096 The Navajo Mining Railway - Detailing the Depot Walls

I need to get my depot finished for a clinic in February, so we have to buckle down.  I'm not going to start anything until it is done.

My parts have been sitting on a tray for a few weeks, so I guess they might be dry by now!  What we are going to do is to detail the outer walls.  The goal is to make a depot that is showing some wear, but not so much that it doesn't look like it is being uses.  We need nail holes and board separations.

I can't find my nail tool, so I'm going to make a new one.  It needed replacing anyway.  Using a section of hardwood dowel, I cut it about nine inches long.  The dowel was scrap wood as it had been distressed with a saw blade.  That actually comes in handy as it allows you to twist the pin.   Using a pin vise and a #86 bit, I drilled a 3/4" deep hole in the dowel and shoved a sewing needle into it with a pair of plyers.

Next, I scored nail holes using my smallest ponce wheel and a metal angle to make it straight.

Using a hobby knife and brand new blade, I cut boards in different areas and along nail hole lines to help reduce the look of sheet clapboard.  At every cut I made nail holes on the boards using the needle tool.  Click to enlarge the photo to see what I'm talking about.

This is delicate work, so I strapped on a finger light to give me a little more light on the area where I'm working.  All done!