Sumiyama (炭山)

[Bob_NZ]

Good progress.  It looks like you have everything well thought out. 

I like your choice of track plan as it offers plenty of operating scenarios - both freight and passenger.

[Kiha66]

Thanks!  I'm using the plans of one of the old kato showroom layouts, which is a very helpful guide while building it.

[Kiha66]

Most structures test fitted, I seem to have lost a few but for the most part they all fit fine.  Now to mark the foam for cutting.

 

[Kiha66]

Not a lot of layout work today, but more structures are going together. I'm hoping to install LEDs before final assembly so the layout will be ready for lights when I get to the electrical stage.

[Sheffie]

That freight warehouse does need some lighting, I think. 

[Kiha66]

More base work, turns out the foam I'm using is full of fiberglass.  That explains why I've been so sparkly and itchy the past week.  At least the bridges are installed now!

Edited August 4, 2019 by Kiha66

[cteno4]

Yeuch! I guess it give it stiffness, not seen that before! Was was the brand or name? Want to avoid that in the future! Did it say anywhere in the fine print on the board?

 

ive had enough fiberglass dust itching to last a lifetime...

 

jeff

[RogerMc]

12 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

the foam I'm using is full of fiberglass

 

Are you certain it's fiberglass? I've cut both pink and blue foam with a hot wand and both produce itchy needles. I get no needles when cutting with a hot wire however.

 

The reason I suggest it isn't fiberglass is because if you decide to snap the foam in a random location/direction, you will never expose fibers. I think it is just an effect from hot cutting.

 

Whatever they are, they do stab and itch.

[Kiha66]

I'll investigate more today, I dont remember the board mentioning fiberglass but I was so happy to find any foam at all that I didnt look at it closely before buying it.

[RogerMc]

Especially the 2" thick stuff. Did you find it at Foam Mart? Burbank or Culver City?

 

FWIW, I find that I do prefer the pink Foamular over the blue stuff. The pink is a bit more dense.

 

Try cutting more slowly and pull less (if that's possible). Hot wire is faster & cleaner.

 

I don't recall a Prop 65 warning either, but I could have missed it easily.

Edited August 4, 2019 by RogerMc

[cteno4]

Fiberglass mention could be its comparison to thickness in fibber glass, but usually just done with the R factor.

 

The styrene dust is a little irritating but nothing like fiberglass can be. Best to have the shop vac sucking while cutting as it gets statically charges and can stick to stuff, including you!

 

jeff

[Kiha66]

Hm, as far as I can tell neither the foam itself nor the website mention containing fiberglass.  But I have seen posts that some foam does contain it yet I can't find which ones do and which don't.  The foam in particular I used is foamular 250, bought from home depot.  Today I used gloves when working with it and there is much less itching, although that may be just a placebo.

 

[Kiha66]

More river work!  I cut a tomytec small stone bridge in two and used it as the water outlet portals where the river comes out from under the station.  I also mocked up the upper track so I knew where to put the river banks, looks like I'll have to cut the kato pillar slightly to lower the center of the bridge.

 

[Kiha66]

The bridge kits finally arrived!  A little more foam cutting but now it's time to finally start gluing the foam down and get on to the trackwork and scenery.

 

[gavino200]

Wow! This looks amazing! Great work!!

[RogerMc]

I'm paying close attention. Thanks for sharing the progress.