# tiny 1x3 take one



## Xnats

I wasn't even going to post this but figured it would be nice to see how others do there landscaping. Steve has done a fantastic job, detailing his progress with the Long Valley Lumber -Gatineau River and I have thoroughly enjoyed following alone. So if you are doing small little diorama or little mockups as test pieces, I think it would be cool if everyone shares their expertise. When you look at Shay's photo shoots you can tell he has spent many years playing and toying with different ideas. I was thinking that this might be better in the My Layout section but being N Scalers we have a little harder time dealing with the small stuff that make the layout look realistic. 


So
Here is my attempt, playing on a 1x3. I started this because we are planning to move, if we ever find a better house. I don't want to spend money and time only to abandon it in a few months or so. I was kind of heart broken when I took down the BunkBed Special to make way for a computer/ homework desk. Then again as I moved towards the finial stages - I determined I sucked at landscaping and it was not looking to good. So I plan of practicing in the mean time, while trying not to spend to much money on fully assembled things.


----------



## Steve441

Practice is good Stan. I like the way you go about things Man - Good attitude - I will be watching you get way better just on this little project you have started. Nice! - Steve


----------



## Xnats

Ok I to get to everything up to date.

Got the first part of the road poured, using good old fashion plaster of paris. Don't worry about the bumps once this dries the paving crew still needs to add the top coarse.Pic 2








Pic 11 - are the utility poles I started working on, these are on hold until I come up with a better game plan. They are meant to be 50 footers made out of 1/8" dowels and craft sticks. The cross arms are from an old yard sale sign. I might re-do these with some coke can metal.








Pic 14 - Can't have trains without some sort of water. If it is to become blue water is yet to be determined.


----------



## Xnats

Ok got the mountains and stream covered with plaster cloth. I was planning on reusing my Woodland Scenic rock molds but as I was placing them, well. I chanced my mind. My last layout looked good with them but to repetitious, if you know what I mean. I think it works best using spackle to hold these too. Plaster dries to quick if you want to move them around. If you use glue or caulk, it shows when it comes time to paint. I also got a nice smooth coat of spackle on the road too. 








So I started playing with more plaster cloth but I did not like the look. It was a little to stiff to get the look I was after. I started dipping some gauze pads in plaster and was real happy with the that look. Then I started thinking this would be expensive if I was doing a real layout. I took a break to blow my nose. I looked at the tissue box, grabbed a handful and started using those. I really liked the look the tissues gave and redid everything with them.








Now the problem was the tissues took 2 days to dry. When they were fully dry, it left behind cracking, craters, brush strokes and air holes. This was no good and needed to be fixed. - to be continued.


----------



## xrunner

Thank you for this thread Xnats. At some point in the future I will be totally engulfed in scenicing, so anything you learn and show I will be appreciative for.


----------



## waltr

The utility poles look good.


----------



## Steve441

Spackle works great - Lookin Good Stan - Steve ( I like those utility poles too)


----------



## Xnats

Ok I mixed up some spackle with water and went to town on all the imperfections, the rougher areas got a thinned out paint, of plaster. I keep sitting there nit picking so I just broke out the paint and got it done and over with lol. This is a thinned out wash of yellow ocher, raw umber brown, slate gray and stone gray topped of with 50/50 elmers glue and water.







I liked how the tissues worked on the texture but was not liking the color to much so I washed everything down with cinnamon brown. Lesson learned if you see a pile of dry plaster don't blow it out of the way when you are painting  Then again lesson two don't paint in the dark so one sees these mistakes during painting and not on a photo hwell:







A long shot view. I have to get some supplies to continue. I think I'll work on the water falls and do some mock up streams tomorrow. I changed my mind once again and ditched the second track and spur. I figure room is needed for a building or two. The road I'm still thinking about sidewalks and curves, so I just through some concrete color on to help protect it. Then again the mailman should be coming Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with junk to play with


----------



## JohnAP

*celluclay/paper mache*

Stan,

How would celluclay (a form of paper mache) work? Or just finely shredded newspaper and glue mixture.


----------



## Steve441

Looks Great Stan - Beautiful Rocks Man ! - Steve


----------



## Xnats

John I really don't know. I've used newspaper under plaster cloth and that works good so shredded paper would be good in that fashion. Using paper mache is an old school technique though. It will be heavy dead weight on the table and I believe it is flammable. It was used for decades though. Foam is super flammable but at least it is covered with a suppressor (plaster). I never used celluclay but I've used scultamold. If they are similar it would work great. The problem with scultamold it is expensive but the slower set time would allow carving if you wanted to go that route. It really is some nice stuff.

Thanks Steve


----------



## Timb

Stan,

Looks really nice, I think you did a wonderful job...I know you mentioned that you use plaster of Paris and I was wondering if you could use any plaster or was plaster of Paris a special plaster that just works better. I'll be where you are soon and was just reading through the forum and I like what you did with the tissue so I was going to give it a whirl. 
Thanks for allowing us to follow your progress and learn...awesome!!

