Here is the Brake Wheel End. I am not sure of the end reporting mark location but this is typical placement for the several roads that I do have photo's of. Tim Buehring etched the brakewheels for me. D&RGW 8'6" Bulkhead next to NP 10' Bulkhead for height comparison. Yes decals are still wet, and have not been sealed just in case someone calls lettering bogus: Here is a Hay Bros tarp covered load for MTL 50' Flatcars, and it fits the scale 48'6" inside length between bulkheads just fine. I don't have any pipe loads to test fit with. In between the D&RGW and 22894 is an access hole for a valve that is attached to the AB Brake Valve. I don't know it's function, but I put it there anyways. 1 down and 5 to go! :shade: -Robert
Awesome Job Robert. I have ordered 50' Rusty Pipeloads (Haybros) from Anthony and can't wait until your Bulkheads arrived. I will post some pictures togehter with Davids Rio Grande GP35 he build for me. You guys are coooollllll!
I shot some dullcote this morning before work as nobody complained about decal placement. I was most concerned with the bulkhead end decals. What I did was made a decal sheet with 1 car number per sheet, but 3 car sides worth in case of messing up, I get one more chance to do it right. That gave me 26 cars worth of decals on my sheet. What I have secretly implemented with the last 5 decal sets I have designed is laser scribing them for super easy decal application. On the Alps Decal list last month, there are a couple guys who also have lasers, and another guy who has a Roland Vinyl Printer based on the Alps mechanism. The Roland guy was rambling the virtues of being able to scribe the decals after printing them, and when he wet them for use, he just picks them off with tweezers, dips in the vinegar smelling stuff, and applies them. So, a guy with a laser cutter said he should be able to cut them with his laser, and another laser guy says NO YOU CANT, because the printouts scale different. So I blow home after work and give it a shot. This is what I discover. There is a scaling error, and if you could measure it, you would just have to adjust your laser drawing size larger or smaller accordingly. That in itself is a hassle as I found out. But, what I did discover is that I can set my alps paper size to 1/4 size sheet, 4.25" x 5.5", and the scaling error wend down to about .010" which was managable, as I make the scribe lines .015" away from the decals for safety. Now when I cut out the sheet on the laser, the top left decal is perfectly centered in the laser cut decal film, and the bottom right decal is shifted .010" X and Y from center, but still perfectly usable. Who cares right? Well, this turned the miserable decal application phase into a breeze step that I look forward to now. Enough rambling and back to work... -Robert
I just got home from work, and did just that Jeff, a shot of Dullcote and dusting of Bragdon's to seal the deal: Next?
Robert, I kind understand why you are doing it. Because you like to put the decals so close together, there is less error in cutting them. I bet its specially helpful with white decals.
Yes John, what I discovered is that using a sharp exacto and a ruler, you could cut out the decals easer if they were close together. Before that I was cutting all around each decal, and often had to trim more off for the decal to fit the area I wanted to put it. I also kept cutting into the decal. Cutting out decals is a time consuming hassle.
Just wondering what paint you use on the wood to get decals to stick to it? I plan to do up a few of your covered hoppers.
i don't mean to answer for Robert, but his instruction sheet with the hoppers suggests floquil paints. i used floquil on my assembly of his kits and it is very smooth and nice. do take the time to overspray with gloss before applying decals. i've built two of Roberts kits (centerbeam flats and the hoppers) and i found the hoppers somehow easier. both are just great kits -- very well designed and fitted. they are a real joy to make. dave f.
Chris, While I haven't actually built my hopper kits, I believe I remember Robert saying that he leaves some of the sanding dust from prepping the parts,(and something about sanding the wood against the grain) and this dust helps the paint "fill in" the woodgrain to make it smoother. I'm sure Robert will chime in soon. Dan S.
I use Floquil mostly, however for the flatcars I was just painting them with flat black Krylon or whatever the 99 cent paint is at the hardware store. The real trick is in softening the decals. I mixed a potion that really helps. I use Polly S Decal Softening solution with a couple drops of Dio-Sol in it. The Dio-Sol seperates like oil and water, so you have to shake it up well. Anyways, after setting the decal on the wood surface, then applying the softening solution, the decal melts into a sticky goo, becoming like a paint. Let it dry throughly, then use a fresh exacto to slice any bubbles or make a slit in the "Silvered" area of a decal, and then... Dip your dry paintbrush in full strength Dio-Sol, then dip it in the decal softening potion, and let capillary action draw the fluid from your paintbrush through the sliced open decal film and under the decal. It will be perfect when that stuff dries!
This is what I do to prep the wood before laser cutting. I was sanding is with 400 grit grainwise, then a bit of cross grain sanding and I sprayed the wood with a quick coat of clear flat. I have since bought an orbital sander and just sand the wood with that for a smoother finish with less grain. I am always evolving the process to the holy grail of laser cutting materials... And that would be a laser cuttable plastic that cuts as clean as paprt without melting, yet glues as easily as styrene. Nobody makes such a plastic yet.
