RMweb Premium rcf Posted July 14, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2020 Hi Alan, Thanks for your comments, it all helps when you are using a material for the first time and don't know what to expect. Rob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted July 14, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 14, 2020 (edited) Hi Rob, I also use quite a bit of foam board (black and white), with Anita's Tacky Glue (pva), both obtained from The Range, Bracing is required over anything more than about 100mm. I agree with Richard about keepinmg the knife vertical, I also gently cut the surface paper first, as the foam can sometimes snag if a full cut is tried straight away. This snagging can also depend on the orientation of the board - someways it's fine, but right angled to that cut it will misbehave. Stu Edited July 14, 2020 by Stubby47 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted July 14, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2020 18 hours ago, mudmagnet said: Hi Rob I've used Foamboard a few times for larger buildings and in the main have been clad with plasticard sheets. Yes, you need a sharp scalpel blade to cut the card facings. I score through a few times into the foam core. You need to ensure that the scalpel blade is perpendicular to the surface as easy to end up with an angled cut. The foamboard does need to be braced well, but a good quality PVA works work and I use dressmakers pins and to hold together whilst drying. Masking tape applied on the corner joints can help as well, which also covers the foam core which melts when using Evostick or similar glues. Apply a thin layer of PVA glue to inside and outside faces before adding the modelling clay or ready mixed tile grout works well. Where possible keep flat whilst the clay dries. I usually only apply a 3-4mm thick layer. Working around the window / door apertures is the tricky bit to make sure that adheres properly. By making the apertures larger than required, can ensure sufficient clay is applied. When dry, this can then be trimmed / sanded back to the required dimensions. Always worth searching out the articles written by Gordon Gravett. Hi Richard, I completely missed your message as the thread had moved on to a new page. It was only Stu's reference to your comment that sent me in search for it. Thanks for your detailed response, much useful information and you confirm what I thought I would need to do. Good to have it confirmed. Rob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted July 14, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2020 2 hours ago, Stubby47 said: Hi Rob, I also use quite a bit of foam board (black and white), with Anita's Tacky Glue (pva), both obtained from The Range, Bracing is required over anything more than about 100mm. I agree with Richard about keepinmg the knife vertical, I also gently cut the surface paper first, as the foam can sometimes snag if a full cut is tried straight away. This snagging can also depend on the orientation of the board - someways it's fine, but right angled to that cut it will misbehave. Stu Thanks Stu, more useful advice and as you will see, it drew my attention to Richards post which I had missed! Anita's tacky glue sounds interesting and conveniently situated. Rob 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted July 16, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 16, 2020 I think others have replied to your questions but I would add I have used a mix of things such as placing a window on the front with card packing around then adding brick embossed plasticard which all seem to get along held together with PVA . No more nails can be used as it will fill gaps better than PVA. For bracing I usually add a ist floor level and a ceiling above that which I find makes low relief buildings more rigid especially if you want to leave the back off for access (adding curtains for example). Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted July 16, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 16, 2020 2 hours ago, Donw said: I think others have replied to your questions but I would add I have used a mix of things such as placing a window on the front with card packing around then adding brick embossed plasticard which all seem to get along held together with PVA . No more nails can be used as it will fill gaps better than PVA. For bracing I usually add a ist floor level and a ceiling above that which I find makes low relief buildings more rigid especially if you want to leave the back off for access (adding curtains for example). Don Thanks Don, you can never have to much advice when starting something new. I started with the buildings on the backscene, as they are pretty basic, and have done what you suggested by adding additional bracing but I might go back and add a little more, as they are open backed so haven't got the added strength you would get from a rear wall. I have just about finished the trackwork so will shortly be back to the buildings! Rob 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted July 18, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) Following a chance remark by Stu on the Night Mail thread today I migrated over here and had a scrambled read and look at the pictures. The scenic work and balance of your evolving layouts is truly admirable, a pity I’ve only just become aware of your thread, will follow and enjoy it in the future. Edited July 18, 2020 by Northroader 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted July 19, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 19, 2020 12 hours ago, Northroader said: Following a chance remark by Stu on the Night Mail thread today I migrated over here and had a scrambled read and look at the pictures. The scenic work and balance of your evolving layouts is truly admirable, a pity I’ve only just become aware of your thread, will follow and enjoy it in the future. Thanks for your kind comments, Stu is very good at spreading the word, he is largely responsible for getting me to my first local exhibition, several years ago now, and I have enjoyed that aspect of the hobby ever since! Regards Rob 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted July 21, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) When I said in an earlier post that the track was about finished and I would be getting back to the buildings, it