Billboards

[modelsof1900]

In last days I built first part of small buildings and equipment for a planed (model) railroad museum on a few modules owned by friends that is focused to steam engines and steam loco facilities.



This billboard is built without following an original but I attempt to build after a technically correct desingn. The poles are longer than they will be needed and the low connecting strips are included only for transports; but so the long poles can be shortened fitting to all surfaces, also attaching to a very uneven surface.

A special thanks to Pete Lerro for his friendly permission using his photo on this billboard.



A view on backside ...



... and while building.
I used for this HO-scale model stripwood with 4x6 scale inches for poles, 2x4 inches for binders and 4x4 inches for diagonals and horizontal beams. The board is made from scribed wood sheet and I worked with ACC for gluing all the connections.
The picture is printed with an inkjet printer and before gluing on the board I sprayed it with a clear paint on both sides. So the water color of printer is smudge-proof and saved against dirt. And last - the picture board is sized 1¼ x 2½ inches, this gives a really large billboard in reality.

This is all and the job was done in a few hours only. If it should be more interesset of this construction I would like to write a picture to picture description again.

Bernhard

 

[PWRR-2207]

Danke, est ist ausgeseichnet Arbeit!

 

[scubadude]

Bernhard, that billboard is BAD TO THE BONE! :thumb: What did you use for the sign board itself, corrugated cardboard? I really like the view from the back to get the detail of the sign board.
I for one would like to see a tutorial on your project..:yep:

 

[scubadude]

Danke, est ist ausgeseichnet Arbeit!

Uhh, huh?

 

[PWRR-2207]

Pictures too please

Uhh, huh?

Pennsylvania Dutch for "Thank you, it is excellent work!" as he from Dresden, Germany.

I too would love to see a photo step-by-step tutorial.:yep:

 

[Ralph]

VERY nice intricate work on that billboard!
Ralph

 

[modelsof1900]

Thanks

Hello,

thanks to all for your nice comments.
Yes, I will write a step by step description in next days when I build four or five more billboards with a few different pictures.
Write a pm if anyone will be interested to get such a small model.

I have planed also a more modern billboard that will get it's place at entry area of the planed model railroad museum. Also than I will post a few pictures. But in moment I'm waiting for needed brass profiles.

Read I right, PWRR-2207, that you come from Dresen also? Than I think that you have left Dresden a longer time ago? Let here from you or write a pm when you are interested for a small communication.

Bernhard

 

[PWRR-2207]

Germany

... Read I right, PWRR-2207, that you come from Dresen also? Than I think that you have left Dresden a longer time ago? Let here from you or write a pm when you are interested for a small communication. Bernhard

I grew up in Rüsselsheim (yes, the city near the Opel plant) but that was decades ago. That is also were my brother and I got our first train sets. I got a Fleischmann Union Pacific 2-8-2 (HO scale) and my brother got a Minitrix Deutche Reichsbahn 2-6-0 (N scale). I think our parents decided it was best we had two different scales so there would be no confusion (sic 'fighting') as to who owned what . We both still have the trains and most of the track.

 

[cnw1961]

Bernhard, fantastic job on that billboard :thumb:.

 

[modelsof1900]

Sorry, time before christmas was very busy and I did not find time enough for writing a tutorial. But description will follow; pictures are saved already and the text is in preparation.

Nevertheless I finished my modern billboard yesterday ...



... that I built from brass profiles. Squared brass profiles are glued together (I did not solder) and the picture is holding by U-shaped profiles. I think it looks usable although I did not follow a real ones.

The Steam Museum in Shelbyville/Ohio is a modelling project of my
friends here in Dresden/Germany and it will be shown firstly to the public in February of next year. Pictures of this project will follow.

I wish all members of this forum a merry Christmas and a happy New Year !!!

 

[nkp174]

Very nice stuff Bernard! I love the weathering technique on the wooden billboard.

I received two wood craftsman kits for Christmas...so I'm going to follow your advice to give it a more thorough try. It should be fun!

 

[modelsof1900]

Making old time wood billboards – a step by step description



For this description I have drawn this sketch that you can print and change to your designated size. So it could be a small help if you will like to build your own billboards - click in drawings for enlarging.



