Helpful Hints

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Painting

  • Place ball bearing in paint tin or bottle...shake vigourously - should save stirring.
  • Rake of bogies frames...Roll tape around one end of shaslick stick. Drop bogie centre over other end and      then roll 1cm of tape above bolster. [A recyclable alternative is: cut one centimetre lengths of dowel and drill a small hole through them to act as spacers] Repeat until all bogie frames are on stick. Align frames by sticking      thin strip over each axle support. Spray paint from aerosol tin or air brush.
  • Timber staining...dry brush brown shoe polish (diluted with methylated spirits or mineral turpentine).
  • For painting fine objects, lightly MEK sprue to object in least conspicuous spot. Allows you to paint without      touching object and allows you toplace it for drying (support sprue in vice or hole drilled in scrap wood.      The sprue snaps off at tack point when paint dry.
  • Make holding frams for spraying gondolas, trailers, box cars etc. by cutting wood shapes to fit interior of the body (with 2cm extra in height). These shapes can be nailed or screwed to longer strips for ease of handling. [I have 12, so many bodies can be painted at once, without being handled]
  • Kit Assembly

  • To get straight edges on plastic or plastibond components: Glue strips (3-4cm) of different grade wet and      dry paper to block of wood, the length of sheet (Use craft spray adhesive). Rub the component over the      surfaces - from coarse to fine. Use old tooth-brush to clean dust from 'paper (or files)
  • To glue side and end square: Glue square/rectangle of wood (with corners cut off, so glue does not adhere      to components and block) on to base wood. You can the run a seam of glue in the inside of the corner to be      formed.
  • Scenicking

    Base Board

  • Either spray a dark brown or dab paint on with a fine grained sponge.
  • This eliminates tell-tale brush strokes, and if the paint is thick, the sponge will leave a slightly textured soil effect.
  • You could scatter some similar coloured sand on the wet paint to enhance the effect.
  • Dirt Roads

  • Lay a bed of aquadhere where you want the tracks to be.
  • Scatter a heavy load of sand over the glue.
  • Run a HO car over sand to produce wheel ruts/ tyre tracks.
  • Allow glue to dry and brush off residual sand.
  • Between the tyre tracks add a little green scatter to simulate weeds.
  • Roadways

  • Mask the road edges.
  • Choose a water based paint that simulates the colour of concrete or bitumen.
  • Dab paint onto road way with a fine grained sponge. This eliminates tell-tale brush strokes. Alternative is to airbrush.
  • For curves, make a template from fine card. Use a compass to define the inner and outer circumferences.
  • Grasses and shrubs

  • A combination of colour and texture is important.
  • Dyed saw dust, coarse turf, dyed moss/lichen are effective.
  • Consider where water runoff would occur and make the grass and shrubs greener there eg the verge of a road, the dip of a valley.
  • Track Laying

  • If laying less than 20"/50cm curves consider banking the curve. I have successfully used the following technique for an 18" curved display layout using set track.
  • Glue a series of matches on the underside of the curved track on its outer radius, and a 15cm tapered thinner strip as a transition bank on the lead straight.
  • Ballast to disguise the match sticks.
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