HINTS AND TIPS - THE FOLLOW ON
Posted
Full Member
Applying Static Grass #2
From Rob De Jonge (Brisbane)
To get your static grass to stand up, use a rubber comb. Rub the comb on your jeans, (one direction) move it over the grass, it will pull up the strands so they stand up.
Posted
Full Member
Applying Static Grass #3
From Ian MacMillan (Brisbane)
I put down my base scenery, and secure that with my normal matte medium fix. Then I spray the area with the cheapest hair spray I can find. Shake on static grass, and then I take a small section of builders foam (Styrofoam), rub on my shirt or something, and then pass it over the grass to get it to stand up straight.
Posted
Full Member
Paint my Tweezers
From Ian MacMillan (Brisbane)
Here is a clever way to cut down on nicks and scratches the next time you're handling pre-painted photo-etched material. Just dip your tweezer tips in the paint colour of the prepainted parts and let them dry thoroughly. When you use them to handle or bend the parts, the paint will help hold and cushion the part. It will not totally eliminate the possibility of nicks and scratches, but it will help. When you are done, just soak the tips in solvent or gently scrape the paint off.
Posted
Full Member
Assisting Your Light Souces
From Greg Kelly (Brisbane)
When you are installing lighting into your model houses and such, grab some metal foil or silvered cardboard. Cut it to suit the ceiling of the room or cab you are putting lights into. This will reflect a heck of a lot more light around the room and get you best results from your little LED or bulb.
Posted
Full Member
Scenery Angles
From Ian MacMillan (Brisbane)
Angle roads and rivers at the point where they intersect the background wherever possible. A few carefully positioned trees, vehicles or scenic details will help disguise the meeting point as well. Do not let mountains, structures and other scenic features touch the backdrop. Keep scenic features a little in front of it so the lighting keeps your background scene evenly lit.
Posted
Full Member
Mortar Lines
From Laurie Green (Sunbury Victoria)
I was having trouble with achieving a good mortar effect, until I came across a one page article by Randy Pepprock in a back issue of "FINESCALE RAILROADER". In the article, Randy put forward the idea of using baking powder (sodium bicarbonate) which is a very fine grained powder, and brushing it into the mortar lines and then giving the casting a spray of a clear matte such as Testers Dullcote to fix the mortar into place. This method proved both easy to apply and gave a great effect.
Posted
Full Member
Making Sawmill Timber look more realistic
From Joel Brown
Since most lumber at a mill is still rough-cut by the head saws, it needs bark on the edges, Remember we are working in a small scale, which is to our advantage here. Just take a brown and black felt tip marker and colour the long edge of these boards before you make the stacks. This will add variety to your stacks and give it a purpose for being in the drying area prior to going to the planer’s shed for finishing.
Posted
Full Member
Oil Dealers
From Philip Dunham (Sydney)
Small oil dealer/distributors are a great source of traffic for your railway/road. Typically, these businesses supplied heating oil for residential use, gasoline for local dealerships, kerosene, diesel fuel and other bulk petroleum products. They’re easy to model; a single spur, some storage tanks, a pumphouse, tank car loading/unloading rack and warehouse/office are the basics. Incoming bulk products in tank cars were unloaded into storage tanks, trucks handled local deliveries. Box cars and vans delivered lubricants and specialty oils in cans and drums to the warehouse which were delivered locally by trucks. Trackside oil dealers and distributors were most common before the 70s, but a few are still served by rail in the late 2000's, so they will look at home on any steam- or diesel-era layout.
Posted
Full Member
DCC Decoder Sizing
From Ian MacMillan (Brisbane)
Check your locomotive stall current at full power to judge the power rating of the decoder you will need to purchase. You can do this by coupling an ammeter in series with your loco and holding it to a full slip or stall and checking the current draw. Your decoder should always have a sufficient safety margin above the stall current.
Posted
Full Member
Storage Boxes
From Paul Kaluschke (Brisbane)
Hmmm, all those locos and wagons and all those cases they come in. Then you go and get yourself a pile of storage trays and foam inserts. How many people actually then go and put all their rolling stock into the new trays and then throw out the original packaging they came in? I bet there are quite a few. Ever thought of what you would then do if you wanted to sell some of your stock? Without a case, it makes it harder and also reduces the price you are likely to get as it will look as if it was never looked after for storage, even though it was. Yes the empty cases will take up a lot of space, but one or more of those large plastic storage boxes with lids can easily accommodate a pile of empty cases and then be plonked out in the garage or under the bed etc. That way you still have everything the original model came in if ever the need arises.
Last edit: by xdford
Posted
Full Member
Hints & Tips No.1059
Painting Brick Walls
From Bjorn R Larsen (Sweden)
Have you ever assembled a plastic kit for your model railroad and been frustrated of the glossy look of the finished model that shines "plastic" a long way? Then you should try using some paint. It is not hard, but it may take you some time to get the desired result.