I worked with such a sketch before first modeling. I have drawn the billboard panel, added a frame and divided the inner area by upright lines – the posts – and horizontal lines – the beams, which hold the board.
This method will be the best if you are using pictures for billboards which you cannot change in their dimensions.
You should reduce the number of posts or beams when you will build smaller billboards. With a picture of 2½ by 1¼ inch is my billboard very large in its dimensions.
However you should plan also a small frame around your advertisement picture; I think that this will give a better impression to your billboard. So I added a frame made from 2” x 4” wood strips.

I worked with three different sizes of wood strips. I used
- 4” x 6” strips for the posts,
- 4” x 4” strips for all beams and bracing and
- 2” x 4” strips for horizontal connections (connectors or binders) between front and rear posts.
First step: I colored all strips with a very, very thin brown/black paint so that the color was soaked up by the wood. (Do not try to count these strips, I needed a good number more than you find here on the picture.)

For building the posts as pairs of front and back posts I made a sketch directly on my working board and I drilled a number of holes for nails for fixing the posts in position.

Posts are fixed, for removing them I cut off the nailheads.

Next I prepared each one of the two nails for positioning the connectors in exactly horizontal position.

The first binder is glued on the two posts; the long end will be broken off.

All five connectors are glued.

Then I removed the post pair from the jig and turned it over.
The binders are low lying currently and I cut off all ends of connectors directly at post at one end. This post where the connectors are cut off exactly to post will be one of the backside posts of the billboard.

The binders of other post (the future front post) are cut off with a small distance from the post. I used here a 4” x 4” wood strip in order to get an identical length of connectors. These overlapping ends will support the 4” x 4” beams where the board will be mounted in the last steps.
The several connector (left) does not need this overlapping end; you can cut the end short like at the backside.

Additionally I glued a binder to foot end of posts that will give a bit more stability while building process. I made the foot ends very long so that each modeler can reduce there length after own discretion. Furthermore each modeler can reduce also the long ends of a ready built billboard in its own sense for a good adjustment to the given modeling scenery. And in all cases the basic binder could be cut off again while mounting to the scenery.

This should be the post pair after first steps of modeling …

… and these ten pairs of post sets are the basis for my next two billboards.

At that time all cut ends of binders have got a drop of color avoiding white uncolored wood.

Now the braces must be added between backside and front posts.
Here a sample of a brace that will be too long.

I use a medical scalpel for all my work with wood. It has a sharp, very thin and slight blade – therefore I can make cuts at a right angle without an additional sanding.

Here I shortened the too long brace by one or two fine cuts to right length; the ends have to overlap the two adjoining connectors only a bit.

Make sure that the braces are inserted in ascending direction from backside post (down) to front post (above)! Use here for these connections also a bit more of glue. The braces should be glued inside to beams and they should get also a fixed connection to binders.

Here a post pair that has turned over after all braces was inserted. Do you see all the small tips of braces those the binders overlap?

Turn over the post pairs again and insert it to the nail jig again. Glue parallel binders to the posts in order to get a framework very close to reality. The foot connector can be unattended. In addition glue the new binders to posts and to braces in order to get a very well fixed framework.

Cut off the lengths of new binders like their opposite binders ...

… and do this for all post pairs.
I am sure that you cannot avoid small differences in parallel connector but this will not be a very large problem.

Now you must cut off the small tips of braces. If you build a billboard with five (pairs of) binders so you will have four braces for each post pair. So you must cut off also eight tips from the braces for each post pair. At last all these angles where the tips are cut off will be filled by 4” x 4” beams connecting the post pairs among each other.

The upper end of backside posts gets its final length – a small bit over highest connector ...

… and the ready-made post pairs are waiting for the next step.

For making a billboard from the posts I have drawn a sketch on a paper in order to connecting the post pairs among one another. I draw one horizontal line above rectangular crossed by five lines for post pairs. The distance between the vertical lines is exact to the distance of centerlines of your posts for billboards.

The first support beam that I glued to first post pairs is positioned upside to overlapping end of upper connector pair. Check also for the right angle of the post pair while drying of glue. Give all beams a plenty length, long enough to cut their final length after completing the wood framework.

