# Making Do.



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Modellers are an ingenious lot, some might say cheapskates! Improvising from things you find lYing around. Making grab irons from staples, using PoP instead of more expensive modelling scenic products etc. Because of my location I don't have local access to a lot of stuff. I rob old toy cars in the second hand market for speakers and bulbs, take LEDs out of old cycle lights plus many more. How do you make do?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Cycleops said:


> Modellers are an ingenious lot, some might say cheapskates! Improvising from things you find lYing around. Making grab irons from staples, using PoP instead of more expensive modelling scenic products etc. Because of my location I don't have local access to a lot of stuff. I rob old toy cars in the second hand market for speakers and bulbs, take LEDs out of old cycle lights plus many more. How do you make do?


As Shaygetzs would say.....Frugal is the word.

In my travels I do get around. 
I am always looking on the ground for cool, odd modeling parts. (Junk? discarded or lost items.)

If you start looking at some of your household garbage that you toss everyday into the trash, you will see a lot that can be used in modeling.
Bottle/tube caps, straws, coffee stirrers, lollipop/ice cream bar sticks, chopsticks, clear box wrap (makes for good windows), look at Dave's builds he recycles a lot of things that would normally be considered trash, http://www.modeltrainforum.com/search.php?searchid=1506897 Others do the same. The list is too long to type out right now.
But since no one said anything I figured I would get your thread rolling.

A few months ago I saw a large dumpster at a stop I deliver to that was filled with demolition debris. It was filled with all kinds of different sized wire tangled in from the old office that they tore down. After I got permission, I pulled out a huge amount of wire to bring home. I filled a large box! All different gauged wire. 
Cheapskate? Hell it was only going to get dumped in a dump somewhere anyway. Around here the price of wire has been climbing. I got easy over a $100 bucks of wire....for free. :thumbsup: 
There was a lot of other things in the dumpster that I could have used but I really didn't have the time to take them apart to bring home. And didn't have room in my truck, so I just grabbed a whole bunch of the wire that I could pull out.

I find some cool stuff while walking around I pick it up and bring it home. I have a box full. 

There are tons of way for the "frugal" modeler to save money and recycle at the same time.
Not cheapskates but........frugal.


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Thanks, I thought I would say I enjoyed your pose big ed as we don't have the facility to "like". I guess we on the other side of the pond think of the US as the ultimate throw away society. It's rather different where I am staying now, you see boys pushing carts loaded with anything from old refrigerators to wire and computers, which they can sell or recycle. Plus anything not wanted wanted by consumer mad society in the west ends up here. I got a lovely twenty five year old Schwinn racer bike not long ago which had hardly been used! Bought for about seventy dollars.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

No.....cheap is the word......it's always been the word in modelrailroading...no need to deny it.....no shame in it.....


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

Back in the day, as the kids say, Grandpa Kroeger built structures for his Christmas layout from old packing crates, cardboard or whatever was available. 

During the depression there wasn't much available. Windows were usually tissue wrapping paper.

His trains were standard gauge, but I still use his buildings with my O gauge.

This was one of his later models from 1964 - cardboard and wood:






John was his father (my Great grandfather), I don't know where the 1887 came from, it doesn't match any dates I'm aware of.









Barn and chicken coop (foreground) marked 1931
House 1936

Most of the wood is the early plywood used then for packing crates and some of the undersides still show partial crate lettering.

People and animals pre-war Britains and Grey Iron


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## MrMoose (Dec 22, 2014)

How about cat litter for ballast


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

MrMoose said:


> How about cat litter for ballast


Excellent,just make sure the cat hasn't used it beforehand!


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

Cycleops said:


> Excellent,just make sure the cat hasn't used it beforehand!


If the cat used it we call that "weathering." :laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

And you should only use cat litter in ......*cat*tle cars.......


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

MrMoose said:


> How about cat litter for ballast


For me, it's too dusty, too large, and too absorbemt to make good ballast. The hobby stuff isn't all that expensive anyway.


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

To the original poster...

There was a similar thread a while ago where a bunch of money-saving ideas were posted.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=26254


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Cycleops said:


> Thanks, I thought I would say I enjoyed your pose big ed as we don't have the facility to "like". I guess we on the other side of the pond think of the US as the ultimate throw away society. It's rather different where I am staying now, you see boys pushing carts loaded with anything from old refrigerators to wire and computers, which they can sell or recycle. Plus anything not wanted wanted by consumer mad society in the west ends up here. I got a lovely twenty five year old Schwinn racer bike not long ago which had hardly been used! Bought for about seventy dollars.


