The interior detail is hard to see during the day but shows up great at night when the lights are on.
Here’s another brief update on my progress…
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6446/IMG_6446.jpg)
I’ve installed the “glass” in the drugstore’s windows and door, and glued the whole assembly into place on the front of the building. The ceiling lamps are installed and the bulbs wired up in such a way that it will be simple to replace any bulb that burns out. The ceiling assembly connects to the power via a tiny two-pin plug, so the whole assembly can be removed as needed. The upstairs portion of the building will connect via a second plug. The sidewalk is finished and installed, along with two pillars made from brass tube, and the lower part of the upstairs balcony. Additionl new pics begin here: http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos.html#117 Enjoy!
Somebody tie Ray’s hands together for awhile!
This afternoon I decided that the balcony really needed to sag a little bit, between the two support pillars. Ideally the sag should have been added before that part of the structure was installed on the building. So I placed the building on a slope, shielded the storefront, and put a lead weight on the bottom section of the balcony. Then I poured boiling water over it. This softened the styrene enough to let it sag just a little, and when cool it held that shape.
The rest of the balcony structure will be given a matching sag when it’s built.
What are you using for glass? I remember a few years ago you talked about using microscope slide glass. The reflections look too good for acrylic.
I tried using real glass for a while but it doesn’t come in large enough sizes, and is much too fragile. So now I’m using .020" lexan sheets:
speachless again Ray
A really good idea turned out to be a really bad idea…
The balcony of this drugstore is in two sections. There’s a thin, simple piece attached to the ground floor of the building, which acts as a “ceiling” over the sidewalk and provides a way to mate the upstairs portion to the downstairs portion. As seen in my previous posts, I have already installed the groundfloor piece, and used boiling water to induce an appropriate sag.
So I’ve been building the rest of the balcony, which will attach to the upstairs part of the building. It’s a more complex structure, with decorative trim. Rather than trying to bend each piece of styrene to the correct curve to replicate the sag, I had what seemed like a good idea at the time. I built the structure, complete with decking, and even added the simulated wood grain texturing. Then I placed the whole thing on blocks to support the rear and sides, so that only the front end would sag – and put it in the oven on low heat (about 225 degrees).
In just a couple minutes it was becoming soft enough to sag when I placed a lead weight on it. Unfortunately the heat was having other effects as well. The deck planks became severely warped and distorted. The “liquid weld” glue joints softened more than the styrene, and all the joints shifted. The individual components failed to bend as one unit.
End result: A lot of time and effort wasted.
It looks like I can salvage the frame, after stripping off the deck planks. The deck will need to be replaced. The frame had to be almost completely disassembled. I bent the front section of the frame separately, by hand, after pouring hot water on it.
Ooops.
I successfully repaired and rebuilt the balcony frame and replaced the deck. In these photos you can see the way it sags a little in the middle. You can also see how this part of the balcony will be attached to the upstairs part of the building, and how it slips over the lower portion which is attached to the ground floor. I still have to add the railings, posts and roof, and then paint the whole thing. :
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6469/IMG_6469.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6474/IMG_6474.jpg)
I wanted the balcony railings to look like slightly ornate wrought iron or cast iron. It took me a while to come up with a suitable way to do this, without excessive amounts of labor. I found some cheap wooden boxes at Michael’s. These boxes have a somewhat elaborate metal grill in the top. I cut this grill into sections and soldered the sections to 1/16" square brass tubes:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6465/IMG_6465.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6482c/IMG_6482c.jpg)
In the above photo, the railing still needs to be cleaned up, excess solder removed, and the horizontal members trimmed to the appropriate length.
Ray Dunakin said:Hey, [i]that[/i] is an idea!
I wanted the balcony railings to look like slightly ornate wrought iron or cast iron. It took me a while to come up with a suitable way to do this, without excessive amounts of labor. I found some cheap wooden boxes at Michael's. These boxes have a somewhat elaborate metal grill in the top. I cut this grill into sections and soldered the sections to 1/16" square brass tubes
Glad you were able to save it Ray. Nice idea on the rail, it is stored for future use.
