Pete Thornton said:
OK. So it was fiddly doing the roof covering. But we got it done and masked off the body, and here it is enjoying the sun while the paint dries.
It does look good. What was the fiddly part of the roof covering?
What was the fiddly part of the roof covering?
Getting the various bits lined up and covered all the way to the clerestory and sides. I usually cover a roof with aluminum duct tape, and that can be stuck down as a continuous piece raight across the top from one side to the other. Then I cut the clerestory edges with a knife and smooth it down.
This is masking tape and it doesn’t adhere as well so it is difficult to cut accurately - I resorted to scissors. Then I left it out on the deck overnight, as wife hates the smell as the paint gives up its last volatiles. It rained, and the humidity must have got to 100%.
Fortunately it will smooth down and the glue will harden - I think there’s a warning on the tape saying don’t leave it on for too long. On the other hand, it’s quite prototypical for a backwoods RR without a professional roofer?
I also expected to have a problem with the masking I put on the clerestory, and I did. (I would have preferred to make up the clerestory sides and glue them after painting, which is how it works on a plastic coach. But this needs the clerestory in order to make the roof.) There were plenty of places where the masking tape didn’t get under the masking tape.
I filled the gaps with some grey acrylic paint that was almost the same color. As it is water based it is OK to be sloppy and then wipe it off afterwards. A swipe with absorbent kitchen towel took away all the extra unwanted paint.
Almost done. Time to add the combine steps and windows, which would have got in the way until now. The nails (bolts) in the step stick right through - sigh - so they’ll have to be trimmed. The white tissue is the bathroom window shade waiting for the glue to dry.
This is the end, as I can’t find any more bits to add. I took the coach out for some final shots this morning.
Nice work Pete. I like the results very much.
Doc
Thanks, Pete, for letting me purchase the car. Got couplers on and have run it on the layout for the first time:
Beautiful car.
I need to figure out why the trucks are not happily interacting with my switches (it sways alarmingly as it goes over the frogs). I suspect flanges. Will maybe swap out the wheels and see what happens. I’m sure it is a minor fix.
Thanks again, Pete!
Pete,
That came out very, very nicely! I really like the roof. OD tried to cut a t-shirt to size to cover her shorty. Your masking tape looks as good and set over the curves and edges much, much better. Pocketed as a trick for next time!
Oh, and Jim, it looks right at home on your road!
Eric
I need to figure out why the trucks are not happily interacting with my switches (it sways alarmingly as it goes over the frogs). I suspect flanges. Will maybe swap out the wheels and see what happens. I’m sure it is a minor fix.
They are fairly finescale wheels - I suspect they are dropping in to the flangeway and bouncing on the point of the frog. Swapping the wheels should fix it. However, the trucks are not screwed together, so you may have a problem getting the wheels out. If you decide to swap the whole truck (the Bachmann J&S coach trucks will probably work,) I might be able to arrange a swap or a re-purchase so I can take back those trucks that were on the kit.
I really like the roof. OD tried to cut a t-shirt to size to cover her shorty. Your masking tape looks as good and set over the curves and edges much, much better.
I actually didn’t like the masking tape. It wrinkled with the summer MD humidity - I suspect you’ll have a similar problem in your part of the world. Kevin and I have been using aluminum duct tape instead on most of our coaches - here’s EBT #12 that I did a few years ago. The tape sticks and is not sensitive to water or humidity, and can be smoothed down flat. It also takes flat primer spray paint, especially if you clean it with alcohol and rough it up a bit with fine sandpaper.
However, Jack Thompson got some spectacular results on his coaches using masking tape:
http://4largescale.com/Thompson/49.htm
(And check out some of the other pages on that website!)
Pete:
I took a truck off and ran it over a switch to verify the problem. Compared it with some Kadee trucks that I have been using and it seemed to be identical in size (well, the wheels are larger diameter but flanges seemed the same).
It occurred to me to check the gauge and sure enough the wheels were too close set and that’s why they were having a problem with the switches.
After re-gauging, the car works a lot better, very similar to my other cars. Still some swaying but I’m guessing that is my lousy track maintenance.
Meanwhile, all is good. Thanks!
Jim Rowson said:
Pete:
I took a truck off and ran it over a switch to verify the problem. Compared it with some Kadee trucks that I have been using and it seemed to be identical in size (well, the wheels are larger diameter but flanges seemed the same).
It occurred to me to check the gauge and sure enough the wheels were too close set and that’s why they were having a problem with the switches.
After re-gauging, the car works a lot better, very similar to my other cars. Still some swaying but I’m guessing that is my lousy track maintenance.
Meanwhile, all is good. Thanks!
I thought I fixed that problem. Sorry!
No problem Pete! A small tweak…
Weathered.
Hope you are happy with it Pete! (not that I can undo what I did)
Looking great, Jim!
Nice finishing touches, Jim!
Hope you are happy with it Pete! (not that I can undo what I did)
Looks great. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
Jim /Pete this little combine looks exceptionally great
Dennis
Great job, Jim, er, Pete, er whoever did the work, It looks great!