Main Rule # 1 is to paint the parts in advance, preferably when they are still attached to the sprue. You will then have to repaint a little after removal, but that is a minor problem.
I assembled a plastic model of a Swedish station kit from Heljan. I started by painting all brick walls with a thinned light grey paint (e.g. Humbrol # 64) to simulate the mortar. For this you may use a relatively thick brush (# 4). This colour is also used for the concrete wall below, but less thinned. Allow the colour to dry completely. Then you can start painting of the bricks. There are two ways of doing this, the "slow" and the "fast". The "slow" way is to use a thin brush, e.g. size 00, and paint brick by brick. This will give a fantastic result, but as you may understand it is very tedious. The advantage is that each brick may have individual colour. The "fast" way is using a larger brush (e.g. size 2). This example is painted with this method. Use several colours that you can combine and mix directly on the brush.
I used # 70 and # 73 from Humbrol. Use dry brushing technique, that means make sure that there at all times is just a small amount of paint on the bristle. If not, the paint will cover not only the bricks, but also the concrete between. Hold the brush in a low angle to the surface. Make sure that you blend the colours a bit different each time you apply paint to the brush.
Most of the other parts of the kit are also painted in advance before assembly, with an exception for the roof. The roof was glued in place and then painted with thinwashes of grey, black and brown. Finally details like soot in the furnace, dirt traces from running water etc. were painted with thinned colours on a thin brush.
Last edit: by xdford
Posted
Full Member
Keeping Your Layout Clean
From Chris Nevard (Surrey)
We should cover our layouts when not in use. 'Value' dustbin liners split to make a sheet make great lightweight covers which will not crush what is underneath (negating the use of any frame). Why 'value'? Because they are thinner! Not only will you stop the layers of dead skin (which is what most dust it!) but you will also stop the scenics from fading and brickpaper which turns blue or green when exposed to light for too long. Avoid biodegradable dustbin liners, they literally shred with age.
Posted
Full Member
Drilling Plastikard
From Several Modellers
If you are having trouble with Plastikard tearing as you drill it…
1. Use an old/blunt drill, slowly.
2. Try drilling through the styrene into some scrap wood or similar, rather than thin air.
3. For above 1/4 and more, try with the wood backing and a wood drill, the type with a pilot spur and teeth that cut at the tips, or a spade drill with tip cutting, for really big holes. Use at hand turning speeds and it will sail through plastic without ragging or snatching at all.
4. If you have a Grindstone you could try putting a 'Negative Rake' on the drill bit. The drill will then scrape rather than cut it's way through the material.
5. The best way of drilling holes above 2mm in plastikard is to use taper reamers,from 1.6mm to18.00mm in diameter.They are hand tools which makes them easy to control.
Posted
Full Member
Hairspray and Snow Pt 1
From Deb Stringer (Wisconsin)
For anyone interested in doing a snow scene, without the toxic fumes from conventional spray fixatives, I found that using Salon Grafix "Extra Super Hold" Shaping Hair Spray really does the trick. Other brands would probably work very well where you are While it did not work very well on my hair, I noticed it leaved sticky, hard to clean residue on bathroom surfaces. Since I did not have a can of conventional fixative to use on my Xmas diorama, I decided to use the hairspray instead.
The snow scene was created with 20+ layers of very lightly hairsprayed, then lightly dusted with Woodland Scenic's "snow". The brand I used dried so fast and stuck, that after 10, 15 minutes I would turn the diorama over, then lightly tap the excess off (to be reused again). This stuff is so strong that when, at one point in the layering process, I knocked the diorama off the coffee table, upside down onto the floor—very little snow came off!!! And tacky glue kept everything else (buildings, trees, track), from coming off too! My evergreens took most of the fall, some were bent, but those were an easy fix.
The snow scene was created with 20+ layers of very lightly hairsprayed, then lightly dusted with Woodland Scenic's "snow". The brand I used dried so fast and stuck, that after 10, 15 minutes I would turn the diorama over, then lightly tap the excess off (to be reused again). This stuff is so strong that when, at one point in the layering process, I knocked the diorama off the coffee table, upside down onto the floor—very little snow came off!!! And tacky glue kept everything else (buildings, trees, track), from coming off too! My evergreens took most of the fall, some were bent, but those were an easy fix.
Posted
Full Member
Hairspray and Snow Pt 2
From Deb Stringer (Wisconsin)
As for the "snowbanks" around the front of the buildings and parking lot—those were built up with pieces of white styrofoam, instant paper mache and copious amounts of Aleene's tacky glue. The snow on the roofs and on the evergreens branches were builtup globs of tacky glue applied in various areas to indicate prior snow and melting. I got the somewhat "icicle" effect off the edge of the building roof by dragging some tacky glue off the edge and immediately dusting it with WS snow. The tacky glue I use (Aleene's) comes in clear, fast dry, fast grab, gel, etc. and if I would have had more time I think I could have made long, realistic icycles hanging off the edge.
