Looking great!! Even if you can't see the roof framing you'll always know its there and that you did it well...and if it can be seen at any angle it will look great in photos!

Ralph

I made some doors from wood I had in my scrap box - leftovers from previous projects. The handles are short pieces of brass rod inserted into holes drilled through the doors.

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I also made some engine bay doors. I debated leaving the engine bays open, but I had plenty of scrap wood from which to make doors. I haven't decided whether to make the doors operable or not, but I am leaning towards making hinges similar to steamtrains.

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And, I also began making and installing a roof. I used a cardboard underlayment for rigidity, and then made steel roofing by rubbing heavy duty aluminum foil against a piece of scrap ribbon wire. It is a little dinged up because the aluminum foil I used is not quite as thick as I would want, but I think the overall effect is good. I only completed one side and weathered it to see how it would look.

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I was originally going to do the exterior walls with the same corrugated metal as the roof, but now I am thinking a board and batten type siding may look better.

Woah, kevin, that is turning out to be a terrific build. The roof is EXCELLENT!

I vote for a photo-tutorial on how you made the corrugated tin.

Beautiful work, Kevin, and you will always take pride in that you did it completely from scratch. Oh... I vote for the hinged doors...

I'll see about making a short tutorial on the roofing - But I really don't know if I can do much better than I have already described! I take a piece of aluminum foil, cut it to size, lay it onto a piece of ribbon wire that I have glued to a block of wood, and then rub the foil with my finger. I'd do much better to find a bigger piece of ribbon wire so I can can sandwich the foil between two pieces of wire. Then, the whole thing gets weathered using an ugly alcohol-based wash that began as the india ink staining solution I used on the wood. I added more alcohol, and some model master acrylic "rust" paint, and some matte medium in the hopes of giving the wash more thickness without adding more color. Then I sprayed the whole thing a with Rustoleum matte spray. The matte spray also seems to give the foil a little bit of rigidity and allows the roof to withstand a little bit of handling.

That's a great roof!

I have made corrugated roofing just like that, although I never thought to actually glue the ribbon wire to something to make it easier to handle...

If you get a chance to do up a tutorial, I'll gladly add it to The Academy.

Andrew

I agree, Kevin, that's a great-looking roof. Thanks, too, for your doorknob suggestion, which I'll steal immediately for my crossing shanties. I was going to turn-down the heads of some pins, but your idea is easier and looks great.

Wayne

As I mentioned in my last post on my build, I wasn't sure whether to go with a tar paper or corrugated metal for the roof. Your pictures just made up my mind...

Is the foil you used the commercially (grocery store) kind of foil..?? I've been scrounging through my son's "mess box" (he's a digitral controls engineer), but haven't found a suitable size of ribbon wire...I hope the die I purchased is home by the time I get back....

Steamtrains Wrote:As I mentioned in my last post on my build, I wasn't sure whether to go with a tar paper or corrugated metal for the roof. Your pictures just made up my mind...

Is the foil you used the commercially (grocery store) kind of foil..?? I've been scrounging through my son's "mess box" (he's a digitral controls engineer), but haven't found a suitable size of ribbon wire...I hope the die I purchased is home by the time I get back....

It is the heaviest duty foil I could find at the store. I went to a "warehouse" type grocery store thinking they may have a restaurant grade foil that is a little thicker, but what I bought may actually be a little thinner than the Reynolds "heavy duty" foil. My piece of ribbon wire came from something I took apart. It was only a piece about 6 inches long, and not wide enough. I cut it in half, and glued the halves next to each other on a block of wood in order to get the width I wanted. I tried to find a wider piece of wire at a thrift store, but didn't see any.

Kevin, you are very innovative! I was thinking about the ribbon wire, and realized I would probably need some that was wide, which makes the search more difficult. Then you mention glueing two pieces side by side! Doh! Why didn't I think of that? :oops:

Thanks for all the great ideas!

I managed to get most of my lo-fi aluminum foil siding up. The store brand heavy duty aluminum foil is a little too thin for this, and it dings and wrinkles a bit too easily. My official story is that the siding for this enginehouse came from an older smelter that was torn down, and that is why it looks a little "used" . I still haven't hung the doors, added roof vents, or even some corner trim on the siding. I suppose I will get to that some day.

Right now the stress of unemployment has caught up with me and I just don't much feel like modeling activities. The stress has actually manifested itself as a nasty eczema rash on my hands. I simply found it hard to concentrate on modeling projects over the last month, and I think my results are suffering. So, while I will still be around here giving input, you probably won't see many modeling projects from me for awhile. The enginehouse will remain slightly unfinished as this contest closes.

