Most excellent, Ray. As usual!
Cheers,
Matt
It’s really BEYOND over the top. Well done.
Ray Dunakin said:
Took a break from modeling to do the videos from my Nevada trip. Now I finally have some modeling to report…
I wanted the second story of this building to be a silversmithing workshop. I only had one very tiny photo of my brother’s workshop, which gave me a rough idea of how it should look. I also Googled some photos of similar workshops which helped me get a better idea of the details.
I started by making a bunch of tools and other items to hang on a simulated pegboard:
I also modeled a slab cutter, which is a special saw for cutting raw stone into slices. The largest part was made from a block of Sintra PVC, sanded to shape and skinned with .020" styrene:
Another machine I modeled is a combination trim saw and cabochon grinder/polisher:
I made a lot of other items, installed them in the room, and added lights:
A couple shots looking into the room from outside the window:
The last thing I did was make a pair of exterior lamps to light up the store front. After finishing the wiring the building was complete and I installed it on the layout:
I had also wanted to make a lighted “Jewelry” sign to the exterior, but my idea for that didn’t work out. I may try a different way to make that work at some later date. And eventually I want to make scale figures of my brother and his wife to occupy the building.
Not only cool, but I got the double thanks going as well…
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Matt Hutson said:
Most excellent, Ray. As usual!
Cheers,
Matt
True, it is USUAL for Ray to post such excellent work…YET, that does NOT begin to describe how good it really IS!
even this close there is really no discernable way to tell that is not a picture of a 1:1 scale building… awesome, incredible , fantastic, WOW, Ray you inspire all of us to really want to do better.
About how big are those tools? Your brother would be beaming with pride to see his entire job made as a model. Cannot wait to see the scale people you make .
I agree with Pete, it’s impossible to tell.
Stunning work, Ray, always inspiring.
So cool Ray! So, with all this cool detail. Is this all tucked way up in some pocket canyon town or right out front where uour guest can peer right in? Can you show a (another?) zoomed out view to see how it all fits together with the full scale world?
Pete, if I remember correctly the “pegboard” that the tools are mounted on is about 2.5" wide. That should give you a rough idea of how small the tools are.
Eric, this building is not at the front of the layout, although it is on the same level as the path that goes across the middle of the layout. Unfortunately during the day it’s pretty hard to see into the buildings even when the interior lights are on, due to glare and reflections.
Here’s a pic from a couple years ago that shows the town’s location:
I need to get a more recent photo, but that will do for now.
All I can say is WOW, Incredible, Amazing and Awesome!!! I wish I had only a fraction of your skills, Just Amazing!!!
You have a really neat layout! The town looks the part of a little mining town way out in the middle of some rugged country. Too bad the buildings are not right up front and center, but i am sure you enjoy making them more than showing them off!
My next project is underway…it’s a repair and upgrade of the Dos Manos Drugs building which was finished in 2010.
This structure was built much differently than my current methods. I used real rocks and mortar for the walls. There are pros and cons to this type of construction.
Pro: It holds up well in all weather, never needs to be repainted, and you can’t beat the appearance of real rocks.
Con: The only way I could find to make the interior accessible was through the top, so it had to be built in two pieces, and I couldn’t make the interior removable. It’s not completely moisture-proof. It’s heavy, and although it’s sturdy it can shatter if accidentally dropped. And unless you have a stone saw it’s hard to make stones to fit arches, etc.
Anyway, the real problems with this structure were with the other materials. I had used thin, clear plastic to glaze the windows. This stuff aged very badly, becoming yellow, opaque, and eventually warped and cracked. I used styrene to build the “wooden” parts of the structure, and although the styrene is ok, the paint on it has become worn and faded. Also, I had used incandescent “grain of rice” bulbs to light the interior, and these all burned out rapidly.
Here’s how the building looked after I removed it from the layout. A few parts broke off as I was handling it:
I started with the ground floor, since it would be the easiest to repair. The first thing I had to do was remove the displays that were mounted in the windows. These were glued into place but luckily I was able to break them loose without causing any damage:
The displays are in much better condition than I’d expected, and just need to be cleaned up a little. The paint on the “wooden” sidewalk has almost completely worn off, so it will need to be repainted.
Next I removed the plastic glazing from the windows. I was worried this would be difficult, but all I had to do was press on the plastic with a blunt tool, near the edges of the window frames, it it popped loose. When I got enough of it loose, I grabbed it from inside the structure and pulled it off. With that weathered plastic out of the way, you can now see that the interior details are still in good condition:
The red and black paint on the framework was in pretty good shape, just a little dull. The paint on the underside of the balcony was much worse:
I repainted the underside of the balcony, and touched up the red and black frame to brighten it up a bit:
I set that part of the building aside and turned my attention to the second story. I removed the corroded plastic from the windows, but that was as far as I got:
The entire balcony is badly faded and needs to be repainted. Several parts of the railing have fallen off:
This end of the balcony railing and canopy is loose:
It would be easiest to paint the balcony if it were separate from the main structure, but with the exception of the loose bits at this end, the rest is very securely attached. I don’t think I can remove it without causing significant damage, and I don’t want to be forced to replace it.
