Weekend Update 12/18/11

[chuck geiger]

fascia going up nicely, first time I've ever cut the fascia to match the
topography. Not a fun chore.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSKIk_3z1rQ/Tu44EZlo9GI/AAAAAAAABuA/U1vO3B7znIw/s1600/005.JPG

[wm3798]

It's easier to cut the fascia to the general shape you want, then work the scenery to it, Chuck.

Lee

[chuck geiger]

Now doing that Lee, much easier...I don't have that much to do, a few sand hills and
bumps. Love how the joint compound fills the gaps.

[Scottl]

I discovered by happenstance a clean way to cut the fascia.  I used spray foam to shape my contours crudely along the benchwork perimeter.  When I attached and trimmed the fascia, the blob of cured foam contained the blade of the jigsaw and kept the dust to a minimum.  I used the vacuum on the outside as I cut.  The partially cut foam comes off nicely with a knife after.  Easy, quick, and it did not mess up my finished scenery with dust.  Chuck, your's looks great.

[chuck geiger]

Thanks Scott...getting more done

[davidgray1974]

Didn't like the way the original set of mountains looked so I ripped it down and tried again.  Also made some rock forms from WS molds and have about 3/4 of the mountain covered.  I started painting some of the rock castings on the left side of the layout and I sealed them with the WS scenic cement.  The only thing I don't like about the scenic cement, is the slight gloss finish it gives the rocks.  Is there any way to avoid or fix this? 

[chuck geiger]

I would think a dull coat, matte medium in a bottle from a craft store. Spray
dull coat would eat the plaster. Your gonna find those rocks will look better
once you work in landscape material. Good looking layout and start. Just
thought about this, a mist of alcohol.

[seusscaboose]

All in all a good day. (didn't have to use my AK)

that's pretty damn funny....

"Even saw the lights of the Goodyear blimp, and it read M.C.'s a pimp."

[bbussey]

The one good thing about working on dozens of projects simultaneously is that usually some element from the pool of pending parts/renderings/etchings arrives on a regular basis. 

This week's element is my latest attempt to improve on the Shapeways FUD process.  I've discovered that Shapeways uses a ProJet 3000 to render what they call FD and FUD parts.  I've also discovered that there is a ProJet 3000Plus that renders parts at twice the resolution of the FUD parts.  Also, the ProJet designations for the FD (fine detail) and FUD (fine ultra detail) modes are HD (high definition) and UHD (ultra high definition) respectively.  The most fine designation is called XHD (extreme high definition).  I've found a handful of contractors in the States that render XHD parts, and I'm working with a couple of them now to see if the technology is where N scale needs it to be.  I think it might be.



This is my latest attempt at the Pullman Standard 1944 caboose, better known as the New Haven NE5 (and B&M and CGW).  This was the most common class in the New Haven 1950s caboose fleet, about twice as many than the International 1947 caboose (NE6), so I need a bunch along with the B&M/CGW/CNW modelers.  I split the digital model into flat parts and had them rendered in XHD.  I'm encouraged by what I received.  The outer detail is incredibly crisp, including the lantern mounting brackets on the four corners of the body.  There is some very slight stepping in the roof, but that can be sanded out.  I don't see any stepping at all on the rolled-over edges of the two roofs, nor on the triangular awnings over the cupola windows.  I did not remove any material from the split parts for clearance or deviation purposes, and the parts fit together perfectly with no play or bulging.  So any deviation between the XHD parts and the digital parts is insignificant, which is outstanding news. The lone issue is that it appears the print head is 0.60mm wide and left a trace of its path.  You can see a hint of the traces in the photo, running vertically on the sides.  I've never seen this on Shapeways parts, so I'm assuming it is a calibration issue.  I'm scheduled to speak with the contractor this week so I'll get clarification.  The irony is that the back surfaces printed smoothly, so an easy work-around is to render the parts "face down" so that the outer surfaces are smooth as intended.

If I can get this perfected, there will be a number of limited-run target-appeal projects coming from ESM in the months ahead that will please a few people on this list.  It doesn't make sense for example to cut a tool for the Pullman Standard 1944 caboose that only appeals to a handful of mid-level roads, but it does make sense to make a resin kit of it.

Just for the heck of it, I also photographed the TrainWorx PFE trailer with one of the NSE limited-run PFE TOFC and trailer sets to see how they looked together.  Not bad.

[cgw]

Beautiful work brian on the caboose!!!   when you ready with the kit of the ne5 ill take five for the cgw. this is a sorely needed model for my roster.

[Scottl]

A little more decalling, this time on the GP40W.  To get a clean edge on the anti-reflective nose panel, I used trim film I made at home.  So far, I like it in this use, but one of the sand hatches is not letting the decal snug down.  More to do but the fleet is almost ready to run.

[davidgray1974]

A little more decalling, this time on the GP40W.  To get a clean edge on the anti-reflective nose panel, I used trim film I made at home.  So far, I like it in this use, but one of the sand hatches is not letting the decal snug down.  More to do but the fleet is almost ready to run.

Wow that is really looking sharp! 

[davidgray1974]

fascia going up nicely, first time I've ever cut the fascia to match the
topography. Not a fun chore.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WSKIk_3z1rQ/Tu44EZlo9GI/AAAAAAAABuA/U1vO3B7znIw/s1600/005.JPG

I'm not looking forward to this when I get to this point.  Did you use a jig saw for cutting out the contours?

[Scottl]

Here is my spray foam method before the cut.  I cut with a jigsaw and it took about 15 minutes for 8' of fascia. 

[ednadolski]

I would think a dull coat, matte medium in a bottle from a craft store. Spray
dull coat would eat the plaster. Your gonna find those rocks will look better
once you work in landscape material. Good looking layout and start. Just
thought about this, a mist of alcohol.

Dullcote is lacquer-based, so it will attack foam.  Alcohol applied over a Dullcoted surface can craze the finish and cause it to turn whitish/splotchy.    For scenery, your best bet is probably a water-based matte medium or clear flat coat.

Ed