Yes.  I've seen medical centres still working on Windows 98   

Windows 7 is fine for the time being.

The donations are purely voluntary.  I usually give them a few dollars as they are private people working for free in the interest of helping others.

Firefox and Thunderbird also fall into that group.  Fantastic software.

One more thing I think you might find helpful, Martin is the snipping tool which enables you to take screen shots.

For example . . .




It's really useful when you are trying to show people what you're seeing, if you strike issues.

Cheers

Max, is that snipping tool part of faststone?
Martin

No, Martin.  It's a Microsoft device . . .

Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots - Microsoft Support

Oh Gawd, this is all too much for me, Max. I don't even know what the start button is and that's the first step!  I doubt if I'll ever need the snipping tool for screen grabs or anything else.  The pootah itself is tool enough for me!
But thanks for your patience.  At least I now have a photo manipulation tool now for sharpening and colour, which is a a big advance since I lost my PS6.  So thanks to you all for that.  Now, back to the modelmaking.
A fragmented weekend (it happens) means I didn't get round to taking pics of the Currugated iron press, but later today after shopping (kettle just blew!) I'll take some pics.  I have a proper photobooth coming later this week…£6 on ebay!  So pics should be even better soon.

I got some progress on the Blacksmith's house yesterday.
Pics of that too later.

Cheers,
Martin

Martin

I've decided that a place called Lantern Yard should have the odd light visible, especially the Main Lantern and the blacksmith's place and forge, but I know nothing whatever about LEDs, their size, brightness, voltage, wiring, where to get 'em,… nowt.  Can any of you users enlighten me…Boom, boom!

Martin

A wee bit of progress on the blacksmith's house.  Front door with kickplate, facias, barge boards and the roof windows.  One side of the slating done in paper, which is then shellacked to stiffen it.



Then there's the corrugated iron press I made from styrene. 

This works on turkey foil, but is defeated by takeaway dish foil, so I use it this way



And the result on the derelict coach is:-


The sheets bend easily in the direction you wouldn't expect.

Cheers,
Martin

Nice solid structure coming on there Martin.

I like your corrugated iron press works a treat.


Brian

Thanks, Brian.  It's coming on well. I made another press to make pantiles, but decided life really is too short!  So I've ordered some Wills sheets, which, even in 4mm scale I'm led to believe are fine for 7mm scale.  Should be here for next weekend.
Martin

Martin, re LEDs
https://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/ledcalc.php
         https://www.hobby-hour.com/lib/electronics/components/leds.php
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode

Thanks, Ron. I've ordered 10 1.8mm white LEDs off ebay for silly cheap money. They are 3- 3.3volt, so battery power. I'll see how I get on with those.  Can't be rocket science, I suppose.

Martin

Done some more on the blacksmith's house on Lantern Yard.  Window frames, finished the slates and ridge, smithy doors and forge structure, chimney bricking. Just the flashing to go on the roof and rainwater furniture, but awaiting the pantile sheets to arrive.

The left hand wall is  part of the retaining wall at the back of the final model so looks a bit odd here.  The blue is a strip of vinyl, but isn't durable so will be replaced with paper. Textured watercolour paper will be used on the smithy walls to represent stucco, once the roof is pantiled.


There is a separate back addition of kitchen and bathroom to be added which is still in the box of buildings. That also needs pantiles.

Martin

Looking good Martin  :thumbs



Ed

Thanks, Ed.
Martin

A little more today. Flashing round the chimney and chimney pots turned from some 1/4" Delrin I had kicking about. I also replaced the paper slates on the front edges with thin styrene so as not to suffer damage during handling.  Word of advice…do the slates as late as possible!

Also did the frame of the main Lantern. Now awaits glazing and a top, but I'll have to see what my ordered 1.8mm LEDs look like first.


Finally, the yard sign which will be set up on the entrance to the main yard, just beyond the hump back bridge.


Made of thin styrene, edged with strips cut from the same and laminated up.  In those days signs will have been made of widish deal boards, which, after a while, of course, split apart, so those cracks-to-come were engraved in to the styrene sheet, both sides, of course. Some grain was engraved into the legs and braces, which were also styrene strips cut from 60 thou. sheet.  I have laid out a text which I'll use for guidance when I paint the sign.  I'm afraid computer signs always look exactly that to me and I don't have a printer anyway.  Hand painting is one of my favourite things in this game.  Having been painted, it will be faded, cracked and not altogether a sign to be proud of.  The canal is part of the Shropshire Union, but the site is fictionally owned by the Estate that owns the stone quarry at Maesbury, so both will be mentioned on the sign, which will obviously say Lantern Yard centrally (which is 42 x 28mm, btw).  Extra signs will be hung off the main one to speak of service (mechanical), diesel (for the canal boats), provisions (also for the canal people) and a cafe.
Primer coat of enamel, over which Vallejo will be used in layers for the lettering and background colour.

Cheers,
Martin

Just got my LEDs and my Wills pantiles sheets.  How late can a postwoman get?

Cheers,
Martin

Wills pantiles, suitably modified.  File into the underside to get a wobbly line of tiles and no apparent thickness. A rat-tail and a half round are sufficient.

On the building


Rear block of kitchen and bathroom


Home made pantiles, but they took ages to do. The little structure is based on one here for real and does have entirely different pantiles AND slates, which makes it interesting.

Cheers,
Martin

Flashing in self-adhesive aluminium foil.
 

The main entrance sign, hand lettered awaiting weathering.

Martin

Now weathered.

Currently painting the house and smithy.

Martin

How on Earth did you do that lettering?  Brilliant!  And wonderful weathering.  Very natural.  Top job!!

Michael

Thanks, Michael, actually that's not my best by a long way, but I was a bit pushed for time.  It's done with Vallejo acrylic paint. Normally I hate acrylics, but Vallejo has a very dense pigmentation and is ideal for lettering as it doesn't have to be thickly applied, in fact the thinner the better.  I use a very fine brush, of course and keep cleaning it as acrylic dries very quickly, one of its more annoying aspects! I have developed an almost rapid technique where one stroke gets banged down after another, no messing. I used to sign write full sized narrowboats, maybe that helped.
The weathering was just accentuate the splits between the boards the sign was supposedly made of and some mossy colour, also Vallejo, but put on with a scruffy old brush almost out of paint in the corners and along the joints.

Cheers,
Martin