Ray Dunakin said:
Thanks. I'm just using a saber saw. For the long, straight cuts I clamp a straight edge, like an aluminum angle, to guide the saw. Short straight sections, and curves, are cut free hand.So far I like working with this pvc stuff, it’s pretty easy to cut and sand.
Sawing makes a mess, but not as much as sanding it!
BTW, I wanted to add one small window on each side the hotel. Since Bruce used an x-acto to cut out the windows on his hardware store, I decided to try that. It took a little effort but not nearly as much as I had expected. This PVC foam is much softer than styrene.
Also, I made it to the local plastics dealer today and obtained some Weld-On 16.
I’ve been using Weldon-16 for all the pvc to pvc and pvc to styrene joints on my boxcar build. So far I’m pretty happy with the results. It’s a little difficult to control the amount dispensed when first opened and it gels up pretty quickly, but holds great!
The fast gelling can be an advantage. If you overload a joint and get ooze, it will ball up when you wipe it with a finger in in about a minute!
I’ve made some more progress… First off, I made the sidewalk out of black, 1/2" thick PVC foam board. I sanded it and scribed joints and cracks into it. Then I sprayed it with a light coat of white primer. The color coats were done with Apple Barrel paints, starting with a mixture of “Sandstone” and “Granite Gray”. This was topped with various other colors – some were applied by flicking them off of an old toothbrush, to give it a speckled look. Others were applied as very thin washes. I also did a “pin wash”, which is using a very fine paint brush to apply a thin, black wash into the lines and cracks. Last of all was a bit of Krylon UV matte. Here’s some shots of the finished sidewalk:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5863c/IMG_5863c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5864c/IMG_5864c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5867c/IMG_5867c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5870c/IMG_5870c.jpg)
Next, I added decorative trim to the top of the front walls. This was made from .080" square styrene rod, which was bent to shape and glued in place with Weld-On 16:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5880/IMG_5880.jpg)
Then I attached the side walls:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5857c/IMG_5857c.jpg)
I also sanded and assembled the arch pieces. Bondo was used to fill the joints and to create a bevel on the top of the arch to match the slope of the roof:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5873/IMG_5873.jpg)
And here’s how it all looks so far. The sidewalk and arches are only temporarily in place and have not yet been permanently attached:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5860c/IMG_5860c.jpg)
That’s it for now!
Wow! That’s great! Love the sidewalk texture, looks real!
Ray- Your attention to detail is incredible. That sidewalk has better detail work than most of the buildings I’ve made. Really nice job! Can’t wait to see the finished building.
-Kevin.
Thanks! I was really pleased with the way the sidewalk turned out. I wasn’t sure I could make it look real enough, especially since it would be near other objects made of real cement.
Ray,
I haven’t yet posted a comment but have been following
your build very closely.
Beautifully done!!!
Anticipating more to come.
Rick
Ray,
That sidewalk turned out great. I can understand scribing the joint lines - that seems pretty straight forward - but how do you do those cracks?
Fine work.
Thanks! Bruce, the joint lines were scribed using a carbide-tipped scribing tool and a straight edge. The cracks were scribed freehand, using the same tool with lighter pressure.
Ray - It just keeps getting better !!!
For some reason, that’s how I pictured the “Hotel California”…
“you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave…”
Beautiful job…
Here’s my latest progress report… First, I applied a thin coat of Bondo to the surface and roughed it up a little:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5890/IMG_5890.jpg)
Later I sanded it down, leaving just a bit of uneven texture on the surface. Next, I built ledges to go under the two large windows in the middle of the front wall. These were built up from various strips of rectangular styrene and styrene quarter-rounds:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5913c/IMG_5913c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5915c/IMG_5915c.jpg)
I attached the sidewalk to the building. Then I decided that it would be best to paint the lower half of the front wall before adding the arches over the sidewalk. First I gave it a coat of “concrete gray” color. I wanted to give this structure a a little Mexican flavor, so I painted a strip of blue along the bottom of the wall:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5907/IMG_5907.jpg)
My first choice of color for the rest of the wall was a pale yellow, but that was much too bright. So I mixed in some terra cotta and came up with this sort of pinkish tan:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5916c/IMG_5916c.jpg)
That color looked pretty good with the blue, but I felt it was still too bright, especially for such a large building. So I tried using some paint that I had mixed to match some of the rocks on the layout. Here’s how that turned out:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5924/IMG_5924.jpg)
I’m still not sure how I feel about these colors, but for now I’m pressing ahead. I painted the arches to match, and installed them on the building:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5928c/IMG_5928c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5932/IMG_5932.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5933/IMG_5933.jpg)
I also added the rear wall to the building, and have started cutting out pieces for the roof. That’s it for now, more later!
Nice work Ray. You have achieved a very believable texture. I think the color is pretty good too!
I like the colors, then again, I’m not picturing it in it’s surroundings…
Nice cornice!
I like the bondo for stucco/skim coat as well
Here’s my latest progress report… I built the removable roof for the hotel. I began by building a channel out of rectangular styrene strips and installed it on the inside of the front wall. This will be used to support the roof, and also to catch any rainwater that seeps in between the wall and the roof. A styrene “lip” on the underside of the roof will fit into this channel:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5992c/IMG_5992c.jpg)
I drilled a hole through the side walls at each end of the channel, to allow the water to drain out:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5986c/IMG_5986c.jpg)
I glued a short piece of styrene tube into each of the drainage holes. These will be painted to represent terra cotta pipes:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5984c/IMG_5984c.jpg)
The roof is made from a sheet of PVC and slopes down toward the rear of the building. Short walls were added on each side, along with some brackets, to support the angled “false roof” above the sides of the hotel:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5936c/IMG_5936c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5938c/IMG_5938c.jpg)
I also built some small structures such as this, to detail the roof:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5976c/IMG_5976c.jpg)
Here’s how the roof turned out. I still have to add the Spanish tiles on the angled structures on each sides:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5998c/IMG_5998c.jpg)
Here’s the underside of the roof. You can see the styrene strips at the front and rear – one fits into the channel on the front wall, the other fits over the top of the rear wall:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_6000c/IMG_6000c.jpg)
A closer view of the underside of the eaves on one side of the roof:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_6001c/IMG_6001c.jpg)
Here’s a close up of the roof installed on the building. Under the eaves there is a trim board that fits over the top of the side wall:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_6002/IMG_6002.jpg)
I also built the doors for the main entrance. I started with two doors from Grandt Line. Since they were not intended for use as double doors, I had to remove the molded doorknob hardware by carving and sanding. I glued the two doors together and built up a new door frame around them, using various sizes of rectangular styrene strip. The arched window had to be cut from sheets of styrene:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5968c/IMG_5968c.jpg)
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5971/IMG_5971.jpg)
Here the doors are test fitted into the door opening. I still have to make custom door handles:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5962/IMG_5962.jpg)
I made a louvered vent for this arch at the top of the hotel, using Evergreen styrene clapboard and styrene strips:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5985c/IMG_5985c.jpg)
And here’s how the whole thing looks so far:
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_5_files/Media/IMG_5981c/IMG_5981c.jpg)
That’s all for now, more to come!
Ray:
Looking great! Thanks for the narrative that goes with the photos. I really learn a lot.
Ray, that’s coming along beautifully! I love the architectural details as well as the texture. Great!!!
Ray I really like the channel idea for drainage. Roof came out very realistic after I saw the final photo and could see the overall model.
