Kevin O'Neill

All photos and comments by Kevin O’Neill

the instructions are working out just fine and I'm really enjoying working with Bretts kit components and techniques.
As you can see from a few pics here I am off to a good start. I haven't done a frame wall in a long time. Everything you see is going into this one building and the casting box is still pretty full. Theres a lot going on at once here. I've got the wood soaking, some of it has been brushed and swiped, and castings have been primed and I just finished framing these two walls. I'm thinking of using something smaller for the battens when I get to it. Also the side shed wood will be colored with the usual A&I instead of the brown stain. That's it for now.
Kevin

I sprayed the tires with Testors flat black. I will go over them with very light wash of Rustall then dry brush with antique white craft paint. I use double stick tape over the templates (copies) to keep the pieces in place rather than spot gluing. Mike, I might have thought of using smaller battens but you gave me the idea after reading the entire old RR camp thread. I'm really lucky to have that thread to refer to as there are a ton of great tips in there. It's also nice that Brian Nolan was putting in his two cents (before he went Pro of course, ha ha).

Kevin

That's it for today. One wall sided sans battens. The outside looks redder than it really is. I haven't done anything but let some A&I wick up the bottom of the boards where they would meet the ground.

I got the other two walls of the repair shop framed and painted another casting. These walls have windows and the instructions say to spot glue the laser cut window frames onto the template and frame around them. I went ahead and did the framing just like the other two walls that don't have windows and then saw in the instructions what I was supposed to do. Well luckily for me Bretts templates are perfect and my framing was accurate because the laser cut frames fit right in the openings as snug as you can get. They are in there without any glue. I just wanted to see how they fit.

I just came up from the basement and I'm done for today. I got the siding on the other long wall and framed one window just to see how it will look. I've never actually done one of these windows as usually it's just paint the window casting and glue it in place. I like how these look. You might not be able to see it but I angled the sill down just a bit like you might find in real life. I might make the frames a little darker or lighter maybe for a little contrast. Time for dinner.
Kevin

windows are easy to do as Bretts templates and laser cut windows are very accurate. Here is the window trim template and window frame and lower sash. I just put the frame in the opening flush with the siding and framed around it. The sill goes on edge and I tilted it down a tiny bit

last night thinking of different ways to detail the truck repair shop and I started thinking about an easy way to use real glass for the windows. I have some cover slips that I got out of a microscope I had when I was a kid, (that's right, I saved all my toys). They are so delicate and such a pain to cut I always say forget it. I don't have time for pics but I'll try to explain what I did. I put a few tiny drops of glue on the frame and glued the cover slip right on top making sure to square up two corners. I tried a bunch of bits I have for my Dremel until I found one that would easily score the cover slip. Just a very light pass over the two overhanging edges and that's it. I just took A few pics that hopefully show what I mean. This is probably not something that hasn't been done before but I thought it was worth sharing.

I'm not sure it's worth it to use the cover slips unless you are modeling new or at least clean windows where the shine of real glass really makes a difference. Once you dirty them up you can't tell the difference. Breaking individual panes of glass is more real looling though. Anyway, I'm not sure what I will do for the windows in the other structures. I was very domestic today as you can see I am making and hanging shades. It's tissue paper soaked in very black coffee. The rod is blackened very fine wire. The drums have just the first step in rusting them up. I tried Bretts technique of brushing on alcohol then dusting on some chalk. I used my hairdryer method to dry it then softly brushed over them.

I brushed the tires with Rembrandt gold ochre chalk. Might still hi-lite the edges with antique white dry brushed. Having a lot of fun with this kit.

I just finished up the walls for the repair shop and taped them together to see how things look. The only treatment they got was the soaking with Mike C's formula and A&I. I heavily score along the bottom edges of the wall sections so the A&I wicks up in a very natural looking way.

I'm detailing each inside wall before assembly so heres what I did this a.m. on one end wall. I tried a couple of different things to rust up the "tin" signs and finally used Folkart burnt sienna craft paint. I dabbed it on all around the outside and kind of smudged it with my finger a bit. I then washed it with light A&I. I used some yellow ochre chalk on all the ledges on the wall to make it look like an accumulation of dust. The signs look pretty good but I know there are some other techniques that are very very good

I decided to change the side shed so I made one up that angles away from the end of the building. Here are some pics. The tarpaper is from Nash/Greenberg that I got many years ago. I used a glue stick to adhere the strips. I washed it with A&I dryed it then sprayed it with dullcote. I then used some chalks and that's it.

