Large Scale Central

Atten: Rick Marty-Roof help

Modeling
#1

Rick you posted this picture on Craig’s MIK build.

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I didn’t want to hijack his thread but I am very interested in this roof. You say you are using the 15# felt underlayment. Are you talking just the plain black stuff that looks like cloth? What about the syntetic stuff, would that maybe hold up better? So are you cutting it into strips that basically are one row of shingles, sniping the edge of that strip to cut the individual shingle? If so are you just cutting it or are you notching a small piece out?

You also mention that it is not holding up under the sun. How bad it this issue? is it something that you would say is not worth doing because it needs to be replaced or is it something that is only a minor irritation?

I really like the look of that and asphalt shingles are something I have been reluctant to do because I have not been convinced I can make them look good. I had considered doing it with the traction tape but that just on the surface doesn’t seem like a great answer for trying to do individual shingles.

At any rate I would love to use this technique even if its only on my indoor buildings.

#2

Devon,
Here is what I do to make and install these shingles.

I use 15 pound underlayment felt , and cut 12 inch sheets from the roll. Then I put the strip in this jig and cut 3/4 inch wide strips for the shingles. (the sizeing is based on 1:20 scale) The board closest to the knife is removable, slide the sheet under it, hold it down and cut along the edge.

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This jig might be a little harder to explain. The end board and the back board are nailed to the base. The small board closest to the felt is removable and is 3/8ths inch wide and marked in 3/8ths incerments. The felt strip is slid under it and held down then the razor knife is used to slit the felt at the marks.

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Here is the install on the building in the picture, I install the first row with a slight overhang and let it dry, then use a 3/8ths spacer board to lay down and push the next row against. Using E6000, which I have found to be about the best for this, you can get 3-4 rows down then should let it set up because while the glue is soft the strips can slide around a little as you place the next ones.
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Here is a close-up of the roof as it looks now, not bad but the drying effects can be seen. It could be that the spray paint had some effects as well as the sun.

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This building sits under a patio roof and only gets about 3 hours a day of morning sun so is probably not a real good test subject for longevity
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And that’s all I know :smiley:

1 Like
#3

Brilliant Rick,

I followed that all the way through except the spray paint part. Did I miss something somewhere and you spray painted the grey color? I assumed that was part of the weathering you were talking about and not an applied color.

Anyway i followed it no problem and look forward to using the technique. It makes a great looking roof and weathered it doesn’t look bad to me at all.

#4

Didn’t Richard Smith (Dicky) recommend this technique and if so it didn’t work out very well for Hollywood. However he used aluminum for his sub base I believe.

#5

I remember that station roof from when we visited in 2011…

Pretty sad looking as it was beautiful when first done. To me, this looks like a glue failure.

#6

that looks like an excellent weathering job

#7

Devon,
When I first built it I used Rustoleum auto body gray primer in a very light overspray to speed the aging coloring.

1 Like
#8

Quick follow up question , Rick. Did you just cut the line separating the row of shingles or did you make 2 cuts and remove a piece on the felt to get the gaps it shows? Thanks, Pete

#9

Pete,
Just a single cut. Using the “box cutter” seems to spread the material just a little giving the desired look.

#10

Yea, I had trouble with just roofing felt buckling after a few years. I was pondering ‘gluing’ each layer down with roof cement for some added stickem and protection.

#11

Bob,
That can be done but boy it can get messy. Even using the mastic in caulk tubes you have to smooth it down with a putty knife or something and even then when you press the roofing into/onto it the mastic squeezes out and is practically impossible to clean up.

Back in the day all sheet metal building flashings were installed in a bed of black mastic that you had to trowel on. You could never keep the stuff off your hands or tools. One day an old timer said, this is what you do; Go up on the roof, open the mastic, stick both hands in the bucket, smear it all over up to your elbows and wipe off the excess. Now you can go to work and not worry about getting it on you. :grinning: