Hints & Tips No.1440
  

  Simulating Cable Using String
  

  by Don Griffin
  

  1) Give it a dull mix of silver + flat black sprayed on.
  2) Run it through white glue. Dull coat it very very lightly. Dull coating will create some fuzzies if you add to much.
  3) for pulley lines, they are often greased. Run real grease over them!
  4) Add a touch of rust colored weathering powders. Not all cable is new! It is metal and will rust in the elements!

 Hints & Tips No.1441
  

  Simulating Rope Using Thread
  

  by Don Griffin
1) Run    it through bees wax
  2) Run it through elmers and pull it taut. This is especially useful for things like rigging where you do not want sag…like on a crane line, or "counter-weights" on the end of a rope.
  3) Actually apply grease to it. As someone mentioned, some lines were put into tar to help waterproof them.
4) Rope    is often found coiled up on decks of boats (like a coil spring). You    can do this with tweezers, grabbing the string and twisting it    around in circles. When the coil is complete, apply a dab of white    glue over the rope to hold it in place.

 Hints & Tips No.1442
  

  Bending Brass Wire to represent pipe
  

  by Andy Sperandeo
  

  When bending wire to shape for details such as boiler piping, sometimes it helps to anneal the brass wire, especially those larger sizes like the Elesco piping.
  

  Hold one end of the wire with pliers and heat it with a torch until it is red hot, then let it cool. The wire will be softer and easier to bend precisely, and the bending will work-harden it to some degree so it will not easily be deformed on the model.
  

  You can do this on a gas kitchen range if you do not have a torch, as I learned as a teenager when I could not afford many tools. Do not keep the brass at red heat for very long, however, as you can melt it, especially the smaller sizes of wire.

 Hints & Tips No.1443
Acrylic Paint as weathering
by Ulrich Schneider
Black Acrylic paint "watered" down with isopropyl alcohol is a good substitute for India Ink for weathering paints and washes. Just a drop or two to make a dirty mix depending on the weathering task.

 Hints & Tips No.1444
  

  Lubrication types and Schedules
  

  by Tom Diehl
  

  Use plastic compatible oil and grease exclusively, even on all metal engines. The lubricating properties are the same for the two types, and it makes the purchase and storage of the lubes simpler.
  

  I lubricate them any time I do a tear down of the engine, but my tear downs include the clean out of all old lubricants. If the drive train is open, dust and dirt can mix with the lube easily. Interim lubrication happens if the loco gets noisy.

 Hints & Tips No.1445
  

  Cutting Square Windows into Foam Core  

  By Several Modellers
  

  I use Tichy or other brand windows for my scratchbuilds regardless of the material. As long as your frames are relatively close to square, the frames will cover up the small discrepancies. In fact, this kind of matches what "prototype" builders do - the frame is a "rough opening" and the window and framing is used to cover up the small stuff – Charles Beasley.
  

  I cut foam core board with an Xacto curved edge knife and a metal straight edge. With great care and some spoiled pieces I can get fairly good results. I did one scratch built building using foam board rafters to obtain a gracefully curved pitched roof. - Dave Starr

 Hints & Tips No.1446
  

  Moistening Lichen  

  By Ned Thomas
  

  Spray any fading Lichen with a mixture of water and glycerin. That was the way it was done in the "good old days". If it is really dry you could remove it and soak it although that maybe hard to do if it is already on the layout.

 Hints & Tips No.1448
  

  Using Hobby Knife Blades By Bob Boudreau
  

 Do not skimp on hobby knife blades! Dull blades do not work very well. Some of the hobby house sellers offer packages of 100 #11 blades for X-Acto knives for around $12.00. On projects, change blades frequently particularly as plastics being molecularly harder than steel blunt knives relatively quickly. 

 Hints & Tips No.1449
  

  Painting Models  

 By David Starr
 Paint makes a tremendous difference in the looks of a model. Even if the plastic is molded in the right color, it wants a coat of paint to kill the shiny plastic gloss or at least a dull coat over the surface.

 Hints & Tips No.1450
  

  Assembling Kits  

  By Bob Kenrick
  

  Never remove parts from a sprue until you are ready to dry fit and complete that assembly. This is much more critical on kits w/ extensive pieces that appear similar. Paint those small parts on the sprue. It may be necessary to scrape paint off joints for the best penetrating bond when actually doing the gluing of these.

 Hints & Tips No.1451
  

  Clear Windows  

  By Wayne Hobson
  

  While it is plentiful from scrap sources, true acetate is not a good choice for windows, as it yellows over time. I prefer clear styrene, which can be affixed to styrene structures with very carefully applied solvent-type cement. To achieve a strong bond, though, there should be no paint on the contact areas. Other options which with which I have had good results are contact cement and “Weldbond”. The latter dries clear, so slight mishaps are not too noticeable.

