First Progress Photos

Originally posted by Casey Feedwater
Thanks, guys.:)

Vic, can Old Ezra hold out about 6 more months? I figure by the time I get all of the interior detailing done and a roof on the place and then get the forge fired up and some manpower on board, it'll be at least another 6 months. :eek: :eek: :D
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Is that real months or scale months? :D :D :D

Great work, and I'm with Val; a pic halfway through is worth 1000 werds! :cool:
 
Hi Casey, thats some real fine scratchbuilding there my friend, love to see it when it's finished.
Shamus
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Originally posted by shamus
Hi Casey, thats some real fine scratchbuilding there my friend, love to see it when it's finished.
Shamus
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Thanks, Shamus, but I can't take full "scratchbuilding credit" for this. I wish I could but...

It's a Sierra West kit. They're about as close as you can get to scratchbuilding without drawing your own plans and buying bags of stripwood. Everything is board-on-board and board-by-board construction. Even the windows are built up from pieces.

Because the structure is essentially scratchbuilt from instructions, there's a lot of leeway in the construction. For example, I chose to heavily weather the exterior boards and then attach them with irregular spacing. (More backwoodsie that way!) I also "broke" a few boards to suggest carelessness with heavy tools/equipment.

When I reach the point of putting the roof on, I will probably use rusted corrugated roofing instead of shingles or board and batten roofing on the main structure. On the addition, I'm leaning toward heavily weathered and torn tar paper roofing.
 
Hi Casey, After reading an article by Rand Hood on aging metal, I used a product called PCB Etchant from Radio Shack on some Cambells corrugated roofing. It worked great! It oxidizes the metal and removes the shine almost instantly. color ranges from light grey to black depending how long the metal sits in the solution. If left in long enough It will also start dissolving the metal which creates very realistic rust out. Dip in water to stop the action. All thats needed then is to apply your favorite rust color's.

For anybody that wishes to try this method caution should be used with PCB etchant. As it is an acid and designed to eat metal.

t.
 
Just thought I might pass on some additional information about what T said about being carefull with that stuff.

Its not an acid but rather the chemical ferric chloride. It does however react with metals in much the same manner. I've used it before on the Campbell metal roofing and it does do a great job. The longer you leave it in the more of it gets eaten away. You can even make that roofing material look like its rusted through if you want to.

Wear safety googles or glasses when working with it. Sometimes it will sputter when it comes in contact with metals other than copper. Wear rubber gloves also...it will eat your skin up plus it will stain you fingers yellowish brown. If by chance you get some in your eyes flush with water and SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. On the skin just flushing with water will neutalize it. Do not breath the fumes. Its best to use plastic or wooden tweezers or tongs to dip your parts in it. Only pour it into a dry glass container to use it. Do not pour the unused portion back into the bottle...discard it...there may be some metal particles left in it and it will start reacting with the fresh solution in the bottle and when you screw the cap back on the bottle will swell up and explode.

Most of all please keep it put away where any "little ones" can't get to it. Its deadly poison!!!!!!
 
I've never experienced "boiled peanuts" but Trader Joe's carries something that's possibly close to it. They call them "blister peanuts." They are soaked in water, and then roasted. Best peanuts I've ever had.

(If you don't have a Trader Joe's in your area, you should move! They have the greatest foods, and are CHEAPER than the supermarkets.)

By the way, Casey, that's a beautiful building. I'm really looking forward to more progress shots of it.

Bill S
 
The information and advice offered by t. and Vic is sound and should be adhered to.

I first started using Archer Etchant back around 1980 (?) after reading an article about it in the Gazette. I finally quit using it about 4 years ago, when I discovered I could get similar and very acceptable results using Floquil spray paints and chalk dust.

For those who are curious, I'll post a couple of pictures I have (many of you have already seen these:rolleyes: ) of corrugated metal "rusted" with Etchant.

I don't have any photos of metal "rusted" with my new method, but if I get a chance this week I'll take a couple and post them here.

In this first shot, look at the siding on the lumber shed on the left side of the photo. That is siding from Builders in Scale that was dunked in Archer Etchant. No additional weathering was done afterward.
 