Tim


----------



## Xnats

Thanks.

Tim any type of plaster will work including hdyrocal. It comes down to price. A 10 dollar Home Depot bag of plaster of paris will fill 5 gallon buck and last you years. It is easy to use and gives nice results. 
Hydrocal is lighter stronger and has a longer work time and the most expensive. This makes the best rock molds in my book but the price is killer. You can try and find a local supplier. Hdyrocal is what is used my dentist.

Scultamold is pricey dries rock hard but has the slowest set time for carving detail. Pretty fun to work with to, as you can use your fingers as a rub.

I've never played with any of the other stuff, yet

Then there is spackle. It is great in thin coats as a smoothing agent, sort of like scultamold. Just don't use spackle is thick single layers as it will crack and flack off. 

Wetting everything you are working on will increase your working time too. If you put paris on dry plaster it will set within second. Wetting it down with water will allow a few minutes of work time.


----------



## Timb

Stan,

I couldn't have asked for a better explanation than what you have explained to me, great detailed post that is clearly understood. Also thanks for the break down on different products and what the do. I'm glad you gave me the wetting down method because longer dry times will come in handy considering this is my first mold build. Please keep posting your progress, I stil have a lot to learn...Haha!!

Thank you 
Tim


----------



## Steve441

Do not discount "Smooth-It" by Woodland Scenics. I know this stuff is expensive but it is specialized - Use the cheap stuff where you can - but sometimes its nice (like for a small walkway or something small) to have some plaster that does not set up so fast and that can be worked easily. Stan is very correct too. Just my thoughts guys - Steve


----------



## Xnats

Good call with Smooth It, Steve :thumbsup:
On a serious note. I figured, I'd share how rocks are made here in the New Jersey  I only provided the mixed 4 colors and happily pointed out any bald spots :laugh:


----------



## Timb

Yes, good call with the smooth it, I apreciated you piping in Steve, I'm going to pick some up for the sidewalks and grab the plaster for the mold work....

Stan
When you progress, post some pic's...keep us posted with the progress. 

Thanks,
Tim


----------



## NIMT

I use both fast setting drywall compound and plaster of paris. The fast setting drywall compound comes in several different drying rates anywhere from 5 min to 90 min! You can also mix the drywall compound and plaster of paris together to get a super smooth quick setting compound.
Like Stan was saying you can pick up a big bag of drywall compound for cheap and will cover a ton of scenery!


----------



## Timb

Yes, after Stan gave that great explanation I've been checking it out and the price really isn't that bad, for the money you can cover a lot of area. I never knew you could mix the two together, but I'm going to do just that, expecially for the sidewalks....Thanks for the tip...


----------



## Xnats

Lol N Scale is going to make me go blind. I have done nothing the past few days with the 1x3. I did get my smd leds and got them wired up. I also got the static grass applicator to work to my liking. Today I just got my order from HobbyLink. 
I ordered 1mm O.D. brass tubing to try my hands at highway lighting mast arms, for the utility ploes. The 1mm is about 9" in real life, so it is close to proto. Boy it is small it only holds 1 #36 awg wire, so this project is back in design stage :laugh:
I also ordered .030x,.060 styrene strips. I thought this would make the prefect modern curb. .030 is about 4" real life, which is a very typical here in the NE. The .060 comes out to about 6" which is a little to thin for DOT roads but fine for residential use. So technically these are detail and glue on curbs. Just playing around with them a bit, they should work perfect. 
I also ordered my first real people. I have a few old 1/150 folks but they were just ugly. Look at my avatar, lol. I went around scaling stuff and I need to make my river swallower hwell:
I got a some other stuff but nothing cool. Here is a pic with a new girl sitting in Woodland Scenic flock applied with my new static thingy. This 2 mm stuff makes nice field grass.


----------



## Steve441

Very Nice Stan - I sure do like that grass - I was thinking to try it all out (Static Grass) and seeing yours (looks great) I now may try to make the investment. What machine do you use? - Steve


----------



## Russell

This whole thread is a good idea Steve. I'm following your progress. I hope I will learn something. Good luck. Russell


----------



## Big Ed

I wonder what color the water will be.

Jersey rocks?:thumbsup:


----------



## Xnats

Thanks guys.
Ed :laugh: we'll see  :laugh:
Steve I made my own for less then 10 bucks. Here is the link
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?p=113501#post113501


----------



## Conductorjoe

big ed said:


> I wonder what color the water will be.


 Well I will finally way in on the water color 
Since I live close to the Colorado River I will tell you it is BLUE when looking at it from a distance of any range. If you are on a watercraft and look down it is CLEAR in shallow water and dark blue with a tinge of green if the water is deep. 
Course that is pure melted mountain snow.

Water can be black if it is polluted


----------



## Conductorjoe

Nice project Stan. I am looking forward to scenery on mine.