And yes, though it is the only thing not glued down to the diorama, the combination of the hairspray and tacky glue on my boxcar has in all intents and purposes committed it to forever being a "snow scene" car.
And yes, though it is the only thing not glued down to the diorama, the combination of the hairspray and tacky glue on my boxcar has in all intents and purposes committed it to forever being a "snow scene" car.
Posted
Full Member
Runaway wagons
By Brian Macdermott
Today's free-rolling wagons need perfectly flat baseboards if they are not to run away. However, if your boards are slightly off level, there is a remedy. At a rail joint, clip about 2mm extra off both rails - this forms a 'dip' into which wagon wheels can 'fall', thereby effecting a brake.
If you don't have any rail joints at the required places, simply file a 'v' shape into the rails. If the gaps you leave happen to be on the main line, you will get a nice 'clickety-clack' from wheels as they roll over.
Posted
Full Member
Checking Solenoid/Point Motor Problems Pt 1
By Brian Lambert
If you are having solenoid point motor problems! So here are my (hopefully not too late?) thoughts …
1) Operate the solenoid motors drive pin by finger – can the point be easily moved over and back? If Yes, go to 2. If No, then investigate further both the point and motor for possible binding and/or misalignment.
2) Is the power supply feeding the point motor of sufficient output? Ideally a minimum of *16 volts AC at 1.0Amp* it can be a higher voltage, but I wouldn’t go more than 24volts.
3) Ensure the wiring to and from the motor is of at least 16/0.2mm size.
4) Is the point operating switch, apparently it’s a Hornby R044, internal contacts in good working order? Easily checked by removing the two operating wires that lead off to the motor coils from the switch and dab on/off each one in turn onto the switches input wire from the power supply. If the motor operates correctly with each ‘dab’ then the lever switch is probably faulty. If it still fails then go back and ensure 1, 2 & 3 above are all correct.
Posted
Full Member
Checking Solenoid/Point Motor Problems Pt 2
By Brian Lambert
5) For improved reliable operation, wire a Capacitor Discharge Unit (CDU) into the points feed circuit. It is wired after the power supply output and before the first operating switch. Normally only one CDU for the whole layout is needed. Though with the R044 you might have to be a bit slow in moving the lever over from one side to the other to allow the CDU time to recharge.
** A solenoid point motor power supply can be AC or DC – DC will be quieter! If using a CDU, then the current output of the PSU can be reduced if wished. In fact, my former layout used a 24 volt AC 250millamp (0.25A) power supply to feed a CDU and all the point motors (Peco PL10) without causing problems. Many are now using Laptop PSU giving around 18 or so volts DC to feed their solenoid motors successfully; normally via a CDU too. (Often input polarity to the CDU needs to be ensured, where a DC supply is feeding a CDU). Cheap laptop PSUs are often sold new on Ebay for a few pounds – typically, £8 to £12GBP - so, making good, inexpensive and separate power supplies for solenoid point operation.
Posted
Full Member
Periods of Inactivity Pt 1
By Bernard Moore
Unfortunately, heat and humidity can take their toll on layouts housed in closed-up rooms or left idle through the hot months. Here are a few tips for preparing your layout for periods of inactivity:
1. Moisture is NOT your layout's friend. Make sure to have a dehumidifier in the building or room. Drier air will keep wood benchwork from warping and scenery from growing mold (and mold does NOT make good-looking grass on any layout). If a dehumidifier is not an option, try placing some desiccant cans or silica gel packets wherever you have thick layers of foliage or densely packed trees and change them every few weeks.
2. Protect your layout against prolonged heat exposure. An attic or garage can get hot enough for plastic and resin structures and railroad equipment to warp. Keep the air circulating with a fan or air conditioner. You don't have to keep the area cold, but try to keep temperatures under 90°F.
3. Keep the room dark. Sunlight can fade scenery and paint on structures and cars.
4. Keep dust off the layout. Cover it with a plastic drop cloth or tarp. In combination with desiccant packets under the cover, this will also keep moisture out of the scenery.
Posted
Full Member
A Quick and Simple way to make Louvers
From Trevor Luckman
I wanted to make a louver window for my O Scale Goods Shed. I had some left over “Plastruct†HO Scale Steps. I cut off three steps lengths and glued them together side by side. Next I use a couple of lengths of 0.5mm thick styrene glued to the top and bottom. This serves two purposes, firstly to strengthen the louver and secondly to help frame it, thus making it easier to glue into the wall of the building. This idea would work equally as well in HO scale by using the N-Scale steps also available from Plastruct.
1 guest and 0 members have just viewed this.