Getting hosed!


Aerojet

Aerojet

Active Member
Well as you may have guessed, my fall project is building new fire stations and adding fire apparatus to complete the scene. I have found plenty of trucks / cars and even a fire rescue boat. Ladders came from a Roco kit, but now I am looking for hose / hoses.

Ideas? What have you done in the past for fire hoses. Can be 1 3/4 ready line, meaning reel type solid hose like a big garden hose, or 2 1/2 / 5 inch canvas covered rubber hose. I don't need solid suction lines, I have plenty of that -- but looking for stuff I can strew around a fire ground scene. Also a dump tank would be nice for a rural fire. Nother staging thing. Those are usually canvas about 6 x 6 to 8 x 8 about 3 feet high depending on the size.

Speaking of that - I piked up two different Model Power "Building on fire" units. One will go in the town and the other will go down near the industrial park. Using the existing building lights under them I can show them occupied. But what I am also doing is adding another switch to the board and throwing this will light up the fire and start a Suethe smoke generator. Now the building is really "ON FIRE" and I can stage that as needed.

Of course this is not going to be permanent - just from time to time, things which change on the pike.

Thanks in advance for your ideas - will start posting pix as soon as things are ready for their close up!

The Aerojet
 
Not sure what era you you are modeling but when I saw 5" hose I have done some models with yellow shoe laces to simulate 5" LDH hose
 
I like the idea of using perhaps fine electronic solder for the hose, but it gets dull with exposure to air, and paint really doesn't stick to it. Thanks for the suggestions.

IN the end I think I am going to look for aluminum wire, about 14 gauge. Strip off the insualtion and use that for hose. it should stay shiny. It should coil well, and should look right - a bit of black for the nozzle and it should look right -- I also thought of using yarn, like white yarn and soaking it in glue so it doesn't get the the fuzzies and then try that -- some kind of carpenter's glue should work ... or ??? Still experimenting.

May find something else. We will see.

Thanks for your comebacks./

The Aerojet
 
I remember someone telling me, when I first started collecting Caterpillar models and wondered about detailing them with wire for the hydaulic pipes, that there was fine plastic, hose like things in some aquarium filters. I must look into that......now, where did I put my snorkel?................
 
Another idea, heavier fishing line may work ok for your modeling the hose. I've seen it in many colors.

Good to see you back posting again.

Greg
 
Aerojet: Not sure where you are but I have never seen shiny hose that has the look of aluminum wire. All cotton jacketed hose was normally white or a off color of faded brown. Booster hose on trucks was a off color of red. Most large supply lines are or were white, yellow or red depending on the time era.
 
Aerojet - Ian gave the link to a thread I started some months ago. I just posted a photo there after I finally made some hoses for my firehouse. Here is that photo:

Firehouse 2.jpg
I used a thin solder, pounded it flat with a hammer, opened up the ends a bit (to look like couplings), and painted it, although I don't like the paint color very well - trying to come up with something that looks like the old canvas hoses. I'll repaint some day. Hope this helps.
 
Solder? Holds its shape, can be rolled up or hanging to dry. It was a suggestion on a Jordan Mini kit fire engine kit.
 
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