A lot are throw away!
Especially the rich people, a lot of junkers go to the rich neighborhoods on cleanup day and go through the piles they throw out. A lot of items are like new.

Then you have the people who can't fix anything. They just buy a new one when the old one just needs a little work, but they don't know how or don't want to spend the money for someone else to fix it. So they toss it and buy another.
An example would be a lawnmower or snow blower. Anything with a carburetor.

90% of the time the motor just needs a carburetor cleaning to make it run like new. They don't know how so they just buy a new one.
And then you get the ones who never service/maintain their motors.
Some don't even know how to change the oil. 
Just take the drain plug out and dump it then add new, it is too complicated for them to do that. So they just add oil till it blows up then buy a new one. Replacement engines are cheap enough but they don't know how to do it, or can't be troubled.

Now a lot of machines with oil in the motors come with the oil in the motor. They used to come with the oil in a bottle that you add before you start it.
You would be surprised at the number who did not add the oil then started it ruining the motor.

Some will try to sell something that is fairly new but doesn't run right. I keep my eyes opened for deals like this. Most of the time all it needs is a good fuel system cleaning or a new plug or something simple. The guy behind me is retired and has 4 or 5 such machines right now for sale. They all just needed something simple, he flips them. He has the time, and walks his dog a lot. He stops and talks to a lot when he is out walking, so he picks up a lot of free items sitting out on the curb waiting for the garbage man to take it.
He takes it home, makes it run and either sells it or adds it to his collection.
Makes a nice profit too.

He uses 3 lawnmowers and uses 3 snow blowers.

Years ago I used to walk the dog I had and he used to sniff out trains that were in the piles waiting for the truck to come and get them. (once a year most towns have a free junk pickup day) I think the dog smelled the distinct scent of the oil that was on the trains? Whenever he smelled trains he would stop at the pile and get excited and talk to me. 
I would go through it and there was always some kind of train in it.:thumbsup:
I guess grand dad died and they just tossed them out?

Then the days came around with the internet and items that were destined for the dump became collectible. Everything is collectible today.hwell:
It is hard to find anything good today unless you go to the rich neighborhoods.

But you are right about the throw away crowd here in the states, but not all are throw away today's "collectible" world .


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

Long time ago someone posted of using reptile sand available at Petsmart or Petco for ballast. I imagine it's available at any pet store. Cheap to for the discriminating hobbyist. 
A bowl of it with black coffee or India ink can turn it into grungy looking ballast in a short time.

My first layout for my son was wired with scraps found on the ground when telephone workers left for the day. Occasionally a worker would unwind 10 feet or so for you.


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

big ed said:


> Anything with a carburetor.
> 
> 90% of the time the motor just needs a carburetor cleaning to make it run like new.


More often than not they just need the CHOKE adjusted. Lazy, lazy people!:smokin:


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

big ed said:


> Then you have the people who can't fix anything. They just buy a new one when the old one just needs a little work, but they don't know how or don't want to spend the money for someone else to fix it. So they toss it and buy another.
> An example would be a lawnmower or snow blower. Anything with a carburetor.


OR...I prefer fixing things. I've gotten pretty good at fixing some things, but sometimes I don't have the skills to fix it --- but then I can't find someone who will fix it. Small engine repair shops are disappearing around here. Every time my watch battery dies, jewelers tell me it is cheaper to buy a new one than pay them to change the battery. Some will only work on high-end watches. I can't remember the last time I saw a shoe repair shop.

Right now I've got a 1-year old computer printer (major brand) that stopped working. It says it is out of paper when it is full of paper. Still hunting for a shop that will fix it. My last printer lasted 17 years.


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

My favorite 'unintended' building material is wooden coffee stirrers.

At 1/4 inch wide they are perfect for 12" scale boards. 50 thousandths thick makes them about 2.5 scale inches. 

A little large for exact lumber dimensions (unless your talking This Old House), but you won't even notice for O gauge.


