Status Update

Good morning!

I've not had a post in a few days.  I coach a girl's basketball team and we are in the playoffs, and work has been pretty busy with a lot of traveling.  So, I'm a bit behind.  I did get time to go to the Hostler's Train Show in Ogden this weekend, but didn't buy a single thing.  Just not much On30 around here!

Watch for a post soon...and watch for Basketball scores!

Scott Perry

119 The Navajo Mining Railway - Wiseman 18' Flatcar Assembly #3

Let's finish up the car.  I'm running out of daylight and the turkey in the oven smells yummy!

Wedging the car in the cradle, I carefully, and without photos or instructions, mount the brake wheel.  I hate this kit.

I have to drill out the holes for the stanchion, but the hand wheel's hole is too big.  Unfortunately I don't have any other brass wire that will work.  Next time I'm at the hobby shop I need a supply of brass and plastic rods.

The chain is a type of flexible plastic.  I'm not sure it will work, but at this point I just want the car done, so I glue it on.

Everything is assembled and ready to go to the paint shop.  I wash the parts and let them dry while I set up the booth.

We're using Floquil Oxide Red as it works well on resin.

I put several light coats on the model and the trucks, but it is not covering well.  I'll let it dry and give her another coat tomorrow.

The depot only needs a smoke stack around back and signs for the town, plus some figures.  I tried to find a good stack, but can't, so I ordered one from Caboose Hobbies.  They were out of them, and the hinges I need for another project.  Parts just get harder and harder to get.  Oh well...off to dinner.

118 The Navajo Mining Railway - Wiseman 18' Flatcar Assembly #2

We'll need some wheels, so let's get to work.  I just ate a hamburger, and the family is still leaving me alone for the day.  Yeah!

This is another part of the kit without any instructions, or even a picture.  WTF?

I'm not really sure how the parts go together.  I've not yet figured out how the brakes are mounted, so I'll just guess at it.  I'm using Ambroid cement to weld it together.

Here is as good as I know how to do.

Next I started filing off the 12 stake pockets.  This took a while, so I pulled up old Star Trek episodes to keep me occupied.  TV is great when you are filing.  After mounting the car to my cradle, I added one side's pockets.

Once dry, I flipped it over and added the rest.  We'll let this dry for a good while.

Captain's Log Stardate 02.09.2014... it appears ACC got on my fingers and I have a Klingon.  Drat!

117 The Navajo Mining Railway - Wiseman 18' Flatcar Assembly #1

Let's work on the Wiseman 18' Flat Car today!  We've got time enough to almost complete it.

Let's open the kit again...as I already reviewed the pieces before.

The instructions are useless...nothing but a paragraph saying "hey, its easy...you'll figure it out."  We beg to differ.

Let's start on the resin body.

The resin parts in this kit are VERY soft and pliable.  It will never make a good car.  I'm going to put it together only as a prop in front of the depot.   It would be easier to scratchbuild a fleet instead.

I trimmed up and washed the body.  I do like the wood detail underneath, though it will not be seen.

The deck is simulated wood with nail holes.  It is a bit shorter than the body.  Trimming out the stake pocket holes takes time.

The queen post beam has a lot of flash, though this is not that uncommon.

The instructions indicate that you need to drill a hole through the bolster for the fishing line truss rods.  This is impossible, as you can't get a pin vise drill to drill at that angle.  So I drilled a 45 degree hole instead.

I couldn't find any fishing line in the kid.  Maybe I lost it.  Still, I prefer to use brass wire, so I got out the spool and pulled the lines over the queen posts.

The brake rigging instructions were...well...non-existent.  In light of that, and since they really won't be seen anyway, I just mounted the bars to the needle beam.  I'll let all the ACC dry for a while.

116 The Navajo Mining Railway - Depot Gets Glazing

It's a bit drafty in the depot, so let's add glass to the windows!

I clear off the workbench and bring over the depot.

Using a spare window like those I used on the structure, I cut out a paper template to use for the acetate glass.  Normally I use slide glass or other materials as acetate is hard to work with.  But I need it done and done fast.

Using the acetate I cut out seven windows, one more than I needed.

Here they are.  You have to keep them clean and free of scratches and dings.  Be careful!

Using ACC, something else I don't like using, I mount each of the windows.  Normally I'd use Canopy Glue, but my tube was dried up.  I use a foam cradle to hold the window to a level position.

I turn the depot and glue in the windows one or two at a time.

Once I put in the last one, we'll put it aside to dry.

115 The Navajo Mining Railway - Scenery at the Depot

I don't have the exact scenery materials that I want yet...as that will make me take a trip to the desert to get it.  So let's use what we have.

I drag out the scenery boxes and poke around to see what we can use.

Using white glue, I mount bits and pieces of brush, debris, rocks and other materials to make the barren, but populated landscape.

An inch or two at a time, I put in the debris and scenery items.  It takes about 45 minutes to complete.

