Help starting first structure


blue92rs

blue92rs

Cheaper than therapy!
I know some of my questions here may be elementary, but I want to make sure of what I am doing before I wreck $140 worth of Walther's Cornerstone Structures!!! Yesterday I picked up the New River Mining Company, Northern Light & Power Substation, Northern Light & Power powerhouse, and several of the Cornerstone Modulars they have on sale.

1. what is the best glue? can I use the CA glue I have?
2. what should I use to weather these structures and can I do it after assembly?
3. The New River Mine has no base and I will be assembling it in my workshop/garage, then transporting upstairs to the layout. Any suggestions?
4. anyone know of any prototype pictures I can refer to to help me with realism?

Thankyou in advance for any help!
Steve.
 
I would use a solvent based glue like ProWeld or TenX rather then CA.

You can use anything you want to weather it. Washes of thinned paint and weathering powders would be a good start if you have them. You can also airbrush it.

The New River mine should have a plastic base in the kit, once glued together, it will be easy to transport upstairs.

As for photos, just use google image search to see what is out there. There is also a book on Coal railroads that has a mine almost identical to the Walthers kit in it. Sorry, I don't remember the book's title or publisher, but I'm sure someone else here knows.

Good luck with your buildings. Walthers Cornerstone kits are a good starting point. Fairly easy to build, and nice looking when finished.
 
Fred has given you good advice. Although CA may seem like a good idea, it's really not. Solvent based cement gives you time to position parts and "welds" the plastic together by softening the surfaces and making them almost one piece when it dries. CA gives you no time to work, doesn't hold well if there are any irregularities in the surface, and the joint is very brittle and breaks easily.

You should paint all the trim, like windows, that you want to be a contrasting color before you assemble. Same with the walls. Paint them your base color before you start to put things together. My preference is to weather a structure after it's assembled since it's very difficult to get the weathering to look like it happened at the same time to a structure if you do each piece before it's assembled. I use artists chalks and india ink washes to weather most of my structures.

Parts of the New River mine don't have a base since they are supports designed to bridge the top of the structure over tracks. An old modeler's trick is to get a sheet of glass or lexan and use that as a base. You can transport the finished model to the layout without fear of stressing the parts or breaking things off.

There's a really good site on the history of West Virginia coal mining at http://www.wvcoalhistory.com/index.html. It contains lots of pictures of coal tipples and other mining structures to give you some ideas for weathering. Anything that was part of a coal tipple got progressively more black and dusty looking over the years so that should be your theme. How black and dusty will depend on what era you're modeling. If the power structures are part of the mine, they would look similar, just not quite as dusty. If you're building them as part a of a public utility, they should be pretty clean since utilities spent a fair amount of money on building upkeep.

I hope some of this helps. Don't be afraid to ask more questions as you go along.
 
Hi Steve:That's some good advice, so far. The New River Mine was the first big building I attempted. I've been using Faller Expert glue and like the results. I kinda experimented with different weathering methods. I used dull coat, India/alcohol ink washes, and in the end got the best results with Bar Mills weathering powder, black and rust. Here's a shot of the end result.

P1030597.jpg
 
WOW! Grampys Trains, your structure looks awesome! I hope mine looks half as good when I am done. Thankyou everyone for the help. I am sure I will have more questions as I go.
 
Just want to say good luck!

I have a few cornerstone kits that I have to put together. Not the first time I have done something, but it has probably been 10 years since I built something (and I am only 19!)
 
Gramps, that is a fantastic job of kit building, weathering, and photography. I am always in awe of your work.
 
Steve and Jim: Thank you. Oh, Steve, one little tip. I scored horizontal lines in the siding, approx. at scale 8' intervals.
 
1. what is the best glue? can I use the CA glue I have?

I might add here...liquid plastic cement in a bottle, and with a brush to apply it, has a built in hazard. The bottle is VERY easily knocked over. If it lands on your parts they will be ruined. Don't think you can avoid this by saying to yourself, I'll be careful...HA! YOU WILL knock the bottle over with the brush. To avoid this I place the bottle in the middle of a roll of black elecrtical tape. It's often a good fit for most bottles and the bottle will not tip over.

Also when gluing walls together, glue from the inside and apply the glue sparingly. If you have some old plastic parts, practise your gluing. You will quickly be an expert.

Have fun ! :)
 
Bread&steel said:
1. what is the best glue? can I use the CA glue I have?

I might add here...liquid plastic cement in a bottle, and with a brush to apply it, has a built in hazard. The bottle is VERY easily knocked over. If it lands on your parts they will be ruined. Don't think you can avoid this by saying to yourself, I'll be careful...HA! YOU WILL knock the bottle over with the brush. To avoid this I place the bottle in the middle of a roll of black elecrtical tape. It's often a good fit for most bottles and the bottle will not tip over.
Have fun ! :)
Click to expand...

An excellent point; I use some Ticky-Tack or Blu-Tac to nail my jar of Tenax to the table. It's almost like silly putty, or freshly chewed chewing gum, but stickier. You can get it most anywhere like WalMart or office supply stores.

I tacked the bottom of my jar of Tenax to the tabletop after I spilled it one time. I have bumped into the bottle DOZENS of times since then, with no accidents.

The liquid cements line Tenax and Ambroid will DEFINATELY completely destroy a model in a few seconds. But they are THE BEST cements for polystyrene plastics available.
 
CoolRuehle said:
An excellent point; I use some Ticky-Tack or Blu-Tac to nail my jar of Tenax to the table. It's almost like silly putty, or freshly chewed chewing gum, but stickier. You can get it most anywhere like WalMart or office supply stores.

I tacked the bottom of my jar of Tenax to the tabletop after I spilled it one time. I have bumped into the bottle DOZENS of times since then, with no accidents.

The liquid cements line Tenax and Ambroid will DEFINATELY completely destroy a model in a few seconds. But they are THE BEST cements for polystyrene plastics available.
Click to expand...

Ticky-Tack ! That's a really good idea ! Thanks :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top