That concrete slab/ramp came with the kit and would be buried in the dirt somewhat so it will look more in place. I was also thinking of just having just dirt/ground under the shed.

Tar paper. They sold two colors I believe (I had the red obviously) and also black. I sanded both sides and picked off some red color with a dull #11 blade. I brushed a light brown chalk along each seam. I took the time to make a roof out of scale 1x12's so I probably should have exposed some of it otherwise I guess I could have just cut a piece of cardboard for the roof.

I shingled the roof but did not have the right Polly-s colors so I used craft paints and streaked on three colors as Brett suggests in the instructions. It just did not come out right so I'm going to get more shingles and try again. I can see how this technique could gice very nice results but I think I will have to thin the craft paints just a bit to make them a little easier to brush on. Here are some pics.

It is fun setting up little scenes as you go and it gives you an idea of how things will look when finished. This way it's not all just construction and painting details. The coarse dirt is not what I would be using here.

The floor is down and I can't believe the building fits as snug as can be.

shingles. I went over them with A&I which washed off the chalk I dusted on. It is hard to tell in the pics but in person I like how they look and think I got close to what Brett intended. The interior is completely detailed now and you can see I scuffed up each big door entrance. The pitch around the stack is Elmers yellow glue mixed with Polly-s grimy black. The chain across one opening was just an extra little detail I thought would look good.

Finally every last detail is painted so here are a few more pics then I am going to start on the Boiler and Welding shop. I'm sure a lot of you do this but here are a few pics of how I dust up the individual tires. I've been using Rembrandt yelloe ochre a lot as it gives a nice dirt/dust effect to all the castings especially the tires and tops of work benches

I did all the peeling white paint wood today and completed one wall. The only thing I did different was to stab and jab the paint on with a stiff bristle brush instead of using a piece of terry cloth and I used eggshell white craft paint. The 1x6 vertical boards look like I spaced them apart too much. I might use a sign or two on this wall and make them closer together on the other walls.

I got another wall done today. I did not have Polly-s grimy black or reefer white to color the shingles so I used craft paints (just a drop of water) Dark umber then Antique white and just a light streaking of Sandtone. I see that the green on the door has to be toned down and the window cracks run all the way across the pane.

I'm finishing up the detailing on individual walls before I glue them together. The vents/hoods were given a treatment in Blacken-it then dried and buffed a little so it gives the appearance of galvinized metal. I touched alcohol to the edges and dabbed on the dark sienna chalk and blew off any excess. I cut out some shingles before I glued the upper little door on

The furnace stack is a piece of styrene that fits into a collar that is part of the furnace. When I first went to fit the stack into the collar it broke of the casting. The collar you see on the stack now is a folded and glued piece of paper that I wrapped around the bottom of the stack. I see there is a space that I will have to figure out how to fill.

These are the first set of big doors I scratch built a la Mike C in his RR camp build. The wood is first given the usual A&I then I just stab and dab on some Eggshell white craft paint with a stiff bristle brush. I will do a light wash of A&I over this but first I made the hinges. They are not the best but I think the illusion is good. They are simply made of plain paper and I cut them with scissors until I had four that looked pretty much the same (the spade part on the door). I just cut little squares for the part on the jamb. They open and here is how I did it. Under the pieces of paper is a thin strip of double stick tape. The tape goes on the jamb and the door frame then each half of the hinge is glued on top.

I did some experimenting coloring the stone walls this

I got the warehouse walls done today less the window sashes. These walls have a very light wash of Sandstone craft paint so they don't look exactly like the truck repair shop walls. I will do some more to them but I'm not sure yet what that will be.

the walls looked a little to light so each board was drybrushed with a little raw umber chalk. I think they are better defined now.

Well for better or worse the stone walls are epoxied together. Here's a lot of pics. As I've said before this is a very useful tool. I can see where light spots need to be darkened and vice versa. The reddish stones are easily toned down with a brushing of chalk. Now for the tarpaper shed. If this rain keeps up I'll be on to scenery soon. Well, not quite as I still have a box load of castings to go. Anyway it's going way faster then I thought it would.

I cleaned up the rest of the castings and sprayed (floquil earth) all the stuff that represents wood, paper etc.. The stuff that is metal I dump in the blacken-it as I like this as good base for paint and rust treatment. There are a lot of individual 50gal. drums so here is a simple technique to give them a basic coating of rust. Lay a paper towel on your workbench and powder some chalk onto the paper (whatever color you like for rust). Make a nice little pile. Have some plain alcohol in a small container. Dip the barrel into the alcohol, drop it on the towel and roll it through the pile of powder, blow off the excess and that's it. I have never used the (put all the castings on toothpicks method) way too tedious. Oh yeah, the 50gal. drums are first sprayed with flat black. For some barrels you can first color the middle band with (yellow, orange, or white typically) than do the "rust roll".