 Hints & Tips No.1452
  

  Plastic Bases on Buildings Pt 1
  

  By Patrick Leany
  

  I scratch build most of my structures and like to build them on base sheets of .040" styrene. Most of my structures are built atop separate base sheets. I build the structure, then mate it to the styrene base using strip styrene curbs cemented to the base sheet just inside the structure walls. This allows each structure to be lifted off of the base sheet for cleaning and maintenance while making sure that the structure does not wander around when set in place on the layout. 
One big advantage I have found to is having the ability to construct detailed interiors on the base sheets without the structure getting in the way.  

 Hints & Tips No.1453
  

  Plastic Bases on Buildings Pt 2
  

  By Mike Lehmann
  

  I use black foam core art board for my structures and building flats. In fact, I have a whole town,that is a ¼"/6mm thick. I like black foam core because it will self-shadow and hide edges.
  

 Hints & Tips No.1454
 

  Realistic Looking Concrete  

  By Dave Emery
  

 I have had good luck with titanium buff paint and a very small amount of olive colour mixed in. Then I finish with chalks/pigments, to get that chalky look.

 Hints & Tips No.1455
  

  Soldering Nickel Silver Rail  

  By Michael Southern
  

  When I solder Nickel Silver Rail, I always "scratch up" the rail web before soldering with a narrow bladed screw driver bit. There are "bristle brushes" for the same purpose but I have not tried them yet. I do not think just fluxing the rail does as good a job as the 'scratching and fluxing". With a 25 watt iron I never have a problem with melting the sleepers … unless I slip.
  

  I have tried resistance soldering and although it can work it is a real pain lugging the equipment to the work site…so I prefer the 25 watts chisel tip soldering iron.

Hints & Tips No.1456


Trees with Dried Parsley  

By Rob Olds


At the supermarket, I found dried parsley leaves in a packet for $A1.50. Way cheaper than hobby leaves here in Australia for about $17. A quick spray with spray adhesive to some scale garden supplied tree armatures (otherwise known as dead twigs) – dip it in the flakes, spray and dip again and voila… a beautiful looking tree.

 Hints & Tips No.1457
  

  Safety Cutting Foam  

  By Dave Husman
  

  I cut foam with a steak knife. Serrated edge does pretty well. Neither the fumes nor the dust is good for you. Save your old dryer sheets and wipe down knives and tools with them to remove static and clean up all the little static-y particles of foam. I cut big pieces with a band saw before I attach them to the layout. In any case I try to wear a respirator or work outside and if possible… both!

 Hints & Tips No.1458
  

  Planning and Sketching track plans  

  By Paul Berendt
  

  I started using graph paper, straight edge (usually a ruler), pencil, and pen. With the pen I lay out the space for the layout. I use the graph lines for units that allow for using most of a sheet for the layout. Then using the compass I draw in the curves (I use the graph paper lines to set the compass) and connect them with straight lines.
  

  Then I add the points - mark the intersection, count the point radius along the main line and then go one to the side for the angle of the line for the diverging leg of the turnout.
  

  After a few years, of doing this,  I have got to to the point where I could free hand points pretty accurately.

 Hints & Tips No.1459
  

  Making formers for Scenery bases  

  By Ken Church
  

  I have managed to start working on the quarry area and the hills running along the back scene. I decided to do this with card formers and strips rather than using chunks of packaging foam although I have used this for support in areas before where there will be trees etc.
  

  Where there is no real weight to support, I use corrugated card (instead of MDF or Ply etc) as it is quite strong when glued on 2 sides to a base and a backdrop. I actually like creating the "skeleton" with strips of card and/or MDF in this way even though it takes a lot more work and a bit more time! 

 Hints & Tips No.1460
  

  Backdrop Buildings Depths Pt 1  

  By Wade Richards
  

  Depth of the buildings by a backdrop depends on the effect that you want. Many "deep" backdrop scenes use building flats that are each 1/4" thick or less. Many of these are printed out photos or “flats” designed using a drawing program, or a single side of a plastic kit. Printed flats are usually attached to a rigid material such as styrene or foamcore to add depth and durability. Printed flats can also be glued directly to the backdrop, but you lose a greater sense of depth unless you paint it in a colour that suggests the roofing or walls.
  

  Flats are usually layered with forced perspective to make the scene seem deeper. Buildings on the front edge of the "city" should be deeper to provide a transition to the rest of the layout. Rail served industries should probably be about 2 inches deep, with the buildings behind them under 1 inch deep, followed by flats.
  The most important part is to mock up the scene before you build it. A mock-up will give you a sense of how the finished scene will look, and you will be able to adjust the depth of the buildings to what you like (and can fit) before you build the actual structures.