I’ve stopped work on the Princess Shilo Mine for a while, so I could get going on the Mineral Ridge Mill. The space available for this mill is very limited and challenging, and will only permit a very small mill. My goal is to create a freelance structure that is at least plausible and follows prototype practices as much as possible.

I had previously built the foundations for the mill, and the large wooden ore bin. The next step was to design the mill building. It’s a fairly complex shape, with an irregular footprint, that goes up the slope in steps. The easiest way to design the building was to build a mockup out of foam core art board.

I started with the grizzly and sorting house on top of the ore bin. Because there will be mine tracks leading to the sorting house from two different levels, I originally planned to make the sorting house a two-story structure. Here’s the first mockup, sans roof:

After seeing this in place, I didn’t like the looks of it. It was too tall and would block the view of structures that will later be added behind it. I cut it shorter, changed the shape of the roof, and added an opening in the roof where ore can be dumped from the higher of the two mine tracks.

Next I went to work on the main mill structure, starting at the level just below the ore bin. As with the sorting house, I started out making it a taller structure, then decided to cut it shorter. (When determining what will look best, it’s easier to cut off excess material than to try putting it back on.)

Anyway, here’s what I ended up with. I haven’t added roofs yet, and may not as they aren’t critical to the mockup. The next step will be working out the size and location of the doors, windows and certain other exterior details.

The actual model will be constructed using Sintra PVC board, with corrugated metal applied to the exterior. I don’t intend to model the interior, though it will have lights. I may install just enough timbers and other bits to give the impression that the structure isn’t completely hollow.

That’s all for now. Enjoy!

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Well done Ray

The mockups really captures the look of the Colorado mills. Did you have a plan for the mill building when you built the foundations?

I just had a rough idea. Mostly though, I knew it would have to conform to whatever space I managed to carve from the slope.

Looks good so far Ray. From a Mining Engineer standpoint, any help I can give, let me know.

Since you are building a Mill, I would suggest a Powerhouse somewhere. The Powerhouse was usually a separate building for safety reasons. Since the Mill isn’t very big, the demand wouldn’t be as high and you could build a pretty small building. You could also add the small building a ways away from the Mill and add some piping to simulate the steam lines. If you want it prototypical, make sure you add a good access. The Powerhouse would need an ample supply of coal to feed the boiler.

That’s all I can think of at the moment.

Yep, the power house is planned for one of the foundations on the hill behind/above the mill.

Progress continues to be very slow lately, but here’s a brief update:

I’ve cut out the openings for the doors and windows, and built the roofs. Each roof is removable for access to the interior:

Except for the large freight door, I’ll be using Grandt Line doors and windows for this structure, as they are almost identical to the styles typically seen on mill and mine structures. However, since this is supposed to be a fairly old and weathered building, I’ve added more prominent wood grain and a few cracks:

The exterior of the mill will be clad with corrugated metal. I originally wanted to use the very nice, galvanized stuff sold by Rainbow Ridge. However, this structure will require about 10 square feet of material, and I can’t really afford that much right now. Also, if I make my own I can make it thinner and more pliable. So I’m making it out of .001" thick shim brass from McMaster-Carr.

I cut it into pieces a little over four inches long, then heat each piece with a torch to anneal it. Next it is sprayed with oven cleaner. I let it soak in the oven cleaner for a while as that seems to slightly etch the surface. After rinsing and drying, then I place it over a piece of corrugated material and use a dull pencil tip to embossed the ridges. Then I cut them into strips a little over 1 inch wide. A very laborious process, but I have more time than money.

So that’s where things stand. I still have a lot more corrugated metal to make, and then apply it to the structure. Also need to paint the doors and windows, and cut glass to fit. And I haven’t built the sorting house yet, that goes on top of the ore bin.

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Ray. Would you like to see a sample of the siding that i’m able to make.

If it was the right sizing to work for you, i’d be glad to run your stock thru my machine.

Let me know.

Ray

You need some snow! I /we on the other coast will/would be glad to ship you some!

Ray, looks real nice. But what exactly is the “corrugated material” that you’re using for a die?

Joe, it’s some corrugated styrene sheet I bought a long time ago on ebay. It has the right size corrugations, but it’s on corrugated on one side.

It’s fascinating to watch the structure come together, Ray…

Great job…

Ray, yeah, I got several sheets of that. So guess who won’t be rolling his own if he ever builds a corrugated structure?

Now that I’m done with the Challenge I can catch up with my reading! Looking good!

Time for another progress report… Mostly I’ve been making corrugated metal sheets and gluing them to the structure.

At first I used Loctite Pro Line Premium construction adhesive, a thick, gooey, polyurethane glue. This would have provided a very strong and durable bond, however there were some issues.

One, despite being thick and gooey, it didn’t grip enough to hold the corrugated panels flat prior to curing. This meant only a few panels could be applied at a time, which then had to be pressed down with weight until the glue cured – and if it wasn’t very level, the panels and weights would slide off. (I found this out the hard way.) The other issue was that excess glue was difficult to clean off and tended to stick to everything, including the weights.

So I switched to using DAP Dynaflex 230, a paintable, weatherproof sealant. I’ve never used it to attach brass to plastic before, but I have used it for several other applications outdoors and haven’t had any trouble with it. So I think it will hold just fine, and is definitely not going to decay or deteriorate due sun or weather. It’s gummy enough hold the panels flat without weights, and excess material cleans off easily with a damp rag.

On February 22 we hosted our club’s monthly meeting/open house, so the mill was on display despite being far from completion:

Since then I have gotten a lot more of the corrugated metal panels installed. The rear of the structure is mostly hidden by the cliff, so I only put the metal panels on where they would be most likely to show:

Currently the walls of the main structure are finished, with only two sections of roof left to cover:

Here are a couple closer shots:

One small issue with this adhesive is that it air dries, and since the brass and the PVC substructure are both non-porous, the stuff in the middle of each panel remains soft for several days. Until it becomes firm, the structure must be handled carefully to avoid crushing the corrugated ridges.

The window frames have only been put into place to give an idea of how it’ll look. They aren’t painted or glazed yet and won’t be permanently installed until after the structure has been painted.

That’s all for now, enjoy!

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Very cool Ray.

Nice. The panels look great.

Ditto…

Very nice, Ray. I see the red brick building disappearing - I gather you don’t leave your buildings outside all the time?

Very nice. Love the details. (I like the rust on the cement by the hand rails, very cool)