----------



## Big Ed

Conductorjoe said:


> Well I will finally way in on the water color
> Since I live close to the Colorado River I will tell you it is BLUE when looking at it from a distance of any range. If you are on a watercraft and look down it is CLEAR in shallow water and dark blue with a tinge of green if the water is deep.
> Course that is pure melted mountain snow.
> 
> Water can be black if it is polluted



Wow, your brave saying that Joe. ( about the black water)
You done it now, there is still time to edit.


----------



## Conductorjoe

Well I was serious about the BLUE and CLEAR 
Was joking about the black water, however on the West Coast I have never seen any black water.
Im sure there are places that have dark mud that make water look black but not here.
The Doobies did a song called "Black Water".


----------



## Xnats

lol what if I said I was thinking about green:lol_hitting:
I'm going after the Sub-Alpine look/ terrain


----------



## Conductorjoe

haha it really just depends on the region , the soil and clarity of the water.


----------



## Xnats

Ok un-fortunelty not much has gotten done, personal life has been busy, which is a good thing. I'm down another 50 bucks, from the train budget too, my son needs glasses, dang 1/160 scale :laugh:

I scraped off all the plaster chips, that I blew on everything while painting. I still need to go back and do touch up. I added a few boulders and they need a little painting too. 
I got the river swallowed up, using people as a ruler makes things so much more easier. 
Color of water is another thing  I must have made 30 little test pieces with different colors. Then it took about 10 tries to match the test piece that I liked :laugh: Funny part is, once seeing on a larger scale, I don't like it. It is BLUE  :laugh: I added the submerged part of the river bank anyway. I'm still debating on how I'm going to handle the blue. I'm thinking I'll just feather in rock colors off the rock and hope for the best. All the rocks are glued down with realistic water. I used white glue in the past and had bad results of things breaking free or the glue giving way and causing air bubbles. Using the water itself should prevent these problems. I dribbled a little water mix down the falls to mark the area. The only reason I'm using realistic water from woodland scenic is because I still have some left over 
Today I played with some ideas. Got a little snow, up in the higher elevations that has not melted away yet. Grass is growing green along a hiking trail. Trying to get ideas to hide some ugly rocks and trying to make a spring flowering field. I'll see how everything dries and looks before I do large areas.


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan,

Nice progress. The little "penninsula" rocky outcrope in the stream is a nice touch ... it adds some extra depth / character to the scene.

River color is a bit on the blue side. Reminds me of some hot springs one might see, actually ... for some reason, these often have a very blue tint to them.

Keep us posted!

TJ


----------



## Steve441

I agree with you guys on the water - Steve


----------



## Reckers

Stan, I'm impressed! I've never paid much attention to N-scale till now---your layout is going to look terrific! It's a different perspective for me, since my own efforts are tuned to cramming everything into a small space without making it look crowded; you'll have rolling expanses of land to decorate and populate. It's a very flexible scale.


----------



## Steve441

Don't get me wrong - I am impressed too. On second thought - that water color sure works for a mountain stream! Keep us posted Stan - Cheers - Steve


----------



## Xnats

lol guys Thanks. Don't worry about me, I can take a pretty harsh verbal lashing. Every once in a while it is a good to get one, since my job is pretty much going around and say "that sucks, fix it" :laugh:

I stayed up until 2 am last night using the power of Yahoo reading about painting, lol. This morning I was trying to find a short on a circuit and normally I'm always looking/ worrying as cars go wiping by 2 feet away at 50 mph. Today  I'm just glad I did not get smacked but I'm ditching the painted bottom method and going to add pigment to the water as I pour in very thin layers :laugh: 

I was told a long time ago, what makes the difference from a master craftsman and a craftman, is their ability to hide flaws. Be it from the materials used or their own. I started this hoping to be done in two week and not spending much money. Dang nab it, it is hard using the existing little bit of material I have on hand. Any way enough of me rambling, my lunch is over. It would help if I had better crafting skills too :laugh:


----------



## Big Ed

You don't want my opinion, right?


----------



## xrunner

big ed said:


> You don't want my opinion, right?


Not unless it's regarding the color of water.


----------



## Xnats

Are you kidding me, Ed saw blue water and drooled all over his keyboard. It is the rest of my work, he wants to say that sucks :laugh: Just wait to see what I've done messed up tomorrow after it dries hwell:


----------



## Conductorjoe

The water looked kinda turqiose or aquatic to me.

Stan , there is no right or wrong when it comes to scenery.. If you are happy with it then its perfect.

If covering mistakes makes you a "Master Craftsman" then I guess I have become "a master" over the years :laugh:


----------



## xrunner

Xnats said:


> Are you kidding me, Ed saw blue water and drooled all over his keyboard.


Oh, he always drools on his keyboard. It's genetic.


----------



## Big Ed

xrunner said:


> Not unless it's regarding the color of water.


THINK,


Black water...black water.....black water.











OK, OK Black water.


----------



## Big Ed

xrunner said:


> Oh, he always drools on his keyboard. It's genetic.