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In this second photo, the corrugated metal is on the roof of the tank shed. Again it was dunked in Etchant for several seconds. I then dunked it in a container of water and baking soda to stop the chemical reaction.

As I said above, if I get a chance in the next few days, I'll post a photo or two of the method I use now to "rust" corrugated metal.
 

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Bill S....Nope them ain't boiled peanuts....boiled peanuts are wet, messy, never roasted and habit forming....like 'tater chips...you can't just eat one!!! But those sound good too!!!!!

Tyson... I use Rust-All "all" the time. They claim that its real rust suspended in some kind of fast drying solution. I dunno but it works good!!! I like the way that it sorta flows down into the cracks and crevises of things.
 
More Rust All

Here's W. E. Stench and Sons Rendering Company's pump truck after a liberal dose of Rust All....did nothing for the smell though!!:D :D
 

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And just for Casey....Here's old Ezra's JD 4!!! Keeps it clean don't he?:D :D :D Just a little Rust-All on the wheels!:)
 

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well vic I have had ham hocks and collard greens before ever or seen boiled peanuts before you will have to bring some up with you and tysons jug when I start my layout I will need all the help I could get:D :D ;) ;) :p :p :cool: :cool: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: sounds like a good combo to me:eek: :eek: hey I even got used to the cooking when I lived in seatle wa for awhile ever got used to all that rain thats for sure no cheese steaks or hoagies and tastycakes:mad:
 
Those vehicles are fantastic, Vic, specially like the tanker truck.

Not bad for a guy who eats those boiled peanuts,
one of the things I try to stay far away from!!
Some things are just acquired tastes...... :D :D :D

How about a poll, boiled or roasted??

ps, Rich is prolly right, they'd go down a lot easier wiith enough of that Kentucky whisky!! :eek:
 
Very nice Casey, love that board by board construction!! Curious, do you stain all the boards first, and if so, what is your technique?

I have used the diluted india ink on Campbells corrugated roofing to get pretty good results. I will bend up a corner or two, cut a gouge here and there, and bang up the edges, then I just dry brush on the rust at those locations.

Keep sending those progress reports, for sure!

Drew
 
I love those tractors, Vic. They'd look great in my repair shed.:p :D

I think I might have to order some Rust-all the next time I send in an order to MicroMark.

Drew, yes I stain all of my boards ahead of time. It's one of the first things I do before beginning construction. (I have always been a firm believer in painting and staining before gluing.)

The method I use for staining strip wood is always the same. The "recipe" I use, however, varies depending on what final coloring/shading I want the wood to take on. To get the color you see on the exterior boards of the tractor repair shed, I used the following:

Approx 20 oz. water
1 tsp. India ink
1-1/2 tsps. acrylic burnt umber (Folk Art, Plaid, Apple Barrel, Ceramcoat - all available from Walmart - are great for this!)
1/2 to 1 tsp. acrylic burnt sienna

Mix well (I use an old pickle jar). Put the stripwood in a ziplock bag and pour the stain in the bag. Leave the stripwood in the stain for up to 24 hours, but be sure to turn the bag over every 4 hours or so because the pigments will settle to the bottom otherwise. Remove the stripwood after several hours and spread out on paper towels or newpaper and allow to dry thoroughly. The color of the wood should be varied from one piece to another but overall have the gray-brown color of old wood.

To get the reddish color you see in the flooring in the photo below, I used the following "recipe:"

Approx 20 oz. water
1 tsp. India ink
2 tsps. acrylic burnt sienna
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. acrylic burnt umber

I admit it's "fussier" and more time consuming than using simple washes of India ink/alcohol, but I think the end results are more realistic when trying to model certain types of wood (old white or red oak, for example).

Brett Gallant at Sierra West recommends a similar method for staining woods, but his recipes typically call for more paint colors (usually blacks as well as Roof Brown, RR Tie brown, etc.), and he prefers the Polly line of paints. I have been using my method for years and it works well for me, so I have stayed with it.

Hope this helps. And BTW: I don't recommend it for scribed siding because of warpage. If you have lots of time and heavy weights (like bricks) to weigh the siding down after staining, it's OK... most of the time.:rolleyes:
 

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