gavino200 Posted June 18, 2018 Author Share Posted June 18, 2018 1 minute ago, cteno4 said: Ha, you are hooked, you are going to have a full shop soon! just to keep you mainlining here, this is another useful tool that dovetails nicely with the Saw! https://smile.amazon.com/WEN-6515-Belt-Sander-Sanding/dp/B01M68YKST/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1529283038&sr=8-3&keywords=1+belt+sander jeff That thing looks useful. But I don't think it's in the same league as the saw. What sort of jobs can you do with it (that you can't just do with sandpaper)? Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 18, 2018 Author Share Posted June 18, 2018 My airbrush setup is almost complete btw. All I'm missing is the air filter and fan. I have a question. A lot of people on YouTube use aerosol primer. Seems dumb to me as you essentially have to do it outside. I'd rather use my nice little setup in the workshop. So I ordered some primer that you can spray with the airbrush. See any problems with that? I'm really looking forward to airbrushing. 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 5 hours ago, gavino200 said: That thing looks useful. But I don't think it's in the same league as the saw. What sort of jobs can you do with it (that you can't just do with sandpaper)? Much faster and easier and easy to do squarely... like the saw once you use it it’s hard to stop... jeff 2 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Nope on the primers. Folks just use the spray ones as they are cheap and easy, but smelly! There are some great specialty airbrush primers that help with things like rough 3D printed surfaces. I just got one a few weeks back to try on 3D stuff as also spray cans don’t work well on the smaller pieces like most 3D printed parts. jeff 1 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 19, 2018 Author Share Posted June 19, 2018 A little more progress. The first tunnel segment joint, and a couple of dowels. I had to use a thicker piece of wood for the segment one end place as the end was not completely square. The wider wood allowed me to affix it a little askew to correct the defect. I'll smooth the interior with vinyl Spackle. I used epoxy and hot glue. You can see I put a sheet of paper between the two segments as a sort-of diaphragm to prevent the endplates from getting glued together. I should be able to use two masonite plates for the remaining joints. 4 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 Finished another phase of the project. I'm really quite relieved. I was very afraid that the sections wouldn't come together right. The exoskeleton is fairly crude but it's surprisingly strong. The dowels hold the tunnel in place. The whole tunnel can be lifted out as one piece, or each segment can be removed by itself. I'm exhausted. I'll probably take a break from this project for the rest of the weekend and pick it up again next week. I'll have to adjust the way I mold the 'window' sections using the expandable foam, as the first method was a bit of a mess. But I'm planning on doing everything else in the same way as with the practice tunnel, with only some minor tweaks. So far I've learned about a lot of techniques and materials that were new to me. But I'm getting a bit scared at the thought of tackling the "city" that hopefully will go over the tunnel. The artistic side of modelling is still foreboding to me. For now I'm trying to keep it out of mind and just focus on where I am right now. 3 Link to comment
Pauljag900 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 (edited) Looks superb Gavin. Sometimes it s best not to think about things too much,just have an idea of what you want,make a start and then just build it up as you go along and adjust and alter to suit your layout.The other problem is that when you see the space on the layout when it’s empty it looks big but then once you start with buildings etc the inches quickly dissapear! 👍👍😀 Edited June 23, 2018 by Pauljag900 1 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 3 minutes ago, Pauljag900 said: Looks superb Gavin. Sometimes it s best not to think about things too much,just have an idea of what you want,make a start and then just build it up as you go along and adjust and alter to suit your layout. Thanks for your wise words Paul. One step at a time 🙂 Link to comment
Pauljag900 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Very much so buddy👍👍😀But you re doing just fine,the level of detailing is superb mate👍👍😀 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Excellent Gavin! no worries on the city you have done great on a super hard challenge here! Just keep experimenting. cheers jeff 1 Link to comment
JR 500系 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Wow! Amazing Tunnel Gavin! It really looks like a tunnel, even structurally! Will the city above the tunnel be able to be lifted up in sections too or as a full segment? I'm afraid of trains derailing in the tunnel which can be an issue if there is no way to access them... Happen to me too, if my trains derail in the table layout then I have no choice but to lift up the glass which can be quite an effort... Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, JR 500系 said: Wow! Amazing Tunnel Gavin! It really looks like a tunnel, even structurally! Will the city above the tunnel be able to be lifted up in sections too or as a full segment? I'm afraid of trains derailing in the tunnel which can be an issue if there is no way to access them... Happen to me too, if my trains derail in the table layout then I have no choice but to lift up the glass which can be quite an effort... Thanks JR. Good question. I'm planning on breaking the city into a few sections that will lift out. They'll need to lift out to access the tunnel, but also so I can get at the wiring for LEDs, signals, etc. I probably should leave the tunnel segments that don't have a "window" unbolted, so it's easier to lift them out, without using a screwdriver and wrench. I could also make the lift out city pieces line up with the tunnel segments, so iI could access a derailed train without opening up the whole thing. So I guess, tunnel sections 1 and 2, as well as sections 3 and 4 would be permanently bolted together. So the tunnel would be comprised of three lift out sections. I could have city sections, approx the same shape, directly over them for access. I may add a short straight segment to the tunnel at the back of the layout. But I'll wait on that until I have some concept of how the city will look. My main question about the city is how I can get from low elevation to high elevation in a convincing way. I'll have to research it for a while. I'd really like to make a city with gradients but I think I probably don't have the skill or experience to pull that off. 2 Link to comment
Pauljag900 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 If I can offer a piece of advice here buddy,make your access as easy as you possibly can! i m having some issues with mine at the moment,I think I know what it is and it’s easily rectified but having to lift the mountain off is a major pain in the backside mate,mainly due to its size I guess.At the moment I ve removed it completely to modify it slightly but I may look at other ways and not re use it. just trying to offer a bit of advice based on my own shortcomings😂😂😂👍👍 1 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 Thanks Paul. As always, the advice is much appreciated! 1 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 Cuts made and dummy lights in place on first segment. I gave this section it's first coat of vinyl spackle. I'll have to adjust the top horizontal window cut as it's not quite even. Also, I lowered the lights and raised the window to make the lights more visible without stooping. A drawback of this is that the catenarys probably won't look as good. Pity, but not too big a deal. 5 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 (edited) All three segments now spackled and put aside to dry. The cut went better on the second window section. Applying the spackle is one of those messy but fun arts'n'crafts activities. I'm sure I'll have to do it a few times 🙂 While the tunnels are drying, I'll paint the light guides, build the LED housings, and maybe solder up a a circuit board. Edited June 30, 2018 by gavino200 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 How did the programmer die working on his train tunnel? Spackle, sand, repeat... Cheers, jeff 2 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 9 minutes ago, cteno4 said: How did the programmer die working on his train tunnel? Spackle, sand, repeat... Cheers, jeff That's kind of funny, even though I think I don't fully get the joke. He follows the instructions like a computer caught in a loop? Forever? Link to comment
cteno4 Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Yep, and old offshoot of he infinite repeat loop trap... original joke was police are investigating guy dead in the tub. Older detective says to the younger one while picking up one of many empty shampoo bottle, “elementary he was a computer programmer.” Younger detective amazed asks “well then how did he die?” Older detective says “he read the instructions, lather, rinse, repeat” nuck, nuck, nuck jeff 1 Link to comment
railsquid Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 (edited) After 2+ decades in the industry I can confirm there are people who couldn't code their way out of a paper bag even if it had the instructions written in 36pt Comic Sans on the inside, and am starting to wish natural selection would assert itself more in their day-to-day lives. Anyway nice tunnel 🙂 Edited June 30, 2018 by railsquid 1 2 Link to comment
chadbag Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 On 6/9/2018 at 3:25 PM, gavino200 said: The area is fenced off as construction is about to begin. You know, those Japanese kids are quite vandals, and having heavy SPA units is important in keeping them away... LOL 2 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 (edited) I sanded the first spackle coat. It came out well. The second round wasn't really a 'layer'. Just a touch up to some problem points. I used an untested method for 'framing' the light guides, so I'll find out tomorrow whether I get to progress or whether I have to skip a turn and go back. I'm thinking ahead to what I'll use to paint the interior. My airbrush primer hasn't arrived yet. I may just paint it the same way I painted the practice tunnel as I was fairly pleased with it. Edited July 4, 2018 by gavino200 2 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 The tedious job of preparing light guides. The white card with the red arrows is a painting mask, which surprisingly works quite well. 3 Link to comment
gavino200 Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 The light guides are all in now. It very hard to get them 'right'. I had to rely on my wife and son to give me directions. Up a bit, down a bit etc. I saw so much fault in the thing that I sort of lost my aesthetic judgement. I couldn't tell what was minor from what needed to be adjusted. I finally developed a method for 'reframing' around the light guides with plaster. You can see my little home made scraper tool in the picture. I apply the plaster with the tiny stick. Then scrape. Then I give it a little wash with the green applicator. After I add the LED houses, I think I'll spray the outside. I can imagine small objects falling down onto it in the future and being hard to find. Right now, after the spackling the outside looks like urban camoflage. 4 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Man those are looking great Gavin! Beautiful smooth curves! There is a good reason you are a surgeon! jeff 2 Link to comment
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