Traeth Mawr -Painting Season, (mostly)

[ChrisN]

On 27/09/2024 at 13:51, MikeOxon said:

I routinely use 2 passes, as I think it helps when cutting plasticard. 

 

For mats, I have bought 'Grid Mat Pack Silhouette Portrait Cutting A4', which come as a three pack and are 'standard' grip.  they have worked well for me.  I also use 60° blades which I think have less drag when cutting plasticard. 

 

I use a CB09 blade holder and adjust the depth by eye followed by trial and error.

 

Mike,

My cutter has an automatic adjustment, so I am at its mercy.  I will have to check what my blade is, it is the standard with the machine.

[MikeOxon]

On 28/09/2024 at 05:28, Mikkel said:

Interesting, both yours and Mike's blade depth and passes are lower than I have ever used, but it may have to do with the sheets.

I wrote that I set blade depth by eye because I use a CB09 holder which does not have a scale. 

 

My recollection from the early days of using the cutter (2013) is that I needed a higher setting for 10 thou plasticard with the original Silhouette blade - probably 4 or 5.

 

I've been having a look down memory lane in JCL's splendid thread about the Silhouette cutter and came across this post (Posted January 14, 2014, p19) by @Ron Heggs He wrote:

 

"Following the posts related to blade depth versus styrene thickness for clean cuts -

I have carried out a string of test cuts on both 10 & 20 thou styrene

Keeping the speed at 1, and the thickness/pressure at 33

Carried out the same Cut - a 10mm x 10mm rectangle

 

10 thou styrene - Single Cut

 

Blade depth set at 1 - No breakthrough

Blade depth set at 2 - No breakthrough

Blade depth set at 3 - Breakthrough - Clean cut

Blade depth set at 4 - Breakthrough - Clean cut

 

Not necessary to increase blade depth further"

 

That seems to tally with my own dim recollections 🙂

 

[ChrisN]

26 minutes ago, MikeOxon said:

I wrote that I set blade depth by eye because I use a CB09 holder which does not have a scale. 

 

My recollection from the early days of using the cutter (2013) is that I needed a higher setting for 10 thou plasticard with the original Silhouette blade - probably 4 or 5.

 

I've been having a look down memory lane in JCL's splendid thread about the Silhouette cutter and came across this post (Posted January 14, 2014, p19) by @Ron Heggs He wrote:

 

"Following the posts related to blade depth versus styrene thickness for clean cuts -

I have carried out a string of test cuts on both 10 & 20 thou styrene

Keeping the speed at 1, and the thickness/pressure at 33

Carried out the same Cut - a 10mm x 10mm rectangle

 

10 thou styrene - Single Cut

 

Blade depth set at 1 - No breakthrough

Blade depth set at 2 - No breakthrough

Blade depth set at 3 - Breakthrough - Clean cut

Blade depth set at 4 - Breakthrough - Clean cut

 

Not necessary to increase blade depth further"

 

That seems to tally with my own dim recollections 🙂

 

 

Mike,

Thank you.  I do not think that I have used any depth less than 5 when cutting, and looking at my last cuts, much of it has not gone all the way through.  More to think about.

[MikeOxon]

32 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

 

Mike,

Thank you.  I do not think that I have used any depth less than 5 when cutting, and looking at my last cuts, much of it has not gone all the way through.  More to think about.

I would suggest you try using 2 passes - it became the 'norm' for me

[ChrisN]

Well, painting season is drawing to a close, and it has seen some progress on the vast number of figures still to be painted, and I have painted Mr Price's house, but the only thing I have processed pictures for is the Cambrian Third Class Saloon.  I had wondered whether to leave this until I could make a longer post, but here it is.

 

 

The issue that I realised I have with this coach is that working from my original diagram, which was given to me but which I think is from HMRS, I did not realise that two windows in at either end is a partition, which I discovered when I bought the Welsh Railway Circle book of Cambrian rolling stock diagrams.  The reason this is an issue is that I intend to do the glazing by sliding it between the outer laminate and the next one. 

 

Just to remind you, this is what the laminates look like.