While not what I wanted, it is a start, and will be good enough for this first diorama/display.  I'll still need to do more tests on scenery.

114 The Navajo Mining Railway - Dr. Wesolowski's Weathering Goop

I'm trying to catch up from being away for a week, but it is very tough.  The goal is a post a day this year...so let' see if we can do it.  Today is Sunday and the wife gave me the day off.  Basically that means I have half the day off and a lot of grief for taking it...but some modeling time none the less.

WARNING!  YOU MUST LEAVE THE CAP ON THE BOTTLE VERY LOOSELY SO THAT THE PRESSURE FROM THE CHEMICAL REACTION CAN BE RELEASED OR THE BOTTLE WILL BLOW UP.  MY BOTTLE EXPANDED TO THREE TIMES ITS NORMAL SIZE.  ANOTHER PERSON HAD A BOTTLE EXPLODE IN HIS WORKSHOP!

First, I need some more weathering materials.  The area I'm working on needs something not so black, but more reddish.  I think its time to whip up a batch of Dr. Wesolowski's Weathering Goop.  Invented back in the seventies by the renowned scratchbuilder Wayne Wesolowski, it has a reddish brown hue.  We only need fine steel wool and a bottle of vinegar.

Tear up the fine steel wool and immerse it in the vinegar.  I take out about half of the vinegar and stuff torn bits of steel wool into the bottle.  Once I put in enough steel wool, I'll pour the rest of the vinegar back into the bottle.

I cap the bottle, and as always, I write the name of the chemical on the bottle.

We put it aside on the chemical shelf to cure.  The acid in the vinegar will eat away at the steel wool, causing it the rust.  The result is a reddish brown hue that makes a great weathering solution.  Tune back in and we'll use some!

113 The Navajo Mining Railway - Depot Base Scenery & Trim Work

I let the base dry thoroughly and then coated both the depot and the base with a coat of Testor's Dullcoat.  This will seal in the weathering and give it a flat finish all around.

This is wet, so its a bit shiny.  I'll take a picture tomorrow when it has dried.   All that is left to do is to add signs and people, baggage, and the scenery details.  Oh, and the very last thing is glass.

112 The Navajo Mining Railway - Depot Base Scenery & Trim Work

Let's add some base scenery to the depot diorama.  I'm going to use some ballast here, which is taboo with On30 guys, but that's the way its going to be!  I'm still working with rock colors and am testing some things.  The layout probably won't have ballast at all.

First, I need to do some trim work on the roof underneath, on the gable.

I am not crazy about the gap there...but it will have to wait.  For now, I want to trim the joint between the wall and the roof.

Using some thin stock, I cut and test fit a board.  There will be four of these.

There...now let's paint them!

I cut one extra, and a little bit long, just in case I trim one and do it incorrectly.  I call this "failing ahead."  Seldom do I use the emergency board...but if I don't cut one, it is an 89% chance that I will have to make one.

We'll use a #1 brush, some brown trim paint, and the boards.

Here are the boards mounted after painting.  Makes a world of difference.

Now I'm going to add the color and texture base to the diorama top.

This is still wet with glue.  The colors are prototypical, but very hard to work with for me as I've only done eastern scenery.  I need to get some rock from Utah and build another scenery test.  The red ballast is the right color...but looks odd against the tan.  Some bushes and boulder will be added when this dries.

111 The Navajo Mining Railway - Depot Weathering

It's time to weather the depot, or at least get the first coat going.  Let's remember that we are in Southern Utah.  It is hot there, and dust.  Seldom rains.  The dust is yellow to orange to rusty red.  Paint doesn't last long in the oven that is the high desert.

 I dug out my set of Dr. Ben's Weathering Powders.  We'll need them today!  I'll be using my new bottle of white as well.

 

Here are the colors that I'm using.  I did put the shadow gray back as it has a green tint to it.  Good for a barn in north Georgia, but not out here in the high desert.

We'll need an old, soft brush, so I grab one from the used brush bin.

I'll start with dusting the roof with some white.  Weathering powders stick close to where you put them so you have to bang some of the dust off the brush before you start.  I got a bit too much on the roof here, but with repeated brushing it came off.

Here is a close up of where I started on the right vs the left with no colorant.  It is a bit much here, but I wore it down with the brush.

The picture on top has the white highlights, the one below doesn't.  See the difference?  It improves as I add other colors and a dull coat.

The roof is complete.  I'll add some other colors later and smooth out the white.  For now I'll let it sit.

A little soot black will be added as streaks on the roof.

The roof looks different under the flash, but right now it looks great...very dry and sun parched.

Using the other colors I start adding dirt to the lower parts of the structure.  Not too much, but enough to indicate the wind has blown the dirt up on the building over time.

There!  I had to glue the door back on, so we'll stop today while that dries and I'll work on it more tonight when the little monsters go to bed.  I'm trying to figure out how to get clay out of my carpet.  Arrgh!