philip

Oh, the bed was just sooooooo comfy this morning but mojo kicked indolence in the bum and out I got, though a little late ('tis Sunday after all!). No photo today but I did manage to complete the wall on the right-hand side, in the picture in the previous post, before lunch. As yesterday, the afternoon was spent tearing more tape into appropriate lengths for tomorrow, and a scrape of the snobs off the floor. Generally, a good morning's work and I am quite happy with the results - so far. I had a message on Friday from M. le Marchand of the materiaux de construction to say that my missing planks have now arrived - 'bout time, too! So another small job that will done and dusted. Cheers everyone, and enjoy what's left of Sunday, Philip

Hello chums, A short day today - feeling aches and pains from yesterday. I managed to do some more scrimming this morning, but I decided that this afternoon I would do some preparation for tomorrow. I found that stopping and starting to rip the paper tape into lengths was interrupting the work flow, so I spent the afternoon tearing enough tape to complete the one wall first thing tomorrow morning and I then scraped the snobs off the floor before they became rock-hard. .... and the results are just in: I shan't win any cups or trophies for neatness, but it is quite smooth and won't require sanding before I skim some plaster over the surface. I really do need a corner trowel though before plastering. I reckon it's about 1/4 of the walls taped - the ceiling will be the hardest and I'm keeping that 'til last. Cheers everyone, Philip

Hi everyone, Well, job jobbed! Both parts of the wall were painted this morning and the glazing in place this afternoon. All that needs doing will be the taking down of the scaffolding - but there's no urgency. I'm not sure what tomorrow may bring as I had an idea there was club, but it might be next weekend (I go to the all-day modelling sessions - makes the 60 mile round trip worthwhile). If no club, I shall do more scrimming in the room itself. Here are a couple of photos: No top tip today. However, I was attacked by hoards of ladybirds taking a short cut through the barn and trying to exit by the (now) glazed openings. They seemed to be heading for my new Velux windows - can't think why (I know they'd be attracted to the light by why come through the barn?). Cheers everyone - the weekend is here so make the most of it, Philip

Hello everyone, I didn't post up yesterday as I felt that the work I did manage to get done - was, well - pants. As is my wont, I tend to start in a rush (time was short yesterday) and instead of taking my time, my mix ended up not only a little thick but also very lumpy. Consequently, the taping wasn't the best, so I did one part of the wall and left it at that. Additionally, after cleaning my material, I went back indoors to be greeted by Mrs Philou's 'What's that on your bum?' Rats! Somewhere on the wall was now the imprint of my bum! Ar$e!! Today - all together a different matter. I found an industrial mixer blade that I had bought years ago, and used that to make my mix. What a difference! I'd not used one before and the mix was ever so smooth, glossy and just about the right consistency - if a little wet. Buoyed up, I got my tape ripped to length (scissors is for sissies ;) ) and away I went on a fresh piece of wall. I completed the whole half-wall and returned to where I'd started yesterday. With a little wetting over the previously laid strips, I recoated them with the new mix that improved it no end. Seeing that I still had some mix left, I manoeuvred the upper scaffolding board away to gain access to the lower half of the wall. 90 minutes and 30 seconds must have passed as the mix had now gorn-orf. Curses! It was lunch-time anyway, so a rapid scrape of the bucket ensued and all cleaned-up. Fresh mix after lunch and as there was a minimum volume that I could make up in the bucket, I had enough to finish the wall and start in the room itself - yay! Tomorrow will be a splash'n'dash of paint and as soon as it's dry, will be the fixing of the acrylic sheets on the outer side as they arrived yesterday. All being well, the scaffolding can come down on Saturday morning. I have learnt through usage that MAP is perhaps not intended for thin coats. It seems to be a little gritty and as in the UK probably more suited to dob'n'dab. It's not going to matter over much as the room side with be skimmed with plaster. Top tip of the day: DON'T ramp up your electric drill to max when using your mixer blade in a small quantity of mix. You end up with a Mr Bean effect when he painted his room with a tub of paint and explosives. How do I know this .......? Today's effort in pictures: Not very neat - but hey ho, I haven't done this in a long while. Anyway, it'll all look lovely once it's - err - plastered/painted - he says hopefully. Cheers everyone - more tomorrow, Philip

Late to the party -again! And an ATW for me please. Cheers, Philip

Right chaps! No photos today as yesterday turned out to be a non-day work-wise as the morning was spent fetching some tools, joint tape and various plasters and then a looooooong lunch ensued (yes, yet again) with Mrs Philou's sister and hubby by which time 5pm had come and gone! Today went by cutting and trimming some plasterboard infills so that tomorrow I start on the taping of the joints. I have discovered that 'MAP' plaster translates as 'Professional Adhesive Mortar'. It sets rock-solid and is not easy to sand level. I shall attempt to lay the tape in two thin soft coats and just trowel it as flat as possible, thus avoiding the sanding part. I couldn't buy locally two different tape knives (100mm/4" and 150mm/6") that probably would have done the trick. A coat of Dulux Tradesman Matt White (oh yes, I do have a tub in stock that I brought back from the UK) will finish off the job barn-side. Hopefully progress pictures tomorrow. Cheers, Philip

Got that model made by Fleischmann - bought it years ago. Cheers, Philip

No ..... don't ...... just don't .........