Open building

[Gary S]

Reinhard, I appreciate your dedication to the hobby!

Another thought I had on the open building is the roof... well, under the roof. The "box" buildings I have been in typically have a support structure underneath called "bar joists". The bar joists span between the main I-beams which are supported by the columns. As long as you are being faithful to the prototype, you may need to build some.

[faraway]

... well, under the roof. The "box" buildings I have been in typically have a support structure underneath called "bar joists". The bar joists span between the main I-beams which are supported by the columns. As long as you are being faithful to the prototype, you may need to build some.

I did just browse Google. There is also a more simple version with I beams only instead of the complicated construction on the photo (I know an I beam is much heavier and therefor often replaced by a more complex but lighter construction). There are two more aspects
- The prototype has much less columns as my first model has
- I need some columns to support my model roof

[faraway]

The open building looks great, could tell me a little about the silos on the Gern plant. What are they maid from?, measurements? that type of thing. Thanks.

The silos are from the Walthers kits. One came with the elevator http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3022 the others are from an extra kit of silos http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-2942. Each kit provides two time the length as original designed because I need only the front side,

[faraway]

The raw structure has been assembled. Next is to apply putty and grinding to fill the gaps and make it smooth. The roof contains only the support structure required by the model. I intent to add more horizontal beams but stay with two pillars only. Prototype pictures show only very few pillars for light roofs.
The roof attached pillars give the necessary space to freely detail the inside until the roof unit is finally glued on top.





ps. I use a soft pencil to do the marking on the styrene. However it is virtually impossible to remove the marks. It take three extra layers of white paint to cover them. Do you have a tip of either another simple marker or a trick to remove pencil from styrene?

[Trucklover]

Great work Reinhard!

BTW, I know what you are talking about with pencil marks and white paint, you might as well be throwing spaghetti sauce on it and then trying to go over it with white! I am curious to see if anyone knows how to get around that as well

Gary, Those joists are a detail that is often over looked, mostly because most model structures are closed and you cant see inside them. Nearly every modern warehouse I have been in has those joist in the ceiling supporting the roofs. Must like Reinhard here, im going to make some of my structures on my La Mirada Project open from the backside, and I absolutely love your idea of adding the joists. It looks complicated, and they might take a long time to make, but i think there doable and would just be a time killer to make enough of them for a long skinny structure. Im sure they wouldnt be that hard to make out of evergreen or plastruct styrene stock, ill give it a shot when i finish pouring the molds for the first structure im making

[P5se Camelback]

The styrene sheet that I have been using is as slick as glass and, having no "tooth" does not take pencil well. A #2 wipes off with my fingers, but in many instances, the best thing I've found to remove pencil (even from a very soft 4B pencil) is a Staedtler Mars Plastic 526 50 white plastic eraser. [Made in Germany.]

It leaves no residue, does not smear the graphite from the pencil all over and leaves a sheet of drawing paper looking, dare I say it ... virgin!

They can be found in any for-real art supply store ... the kind where professionals shop, not the little arts-and-crafts store frequented by the "ladies from the club" who fancy themselves artists because they spread acrylic tube-type paint on pre-stretched canvases with a Grumbacher Fan Brush and follow the directions for technique from some guy in a beret and goatee who has a half-hour show on TV. Oh ... do I sound condescending? Well ... so be it.

Anyway, seek out a decent art supply store and get yourself a Staedtler Mars Plastic 526 50 eraser and your problems should become the stuff of history! If not, PM me and tell me about it. That type of eraser has my "go to" Line Eliminator since 1971! I used to buy them by the box!

[faraway]

... Staedtler Mars Plastic 526 50 white plastic eraser...!

Thank you, will shop for one. The brand is well known here.

[faraway]

A new base has been set. This building has "thick" walls and the roof has only been "put" on top (I changed the roof design a bit for that). The pillars have been reduced to the bare minimum to have more freedom detailing the inside and to prevent a bunch of misaligned pillars. Precision is my weak side I am compensating with simple design.






ps. No, it is no precision to have the new building fit so well into the foot print of the old one. That is called "Glueck"

[Trucklover]

I like it Reinhard! Now i cant wait to see it painted with all those nice machinery loads you made inside!

[cnw1961]

I totally agree with Josh. I like it very much and can’t wit to see it finished.

Reinhard, after putting together my styrene structures, I always sand them before painting. It removes all pecil marks and paint will stick much better.

[P5se Camelback]

Excellent point, Kurt! Even sanding with 400 or 500 wet would break the slickness of the Styrene sheet and give it some "tooth" for the paint to cling to.

Sure is looking super, there, Reinhold! I'm with everyone else ... I look forward to watching that structure go through its metamorphosis from sheets of plain white styrene sheet to a completed structure!

[faraway]

Had a good time working on the building









To do's
- Might be nice to spray the roof underside light gray?
- Yellow/black safety stripes on the pillars and my be two light switches?
- The building needs to be fit/glued into the layout
- I don't like the black color used at the cut front. A light to medium gray would be much better. I am afraid I screw it up doing another layer of paint
- Rust on the yellow buffer
- Glue to roof on the walls (that is the final step:-)

[Trucklover]

That is something Reinhard, it really looks neat! The signs really set off the scene, especially on the wrapped machinery!

I think yellow safety striping on the pillars would be a good idea, in fact I think 4 yellow bumping posts around each pillar are in order, wouldnt want one of those forklift operators compromising the structure now

[P5se Camelback]

Geez, Reinhard! It keeps getting better and better and better ...

"... I have to admit it's getting better, a little better all the time ...*"

I am constantly taken aback by the high quality of your model work! Kudos!



* A tip of the hat to messrs. Lennon and McCartney.

[Gary S]

Reinhard, you have answered the question! I will definitely have at least one building like that on my layout.

Great job! Now, have you thought about lighting inside?