I’m finally been able to squeeze in a little modeling recently. My brick hardware store building turned out so well that I decided to do another brick building alongside it. I won’t go into as much detail on this build, since it is similar to the previous one. You can see the step-by-step on my first brick building here: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_2.html

This one will have a worn coat of paint over the bricks. It is loosely based on this general store (and former hotel) in Eureka, NV:

I got a little bit done on it back in August. At that time I managed to cut out the shape of the front wall, and scribe the brick pattern. This was a piece of 3mm Sintra PVC foam board. I laminated it to a base of 6mm Sintra, which had a brick pattern scribed onto part of it, for the recessed area. (BTW, I was able to scribe a lot of the brick pattern in the waiting room, while Cris was undergoing a medical procedure. It’s the perfect kind of project for that.):

To create the multi-level trim along the top of the wall, I started by cutting out a 1mm thick piece, two bricks high, to match the shape of the wall, and glued it in place. Then I scribed bricks onto the lower course:

Another piece only one brick high was glued on top of the first one, and then scribed:

Next I cut a strip of 3mm thick Sintra, and glued it to the top of the wall, bending it to fit. This was done in sections – first the left side, then the right side, then the arch across the middle:

I scribed the first layer, then added another, narrower layer:

Here it is after the top layer has been scribed. I’ve also added an intermediate layer 1mm thick, to the inside of the recessed area:

Next I used a hobby knife to carve some cracks and to distress some of the bricks:

Then I added the side walls and subfloor:

On the inside of each side wall, I added a small piece of 3mm Sintra, scribed with bricks. Below this I added a “shelf” of 6mm Sintra to support the roof:

The front and rear roof supports were cut from 6mm Sintra and glued in place:

One half of the roof added:

Part of the side wall will be visible, so it will have to be scribed with a brick pattern. Before doing so, I needed to smooth out the joint. I used an epoxy putty for this, called “Kwik Plastik”. I only had a little left and it was getting old and lumpy, so I couldn’t spread it very well:

After it sets, the putty is easily sanded smooth. I’ve started scribing the wall, but so far I only have the horizontal lines done:

Here’s how the building looks so far. I have the roof on, and the removable rear wall. The rear wall is secured with screws for easy access to the interior. The interior details will be built into a box that can slide out the back:

When I test-fit the building on the foundation, I discovered that one corner of the roof needed to be trimmed to fit the cliff. I also had to chisel away some of the rock:

Another view of the building temporarily in place on the layout:

That’s all for now, more later. Enjoy!

First class job as usual. I love the placement of these buildings.

Gorgeous!

All 3 of them.

WOW, Great job Ray:)

Terrific!

Yet another masterpiece. I wish I could find the patience to carve the individual bricks - yours really look great.

amazing work!!

Ray,

You should really write a book on your techniques. You are truly a master modeler. Great work.

Wow! What they all said… and then some! Fantastic work, as always.

-Kevin.

Where do you buy this magical stuff? From http://www.foamboardsource.com/ ? I don’t find it at michael’s or hobby lobby or even lowe’s.

Wow Ray another masterpiece coming I can see.
You are such an inspiration for the rest of us.
I have made a spot with the elevation that slopes, I am wanting to
do a few business’s and create them on the cliffs,
Of cource my structures will be more rustic.
Thank you, you are such an inspiration.
Dennis

Tom, yea, some of us in the peanut gallery would also like to know.

Yes, I get it from foamboardsource.com… specifically here:

http://www.foamboardsource.com/sintra-pvc-foam–sintra-pvc-board.html

Although thicknes and size would vary, you could hunt through the recycling of your local large format print/sign shop. Those prices are very reasonable on foam board source though. Alternatively you could also get quotes from a local plastics supplier if you have room for 4x8 sheets.

Ray your work is always inspiring! Its great that you openly share and document your techniques with the community.

Nice stuff can’t wait to see how you do the painted brick

Ray, you are truly a master modeler. Most others–and I include myself–merely play at the game. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I’ve had some questions about how I use the double-bladed scribing tool that I made, so I drew up a simple diagram to illustrate it. The tool is held at an angle to the surface, and pressed down. Then drag it across the surface in the direction of the arrow. For clarity, I did not draw the metal ruler I use as a straightedge:

Time for an update…

I built up the window and doors from various sizes of styrene strips. I work on a sheet of tempered glass, and use metal blocks to hold the pieces in place and keep the corners square. The large blocks are called “1-2-3 blocks”. I don’t remember what the 1" square angle block is called. I got these blocks from Amazon and they’re really handy:

The bottom of the window frame is a solid panel. I was originally going to make it match the doors, then I decided to model it as if it had been crudely repaired with a pair of planks and small plywood sheet. It’s a bit hard to see in the photo, but I scribed wood grain into the planks and sheet, including some small cracks, to represent weathered wood:

The two doors were built up in a similar manner. My history for this building is that it originally had one door, in the center, and two windows. Then at some point the interior was divided, and the window on the right was turned into a door. The original center door was replaced as well, and is now offset in the larger frame:

I have a more detailed step-by-step on constructing the window and doors only website if anyone wants to see it: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Mineral_Ridge_3.html

With the window and doors completed, I added the brick trim to the top of the columns:

I also finished scribing the bricks on the side of the building, and added the trim along the top of the wall. Then I carved out some areas to look like bricks had crumbled or fallen out:

I’m now very close to finishing the exterior. All that’s left is to add corrugated metal to the roof. Then I can move on to painting the structure. Here’s how it looks so far, with the window and doors temporarily in place:

The lower half of the side wall is hidden, so I only needed to scribe bricks on the upper half:

That’s all for now!

Man…

Great modeling.