 

 

The laminate on the bottom is the inside laminate.  This is connected to the next one up by strips of 15 thou plasticard, at the vertical bars and along the bottom of the spaces.  This means, in theory, I can slide 10 thou glazing  between the two laminates.  You may have noticed from the first picture that the vertical bar is after the third window.  I was therefore concerned that if I built everything first, the partitions would close up the gap so I could not put the glazing in.  I would of course not put the glazing in until  after I had painted the coach.  So I painted the ends and the top a dark brown.  Third Class Cambrian interiors were dark brown.  I painted the ends with what I thought was brown, but it was something else.  I then painted over it to make this brown.  Of course I always write down on my painting list what I have used, except of course when I do not.  This was one of the 'do not's so I cannot say how I got the colour.  

 

I had put a seat in at either end.  There will be a seat opposite which is interesting as there is a door there so the space as you get in is quite restricted.

 

 

I also painted the top of the outside of the coach in Vallejo Off White.  (When I tried to get some more, all I could find the the model shop in Aberystwyth, or what they recommended was Spaceship Exterior.  I have not tried it yet.  I then cut pieces of 10 thou glazing, filed them to size, and pushed them into the gap, and yes, it worked!  (Ok, it is clear glazing so you cannot see it, which is an improvement on other glazing I have done.

 

You will also notice the small footboards.  The solebar is an L shaped piece of plasticard so the footboard is formed with it.  I have no evidence for the single footboard, except that other coaches built at the same time would have had those rather than full length footboards.  I have cut the partitions and push fitted them, before painting and already they have helped with the bow in the coach sides.  After that more seats.

 

If you have been, thanks for looking.

[brumtb]

13 hours ago, ChrisN said:

Well, painting season is drawing to a close, and it has seen some progress on the vast number of figures still to be painted, and I have painted Mr Price's house, but the only thing I have processed pictures for is the Cambrian Third Class Saloon.  I had wondered whether to leave this until I could make a longer post, but here it is.

 

 

The issue that I realised I have with this coach is that working from my original diagram, which was given to me but which I think is from HMRS, I did not realise that two windows in at either end is a partition, which I discovered when I bought the Welsh Railway Circle book of Cambrian rolling stock diagrams.  The reason this is an issue is that I intend to do the glazing by sliding it between the outer laminate and the next one. 

 

Just to remind you, this is what the laminates look like.

 

 

The laminate on the bottom is the inside laminate.  This is connected to the next one up by strips of 15 thou plasticard, at the vertical bars and along the bottom of the spaces.  This means, in theory, I can slide 10 thou glazing  between the two laminates.  You may have noticed from the first picture that the vertical bar is after the third window.  I was therefore concerned that if I built everything first, the partitions would close up the gap so I could not put the glazing in.  I would of course not put the glazing in until  after I had painted the coach.  So I painted the ends and the top a dark brown.  Third Class Cambrian interiors were dark brown.  I painted the ends with what I thought was brown, but it was something else.  I then painted over it to make this brown.  Of course I always write down on my painting list what I have used, except of course when I do not.  This was one of the 'do not's so I cannot say how I got the colour.  

 

I had put a seat in at either end.  There will be a seat opposite which is interesting as there is a door there so the space as you get in is quite restricted.

 

 

I also painted the top of the outside of the coach in Vallejo Off White.  (When I tried to get some more, all I could find the the model shop in Aberystwyth, or what they recommended was Spaceship Exterior.  I have not tried it yet.  I then cut pieces of 10 thou glazing, filed them to size, and pushed them into the gap, and yes, it worked!  (Ok, it is clear glazing so you cannot see it, which is an improvement on other glazing I have done.

 

You will also notice the small footboards.  The solebar is an L shaped piece of plasticard so the footboard is formed with it.  I have no evidence for the single footboard, except that other coaches built at the same time would have had those rather than full length footboards.  I have cut the partitions and push fitted them, before painting and already they have helped with the bow in the coach sides.  After that more seats.

 

If you have been, thanks for looking.

That coach is coming along very nicely Chris, I'm very impressed.

Tony

[ChrisN]

2 hours ago, brumtb said:

That coach is coming along very nicely Chris, I'm very impressed.

Tony

 

Thank you Tony,

To be honest all the work is done by the Silhouette, and I am impressed with the results I get.

[Mikkel]

On 30/09/2024 at 14:00, MikeOxon said:

I wrote that I set blade depth by eye because I use a CB09 holder which does not have a scale. 

