Mortar ... or not?

[peteski]

Looks good Jim! 

[Dave Schneider]

Jim,

Nice results on the latest building. I can definitely see the improvements over time.

As I mentioned earlier, I think that you are fighting a bit of an uphill battle due to the texture of the NSA brick sheet. However, I noticed something in your photos, and I am not sure whether my observation is correct. Is it possible that brick sheet is not oriented properly? Here is a comparison of a cropped section of your most recent building, one in the original orientation (left) and one that is rotated 90 degrees (right).

   

Maybe this is just an optical illusion or artifact of the camera, but it looks to me like the aspect ratio of the rotated bricks is better. This could really affect the perception of the brick/mortar contrast and give the appearance that something is "off". Just something to investigate.

Best wishes, Dave

[MVW]

Dave, that would be hilarious ... but I don't think that's the case. (Although I just ran over and double checked with a magnifying glass to make sure. After all, I've done stupider things.)

It appears the vertical mortar lines are perhaps slightly more pronounced, and that's why it looks "right" in your second photo sample. I may have exacerbated the effect by removing the tempera paint with a primarily horizontal motion, which may have caused more paint to stay in the vertical seams.

Thanks for the input, though.

BTW, would constructing a building with vertical bricks lead to a lifetime ban here? Or it may be voluntary. Who'd want to be known as Vertical Brick Guy? 

Jim

[Dave Schneider]

Jim,

Thanks for the response. I was wondering how to bring this up in a polite manner as it looked like it might have been a possibility. No lifetime bans here for messing up....how can we make fun of each other if that were the case.

Best wishes, Dave

[nkalanaga]

I THINK a mason could build a building with all vertical bricks, but h ave never heard of it being done.  I doubt that it would be structurally sound, though, as all of the shear forces would go straight down the mortar lines. 

Now, a modern building, with an internal frame and brick veneer, could easily be built that way.  The bricks don't have to carry any load.

On an N scale building most viewers probably couldn't see the difference in person...

[Lemosteam]

I THINK a mason could build a building with all vertical bricks, but h ave never heard of it being done.  I doubt that it would be structurally sound, though, as all of the shear forces would go straight down the mortar lines. 

Now, a modern building, with an internal frame and brick veneer, could easily be built that way.  The bricks don't have to carry any load.

On an N scale building most viewers probably couldn't see the difference in person...

Nick, brick facade usually never carriesd structural load, it only sees the weight of the brick and motar itself.  The brick is laid away from the wall with expansion tabs back to the structure, but this is merely to keep the separate facade from falling away from the wall.  If the facade is multiple stories, sometimes angle iron lintels are bolted/welded to the structure are needed to support the weight of the facade (these are sometimes used abow windows that do not have arches).

[nkalanaga]

I was thinking more of the old one or two story buildings with load-bearing brick walls, rather than newer buildings with steel or concrete frames and self-supporting walls.  We have several in Grayson that have been reinforced with iron/steel rods and exterior braces because the walls are bowing out.  These are the ones with header bricks, either in rows or mixed with the standard "longways" bricks, tying two or more layers of brick together.

You're right about brick facade, and that's been used for many years over stone or concrete blocks.  The newer buildings I was thinking of, with the veneer, don't even have that much structure.  The office building I worked in for years had plywood over wooden studs with the brick tied to that.  You could have gone through the walls with a few blows of a sledgehammer.  In either case, the brick usually doesn't have header bricks, as there is only one layer.  That makes it easy to identify the real "brick" buildings as opposed to the modern fakes.

[MVW]

This building is nearing my "good enough for now" stage ... which basically means it doesn't fall over if left unattended.



That's a somewhat reasonable representation of brick, isn't it? It's been hit with a single application of ink wash. In the photo below, compare that to the building at far right, which got about 5 ink washes and a chalk dusting. Visible proof that less is more.



At this point I'd hoped to put aside the NSA brick sheet for a while and try out JTT's products. I ordered and paid for a couple packs on their website more than two weeks ago, but still haven't received anything. An email today went unanswered. Bummer.

In the photo below, the building at center/right will be the next build attempt. It will be a four-story main building with a two-story wing, slightly more elaborate than this shack.



And the view from the other end. A skyway will eventually connect the third floor of this building with the large cold storage building at left.



And yes, that spur sticking out from the back of the new building will be shortened (then I'll be able to finish the ground cover in this area). And of course plenty of plastic surgery will eventually be required on the buildings ... but whattaya expect from a newb?

Anyway, I'm a bit happier with how the NSA sheet turned out this time. Somebody who knows what they're doing could undoubtedly get better results, but trying the thinned and "wettened" tempera paint seems to be a step in the right direction for me.

Jim

[peteski]

Jim,  you could also add lintels (over the windows) and window sills (undere the windows) to  make the buidlign look even more realistic. 

[MichaelWinicki]

I like the building Jim.

It could be "dirtier".

It appears to be a building that sat next to the tracks during the steam era where everything that came in contact with coal smoke was filthy.

[MVW]

Peteski, Michael -- it's like you dudes are reading my mind.

I've been thinking about adding lintels and sills since I started this one, Peteski. That would not only look better, but cover up some of my crude blade work. 

And I also wondered about a light dusting of chalk for the very reason you mentioned, Michael. I like the general color of the building now, but I think you're right ... it should be a bit filthier.

Thanks for the tips, guys!

Jim

[MVW]

Hey -- a quick question: Do any of you guys do business with JTT Products (miniaturetree.com)?

As I mentioned earlier, I ordered some material from them more than two weeks ago, but never received my order. I emailed them and got no response. So I opened a dispute via Paypal (they only accept Paypal for online orders), asking for a tracking number or a refund. Two days later I got a refund, with a note claiming their database lost my order, and that I could re-order. Which strikes me as strange. If they had lost my order, why not respond to my first email? Or why not simply ship my stuff when I opened the dispute, since I said I would be satisfied with that?

Maybe this experience is out of the ordinary. Or maybe people should be wary. I'm leaning toward the latter.

I'm committed to trying as many "brick" products as possible, but I'm not big on doing business with vendors that are shady or incompetent, or just don't care about my business. For now, I'm sending my refund money to Monster Model Works ... but I'd consider JTT again if others have had good experiences.

Jim

[LIRR]

I had better than expected results with this paint job and i recalled this thread, thought I'd share.

Sprayed with Rustolem Sandstone. I then dry bushed on Floquil rust, covering the bricks but leaving that sandstone in the mortar seams.

 

[MVW]

As I mentioned on your thread, I really like the look you have here LIRR. It's close to what I am thinking about for my next structure. BTW, what brick material are you using here? Is that NSA or something else?

Jim

[LIRR]

it's not "brick material", its the Walthers paper mill kit.....