I didn’t get much time to work on the model today but still managed to get the frame built for the roof of the drugstore’s balcony.
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6488c/IMG_6488c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6492c/IMG_6492c.jpg)
When I first worked out the rough plan for this building in my 3D program, I made the store’s false front taller. Then when I started putting together the foam-core form to make that part of the structure, it looked way too tall. So I cut a little over an inch off of it. Now I wish I hadn’t done that! I would have preferred more space for the sign that will be painted on the front of the building.
We;;, it’s just a “small scale” business! Nice work.
I’m making good progress on this building, and getting close to completion! First off, I decided to replace the original desk lamp with something a little slimmer. Instead of running the bulb leads through a brass tube, I twisted the leads together, coated them with glue, and then painted them gold. The result isn’t perfect but it is an improvement:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6523/IMG_6523.jpg)
I finished the balcony railings. Thin, vertical brass rods were soldered on at each end. The square horizontal pieces fit into styrene “boards” that will be glued to the balcony posts:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6512/IMG_6512.jpg)
The roof of the balcony was created using individual styrene “planks”. Each plank was textured with simulated wood grain. I used an X-acto knife to carve large cracks into some of the boards, and cut away small broken sections:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6502/IMG_6502.jpg)
Finally, the balcony was painted to look like aged, weathered wood. The railings were then painted and glued into place. I had to touch up the paint on the posts afterwards, as the solvent made the paint come off at the slightest touch.
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6532/IMG_6532.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6528/IMG_6528.jpg)
Next I will partially cover the balcony roof with some sort of worn out roofing material – I haven’t yet decided whether it will be rusty metal, shingles, or something else. In any case, parts of the material will be missing, leaving some of those nicely weathered planks exposed. I’m still debating whether or not I should add a little bit of worn, peeled paint to the balcony’s wood. Once the balcony is finished, I’ll installed the arched doors into the doorways, and paint a sign on the front wall. Then I’ll glue the balcony to the building.
Cigars…whittle a wooden Indian 
Looks fantastic. Nice photos too.
Ralph
Wooden Indian–great idea!
That looks fantastic–adding the sag the the balcony was a really brilliant idea, it makes the whole building work better
Ray Dunakin said:Possibly that might be too much with everything else that's going on with the building?
I'm still debating whether or not I should add a little bit of worn, peeled paint to the balcony's wood.
Looks like a bit of Bourbon Street with those balcony railings. Is this going to be a “parlor house?” 
Time for another progress report… I painted the sign on the front of the store over the weekend. First I made a stencil by printing the word “drugs” on a sheet of printable, self-adhesive vinyl. I cut out the lettering, stuck the stencil to the building, masked off the surrounding area, then sprayed it with flat black paint. Turned out pretty well:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6533/IMG_6533.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6547/IMG_6547.jpg)
As you can see, I also finished both the main roof, and the balcony roof. On the balcony, I used .001" brass sheet to create individual strips of “standing-seam” metal roofing. I wanted it to look rusty, with sections torn and missing to expose some of the weathered wood. The metal strips were first spray painted flat black. Then I stippled on several layers of color using Apple Barrel acrylic paints – mainly Chocolate Brown (more of a red-brown than chocolate), Espresso, Nutmeg Brown, and a mix of Black and Dutch Blue. This was topped with a coat of Krylon UV Matte finish. (I had considered painting them red, but changed my mind after seeing how it looked. It seemed too distracting.)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6548/IMG_6548.jpg)
The main roof was .060" styrene sheet, braced underneath with heavier square strips. Then I used .020" x .250" styrene strips on the sides, creating an overlap on the sides of the building. The standing seams were simulated with strips of .020" x .060" styrene. Painting was handled the same at described above. This morning we had some visitors come to see the railroad, so I put the building out on the townsite. Here are some shots of how it looks so far:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6540/IMG_6540.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6544/IMG_6544.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_files/Media/IMG_6554/IMG_6554.jpg)
I still have to add a few small details, and finish wiring the lights.