Thanks Reinhard,

Priming plaster casting is a first to me.

I used a similar very approach when I recently painted my plaster bridge abutments. However, it's incredible how the brick texture is brought to life. I like the fact some random bricks get darker, like in the real life.

I'll have to build a very large cotton mill for the layout. As you said, styrene walls are hard to make realistic. Plaster could be a nice alternative. Thanks for sharing!

Matt

You have to use primer or primer/sealer paint when painting "plaster" walls and render walls when building a house.
Mark

Mr Fixit Wrote:You have to use primer or primer/sealer paint when painting "plaster" walls and render walls when building a house.
Mark

Mark, just the cheapest primer available at the home improvement store. The raw plaster will soak the paint like crazy and even coffee thin paint will dry to fast. It needs to be still wet from brush stroke n when you come back with stroke n+1. The raw plaster gives you less than a second to place the next strike and you end up with stripes.
It still soak a lot of moisture after 2-3 layers of "any white flat paint" does but it is easier to control. Anyhow do not perfect seal the plaster surface. It will be like styrene if it is perfect sealed.

Reinhard,

Another great looking change to your layout, nicely done .

Bruce

I have never been completely satisfied with this building at the west foreground. It was a handy solution to span over the boundary of the removable segment in front of the french balcony door.


The Downtown Deco kits Skid Row 1,2 und 3 and Addams Ave 5 arrived yesterday. I made paper footprint and played around.
The larger structures could form a dead end street (right side, white and blue car in the street) and a short row (left) facing to the front. the buildings of the dead end street can be mounted on two pieces of plywood for removal when the segment must be lifted out.


The DTD kits consist often of a larger and a smaller building. The smaller buildings would fit nicely in the center extending the brick canyon to the west.


This next step will keep me busy until 2015.

Quote:This next step will keep me busy until 2015.

Reinhard,at the speed you work that should be "busy to 12-15-14" :mrgreen: Definitely looking forward to this project.

Super impressed with your layout!!

Donovan, thanks and welcome to the forum.
Catt, the year end business will keep me busy in the job the next weeks and time for the layout will be limited.
BUT 3 month, 14 days and 8 hours and 15 minutes until retirement

The very first step is done for some buildings.
The door and windows openings got fine adjusted to fit the door and window frames, the walls got sanded to fit together. Some are distorted and need some reworks. The amount of white dust and powder created is amazing....... Finally the walls are glued together with CA glue. This not my most preferred work.

I need to see the home improvement market tomorrow to get fast set two component glue for solid assembly and wood strips to support the roofs.
Spraying with white primer from the rattle can on the balcony might become a problem. Temperatures are dropping around and below freezing point. Some paint behaves funny below a certain temperature.

All raw white boxes done.
The next steps are pure technical. Apply two component glue, add wood sticks to support the roof, build and install styrene roofs, apply putty to the gaps and sand the gaps and finally apply three layers of white dull paint. All of that will not change the appearance and I will be quiet for some while

Reinhard - I came across these on the Model Trains Interactive forum, and believe they are available from Model Junction in UK - thought they might be of interest to you, knowing your interest in urban buildings
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lundestudios.com/QUICK-FLATS.htm">http://www.lundestudios.com/QUICK-FLATS.htm</a><!-- m --> - they do other kits as well

shortliner Wrote:Reinhard - I came across these on the Model Trails International forum, and believe they are available from Model Junction in UK - thought they might be of interest to you, knowing your interest in urban buildings
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.lundestudios.com/QUICK-FLATS.htm">http://www.lundestudios.com/QUICK-FLATS.htm</a><!-- m --> - they do other kits as well

I have used them on my Freelance 2013-4 layout. The center building is the Mc Adam Building. They are simply great!

Reinhard,
I thought the original building looked good there but the new ones will be way more interesting.



8-)

All "brick boxes" are finally assembled and got a roof. The white primer was rattle can sprayed on the cold balcony and one layer of diluted brown is applied to get rid of the disturbing pure white objects all over the layout. That completes the batch mode. I will now proceed with the individual buildings as time permits.


ps. At the top end of the photo in the very corner is a switch to operate the venetian blinds. The new structures get in perfect touch with my belly operating those switch each morning and evening. My shorter wife complained already. I need to fix that issue a.) taller wife, b.) lower buildings, c.)I think I will get a remote control for the venetian blind in 2015.

Is there any way you could mount the control for the blinds on the layout front next to a layout control panel ?