Refurbishing Mama's Bakery No Ka Oi

[Eric_Mueller]

On to the update…

The first order of business was to remove as much old glue and paint as possible, score the roof with guidelines, and then glue on the 'sticks.

My scoring proved accurate enough! We repeated this on Sunday.

I then used a shop vac to suck out 6 years of gook. I lightly sanded the display shelves and re-stained them. I had to leave, so Kid-zilla took over the painting, giving inside and outside a good coat of exterior latex paint.

He was very careful to keep the paint away from original artwork. The girls promised to touch that up later. Even with more work to come, it already looks much better.

We’ll get the craft sticks Dremeled down later this week, use the scraps to cover the remaining bits of the roof frontage and Dremel those, too. We’ve located our stock of roofing material, so we are on track. Oh, Kid-zilla also cut some new windows today, too.

As for the rotted craftstick and old roofing material, we set it aside in a “gemuckabucket.” Kid-zilla has already put some of it to use. He mixed it with sundry bits that he glued to a base of scrap foam he had painted black

The Triple O wastes NOTHING!

Updates as progress merits!

Eric

[Rooster]

@Eric_Mueller

Problem solved…

That’s enough for this project and the next 27 MIKs!!!

Eric

This is incredibly inspiring as the options are endless!!!

Just saying.

[Hines (Bill)]

The Dutch do have a wonderful rail system too!

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

well, i see one problem with these sticks.
too much labour needed, to make them useful. (cutting off the round ends)
or, in case of roofing, cutting away the straight parts between the rounded ends.

(but i’m waiting for delivery of sticks, that are less wide and longer - for passenger cars)

[Eric_Mueller]

@Korm

too much labour needed, to make them useful. (cutting off the round ends)
or, in case of roofing, cutting away the straight parts between the rounded ends.

We usually glue them in place then use a Dremel to make them flush when we use these round-ended sticks. The scraps are salvaged and sorted for future projects. Of course, my Dremel may be on the way out…

Eric

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

@Eric_Mueller

We usually glue them in place then use a Dremel to make them flush when we use these round-ended sticks.

well, using high-tec…

here the only use i found for this kind of sticks:

[Rooster]

Yes Bill they sure do!

Now the kids gonna want to go the Netherlands and this will be your fault not mine!

High Speed Trains in the Netherlands

[Eric_Mueller]

Update Gluing, cutting, and more gluing continue. The cutting blade on the Dremel is dull, which hindered progress. Off to find a new one. The SS Ne’ersail was due in from San Francisco with a load of salt fish, linens, and miscellaneous hardware supplies…

[Eric_Mueller]

Update. Pretty much all of the cladding is in place, and we started to replace the trim.

Earlier, Kid-zilla had ground off the rust and guck from our roof toppers which I made long ago from broke epee blades.

A bit more Dremel work, some trim, and some roofing to go. We’ll give all a coat of outdoor latex paint and install the windows before handing it over to the girls to perform the artwork restoration.

Updates as progress merits!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

Progress in fits and starts all week as I recover from my latest round of COVID (fourth overall!). I used time here and there to prep the rest of the building. As the virus cleared my system, Kid-zilla joined in on the painting. We opted to repaint the existing trim in the white latex, figuring it wouldn’t hurt anything and might enhance durability.

We’ll touch that up a bit and turn it over to the roofers. Not shown are the roof toppers that he ground clean the other day. They went to the Palm of Spray Painting for some primer.

We have decided to just repaint the cobblestones. Replacing them would be no fun, and, from typical viewing distances, you can’t see that they’ve become potholes. We are debating where to put the bakery, as we’ve never been satisfied with the siding, as it has to jig-jag around to pass everything. The photos below, taken shortly after we began this project, shows what I mean.

The hole is where the bakery once stood. We have time to figure that out.

Thunderstorms and wet weather will likely preclude further progress, if a COVID counterstrike doesn’t land home first.

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

Between not having the right glue, fighting COVID, and recovering from the same, progress was slow. Still, Kid-zilla and I managed to limp forward. I am finding he will work happily WITH someone, but he is not quite ready to go solo. Given circumstances, this was OK. I got to hang out at a respectful distance as he put his energy into this project. To that end, he measured and cut the roofing material.

Then he took it out to the Palm of Spray Painting to paint the backside flat black. He also primed the broken epee blades he had ground clean. These will again serve as toppers.

As that was drying, he also decided to touch up the “boxes” in our train store stand from 2023 Mik Challenge - Makeke o Haluku’ilio.

The water-based markers had faded or washed out over the years.