Repeat this handling with the next post set …

… until the last one is added.

Then I added a second beam to foot end that I inserted inside to posts. Here you should watch that all beam ends are positioned exactly to line of your sketch in order to get correct parallel posts.

The third beam (first frame beam) was set on backside of front post below of lowest connector set.
Start with gluing at this post where the post lies close to the connectors. Use a wood stick or the handle of file (I used the handle of my scalpel) in order to push the next gluing points into the angle of post and connectors.
With these three beams the post pairs should have a good connection among each other and you can turn over it.

Next I added a first beam to backside frame posts below of the lowest connectors inside of post pair. This wood strip is that beam which the lower brace of wood construction reinforced.

Add all other beams to inside of backside posts below of braces
and then I glue all other frame beams to the front side post inside up on braces.
Don’t forget to add a second beam at foot end of billboard.

After this I cut off all frame beams those are glued inside between the beams to their final length – a bit away from outer pair of posts. However in order to get a clean cut you must place the beam ends on an end of a wood block!

However the upper first support beam for the board should contain its original raw length at this time.

Now I added all other support beams in front of front post positioned upside on connectors.

The framework is completed and in this picture you see all these frame beams which have got their final length already.

At last I have sanded the support beams in order the get a smooth surface for the board.



Here a view to framework from above that will be very well solid when all wood connections are glued together. The upper ends of front beams are reduced to their finished length.

Next I cut the board wall from scribed wood and the scribed backside has got the same thin paint as all other strip wood also. I glued to the scribed backside an upper and lower binder imitating end binders of the single wood planks. These binders are 2” x 4” wood strips.
Here the front of board lies backwards on framework so you can see my planed position of board with binders to the framework – The upper binder of board will be positioned directly on upper support beam.
Watch for exact size of the board wall when you use an advertisement print that you have bought from a shop. I used a computer generated picture so that I could made small changes in size of my picture.
You will see that small size differences of board wall will not be a big problem when the board will be glued to framework.

The front side of board with its original wood texture got a small frame also made from 2” x 4” wood strips.

The board is exact centrically glued on support beams whereas the upper board binder is positioned directly on upper support beam.
Check before gluing whether the lower board binder will be positioned below of lower post connectors. When this is accomplished then glue the board to framework. If rest the low binder on connector ends with a small edge than try to make small corrections in high of connector ends. When the low binder lies on lowest support beam however than you should use a new larger board. A wider frame on front side could be hiding this small mistake in measurement.



The second billboard is ready (the first billboard is shown in my opening post of this thread) …



… and also the third billboard is waiting for finishing.

Last steps:
I colored the board frame with a blue paint and I glued the pictures on the board, which I have print with an ink jet printer. Before gluing the picture I sprayed it with a thin coat of clear paint on both sides so that I fixed the water solvable colors of prints.

This is all.
I have not need more time than seven hours in order to build these both billboards. A bit more time was necessary to find out and choose a picture and doing the modifications until I was sure that this picture was the right one in order to use them for a planed railroad museum.

I think it should be possible to build own billboards – or can I give a few more assistance?

 

[PWRR-2207]

Tutorial

Thank you! Excellent instructions and pictures :thumb:

[Could one of the Admin's copy or move the tutorial to the Academy for everyone to find easily and enjoy/learn?]

 

[MasonJar]

Thank you! Excellent instructions and pictures :thumb:

[Could one of the Admin's copy or move the tutorial to the Academy for everyone to find easily and enjoy/learn?]

I would be happy to do that if Bernhard has no objections...

Andrew

 

[modelsof1900]

Because I should have objections?

I think that it is a great compliment when a thead shall be moved to The Academy. Thanks for this nomination, PWRR-2207.

But let the post here in Scratchin' & Bashin' until February. Than I think that I have made a few shots where billboards will be set to scenery.

Bernhard

 

[MasonJar]

I didn't think you'd have any objections!

I just had a suspicion that you were not done yet...!

Andrew

 

[modelsof1900]

I have opened a new "museum thread" where you can see the use of these billboards and where you can get a few first impressions of the rr. museum in progress.

Bernhard