turned out that I was being a trifle optimistic. I thought I had finished the track but after looking at it for a while I decided that it didn't quite do what I wanted it to do, that is, look like well worn track in its final years. This is not always easy to achieve when you start off with pristine new track but another coat of paint was tried which I think is closer to what I am hoping to achieve. I will now leave it until I do the later stages which may involve some more weathering and certainly the addition of grass and weeds. In the meantime we are off for a few relaxing days in Wales, so no work on the buildings just yet. Rob Edited May 25, 2022 by rcf 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted July 22, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 22, 2020 I found Foamboard buildings ideal for modelling in the motorhome. The fact that the 1001 jobs waiting around the home were miles away freed up modelling time. Don 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted August 27, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted August 27, 2020 When we last left Osney Wharf we were off to Wales for a holiday and sadly there is little to report on progress since. When we decided to go to Wales we knew there would not be much in the way of steam to visit but had to make do with much walking instead, so we returned much fitter than when we left. On our return we had a friend to stay and those of you that follow this saga will recall that I initially said that I could not start a new layout as I didn't have the space to build it, but it was suggested that I used the spare bedroom, an offer that couldn't be refused. Unfortunately I didn't appreciate that apparently guests can't sleep under a railway layout. I know, who knew. So the layout had to be packed up for the duration. As my other half worked all through lockdown looking after the children of essential workers, which included what would have been the Easter holidays and half term, we have been enjoying the delights of Cornwall and even Devon but now with schools soon going back, the layout has been erected again and the card mock ups put back in place. Which brings me finally to the point of this post, as seeing everything back in place I am still very pleased with the way things look and haven't wanted to change anything, so I am looking forward to getting back to the modelling and hopefully I will soon have some positive progress to report. In the meantime thanks to all for your continued interest. Regards Rob 9 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted September 10, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted September 10, 2020 (edited) At last some progress. The first thing I needed to attend to was one of the last things I did before packing everything away. When I lifted the small siding, which was to serve the coal wharf, I enlarged the loading bank area to replace the track. What I didn't do was check that I had left sufficient clearance for the facing material. At the moment I haven't definitely decided whether to face the platform with stone or timber, or a combination of the two but whichever I choose I hadn't allowed for it when I enlarged the platform. So the first job was to remove the platform extension and set the edging back, as below: Having put right that mistake I then moved on to the first of the buildings on the back scene. The first two are now roughly in place but still require further work, guttering and down pipes and more weathering. The strip of foam board in front will eventually be a boundary wall. Its good to see the layout begin to take shape but does show that my modelling is following my usual pattern of two steps forward and one step back More progress soon, hopefully. Regards Rob Edited May 25, 2022 by rcf 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post rcf Posted September 28, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted September 28, 2020 (edited) Hi All, With the rest of the family, either at work or back at university, the time has come to crack on down on the wharf. There have been a few hiccups along the way, not so much with the build as the basics. You may recall that I departed from my usual practice of a painted plain backscene and used a photographic background on New Osney and regretted it afterwards. I know people use these very successfully but it didn't work for me, ok when looked at straight on but when you move around it looked very flat. So for this build it was back to a muted backscene using tester paint pots. When clearing some stuff from the garage I came across some undercoat and in my wisdom I thought I would make use of it to make the tester pot go further. I thought no more about it until I erected the boards after the holiday when one day I was close up to the boards and realized the backscene was covered in little blisters. Yes I hear you shout never use an oil based paint under an emulsion. I should have thought about it more carefully but I didn't. Lesson learned. The result was that I had to use the time to strip all the paint off and start again, which is where we are at now. Having confessed all that there has actually now been some modelling and I am well pleased so far. I will let you judge how you think it is going from the following set of photos: I Particularly like the third photo with the curving track. Unfortunately some of these angles will be out of reach when the front of the wharf is modelled. Looking at the photos now the affect seems to be, when Bude Quay meets The Shed. Regards Rob Edited May 25, 2022 by rcf Typo 20 11 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted September 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2020 I like the gentle addition of the ivy and the grasses, not too much but not too spares either. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY NORWOOD Posted September 28, 2020 Share Posted September 28, 2020 (edited) Thats beginning to look fantastic. Edited September 28, 2020 by RAY NORWOOD 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold mudmagnet Posted September 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2020 What more can be said, but superb! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post rcf Posted September 30, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted September 30, 2020 (edited) First, thanks to Stu, Ray, and Richard for their comments, they are greatly appreciated. I have realised, just in time, that 'project management' is important to this build because if I fix the buildings at the front of the wharf I am going to have difficulty in dealing with the strip between the buildings and the track. It will be quite difficult to see this area and some might say 'why bother' but I would know that it hasn't been modelled and worry about it, so the next step has been to glue a strip of wood along the building line and then make up the ground level to that point. The attached photos show the current position and also illustrate how my cardboard buildings have no backs, a bit like a stage set. The fact that I have these mock-ups has enabled me to slightly adjust there size and position to open up the views of the backscene before I start work on there construction. More soon. Rob Edited May 25, 2022 by rcf 15 1 8 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted September 30, 2020 Share Posted September 30, 2020 Inspirational! 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted October 4, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 4, 2020 Fantastic Rob Do you mind if I ask how you paint your buildings - do you start with a base colour then build up with various washes and weathering? Thanks! Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted October 5, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 5, 2020 Hi Pete, I am very much a 'suck it and see' sort of modeler, and work things out as I progress. Where possible I would go for a base coat and then add washes or highlight certain areas to get the affect I want. With the stone wall, for instance, I used a base coat of stone grey and then used washes of different strengths of raw umber and finally picked out small areas with the darkest paint. But with the larger twin gabled building I went straight in with the main colour, black, and then added a little rust here and there. There have been many occasions when I have been dissatisfied with a paint finish and have painted over the lot and started again. One thing I do try and do is keep to is a limited palette throughout the build which helps to create an overall continuity to the layout. I can then add little details with more colour to provide highlights where needed. Hope this answers your question Pete. It certainly made me stop and think about my methods of work and made me realise how chaotic my modeling can be at times ! Regard Rob 3 1 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernBlue80s Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 It's got a lovely feel to it. Just right. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb67 Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 Great photo's Rob. Your modelling is superb, the colours you use look just right. I really like the trackwork and ballast. What did you use to get that look, did you airbrush at all? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium rcf Posted October 6, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 6, 2020 (edited) On 06/10/2020 at 06:16, sb67 said: Great photo's Rob. Your modelling is superb, the colours you use look just right. I really like the trackwork and ballast. What did you use to get that look, did you airbrush at all? Hi Steve, no, no airbrush involved as such but a spray can of 'sleeper grime' as a base coat and then a brush using a fairly dilute paint building up layers, as I've mentioned, until I get the affect I want. I also start with a dark ballast, in this case Woodland Scenics medium brown ballast. This works for me because I am usually modeling track that has seen better days but I might have to use a different approach it I were to model pristine track. A few photos of work in progress. The light is not good ,so apologies for the quality. One of the foamboard buildings to show how I have taken the advice on bracing the structure to heart and a couple to show where they will locate to, when complete. The floating section will eventually sit on timber supports. Regards Rob Edited May 25, 2022 by rcf 13 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted October 9, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 9, 2020 On 05/10/2020 at 11:11, rcf said: Hi Pete, I am very much a 'suck it and see' sort of modeler, and work things out as I progress. Where possible I would go for a base coat and then add washes or highlight certain areas to get the affect I want. With the stone wall, for instance, I used a base coat of stone grey and then used washes of different strengths of raw umber and finally picked out small areas with the darkest paint. But with the larger twin gabled building I went straight in with the main colour, black, and then added a little rust here and there. There have been many occasions when I have been dissatisfied with a paint finish and have painted over the lot and started again. One thing I do try and do is keep to is a limited palette throughout the build which helps to create an overall continuity to the layout. I can then add little details with more colour to provide highlights where needed. Hope this answers your question Pete. It certainly made me stop and think about my methods of work and made me realise how chaotic my modeling can be at times ! Regard Rob Many thanks Rob - yep that is perfect. The limited palette sounds a great idea - and certainly looks the part in your modelling Thank you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Popular Post rcf Posted October 16, 2020 Author RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) The workmen have been busy down on the Wharf and have managed to knock up a couple of new 'old' buildings. There are still a few details to add, including guttering and down pipes, and maybe some advertising, then they can be bedded down and the yard areas in between completed. The fencing you can see between, and to the rear of the buildings is there to give a feel of how the area will be developed and will be replaced with something more appropriate in time. The trouble with showing them at this stage is you see all their all their faults in lovely technicolour, rather than seeing them in the overall picture, which they are intended to be just part of. Rob Edited May 25, 2022 by rcf 19 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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