For those we are curious, Oldest Son joined us to chat has he worked on his own project.

This is for a demi-cuirass of plate and mail he his fashioning for Hallowe’en and, I think, what will effectively be Live Action Role Playing. Not a railroad project, but it is a result of what he’s learned through his time in the hobby: imagine it, research it, source it, try it!

As for the bakery, Kid-zilla and Youngest Daughter are applying the trim paint as I type. We’ll get the construction cement to allow us to reapply the roofing material. Then we’ll see how the girls restore the art. This is a physically large project, so it precludes starting something else until it is off the lanai. I am anxious to see it done and again serving the 1:24 folks of Haluku’iliio!

Eric

[Rooster]

So as I zoomed in on the pics I asked myself …“they are about what 8 and 14”?

I kinda chuckled and thought “they are doing just fine” !

KDZ is working that X-acto chopper like a pro and OS working the can tabs is awesome…

I was thinking it might be some kind of chest plate/head armor when I first saw the pic. Then I actually had to go back and (sigh) READ to find out I WAS pretty close!

Great work boys!

As I was told “Back in the day” …There is a lot to be said for working with what you have, using basic tools and thinking outside of the box!

[Eric_Mueller]

@Rooster

“they are about what 8 and 14”?

Close! 9 and 13, and, yes, I think they are doing pretty good in their endeavors. I love having their company on train projects; I am thrilled that they undertake any projects!

And, as projects go, Youngest Daughter (Y.D.) grabbed her paints and Kid-zilla and set to work last weekend.

Her big role was to restore, if possible, original artwork, and to cover the blue where her brother made a mess (Kid-zilla forgot to mask the walls and “stone lanai” before painting the trim!). Yours truly did mask the roof while the artwork was occurring.

She did decide that some of the fine lettering was beyond saving. It is preserved for future archaeologists under white acrylic. Under her hand, though, the main artwork shines again, losing, in my opinion, none of its charm.

More mundane shots follow, but I include them only to mark progress.

I have to get glue to apply the roofing. I will also lay down a dark base over the “stones” before repainting them. The girls plan to add a new sign for the roof. We have a busy week, so it may be a while before this is done.

BTW, when these activities are occurring, I am usually finding the glues, paints, brushes, tools, etc. I always have a project, whether a rocket or a smaller railroad item, to give me an excuse to observe but not interject in the action.

Updates as progress merits!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

The dynamic duo were at it again today, restoring the artwork!

Y.D. elected to replace the original artwork, using photos as a guide. She elected to be true to the spirit rather than exact to the past. Their combined efforts are below:

I should get the roof glued on this week, then it is my duty to paint the “rocks” of the lanai. After which, Mama can host a grand reopening!

Have a great week!

Eric

[David_Marconi_FOGCH (David Marconi CHHNNG)]

Gotta say I like what you have done with the place, can’t wait for the reopening of Mama’s

[Eric_Mueller]

Thanks, David (@David_Marconi_FOGCH )!

I re-stained the lanai, giving it a heavy black wash to refill all the nooks and crannies. I ran out of white acrylic, so I couldn’t make the grey to repaint the flagstones.

Almost done!

Eric

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

@Eric_Mueller

I ran out of white acrylic,

try to mix your grey using white toothpaste.

[Eric_Mueller]

@Korm

try to mix your grey using white toothpaste.

Next time. I had already sent the kids to get the paint!

I am looking to get this project done this weekend.

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update:

Since I sent the kids on their bikes to the get the paint, I figured I’d better use it! All the flagstones got paint, and I touched up a few other areas. Tomorrow, I’ll finish converting food trays into windows.

Kid-zilla, for his part, finished painting the sales counter.

He thought there should be lettering. I reminded him no one would see it.

We are on track to place the bakery back on the RR for the annual garden party I host for my workmates and alumni. We’ll post a grand reopening glamor shot, complete with PLAYMOBIL, afterwards!

Eric

[Eric_Mueller]

Update.

Pau! New windows, doors, and doorknobs are in place. We will take glamor shots in the coming week or two to close the thread. The building looks a lot better, now, and most of its original artwork survived, so I met my project goals. You can get a glimpse here 2025 Spring Running - Post your pictures here. To help preserve it, I sealed any seems along the top of the craftstick cladding and let the roofing material overlap those seems. We were also very generous in applying the exterior latex paint. We have learned that buildings last longer if you can bring them into the lanai, so the last step is to build a brick “enclosure” the size of the base to fit the bakery to allow for easy placement.

On to the next project!

Eric