Weekend Update 2/7/2010

[davidone]

We got 25" of snow but beings i live in a condo now, no shoveling is required by me, it's a wonderful thing watching other people do it.  Worked on the layout all weekend, decided to rearrange the the track in the passenger yard. Now i have to buy some track to get it done.

Dave

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Thanks Ed. That is exactly what I was going to try. I need to find a good brown, though. I had some red oxide primer, but it looks reddish to me.

I added some grass yesterday before the game. This is what it looks like as of now.

KB

[up1950s]

BCRail_FSJ  , wow , that water is awesome . I am assuming that scene is a prototype reproduction , so you can't incorporate a 2 foot high spillway at the backdrop to your artfully done painted water to further disguise the mated seam , a seam that is already very well disguised . 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I used a rich brown from home depot (cheaper than krylon). It's kinda a chocolate color. It's important to do it lightly though, letting the gray be the dominant color.

[up1950s]

UP1996 , that is a super structure , and weathered very nicely . Smallish buildings such as that , that don't need to be selectively shrunk look natural , as they should . Those open beams really give it character .

[justTRAINcRaZy]

Thanks Ed. Will look for it. Chocolate, that's a good description. I know I have a red-green color colorblind problem, but mostly am color ignorant if there is such a thing. I think I see them correctly but can't figure out how to describe them.

I've noticed that Krylon stays tackier longer than the cheap paint. Another reason for using the Dollar Store cheapies.

KB

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Yep yep. I can only imagine how much of a pain that is.
Here's some recent articles I've been reading about color. Cool stuff:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/28/color-theory-for-designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/02/color-theory-for-designers-part-2-understanding-concepts-and-terminology/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/08/color-theory-for-designer-part-3-creating-your-own-color-palettes/

[Iain]

Whatcha got

Broken timing belt in my truck.  Replaced, but still not running despite spark and gas, need to get timing light.

[up1950s]

Whatcha got

Broken timing belt in my truck.  Replaced, but still not running despite spark and gas, need to get timing light.

Sometimes when they break they smack valves into piston tops , sometimes , as in my case years ago I lucked out and the only damage was the belt . You might need to do a compression test on each cylinder for starters . Pistons , rockers , valves , valve-seats , push rods , lifters are all jeopardized .

[James Costello]

Been working on an Athearn Bay Window - faded with Gary's Fading Fast brew and applied a grime wash. MTL caboose trucks and Z couplers.

Here's a couple of progress shots compared to an original:

[GaryHinshaw]

Wow James, what a difference!  I didn't appreciate how red the original model was.  I really miss those SP hacks.

Kevin, that forest looks great.  I agree with Ed that more gray is called for, but still... really nice.

Finally got a break from work, just in time for the snow.  When I wasn't out shoveling or taking greeting card photos, I managed to spend an absurd amount of time pimping the hardware on a new reefer container:



Still needs weathering.  Speaking of weather, I'm now wondering where we're supposed to put another 10-20" forecast for tomorrow night...  

[Iain]

Whatcha got

Broken timing belt in my truck.  Replaced, but still not running despite spark and gas, need to get timing light.

Sometimes when they break they smack valves into piston tops , sometimes , as in my case years ago I lucked out and the only damage was the belt . You might need to do a compression test on each cylinder for starters . Pistons , rockers , valves , valve-seats , push rods , lifters are all jeopardized .

yeah, after I got off work I went to get timing light and compression meter.  Verdict: no compression.  Wednesday afternoon I'm going to pull the header and start poking around to see what's sticking, if anything.

At least the engine isn't seized up.

The moral of the story: don't rely on the previous owner having kept up with maintanence (ie, timing belt replacement in this case).

[UP1996]

UP1996 , that is a super structure , and weathered very nicely . Smallish buildings such as that , that don't need to be selectively shrunk look natural , as they should . Those open beams really give it character .

Thanks Richie.

[diezmon]

Thanks Ed. That is exactly what I was going to try. I need to find a good brown, though. I had some red oxide primer, but it looks reddish to me.

I added some grass yesterday before the game. This is what it looks like as of now.

KB

how do you guys get the static grass so nice and thick?   I'm using the flyswatter/applicator with WS grass..   seems like it goes on kind of thin, then if I dump more it on, it doesn't want to stand up..

[justTRAINcRaZy]

I made the Grassinator version, but changed the handle to have a 90 deg elbow about 3-4 inches up so I could get in between the 2 levels easier. Am using WS flock, although I just rec'd some Scenic Express flock to try.

I first put down a layer of 50/50 white glue and spread it around really good. Then just start grassin'. In some spots the glue puddles, so I have to hit it a second pass to cover.

I made my screen from some screen door wire. I tried some smaller screen material first, but hardly no flocking came out. Are you getting lots of material coming out and just not sticking?