You hurt my feelings now. sniff sniff 










Stan what was that mix in the PM?
What were you mixing together to get that.
Not the calk, right?


----------



## Xnats

Ed I am so mad right now  All I know I want my water clear with a sutal hint of green/blue, blue/green or whatever color that stream is I posted earlier, so everyone will be ok with the color. I should just make it blue and be done with it. Blue and yellow makes green, green and yellow makes light green and green and blue makes bluegreen. At least I thought   The more blue I add to my mix the greener it gets. I'm ready to toss this whole diorama and start again doing a desert scene with beach sand and a lone cacti. I'm mixing one more batch to see what happens. I don't know maybe it is my water, old paint, someone hates me  dang it, I've never seen something so stupid in my whole life. 
It is all X's fault :laugh: sorry dude, got to blame someone, since you started this mess with blue water  :laugh: I feel a little better  Just wait until you see this crap :thumbsdown:


----------



## Big Ed

Xnats said:


> Ed I am so mad right now  All I know I want my water clear with a sutal hint of green/blue, blue/green or whatever color that stream is I posted earlier, so everyone will be ok with the color. I should just make it blue and be done with it. Blue and yellow makes green, green and yellow makes light green and green and blue makes bluegreen. At least I thought   The more blue I add to my mix the greener it gets. I'm ready to toss this whole diorama and start again doing a desert scene with beach sand and a lone cacti. I'm mixing one more batch to see what happens. I don't know maybe it is my water, old paint, someone hates me  dang it, I've never seen something so stupid in my whole life.
> It is all X's fault :laugh: sorry dude, got to blame someone, since you started this mess with blue water  :laugh: I feel a little better  Just wait until you see this crap :thumbsdown:



Did you mix the clear calk in it?


----------



## Xnats

Ed I have no idea, what is going on. Here is what I used
Woodland Scenic Realistic Water
91% Isopropyl Alcohol as a thinner
Benjamin Moore Blue and green pigment from their HP Epoxy Line

and this is what I get mixing fully strength, Needless to say the river is going bye, bye and trees will butt up to the cliff


----------



## Steve441

Make a blue and black (just a bit of black -experiment) paint mix and then paint it with the Scenic Water Stan - Steve


----------



## Big Ed

the ALIEN green looks nice in your picture.:thumbsup:

Just label the scene AREA 51, KEEP OUT.


----------



## Xnats

Ok I guess tossing all the tea in the harbor did not help on drawing in any fish :laugh: :laugh: This is what happens when a man has to wait for water to dry :laugh::laugh::laugh:
now back to business
This is what my mix looked like after playing with mixes forever, lol







This is how it dried the next day, remember this is a stream and I will be using water effects or caulk to make the waves. The tinted water settled into all the deep parts :thumbsup: this should hopefully give my stream depth.







Steve can't be the only one with fish, so this was a attempt at brown trout They are so small no one can see them anyway 







While waiting for water to dry and being bored with the water joke thing I started on curb and sidewalks, using the styrene I ordered.







Here is the river with the second layer dried. The second thin pour I did was clear. I'll hold off on the rest until later. I need to sit down and start making trees hwell: I should just order them but this is about cheap, lol.


----------



## xrunner

Looks good man. I'll be referring to this thread in the Summertime when I get to the scenicing stage of things on my layout.


----------



## tjcruiser

Did you carve those tiny fish? Pretty cool.

"And you should have seen the size of the one that got away!"


----------



## Steve441

I like your fish Stan - All looks very fine! Steve


----------



## Big Ed

Water looks good, fish look good, rocks look good, trucks look good, the whole thing looks good.:thumbsup:
Don't know about the green though, is that staying or are you going to sprinkle some grass on top?

I don't completely under stand about your water, you mixed it and it was a deep blue. 
Then you poured it and it turned alien green? 
Then after it dried it turned to what it is now? 

Looks good now.


----------



## Xnats

I filed the fish out of a piece of .010x.030 styrene strip. I was doing more reading and found the trick to make things easier, glue them to a toothpick and then shape them. I was just using my finger nails and tweezers. I painted them with colored sharpie pens but the color ran out when I put them in the water? Maybe I should have let them dry a few hours first, I colored and placed them in the pour. O'well this is about learning for me anyway. 
I'll admit I'm stuck with grass and vegetation. Ed sprinkling grass, just ain't looking right. I only have a little bit of woodland scenic stuff to work with and every little test piece I do, just looks, not good. The web is such a powerful research tool, yet there is very little info when it comes to this. I'm in the process of making an order of different materials, with what ever small cheap quantities I can find. Unfortunately this will be another week waiting for that to arrive. 
I will admit I did fall in love with baking soda as super fine ground materiel. Shay mentioned it a few times about using it as snow. I followed suit but I added a little future floor polish on top to give that melting look. It is also the bluest sections in the river bed. The stuff is so fine, it fills the voids of fine sand, yet it does not cover the sand grain itself. It holds it color very well too. I placed a few thin piles on wax paper and just saturated it enough diluted paint to make it wet. It dried over night in a solid piece but it breaks right apart into it's normal fine size when rubbed between your fingers. It seems to hold it's color very well too. LOL the price is right, in my book.
I did decide what this chuck on rock will be. The entrance of a National Park in sub alpine zone. This nice couple took some beautiful photos from their trip and I'm trying to match this area, in general. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanandsabina/4874722837/


----------



## Steve441

Hey Stan - I can dig working from a picture - also - I am gonna try out Baking Soda! - That stuff is almost free its so cheap. I had not thought of gluing a small part down to work on it. I suppose with a little practice and new exacto one could cut it free no prob - Thanks Man! - Steve


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan,

That mountain photo offers great inspiration. Neat pine trees ... very tall and skinny ...typical of "sub alpine" elevations, I guess?

TJ


----------



## Xnats

Don't laugh to hard  I found the secret to n scale, don't take close-ups they only make things look worse :laugh: 
Here is my attempt at this cabin thing, this where you take a dump in my National park  I learned a lot and might try it again just to see if I can make it look better. It is made from 4" skewers and flat toothpicks. I've wasted a lot of time trying different tree making methods too. I'm just not moving anywhere fast but learned a lot in the little free time I have. 
Things to do, make about 40 trees I like, finish cabin bathroom, make a range station, picnic tables and a national park entrance sign :laugh: O-yeah, I'm( )ed" the thing with threads that holds better in wood then nails" :laugh: 

The model


----------



## xrunner

Looks fantastic - just age that wood a bit.


----------



## NIMT

Looks Great!:thumbsup::thumbsup: 
Kind of looks like things around here in the summer!


----------



## kursplat

Xnats said:


> I ordered 1mm O.D. brass tubing to try my hands at highway lighting mast arms, for the utility ploes. The 1mm is about 9" in real life, so it is close to proto. Boy it is small it only holds 1 #36 awg wire, so this project is back in design stage :laugh:


 as long as that #36 is insulated, use it for the hot (+) and use the post as the ground (-) and solder the (-) wire to the base of the tube.

layout is looking great. since i'm gearing up to a small shelf layout i'm enjoying this :thumbsup:


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan, the cabin looks GREAT! The bears will love you. After all, we all know the answer to the age-old question is "no" ... bears are much more civilized, of course!

TJ


----------



## Xnats

Thanks guys, man I wish we would win the lottery so I can go back to HO :laugh:
I tried weathering it X, other thing I'm learning. I think maybe a light grey, then a black wash. Tomorrow we'll see  Today's paint job looked like I just got done staining it,lol.
Kursplat yes Sir on the positive and negative :thumbsup: I think I just might do the whole thing out of tubing  I tried making a trench in a 1/16" dowel :laugh: Plus I'm out of ideas for the head. No matter what I widdle, drill, cut, ect it is just to big. A bit of playdoh looked the best just covering the top of the smd. I was going to buy some modeling clay but 8 bucks at AC Moore :thumbsdown: I have not really put much thought into the lights lately. I need building foot-prints so I can landscape, o Vee :laugh:


----------



## Steve441

Sweet Job on the Cabin Stan - Steve


----------



## Steve441

Wow - I like the way the lights are comin' along too Man !! - Steve


----------



## Xnats

Lol I did find some good looking bears, I should order them. I still have not placed an order for regular supplies yet

I'm done for the night. Some people will pay 8 bucks and receive 4 really nice ones. I saw scraps of .30 styrene laying around and being so cheap, they got used. Don't laugh to hard and just think it is made out of concrete and not wood. We buy the best stuff for our Parks and need our stuff to last :laugh: Sadly I painted this one red, I'll see if I can file the seats and top a little thinner, when everything dries good :laugh:
Don't breath when you open the pic :laugh:


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan -- looks like they're waiting for someone to bring the picnic basket!


----------



## Xnats

Lol, I think they are trying to figure out where that huge banana came from behind them. I found my cameras max with that shot. I need 1 inch from the object or the old sony won't focus. It is 13 feet in real life scale though :laugh: I'm on a roll, hopefully it will last. Got trees in the oven, using the scour pad method. If they look close to the one with the wire trunk, I'll be happy for now. I'm still trying to make the bathroom look weathered, by the time I discover a good method, it will have weathered itself  Got the parts sliced up to make 3 more picnic tables but I need mister sun, to glue everything, hopefully tomorrow.


