097 The Navajo Mining Railway - Finish Shakes and Get Ready To Paint the Depot

Let's finish up the shakes now that I'm back from a week long trip.  I'm so far behind!

Chop, chop, chop.  Almost done!  Just a few more boards to go.

There!  That is what about 640 O-scale shakes look like.  But we don't need them bright white!

I grab the old stand by black boot dye and alcohol mix, put everything in a tray and start dying.

I drop all the shakes in a shallow pan and add the dye, and stir until done.

Using an old pair of tweezers I hoist them out and put them on a paper towel to dry.

Even when using just one color dye, the shakes all take own their own color due to the density of the wood used in the stir sticks.

Once the liquid is off the shingles and absorbed in the paper towel, I put them in a paper plate to finish drying.  I'll stir them several times.

Next, we need to fit the wall sections to make sure they will go together well.

The bottom of this one has a bit of a problem.  I cut the support just a little too long.

Here you can see the extra length.  I cut it off with a fresh razor blade and sanded it smooth wit a fine sanding block.  Each wall section was checked and sanded to fit.

There will be a corner board that goes in this slot.  I checked it carefully to make sure I have a good fit.

Each corner is checked and marked with a corresponding letter so that I know which way to assemble the walls.

There!  Sanded, smooth and perfectly fit.

Now to prep the walls for painting.  We're almost done!  I will use rubber cement to spot cover areas of the wall where I want pealing paint.

Normally I use a dollar store throw away brush for this step.

Using the brush I dab on small amounts of rubber cement here and there.  Once it dries I'll paint over it, then remove it with a rubber eraser.  This will give the effect of peeling paint, and will show the weathered wood.

Let's prepare the windows and doors.  Using a sheet of cardboard that I use for painting, I'll affix the detail parts to it for airbrushing.

I use Scotch brand double sided tape, or masking tape put into a loop and pressed on to the cardboard.

I stuck all the windows and doors (being careful to count and make sure I had all of them) on to the tape with their back side out for painting.   After the first coat, I'll turn them over and paint the front side.

There!  I have paints, and paintable parts.  Next stop...the airbrush booth!