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+--- Thread: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge (/showthread.php?tid=2976)
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - nachoman - 08-07-2010
Gary - I have done railings the exact same way. You are right, it isn't perfect, but I can't think of a better way especially considering the three foot rule.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - P5se Camelback - 08-07-2010
Gary ...
If you think it would make the model look more realistic ...
... better to tackle it now, rather than when it becomes a major undertaking.
... and you feel like 
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
Kevin, the problem I am having is that I leave some solder globs here and there and cannot get it to flow down smooth in some places. I am using flux, even going back and putting new flux on the globs and then hitting them with the iron again. I can't figure out how GEC gets such good solder connections on his overhead wiring towers. I'm having to carve some of the globbiness off with a hobby knife, and a little bit of sanding.
biL, I'm glad I decided to make the change and fix the ballast retainer height. The difference between the proto bridge and the model was obvious, even losing some of the flavor of the real thing.
Smearing on some green putty thinned with Testors glue:
Scraping and sanding down the putty:
And scribing the new line:
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - doctorwayne - 08-07-2010
Gary S Wrote:Kevin, the problem I am having is that I leave some solder globs here and there and cannot get it to flow down smooth in some places. I am using flux, even going back and putting new flux on the globs and then hitting them with the iron again. I can't figure out how GEC gets such good solder connections on his overhead wiring towers. I'm having to carve some of the globbiness off with a hobby knife, and a little bit of sanding.
For soldering brass wire (or any brass, for that matter) I like to give it a thorough sanding, using a fairly fine grade of sandpaper. For wire, grasp the wire with pliers, then drag it through a folded piece of #500 or finer wet/dry sandpaper - make two or three passes, to ensure that you get the entire surface. Move the pliers to the sanded end, and repeat the operation. (The reason for doing the latter is to ensure that, when you set the wire down, you don't pick it back up and start cutting from the un-cleaned end - you know how I discovered that wrinkle.
)I like to cut brass wire with a used #11 X-Acto blade, working on a sheet of glass. This gives a precisely-placed cut that needs no clean-up (be sure to hold on the the piece being cut, lest you launch it into workshop limbo).
For laying out handrails, fences, etc., I find a piece of graph paper (or simply a neatly drawn line-sketch of whatever you're building) works well for keeping things in alignment. I usually pin the paper to a sheet of 1/4" balsa with dressmaker's pins, then lay the pre-cut wire in place, securing it with additional pins as required. Apply a tiny dab of resin flux to each joint, then solder. If you get too much solder on a joint, you can clean it up later with needle files. To keep previously-made solder joints from coming un-soldered, place a small wad of wet tissue or paper towel on the finished joints - you can move them along as you work, and they'll protect anything beyond where they're placed.
Wayne
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
DocWayne, that may be the issue. I assumed the brass was clean enough when it came out of the package. I have some more rails to do, I'll drag them through some sandpaper next time and see if that helps.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
Here's the new side. Now back to completing the weathering...
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Ralph - 08-07-2010
Gary your thread really shows the advantages of having prototype pics as a guide for modeling. You are following yours so faithfully that the bridge is guaranteed to come out looking so realistic.
Ralph
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
Ralph, I agree. Whether it is building a structure or weathering a boxcar or a bridge, I am discovering that prototype pictures go a long, long way. Instead of spending alot of time figuring out and deciding what something should look like, you just look at the photo and make it look like that. I'll be using proto pics for most everything I do from now on.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
After a brown wash and some white paint to match the prototype. This is getting close to good enough. Still am going to work on the dark water stains with some powder. Also, the ballast retainer and the bridge sections have a little too much contrast in color, need to tie them together. The sides also need a little more overall vertical streakiness. Haven't decided whether to use powder or a wash to accomplish that.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
I used the old wet brush on dust trick to make the streaks. Put a little weathering powder along the top of what you are weathering, then take a damp brush and pull down over the dust, the more strokes you use, the finer the streaks will be. Great technique to put water streaks rollingstock too. It is quite controllable, take off as much as you want by frequently cleaning the brush and streaking down over and over. After that, I went over the water stains again with brown and black colored pencils, then used the pencils to put some streaks on the ballast retainer, and rubbed it with my fingers to blend it a bit.
BTW... in the first photo above, I took a cropped image of the side of the model bridge from the third photo and superimposed it on the real bridge. I think it is quite convincing.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
And as I look at that, I see that the water stains need to be wider and more defined.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - e-paw - 08-07-2010
Truly a great job Gary.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Gary S - 08-07-2010
Thank you Sir! I'm starting to like how this is turnng out. Painted some of the handrails and did a test fit awhile ago. Also, I touched up the water stains on the side - used some weathering powder, then dullcoted over it.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - P5se Camelback - 08-07-2010
Gary S Wrote: ... I assumed the brass was clean enough when it came out of the package. ...
C'mon, Gary! You know nothing is clean out of the package! Plastic must be released from the mold (therefore, mold release,) wire must be drawn through a lubricated die (therefore, oily wire,) mushrooms grow in yucky dirt (therefore, dirt must be brushed off the mushrooms,) and so on.
Re: Gary S' 2010 Summer Challenge - Bridge - Steamtrains - 08-07-2010
Ahaa..!! I was right...As I was looking at the pics, I thought that the real bridge and the model were exactly alike..!! Course they were...
You've outdone yourself with that bridge....