So for now I have to put on my “thinking cap” and figure out the best way to go about repairing and repainting the balcony.
I just got some new LEDs in the mail today, which I will be using to replace the incandescent bulbs that were originally installed in the structure.
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Remind me never to use regular light bulbs then!
John Passaro said:
Remind me never to use regular light bulbs then!
All my stuff is going to use LED’s since I am thinking a 9V battery should power the lights on a building without having to string wire all over. but if I do have to hard wire them, I would like to have then on a solar/battery panel
I’ve had similar short life results with incandescent bulbs. A few years ago I wired up lights on die cast cars and lit the interiors of several buildings with the grain of rice bulbs. It looked great for most of one summer, lit from dusk until dawn. By fall all the vehicles had one or two lights out and the buildings followed soon after.
I’ve also usued 12V LED modules to light other buildings and these are still going strong years later. I combat the harsh 6500K light by bouncing them off the roof interiors which are coated with orange and yellow vinyl. These buildings have no interiors.
Good luck with your refurb Ray, I’m curious about the LEDs you are purchasing since I should get the cars and buildings re-lamped this winter. Care to share details or a link?
I get my LEDs from this source:
https://evandesigns.com/collections/hobby-leds
I really like them, because you can get them with the necessary electronics already wired in. It’s a tiny circuit board that limits the voltage while also supplying the correct polarity. They can take handle input voltage from 7-19 volts, and you don’t have to worry about getting the polarity right.
They also have some that keep the LED separate from the circuit board so that you can run the wires through a tight space, such as a brass tube. Then just connect the leads from the LED to the leads from the circuit board and you’re good to go.
Most of the LEDs I use are 3mm. I also use some of the “chip” and “nano” LEDs which are smaller and lack the stiff “legs” of a standard LED. This makes them easier to use in certain applications, such as a lamp.
Another thumbs up for Evans Designs, I have used their products on several projects and they are always willing to help figure out what you need if your not sure.
i still prefer incandecent bulbs for their softer light. their big advantage: when hooked to an H0 regulated transformer, one can change the brightness with the turn of a finger.
and when they burn out, i do the same as in the 1:1 household. i change them.
that is easy, because i use bulbs from the old chrismas chains, the sort we had before the LED chains.
pluck the old one out and stick the new ones in.
between white, yellow and red, one can imitate lamps and fire as needed.
i have still a lifetime stock squirreled away. (only the blues and greens went into the wastebin.)
little known fact is colors red, green and blue mixed together make a soft white color and mixed with a flickering yellow produces a old oil lamp look. Most pathway lights make good headlight or directional lights as their light is emitted from the side of the bulb and not out the tip. I have found that LED’s make excellent lighting bulbs and very inexpensive. Also coating a soft white bulb with yellow highlighter gives a incandescent look to the light, also might want to check out [email protected] site and search LED lighting there is a wealth of knowledge there and worth the read time, Bill
Now that the holidays are over I’m making a little more progress. On the second floor of the building, I decided the best adhesive to secure the loose end of the balcony was Gorilla Glue, a urethane glue. I wet the area first, then used a toothpick to smear the glue under the parts that were loose. The excess glue foams up along the edge:
When it was mostly cured but still pliable, I trimmed off the excess glue:
I repainted the balcony using craft acrylics. The coloration isn’t as subtle as I had originally done it, but it’ll do. Next I needed to spray it with a few coats of Krylon UV-resistant clear matte, so I masked off the rest of the building:
I also repainted the large sign above the balcony, using a small brush. It’s not quite as sharp as the original sign, which was done with the aid of a stencil, but it’s close enough considering the rough surface:
I cut some real glass for the windows, but haven’t installed it yet. Cutting the curved piece was a little tricky. I had score straight lines and snap off a small piece at a time until I had a rough curve. The remaining bits were crushed or broken off with a needle-nose plier:
Meanwhile, on the ground floor, I installed LEDs into the ceiling fixtures:
I get my LEDs from Evan Designs https://evandesigns.com/collections/hobby-leds They sell them with the tiny circuit board pre-wired into the leads. This allows them to run on battery or regulated DC voltage ranging from 5-12 volts. You don’t even have to worry about the polarity.
These particular LEDs are the “chip” size. I ordered them with the circuit board on separate leads, so that the LED leads can fit through the brass tubes of the fixtures:
My messy wiring on the top of the ceiling. I bundled the leads and taped them in place:
Here’s how the storefront looks with the LED lighting:
That’s all for now. Enjoy!
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Great if Greg saw this …
(http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Dos_Manos_Building_4_files/Media/IMG_5865cc/IMG_5865cc.jpg)