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

MtRR75 said:


> OR...I prefer fixing things. I've gotten pretty good at fixing some things, but sometimes I don't have the skills to fix it --- but then I can't find someone who will fix it. Small engine repair shops are disappearing around here. Every time my watch battery dies, jewelers tell me it is cheaper to buy a new one than pay them to change the battery. Some will only work on high-end watches. I can't remember the last time I saw a shoe repair shop.
> 
> Right now I've got a 1-year old computer printer (major brand) that stopped working. It says it is out of paper when it is full of paper. Still hunting for a shop that will fix it. My last printer lasted 17 years.


Hardest thing about any repair is usually getting it open. This includes watches (keep your finger oil off the battery - use tweezers) (Battery Warehouse has watch batteries) and small engines to printers with concealed screws and clips.

Many times once you get past that hurdle you can find someone on the web who has already repaired your exact unit. This includes blank oven displays (needed a capacitor) to Coolpix camera screens (part was 10 bucks on E-bay).

Best way to search is by serial number of the unit.

Some of the web pages even have a picture for every step of the repair.

Your printer has a sensor (could be a switch or a photosensor) for the paper. It is either bad or has a bad connection. It's your job to find out which.

I opened my printer not long ago to clean the scanner glass (real pain in the ...). Took me twice to get it back together, but it can be done! :smokin:


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Just found a great substitute for speaker enclosures, the measures supplied with liquid medicines. A small one is just right for a 1" speaker. 

Interesting post @big ed.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

You can pretty much learn how to fix, rebuild, or install most anything via FREE YouTube tutorials on the internet.
Just go to Google.....type in what you need.....there it is!


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

raleets said:


> You can pretty much learn how to fix, rebuild, or install most anything via FREE YouTube tutorials on the internet.
> Just go to Google.....type in what you need.....there it is!


Only trouble is a lot of the people that post there know less than you do! Beware, the Internet makes instant experts of everyone! Myself included.


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

Unless you live in the desert, you can probably find these in your own backyard. Marked Dec. 1923 I don't know what possessed him to do a log cabin motif. Grandpa grew up in the city, so maybe it was a childhood dream... :dunno:


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

I have been doing this for years, sometimes because I would like to save money, but sometimes because I don't have any hobby shops around. This little cafe is an example. I built it about 25 years ago. 










I did have a few castings fir the pot belly stove, radio, cash register and so forth. I did keep detail parts around, but had to scratchbuild this for a particular location. I had scribed siding wood sheets in my "wood collection" and used it for the walls. All of the windows ended up being built from scratch. No windows in my parts box. The stools were made from small mails. The wall paper was cut out of an ad in a magazine. The floor was found at Michaels. The stove, refrigerator and counters were built from scraps of wood. The coffee urn was cut from a dowel and a piece of wire put in for a spout. 

Going back years ago, model railroaders didn't have the abundance of goodies that we have today. 

This turntable is another example. It was scratchbuilt from brass. I can't take credit for the build as it was built by the late Pete Ellis of Cascade, MT. He donated it to me when he expanded his layout and had to remove an engine facility. It is probably over 40 years old. There weren't any kits for this back then. The best part about it is the way it is powered, by an old motor from a player piano. 










Sometimes you just do waht you have to do.


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*Attention to detail.*

Chet, your modeling skills are definitely top notch. Just one thing I noticed. Possibly there should be more wait staff?
Excellent work! Though.
Keep taking photo's of your handy works.
What project are you working on now?
Regard's,tr1


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

tr1 said:


> Chet, your modeling skills are definitely top notch. Just one thing I noticed. Possibly there should be more wait staff?
> Excellent work! Though
> Keep taking photo's of your handy works.
> What project are you working on now?
> Regard's,tr1


Waitress is on a break. 

Projects? Remodeling the house. New kitchen appliances and counter tops, new flooring through out the house and gutting and rebuilding 2 bathrooms. 
For the layout. Not much.


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*crowded counter*

25 years ago. There probably would have been more smoker's drinking coffee?


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

It's always a genuine pleasure to look at Chet's work.

I'm also seeing an old fashioned, possibly crank wall phone,
and a tray of glasses or cups. Amazing.

Don't know how you do it so accurately at HO scale.

Don


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks for the comments. Here's another scratchbuild. I couldn't find a freight station that I liked that would fit into a space set aside for it, so this one was totally built from my wood box. A few detail parts and lighting was installed. All of the decking was done with individual planks. 



















If you can't find what you want commercially, build it.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Chet -- excellent work!

Bob -- that log cabin is amazing ... especially for its age! Nice little treasure from Gramps!

TJ


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