 

My recollection from the early days of using the cutter (2013) is that I needed a higher setting for 10 thou plasticard with the original Silhouette blade - probably 4 or 5.

 

I've been having a look down memory lane in JCL's splendid thread about the Silhouette cutter and came across this post (Posted January 14, 2014, p19) by @Ron Heggs He wrote:

 

"Following the posts related to blade depth versus styrene thickness for clean cuts -

I have carried out a string of test cuts on both 10 & 20 thou styrene

Keeping the speed at 1, and the thickness/pressure at 33

Carried out the same Cut - a 10mm x 10mm rectangle

 

10 thou styrene - Single Cut

 

Blade depth set at 1 - No breakthrough

Blade depth set at 2 - No breakthrough

Blade depth set at 3 - Breakthrough - Clean cut

Blade depth set at 4 - Breakthrough - Clean cut

 

Not necessary to increase blade depth further"

 

That seems to tally with my own dim recollections 🙂

 

 

Thanks Mike. Just to follow up on that: In my experience, the required blade depth and force depend greatly on the brand of sheets used - more specifically the density of the styrene. I have tried on three different types (Evergreen, Greenstuffworld and a nondescript type from a local model shop) and the results were very different. The Evergreen sheets cut most easily, in my view.

 

Edited Sunday at 07:14 by Mikkel

[Mikkel]

Chris, the coach looks good, the panelling really adds character and ensures that noone will mistake it for a GWR coach (the horror!).

 

The glazing is very clear. I also strive for this, but am at the same time ambigious about it: From certain angles it is so clear that it appears to be absent! Still, over time natural dust usually helps.

 

[ChrisN]

On 13/10/2024 at 08:20, Mikkel said:

Chris, the coach looks good, the panelling really adds character and ensures that no one will mistake it for a GWR coach (the horror!).

 

The glazing is very clear. I also strive for this, but am at the same time ambiguous about it: From certain angles it is so clear that it appears to be absent! Still, over time natural dust usually helps.

 

 

Mikkel,

When I have glued glazing in then generally it is not clear.  This way as the glazing is just slipped in then it is clear if it started clear.  I have also tried in the past to use the seats to support the glazing, by leaving them a fraction away from the sides.  This has had varying degrees of success.

[ChrisN]

Modelling yes.  Umm.  I have actually done some, and I may have (half) finished a project!

 

You may remember my pram that was inspired by a picture of nannies.  This is not the one I showed before but I found this while looking for the other one.  Ah, yes, more fun.  How many prams and nannies can you have on one layout?  (I think I have more than anyone else at the moment, mainly because I have never seen any before.)

 

So the pram.

 

 

I say it is finished but I did wonder whether to draw very thin white lines on the spokes of the wheels to make them look thin, but I have not done that, and of course no pictures from the sides for comments.  (Hmm.)  So, the pram body is navy and the wheels are black.  Can you see the baby?  No?  Try this view.

 

 

Poor little mite, he has slipped down under his blanket.

 

 

Here is the pram and a strip of thick paper.  A piece was cut off, rolled and pressed flat to form a pillow.  I did get some of my children's clay and rolled a tiny, tiny ball for the head, but then I realised it needed priming, painting flesh colour, and hair colour/or white for a bonnet, or have a bonnet made, so I thought, maybe not.  In the end I took a piece of cocktail stick glued it to the white painted floor of the pram, took another strip of paper, and glued that over it.  Nice lump for the baby.  Then, I took a felt tip and coloured the end of the strip, cut it off and glued that on as a blanket.  The pram is finished!  Yea!  (I have started another one that has a really interesting wheel arrangement, but serious modelling might be getting in the way.)

 

I will leave it there for now, the next instalment coming soon.  

 

If you have been, thanks for looking.

[corneliuslundie]

If you have two or three prams then the obvious scenario is the three nannies having a chat outside one of the shops.

Jonathan

[ChrisN]

3 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

If you have two or three prams then the obvious scenario is the three nannies having a chat outside one of the shops.

Jonathan

 

Yes, I agree.  This pram is for a family with a mother, which I shall explain about in my next post, but I think I have two more prams to do, (glutton for punishment), I just need to find some figures to modify for the nannies, and babies.