More Cheap Tricks

Low Cost Tips to Improve Your Railroad Modeling

Removing Overspray from Glue Joints
by Hank Kraichely, Ballwin MO

Ever notice that solvent based styrene glues will remove paint? Why not turn this undesirable condition into an easy paint removal method!

Many of us paint our structures using various spraying methods. The results are very gratifying but the overspray can make solvent-based gluing of styrene models a real pain. The paint on the joints prevents good adhesion and can be very hard to remove.
Using a small brush, simply paint the glue on the paint covering the joint to be attached. After twenty to thirty seconds, reapply the glue and using an Xacto knife (with a chisel blade) carefully scrape the softened paint from the areas in question. Report the method for any remaining paint.

Pressure Cooker
by John Winter, Breeze IL

The one thing which deters from the realism of any model railroad is shiny surfaces! The easiest way to remove that shine is to overspray the structure or rolling stock with Dullcote (Testors #1260 clear flat lacquer overcoat). Dullcote comes in a small spray can like many other model car colors. I have had people tell me they don't like to use the small cans because it comes out in an uneven spray which causes blotches on the surface of the model.

There is a very easy way to avoid that problem. Shake the can of paint per the instructions on the label. Fill a small bowl with hot tap water. Caution: do not heat the water on the stove or in the microwave. The water should not be above 120 degrees F. Set the spray can in the hot water and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the spray can from the water, dry it off, and shake it again for a couple of minutes. Then spray the surface. The hot water will do two things. It will warm up and loosen the material from the bottom of the can, allowing the contents to mix more thoroughly, and it will build up a little more pressure in the can so that it can spray more evenly. This will work with any kind of spray paint under pressure. Remember, hot tap water only. The contents are already under pressure. If you overheat the can, it can explode.

Cheap Killer Ballast
by Ty Treutelaar, Valley Park MO

Trackwork is the most visible representation of your model railroad. It does not matter if the train is even on the track, the track is still there for all critical eyes to critique. It defines from where your line is coming to where it is going.

Ballast is a key element and expense in the presentation of your track. While there are many ballast products specifically produced for model railroaders, a fine alternative is the use of masonry sand.

This sand is available in many pigments with different degrees of coarseness. You would use the sand as you would use any ballast products, but the big difference is the cost. These products are designed to be used by the building industry and are a fraction of the cost of regular ballast. The sand comes in minimum size bags of approximately twenty-five pounds, but do not be dismayed, you will be amazed at how much ballast the average railroad will absorb.

If you cannot find the exact color you wish to have on your pike, consider using the sand ballast as a base. After the base dries, use the more expensive model railroad ballast as a top coat for color.

A final note of caution. Some of these sands can contain iron which would be the same as soldering a wire between the rails. Be sure to bring a strong magnet with you when choosing your sand. Test the product. If any of it sticks to the magnet, do not use it. Pick another color.

technorati tags:model, railroad, train

Cheap Tricks

Low Cost Tips to Improve Your Railroad Modeling

Weathering with Photocopy Machine Toner

I’ll bet you haven’t tried this one! I discovered this one while changing the toner in our office copier. Our old copier used a powdered toner which came packaged in a plastic bottle. What you did was pour new toner into the holding bin, a very messy job, and then you had to empty the container which held the "spent" or used toner. Well, it never failed, I usually got it all over everything including my hands. As I attempted to clean up this stuff, I noticed it stuck to everything, then the light bulb went on! You know, I said to myself, I bet I could use this stuff for weathering on my railroad. Well, I was right. I use it on everything. Locomotives, rolling stock and buildings. It also looks great on the backdrop to represent smoke from chimneys and smoke stacks. I also used it on Dee Joseph’s backdrop.

Paper Signs

The fabulous Franklin and South Manchester of George Selliois has more paper signs than you can count. Where does he get his signs? Well, George is always on the lookout for old magazines from which he cuts classic advertising. I have found some current catalogs to be of some use, or at least the ones that sell the reproduction signs for Coke and Pepsi. First cut the sign from the catalog over size, that is, leave extra material around the edges. Then trim the excess with a new No. 11 blade. After it is trimmed, flip it over and very carefully sand the edges. After sanding, dilute some white glue, 50/50 with "wet" water. Apply a very thin layer of glue to the back of the sign, then place it on the building. Let the sign dry completely (overnight). After it is dry, you weather the sign with white chalk dust to make it look like it is faded. You can also lightly sand the face of the sign with some very fine sandpaper so it looks like it is old and torn.

Vines to Hide Your Corners

No matter how hard you try, no matter how careful you are in constructing structures, plastic or wood, sometimes you just can’t get the corner just right. The seam will show because the plastic or wood is warped and a huge, at least in HO scale, crack appears at the corner. Well, a time honored cure to this problem is "cover-up"! What I do is add ground foam vines held in place with full strength white glue. Apply the glue along the corner seam starting at the top, working your way down to the bottom. Continue to apply the glue along the bottom of the building, trying to visualize how the real thing would grow along the bottom and up the corner. Take a look at some of the photos of Tony Koester’s layout, he has some great examples.

Painted in Place Toilet Paper Roofs

This little gem you may have seen in one of the model magazines. Go to the library in your house (the bathroom) and check out the T.P. to see if the wife buys the cheap kind, the stuff that is single ply and doesn’t have any designs in or on it. Now if you have more than one bathroom, like in our house (his and hers), the cheap stuff will be in the "his" bathroom. Ok, you got the right kind. After you cut it into ½" wide strips, lay the first strip, cut a little longer than the length of the roof, on the roof. Along the lower edge paint it in place with some Floquil roof brown or weathered black, or whatever color you want your roof to be. Continue the process on up the roof until you have completely covered the one side of the roof. Repeat the process on the other side. Where the two sections meet at the peak, cut a thin strip to represent the cap strip. Use a sharp X-acto knife to trim the roof edges after the paint has completely dried. This trick provides you with a very good looking rolled roofing effect.

Masking Tape Rolled Roof

This idea works just like the one above except you use ½" wide masking tape for the rolled roofing. Apply it just like you did the T.P. roof material, except the adhesive will hold it in place. After the roof is covered, paint it the desired color.

A side note - masking tape also makes very nice window shades, and you don’t have to use glue to hold them in place.

Info Source - by John Winter

Originally presented as a clinic at the 1996 MCoR Regional Convention

technorati tags:model, railroad, train