----------



## kursplat

bright light. will look great night runnin'.
picnic table came out great too. Yogi Bear's going to be lovin' it


----------



## Xnats

Ok typo on my part - picnic table is made from .03 thick styrene, lol.
I finally broke down and placed two orders, of supplies but no bears or picnic baskets :laugh: yet.
I'm not sure on how to tone down the light more. They are 3 volt leds and since I was only running one, I used 2 AA batteries. They won't run on 1.5 volts. Maybe when I get some on the layout in series, I'll be able to get a resistor to help some. My original plan was to have a real lens on the light fixture and paint it a dark color. Since I can't seem to make a head, we'll see, lol. I'm ditching the light on the utility pole anyway, I'll get a true highway lighting standard working, somehow. I'll need the utility poles in place to do grass, when my order comes in. Plus I ordered some air dry clay, so hopefully I can just mold a fixture.
I'm at a delema once again. What to name this park. I keep thinking JellyStone, lol. I started my sign but  At least I got a few more trees done, sadly it looks like I need a good 50 or more hwell: On that note 2 green pads made 13 50 foot trees.


----------



## Xnats

Ok the Wife's week ends now :laugh: and my 4 day weekend starts :thumbsup:
I'm fully stocked and ready to try new things. Sadly I had to save all my lunch money to buy this junk, lol  Now I only have to finish making dinner, do two loads of laundry, walk the dog and put the kids to bed then start


----------



## Big Ed

Did you rob the kid's piggy bank!


----------



## Conductorjoe

I like the log building. Looks good :thumbsup:


----------



## Xnats

lol Ed, I should, the kid has more money then I do this week. I only spent 65 bucks plus shipping. I don't mind shipping as long as it is reasonable and the Fat Man don't get that money in taxes. 
I got cracking right away, we all know Steve was hiding in the closet working on painting people or tubers or something during his week off with the Wife :laugh:
Sorry buddy, I know you must be in the withdraws, I sure was :laugh:

I finally got my sign done once a name was set.







I really need a Ranger station and a fire watch tower, but frugal old me found a harder, cheaper way We'll see what happens, I'm learning fast, real fast from mistakes already :laugh: I have to thank DaveInTheHat for his cool, cheap Lego glue/ miter box :thumbsup: man it works great for the price. I started gluing but thought it would be hard cutting windows in, so I stopped. Thinking some more, they need to be painted too  I'll see how much I can get done tomorrow.


----------



## xrunner

Do you always drink Folger's Classic Roast while building models?


----------



## Oboy Railroads

What a cool project. It looks great!

A Lego Jig? Now that's clever. I'm going to have to try that. :thumbsup:


----------



## Xnats

lol X, I always drink coffee, from sun up to sun set but not always Folgers :laugh: I drink what ever is cheapest at the time :laugh: Remember I'm stuck in the kitchen this is the only room I have sole ownership of. No one comes into PoorMan's Kitchen unless I call them for grub  Just me, the dog and a box of trains  We are going to look at a house Sunday that has a garage, for the price something is wrong, we'll see.


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan,

The Park entry sign looks fabulous. Perfect color/tone on the graphics. How did you do that? Photoshop and then a glue-on printout???

Clever Lego jig ... easy 90-deg corners!

Hey ... a Mod request ... When you post pics, try not to put them side-by-side ... it makes the thread into a wide format, which is a PITA to read. Stack the pics on top of each other, instead. (I edit a few of your posts.)

Cheers,

TJ


----------



## Steve441

Wow Stan - Lots of nice supplies - You will have some fun with that stuff! Steve


----------



## xrunner

Xnats said:


> lol X, I always drink coffee, from sun up to sun set but not always Folgers :laugh: I drink what ever is cheapest at the time :laugh: Remember I'm stuck in the kitchen this is the only room I have sole ownership of.


So we could call it a "Man Kitchen"?


----------



## Xnats

xrunner said:


> So we could call it a "Man Kitchen"?


It would be PoorMan's Kitchen and hard hats are required, if you ain't got one get out 

Back to the Legos, this is all DaveInTheHat, the man is a genius :thumbsup: He deserves all the credit. 
http://public.fotki.com/DaveInTheHat/tools/1005830.html

http://public.fotki.com/DaveInTheHat/tools/

TJ, thank you, I was wondering about the edits, I thought some terrible grammar was being fixed I can do the pic stacking though. The sign, I just copied/ pasted a logo .jpg onto the brown background with Gimp. I need to redo it though, the black lines are suppose to be space between wood planks. It looks good from a distance, the close up showed all the flaws :laugh:

ok I'm back to work, had to hit ToysRUs since I stole someones legos without asking hwell:


----------



## Xnats

Ok I'm admitting defeat and moving forward. The Ranger Station gets a D rating only because it will stand by itself  I learned a lot about basswood though.
1)Factory edging is not square, I should have known better too.
2)Basswood swells and warps when wet. Sources of moisture are paint and glue.
3)1/32" stock needs solid bracing to re-deuce warping, racking, sagging, bowing and headaches :laugh:
When I try again, I'll make a solid frame then adding siding. It is probably best to make square modules and attach them, then trying to glue compound joints too. 