Kevin, that really turned out nicely. And again, gotta love the innovative and money-saving techniques that you put into this build. The tin siding came out looking great.

Sorry that the job hunt has you down.

Any thoughts on moving somewhere else? Changing careers? The economy is actually still good here in Houston. Of course, with the possibility of new over-reaching regualtions, the oil industry (which is the basis of Houston's economy) may very well cease to exist, and Houston will die a slow and painful death. So much for overcoming our dependence on foriegn oil.

That looks really good..!!! Too bad you couldn't finish on time, but close enough for my drudders...
Those doors and siding are AWESOME...

What is that "lo-fi" material you refer to..?? My story will be that the smelter siding came from a dismantled enginehouse...!!!

nachoman Wrote: ... Right now the stress of unemployment has caught up with me and I just don't much feel like modeling activities. The stress has actually manifested itself as a nasty eczema rash on my hands. ... The enginehouse will remain slightly unfinished as this contest closes.

Kevin, I can sympathize ... when the sudden closing of the corporate design office where I worked (... at 12:30 PM, as 3 of the five of us sat eating lunch in the conference room, six guys from Corporate walked in and said, "We are here because this office is closed, effective immediately. One of these gentleman will sit with you in your office while you pack your things, not the company's things. You have until 5 PM to pack up and be out of the building. We'll need to have you turn over your keys, the doors will be locked at 5 PM."

Long story short, the stress and worry took its toll, I developed alopecia areata totalis -- all the hair on my head from the neck up fell out in clumps! It was terrible! I was without hair for over a year before any of it started to grow back. In the meantime, I quickly sold the house I had just built, and within the next six months turned 62 and retired.

I know it can be difficult. I know it's easy for people to say hang in there and you want to tell them to "Bugger Off!" But in the end, all you can do is try to make yourself as marketable as possible, don't leave a stone unturned and trust in "The Force," or whatever you chose to call that "Higher Power" that many of us put our faith in.

Kevin - sorry about the job hunt. I recommend 'Bag Balm' - comes in a green tin - for your eczema. I agree with biL, and recommend prayer for the job hunt.

Quote:Any thoughts on moving somewhere else? Changing careers? The economy is actually still good here in Houston. Of course, with the possibility of new over-reaching regualtions, the oil industry (which is the basis of Houston's economy) may very well cease to exist, and Houston will die a slow and painful death. So much for overcoming our dependence on foriegn oil.

Gary - we're now past the global peak of petroleum discovery and production. Not even deregulation can reverse the law of nature, that we're tapping out a non-renewable resource. Sucking it out of the ground at a faster rate isn't going to help in the long run. (Apologies to Kevin for the non-rr intrusion into your thread)

That said, perhaps a 'green job' is what you need? Also, and I'm deadly serious about this, a move away from the desert Southwest and the forthcoming issue of water scarcity could be in your future. Sorry to go all doomer on you.

Now your enginehouse, that's a work of art! Nicely done. And bonus points for ripping down lumber from paint stirs! The low budget metal siding works great.

Galen

Galen - you are right about "green" jobs and the water issue. One of the consulting companies I interviewed with primarily handles contracts for utility companies, and their recent business is strongly related to solar or wind electricity production. Most of my career options depend upon sensible regulation. I previously worked for a groundwater consultant, and half of their business was a remediation contract related to a few major businesses who carelessly dumped industrial solvents into the aquifer. The other half of the business was with developers who were required to provide adequate and safe water for their developments. If it wasn't for the regulations, the developers would have drilled undersized wells and gave little concern to water contaminated with nitrates, industrial solvents, or arsenic. A good water well is much more than a simple hole in the ground (a typical Phoenix Arizona production well costs between 250k and half a million dollars).

We are also facing a very serious issue because Lake Mead is drying up. Unless the upper basin of the Colorado River has record snowfall this winter, next year water levels in Lake Mead will likely drop below a level that requires rationing. Arizona, under an agreement with Nevada and California, will be the first to require water rationing. Without water from the Colorado river, cities and developers cannot prove they have adequate water to sustain themselves for the long-term, and new development will halt. You would think this would be an important issue as much of Arizona's future depends upon managing scarce water supplies, but our current governor decided to lay off over half of the Department of Water Resources (including myself). Worse yet, the layoffs tended to affect the younger, technical staff. Those that remain are mostly administrators that have little recent science or technology background. One would think that the scarcity of a necessary resource would necessitate skilled scientists - but right now Arizona lacks the funds or the desire to deal with it. I have faith, though, but it is tough to be patient when I know I could contribute. I like living here and I would much rather keep my fingers crossed than deal with the PITA of relocating.