Large Scale Central

Tools to use

Modeling
#1

Ok I have some Colorado models on the way. (No Jerry not female models) I have never worked with one before and have read that you should reinforce them for outside use.

Now here is the problem. I am way from my house and RR for the next few months and living in a Apt. so what would be the best to things to use both materials and tools to beef up the Colorado Buildings. Plexy is kind of hard to cut with out a small power saw or something. I don’t have a shop to work in here so keep that in mind.

Thanks
Geoff

#2

hard to tell…ALL work on G Scale buildings will be a mess in a foreign app.

Frank

#3

1/2" square strip wood will work ok for reinforcing it.

#4

Geoff,
Acrylic (plexi) cuts very easily. Unless you are using thicker than 1/4 inch, you can score and snap it.
However, Ken’s method will be cheaper.
Ralph

#5
Ken Brunt said:
1/2" square strip wood will work ok for reinforcing it.
Ken I thought about this but I am a little worried that the wood is going to warp on me. I have some would buildings now and they have warped very bad. Have you had trouble with warping? thanks Geoff
#6
Ralph Berg said:
Geoff, Acrylic (plexi) cuts very easily. Unless you are using thicker than 1/4 inch, you can score and snap it. However, Ken's method will be cheaper. Ralph
I was thinking 1/8 inch plexi and was hopping hand saws and files would work. sounds like they should.
#7

I haven’t done much reinforcing on mine except the corners of the larger buildings. The kits come with plastic strips to do this. The roof of my Va. grainary building was pretty big so I used some 3/4" square stock to reinforce the top ridge. Some large quarter round molding would work and its easy to cut to length. You can use silicone, liquid nails, GOOP or epoxy to glue it in.

-Brian

#8

Geoff,

I use the acrylic <.093 thickness> from Home Depot or Lowes… Jane uses 'Goop" to secure the buildings and then the acrylic inside the Colorado Model’s shell… The acry;ic does two jobs… First, it provides the windows, and second, it adds strength and weight to the building…

#9
Andy Clarke said:
Geoff,

I use the acrylic <.093 thickness> from Home Depot or Lowes… Jane uses 'Goop" to secure the buildings and then the acrylic inside the Colorado Model’s shell… The acry;ic does two jobs… First, it provides the windows, and second, it adds strength and weight to the building…


Thank you sir. I know you have a few of these. Now this Goop? I guess I can find that in the glues? I have never heared of it. the only goop I can recall was to clean your hands off.

Andy do you make a hole building out of the acrylic and glue the outer parts to it or do you just do strips of it ?

#10

Geoff,
On the larger buildings I cut the acrylic about an inch short and glue it to the building wall.
Smaller buildings like the tower, hold up fine without any acrylic.
Most hardware stores have Goop. Probably Walmart too.
Ralph

#11
Ralph Berg said:
Geoff, On the larger buildings I cut the acrylic about an inch short and glue it to the building wall. Smaller buildings like the tower, hold up fine without any acrylic. Most hardware stores have Goop. Probably Walmart too. Ralph
Ralph thank you. they just showed up today. there a little beefyer then I was thinking they would be. I guess the low price made me think they would be thiner then they are.

Ok now what kind of paint?

By they time this is all done your all going to hate me I’m sure.

Thanks
Geoff

#12

Geoff,
If you cannot find Goop I’m partial to 3m plastic and emblem adhesive and have used it quite extensively. Napa auto parts carries it. As for paint in a rattle can I personally prefer Krylon products.
If you really want to reinforce the buildings you could always do a concrete pour inside.
:wink:

#13
David Russell said:
Geoff, If you cannot find Goop I'm partial to 3m plastic and emblem adhesive and have used it quite extensively. Napa auto parts carries it. As for paint in a rattle can I personally prefer Krylon products. If you really want to reinforce the buildings you could always do a concrete pour inside. ;)
Thanks David for the paint info. I was thinking Krylon for the base color and the hobby shop should have some paint for trim that will work for the trim. As for concrete I think that might block the windows and make it a bit hard to light the buildings later on. :)
#14
Geoff George said:
Andy Clarke said:
Geoff,

I use the acrylic <.093 thickness> from Home Depot or Lowes… Jane uses 'Goop" to secure the buildings and then the acrylic inside the Colorado Model’s shell… The acry;ic does two jobs… First, it provides the windows, and second, it adds strength and weight to the building…


Thank you sir. I know you have a few of these. Now this Goop? I guess I can find that in the glues? I have never heared of it. the only goop I can recall was to clean your hands off.

Andy do you make a hole building out of the acrylic and glue the outer parts to it or do you just do strips of it ?


Geoff,

Goop can be found in the adhesives section, Home Depot, or Lowes… There’s all kinds of “Goop”, plumbers, household, etc, etc… I understand that all the Goop is the same…

Jane puts the building together first, then I measure the inside opposite walls and cut and glue in those two walls, then I measure the remaining two walls, cut and glue those in…
I do it that way, so I get accurate measurements for the inside walls…

She also Paints the building prior to putting the building together…

#15

Ahh Haah…
The truth is out JANE does all the hard work here!

#16

Geoff, the plastic corner rounds from Lowe’s and Home Depot work very good in supporting the corners. I glue styrene I beams across the width of Colorado Model Buildings with split roofs to keep the roof from falling in as the building expands and contracts with temperature.

#17

Geoff,
For larger support you might consider sheet PVC as it cuts more easily than acrylic if your power tool inventory is limited. It’s available in several thicknesses and is very paintable. Not available in clear though that I’m aware of. TAP Plastics or probably any local plastics outlet should have it.

PVC should do quite well if laminated (glued) to the original plastic walls. For support “sticks” I would do as Ken suggested and use wood, preferably cedar or something similar that holds up well.

#18

You CAN cut plexi with a reinforced cut-off disc in a dremel, and a med-low speed - if you have to. It just stinks a bit, and the crumbs fly everywhere. (In a borrowed apartment, I’d do it in the bathroom with the door shut and vent fan on… then be nice and clean up with a vacuum before I tracked it anywhere else)

#19
Geoff George said:
Ken Brunt said:
1/2" square strip wood will work ok for reinforcing it.
Ken I thought about this but I am a little worried that the wood is going to warp on me. I have some would buildings now and they have warped very bad. Have you had trouble with warping? thanks Geoff
If you stay away from the pressure treated stuff, you shouldn't have a problem. Cedar or redwood would work fine.
#20

Geoff,
Scrub th plastic good to get mold release wax and/or the blush off of it. Then you can paint the buildings with latex house paint, exterior flat. You can get sample cans at Lowe’s or Home Depot and that is about a 1/2 pint and more than enough for your needs at a far cheaper price than a Hobby Shop.