Then again I only used a 1/3 from a 1/32"x3"x24" stock, so total cost is less then a buck :thumbsup: I hate losing so I'll be trying more scratch built stuff soon. I did get proficient at printing textures, though I admit I don't like how it looks. Maybe using better paper or picture paper makes the difference. Go ahead and laugh, yesterday I was not but today I am :laugh:

the roof warping







it serves as a foot print, so I can more on


----------



## Big Ed

Chop some holes in the roof, break some windows and get the torch out and add burn marks.
Wisps of cotton for smoke. 

Make it look like it burned up, add some firemen and fire trucks and your set.
Don't forget a dalmatian dog.

Folks will be lining up to buy them.:thumbsup:

Doesn't look too bad from the front?

Can you wet the roof and place some weight or clamp on it to re-warp it down?


----------



## Steve441

Looks OK from the front Stan - Put somje well placed bushes and trees in front and it will be great! - You are learning large - Next one will be better - Steve


----------



## Conductorjoe

Laugh? I never laugh at a fellow modeler's work. Thats why I dont really care for wood kits. They can be a real pain to work with. I can get the same detail and effects from styrene most of the time.

Seems there should be a way to straighten that roof. Wet it and use some mini clamps.
Anyway, dont be discouraged, Working with bass or balsa is tricky.


----------



## kursplat

:laugh: i didn't realize it was the same building at first. definitely use it. they had a kitchen fire in the back or have a large tree down on the house, everyone back there working on it. it will look great :thumbsup:


----------



## Xnats

I got the roof on for the most part  Straight and even well, for-get-about-it:laugh: 
Steve I got stuff drying, it will hide the warping on the bottom too :thumbsup: I was hoping to get a lot done this weekend but no. My wife decided her week was not over just yet. My 4 day weekend starts tomorrow when she goes back to work. Win some, lose some, I guess 
Ed give me more practice time and I'll get us in business making something with your name on it. 
Joe after that many wasted hours I'm liking styrene better too, lol. At least I did not ruin a pricey laser cut kit. I think the bass wood will work better for me next time if I use a solid frame to support it. It is just a back corner building now, rather then my frontal show piece.


----------



## Xnats

I finally found a use for styrene tubing, I even added some to my wishlist. 

.015 tubing would be perfect for the riser.
.06 would make a great meter. 

Sadly I used what I had. The riser in the pic was a 1/8 dowel sanded to less then a 1/16 before I gave up, lol. Someone must have seen 10" conduit strapped to a house before :laugh:The meter was the bamboo skews I used on the bathroom/ cabin. When you stand back it looks nice. Using sewing thread looks good I thought. Next building, will look better but our Rangers have lights and phone now.


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan,

Those house powerlines and electric meter are a GREAT touch ... details often overlooked in modeling. Very creative!

TJ


----------



## Steve441

That is excellent Stan - You will be a N Scale modeling master in no time (if you arn't already) - Way Nice on the Electrics! - Steve


----------



## xrunner

Electric, telephone, that's great but ...

Where's the cable TV line or dish? 

Just kidding, great work, I'll have to keep those ideas in mind when I get to my buildings.


----------



## JohnAP

*warp control*

Stan,

One thing I learned from my flying models days, use a sealer on your bass wood/balsa wood before you paint. Ahhhh, the glory days of bannanna oil smells permeating everything!


----------



## Xnats

Thanks guys, I'm learning fast and keeping notes. Hopefully my mistakes will save someone else some headaches. Steve when I get to take 3, I might make novice :laugh: X a satellite dish is a good idea :thumbsup: I just figured the local cable company was not going to run 20 miles of plant to provide service to one building  John I was thinking about that, I'll have to look around on some of those forums. Then again priming the whole board first, might work wonders too. 

Back to business. 
What to Buy and what size is it? This was my problem  so here you go. Funny the free stuff works better :laugh: 
1) colored baking soda
2) tea from a tea bag
3) Xrunner's Folger Classic Roast run through the bean grinder a few times
4) Woodland Scenic - fine talus
5) Beach Sand from NJ
6) Woodland Scenic - medium talus
7) Play Ground sand that you buy from HomeDepot ect


----------



## Xnats

Got more 
Static grass they all appear to be 2mm in length and look great all mixed together. The NOCH summer seems to have more yellow in the mix. 
1) NOCH - Spring Mead.Green-Gras(08300)
2) NOCH - Marsh Green Grass(08320)
3) NOCH - Summer Mead. Green-Gras(08310)
4) Woodland Scenic Static Grass Flock - Dark Green








I was disappointed with the ground cover, I thought it would be small like WS. It makes nice little bushes.
1) TimberLine Scenery Ground Cover/Foilage - 358 -Spring Meadow Green - fine
2) TimberLine Scenery Ground Cover/Foilage - 358 - Lost Canyon Sage - fine
3) Woodland Scenic/ Fine Turf/ Weeds - T1346
4) Woodland Scenic/Blended Turf/ Green Blend - T1349








A pic of two brands of flower mix, both are the same size, or very close.


