Large Scale Central

2014 Mik's Build Challenge: Bupp Gold Mine.

Modeling
#1

I am a little behind on everyone but I had a good excuse…

So after getting the sand out of my toes, I sat down to draft my plan. I selected some very high quality drafting media as I needed the most exacting measurements and detail. It took me a while to find the perfect piece to embrace my genius…

I am going to build the “Bupp Gold Mine”. I will have a Head shaft with Hoist House at the top of the hill. Then two wood buildings stepping down the hill to act as the processing facilities. Then I am going to put an Ore Bin with bucket elevator at trackside. It will be located off this spur…

This picture is a little old but you get the idea.

So construction, hopefully starts tonight. I’ve been toying around with trying to do something different. I usually use a Coroplast core and then laminate plastic siding onto that. However, I’m tempted to use real wood on this one and build the structure that way. I want to use a Board and Batten design which makes it time consuming to build board by board…we shall see.

#2

In the Spirit of the MIKster you should use an undersized building and make it look feasible
IIRC he used a small MDC hopper on stilts… for his ore bin.

Being on the water make you daft? Or sweet on a rooster called shawn?
The jury hasn’t reached a decision on paper towels yet… I dunno they’re just too absorbent for us, doncha thunk?

Git er done.

John

#3

The upper class use paper towels us poor folk use napkins. I have to say m a little jealous of the warm weather. -4F this morning. I still have to start on mine. My Sammie conversion has tied me up.

#4

ha ha, It say “and Shawn” I always thought poor folk use the paper towels. Napkins are for the “pinky drinkers”. Polish Napkins for me everyday!!

#5

I thought there was a (scale) size limitation on the building for the challenge. Looks like that structure would exceed that limitation. Looks like a grand structure, just that it’s in a larger “weight class”

#6

Actually the coro if set straight up on end painted and lightly sanded looks kinda like board and batten (10’ rule) the sanding of the paint makes the ribs pop out a bit.

#7

Pants for me hands and me sleeve fer me mouth… not everybody?

#8

Well I had the structure figured out to be 15" wide and 36" deep.

That scales out to approx 30’ x 60’ in 1:20.3. As Dave had described it. He said length + width could not exceed 90 scale feet.

If I messed up with that, oh well. I’m still building it and the contest gets me motivated to build it.

#9

Rubber math belongs on a nappy build, just reduce the size of the pics by the diff. Who will know?

#10

I got some work done on the mine this past weekend. I am stumped a little and think I have a solution, but I’ll get into that later. I decided to use redwood for this build. I have a whole bunch of it laying around from my dads old deck. I’m planning on weathering this building pretty good and I think I can achieve that better with real wood.

I started on the mine processing facilities. This is the ground floor building. I’m basically making a wood box and will then add a Board and Batten to the face.

This a pic of me starting to build the next part of the processing facilities. If you look in my super detailed drawing you see where I’m going with this. However, after looking at this a while, I decided the bottom level was too low. So I raised the roof a little.

These three photos show the basic frame of the mine processing facilities. As you can see I raised the front part of the building and I think it looks more in proportion. Now this building will set on a hillside so that is the reasoning for the stepping and the angle on the backside of the upper part of the building.

These two pics are of my attempt at trying to figure out the board and batten and my problem. I planned on oversizing the batten boards to keep them from splitting and be more durable. But even at the size I had them I was still having a problem of them splitting. I could glue the battens on, but my buildings stay outside all year long and I would prefer a mechanical fastener with the glue. I could drill each nail hole out but that would take a loooong time to do.

After thinking about it for a while, I think what I will do is re-cut my boards and have the batten included on one side of the board, then I wont have to nail through it and risk splitting it. However, I’m open to some suggestions if some one has a better idea…

Until next time.

#11

Maybe you can use vinyl decking then paint it to look like wood. I have done that on a lot of my builds. and you don’t have to nail it. just some super glue. mine have lasted for six years without any problem. Regards,Ron

#12

Jake,

How are you nailing these? Are you using a pin nailer or are you using brads and a small hammer. I did a building like this a few years ago using the same idea, but my boards were cut from cedar. I cut the battens 3/32 x 3/16. Glue and pin nailed with a 23 guage pin nailer and put in at 45 degrees, two fasteners per location. Kept the pins about an inch from the ends of the battens and about 3/8 to 1/2 inch between the two pins. Still had the odd one split but most were good. Try to make sure the battens have a grain that runs from end to end and not across the strip.

If you are using brads, the only way to be sure of no splitting would be to predrill the battens.

Cutting your siding with the battens included will also work, but a lot of cutting and waste.

Good looking build,

Ron

#13

Ron, you can see my brad nailer laying next to the building in the second build pic. It is a Bostich air nailer. I don’t have the exact measurements of my battens but they seem about the same dimensions as yours, Ron.

I wonder if I should try and use some Cedar, is that a little softer wood? TBH, I don’t know.

I noticed that it is the expanded end of the nail that is causing my battens to split, I also thought about turning down the air pressure so the gun doesn’t drive the nail all the way in and then snipping off the head of the nail. I did adjust the driving depth of the nailer all the way out, but it is thin enough wood that it still drives the nail all the way in.

Or, perhaps soaking my battens in water for a few minutes to soften the wood. But then I couldn’t use glue for any effect.

#14

If you run the batten wild about 3/4 of an inch they should not split. Cut to length all at once.

#15

Red wood is pretty tough stuff I wonder if a 23 gauge pin nail would go through it? I have used mahogaony for bridges and too thick a piece will turn a pin nail. Cedar is softer I believe.

If I were working on your project I would use tightbond 3 woodglue (waterproof) and spread it on the backside of the batten with an old small paint brush, but be careful not to let it ooze out the edges since it will stain and weather differently. Eventually it will be Ok btu it might take a few years. To speed the process I would put in several pin nails to hold it down.

I think glue and a nail is the best way for your structure to survive the outdoors.

#16

Jake, It sounds to me ( the head [expanded end] of the nail ) that you are using standard brad nails. A pin nailer (23 gage ) shoots a “pin” with no head at all, there fore no expanding to split the wood.

I have used 3/16 Cedar battens with 1/2" pins and not split but a rare one. Nail about 3/4 from the end. With glue.

You’r doomed trying to use a standard brad nailer.

#17

Jake

Sorry, didn’t notice the brad nailer laying there. If it has a head on the nail, that could well be the problem. As Dave says, the pin nailer does not have a head, it is just a pin. I have no experience with redwood as it is not native to my area, and is only available in a specialty lumber store. Also, quite expensive. Cedar is relatively inexpensive, in my area, very resistant to rot and yes, it is a very soft wood. Just trying to be helpful, not criticize.

Ron

#18

Thanks for all the help. I didn’t have a pin nailer so I borrowed one and purchased some 3/4" and 1/2" pin nails. That’s $12 I spent, $18 left. It worked perfectly. And the small indentation left by the pin in the wood looks almost like scale nail holes. I put up a whole bunch more board and batten until I ran out of cut wood and didn’t have any more problem with splitting. The nailer has no problem driving the pin into the redwood.

As far as glue I am using Tightbond 3 on the battens. I called it wood glue but it really is more than that.

#19

Jake, Like I’ve said before, Once you have a pin nailer, you’ll wonder how you ever got along before without one. Harbor Freight sells a cheep one that should last a modeler a long time. Their pins thou aren’t very good ( soft).

#20

Yup. Dave talked me into getting one last year and I’ve never looked back.