Don Pacetti sent along this progress photo of his Como roundhouse. You can view photos of C&Sn3 members modeling and layouts by clicking the links below the main title header at the top of the page. Enjoy if you visit!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Roundhouse Progress | 7 Comments - Click Here :
Don Pacetti sent along this progress photo of his Como roundhouse. You can view photos of C&Sn3 members modeling and layouts by clicking the links below the main title header at the top of the page. Enjoy if you visit!
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Don, beautiful work. What colors and technique did you use to color your roundhouse? What method did you employ to construct the doors? Any information on the construction would be appreciated. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLee Gustafson
Hi Lee. Thanks so much for the kind words. In answer to your query on how I colored the stone work, here is the technique I used:
ReplyDeleteThe kit I started with was a Model Masterpiece Como 6-stall Roundhouse. The plaster they used seems to be a hybrid plaster-dental stone mixture, as it is mush softer and more brittle than basic dental stone. It has a yellowish tone that is very close to the yellow stones used at Como. I did all of the wall coloring before I stated constructing the walls.
Start the coloring process by painting some of individual stones with gray, brown, reddish brown, and white acrylic hobby paints that you can find at Michael's. Thin them with water until the paint is semi-opaque when applied. Use online pictures of the prototype as a guide. I left at least 60% of the stones unpainted.
Once you have the stones painted, make a wash using the following recipe: Make a basic clear wash from 50% Future Floor Wax and water. Future Wax is hard to find now, so I use Pledge Floor Care Tile & Vinyl Floor Finish with Future Shine. Now mix this clear wash solution 50-50 with Citadel Paints Agrax Earthshade. It can be found at most Hobbytown USA stores. It's a wash typically used to paint miniature figures, but after I discovered it I now use it by the gallon in model railroad projects. The Citadel washes come in many different shades, but for this project I used the Earthshade, Seraphim Sepia, and Fleshshade varieties.
Lay the wall sections flat and test the 50-50 Future-Earthshade wash on a small section of the wall, and let dry to make sure you are happy with the effect. Add more Earthshade to darken, more 50-50 Future-water solution to lighten. Keep in mind the wash dries slightly lighter than first applied. Once you are happy with the wash strength apply liberally it to all of the walls, and let dry. The Future seals the plaster after application of the first coat, so if you decide to add another coat the characteristics of the wash will change, as the wash sits on top of the first coat, rather than being absorbed, but it still works just fine. Just keep in mind that once this wash begins to dry, trying to spread it out with a brush just doesn't work, so I recommend that you not touch the wash coat while it is drying.
The Future adds a little shine to the stone, but I think it actually makes it look better. I used more Earthshade wash above the stall doors to replicate soot left by passing bear trap stacks =D
Feel free to ask for clarifications.
All the best, Don
Oh, I forgot the doors. I used the Model Masterpiece 1x3s that came with the kit; placed side-by-side at a 45 degree angle, over a supplied template to create them. The 1x3s are not glued to each other. They are held down by masking tape and the cross framing is glued to them, instead. If you want I will scan the template and instructions for you. It's an amazingly complex procedure, than made me crazy...took 3 days to build them and I had to fix a bunch of errors caused by their poor instructions. Guess it was worth the aggravation =D.
ReplyDeleteHi Don,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments on color selection and technique. I am going to try them on my On3 Como roundhouse. Thanks also for your comments on door construction. Do you have any recommendations on how to cut the curved trim at the of the doors? Again thanks and beautiful work.
Lee Gustafson
For the ON3 Como Roundhouse, I seem to remember that the walls are white hydrocal. If that's correct you might need to wet the hydrocal before you do the wash coat, in order to keep it from absorbing too much color. I would also recommend using the Citadel Seraphim Sepia to get it to a "yellowish" starting point - but please test it first. For the top door trim just draw two concentric arcs of the correct diameter on a piece of 1/32" basswood sheet, and then cut it out with a sharp X-Acto blade. You can then use a small dowel wrapped with fine sandpaper to smooth the inside curve. That's how I did it on mine.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Don
There's a Como Roundhouse for sale on ebay for $199
ReplyDeleteHi Don,
ReplyDeleteYour level of interior detail with regard to quality and quantity as well as historical accuracy is fantastic. I followed your suggestions regarding exterior color and am most happy thank you. My next goal is to detail the interior and your model is an excellent example. Thank you ever so much for sharing but more important is your level of model building and detail in a scale that is often dismissed in this day and age. Thank you for your excellent work and sharing it with others. Did you have a guide for the floor plan of machines and overhead belt work? Anything your can share would be most appreciated. With my respect and appreciation.
Lee Gustafson