----------



## Xnats

So what does all this stuff look like - here you go  There is some WS underbrush in both pics. Pic 2 by the truck is a big clump. I really need to get trees going again, I started then stopped. Boy is my kitchen a mess, Good thing I waited for the wife to go to work :laugh:


----------



## Carl

What is nice about WS material is that if you do not like the finished product, you can always add another WS color foam until you get what you want.


----------



## kursplat

landscaping is comming out great. keep thrashing the kitchen :thumbsup:


----------



## tjcruiser

Stan,

EXCELLENT pics of N-scale ground cover options / examples above. Puts size and texture into proportion nicely.

You need to straighten out those sample lines with a straight-edge razor. No sniffin', though! 

For future Search hits:

N-scale ground cover
N-scale scenery
N-scale ground scenery

TJ


----------



## Carl

The idea of using herbs and spices to add color and texture. Of course the other user of the kitchen may have a problem. 

In Texas, we can get our hands on some fine herbs and spices from across the boarder (not the kind that may cause a knock on your door by the DEA)...I use Mejorana Fine & Regular for litter and a little Cayenne Pepper for a shot of red. After applying the herbs and spices with glue/water (of course, using a spray bottle that glogs after about two or three pumps), I apply a shot of hair spray. Seems to seal the stuff so no unwanted criters visit your layout for a little lunch.


----------



## Xnats

Kursplat sadly my kitchen is cleanest room in the house followed by my 1/2 bathroom  just don't tell the wife :laugh:

Carl welcome to MTF, were pretty messed up here though :laugh: You have an excellent idea with the spices :thumbsup: Big Ed a elder member used some as ivy on his O Scale layout. I was meaning to dig through the spice rack but it totally slipped my mind. I have been trying to find the perfect material for dirt paths and ect. Cooriander, ginger, nutmeg and cumin are just perfect. I'll have to play with them tomorrow at work. I found the fine powdery stuff needs to be soaked with alcohol to hold it in place before adding glue.


----------



## xrunner

Carl said:


> The idea of using herbs and spices to add color and texture.





Xnats said:


> You have an excellent idea with the spices :thumbsup:


Man I'm getting hungry.

The great thing about this idea is, when you get tired of the layout, you can just eat it. :thumbsup:


----------



## Big Ed

How about some kind of drinking straw for the conduit pipe?

Maybe a drink mixer straw the skinny ones.
They would probably be too small.

It doesn't look bad just a little big.


----------



## Xnats

There all to big to Ed. I need to start saving wire scraps from work again. We only use 7 stand wire but maybe a single strand on a 10 wire would work. I'm always looking for the freeway to do things


----------



## Conductorjoe

Power line details look great.:thumbsup:
I am looking forward to scenery on my layout.


----------



## Xnats

Ok I have not touched this thing since last post. I'm swapped at work with the spring rush before the summer shut down do to the famous summer traffic. I have been playing around though 
My Kato SD70 MAC I fried the Digitrax DN163K decoder. Before I did that I had working ditch lights but was not very impressed with the results. For my 30 dollar mistake I have a better understanding of DC voltage now :laugh:
1) when looking for bulbs and leds the lower the mA the better.
2) it does not matter if a resistor goes on the positive or negative leg of an led. One should follow the manufactures recommendation, it is there for a reason I guess:laugh:
3) If you want to test the voltage of the function out puts, solder wires to the taps then test. This is how I fried my board. I thought I had a steady hand but I touched to many things at once and the magic smoke was released  live and learn, I guess.
Back to topic. Knowing of the problem with leds and Digitrax N scale decoders I ordered a TCS. I'm still not impressed with the ditch lights but this board is pretty nice. The function solder tabs are way bigger :thumbsup: It is not the best video but it shows the effects. The next victim will be my Kato P42, I'm sure I'll have something done with it by next month.


----------



## Blade3562

Are those lights pulsing? Sorry if that is a stupid question lol


----------



## Xnats

I guess you can call it pulsing  sense the lights never go completely out. I really thought they would flash (on and off) but that was the best I could do with the settings.


----------



## Carl

Progress is being made....looks good


----------



## Xnats

Thanks Carl. 
Well the P42 is done for now. I'm happy with these results, I just need to dim down the running numbers(top light). This is with a Digitrax DN163K0a and following the directions from the manual. It took about an hour but I gave the glued light tubes a few hours to cure before putting the shell back on. The rest of the engines are going to be hard, they don't have ditch lights to start with.


----------



## Big Ed

With those pulsating lights the engine would look great in ALIEN GREEN.:thumbsup:


----------



## videobruce

Regarding the coffee & tea, isn't that a issue regarding spoiling, or changing composition since they are foods?


----------



## Xnats

I guess if any dry organic material that was sprinkled on lose would deteriorate over time. If it is encased in glue, oxygen can not get to it and nothing will happen. I always saturate all my ground cover with alcohol so the glue is pulled throughout the layer. That should neutralize anything before it gets encased.


----------



## Carl

Great progress


----------