I went back to the boiler/welding shop to work on the roof. As you can see I used tin for the annex part. I still have to do a little more to the green roof. The vents and stack need rusting and streaks down the roof

The tarpaper was just sprayed with flat black as per the instructions but not dull-coted and streaked with various chalks before being applied. Instead of gluing one piece of tarpaper over the wall I tore random pieces and applied it that way. I then applied the battens and window frames. Now is the time I sprayed it with dull-cote, went over it with A&I, some rust-all and some chalks. I might patch over a few spots with some random pieces of tarpaper.

a while back I talked about the technique I was experimenting with where I roll 50gal drums in piles of rust chalk after first dipping the drums in plain alcohol. I tried using some colors for the tanks. The red is a little bright but can be toned down and if the effects are not what I want the castings can just be washed off. These few pics are not that good but I'm heading out to play softball so no time for more.

The large tank was hand painted and weathered the conventional way. I just put it up there because I just painted it. A few of the barrels have the middle band painted by hand before I rolled them in the chalk. I think there are a lot of possibilities and room for variations with this technique.

I finished the roof for the tarpaper shed this A:M. I made the roof yesterday but was not going to have the exposed rafters and it just did not look right so I did as Bretts instructions called for. Here are a few pics of all the structures. I just have the top floor of the office to complete and it's on to the really fun part.

I do still have a good bit of casting painting to do but scenery is at least in the very near future. I like to go on to different stages of construction so I'm probably not going to wait until every last casting is done before I get some dirt down on this thing. I'm looking at the roof on the tarpaper shed and it looks too wide for the structure. I know I used the roof card that was labeled for this building but when I looked on the Sierra West site at the RR camp pics I see that the roof on Bretts model is definitely not as wide. I might have to narrow it some.

I painted my first Sierra West "big pile of junk" casting this A:M. I had to see how it would look in a little ground cover. It's fun doing these little scenes as I think it keeps the build fresh and not so linear in steps. I sprayed this casting with earth first instead of going over the resin color. It helps me pick out details better. I painted a few details with different colors then dabbed on some Polly-s oily black, a very light wash of Flo-stain walnut, then a dusting with a couple of different color chalks. This is not where this casting will go but I don't have any fence built yet to put it against. I can see where it should be more buried in the dirt and where some light spots have to be toned down.

Each wall has been washed with weather-it(which really didn't do much) then 2 washes of A&I went over that. I then sprayed each wall with dullcote so the craft paint would not soak in when applied.
I framed around the windows next so I would have a guide for the rows of nailholes. I like doing these built up windows in Bretts kits and I made a cutting guide on the window template so all the pieces are the same. I run a little bead of glue along the edge of the clapboards and apply one piece at a time. You have to have a little overhang all around the inside edge of the window opening so the sash has a lip to be glued to. When you apply each piece make sure to clean up any glue along the inside edge so the sash fits in flush and neat. I'm sure most of you know all this but it might be some help to someone doing one of Bretts kits for the first time.
Now I go along each frame with my funny looking nailhole tool and proceed up to the top of the wall eyeballing as I go. If the rows aren't perfectly straight I don't worry about it.
Now I make some cuts to separate some boards and add splits and cracks here and there. I again go under all the clapboards with a #17 blade and lift them up to make them look more individual. If you do this make sure to score along side the window frames or you will end up popping them off the wall.
I used some Antique white craft paint and went over the clapboards with just a very little paint (drybrushed). I used Wedgewood green craft paint for the final color and just kind of stabbed/dry brushed it on. Finally I scraped away spots that didn't look right and lifted the clapboards one last time and thats it.
I forgot to mention That after the nailholes were done I glued on the window sill and bottom board to complete the window framing. The frames are painted with the antique white with heavy peeling paint effect. I used some Rust-all on some of the rows of nail holes but tried not to over do it. The green is not the suggested color but I think it fits the overall scene. As you can see in one pic I brace each wall as much as I can. The final thing for each wall is to add the window sashes with glass and some shades. For shades I use the kind of tissue paper you get with a new shirt at Christmas. I make some really black black instant coffee and soak the tissue paper in it for awhile then lay it out on a towel to dry. It makes for some nice grungy old shades. That's it for today.
Kevin

The office is now complete except for the roof. That completes all the main structures and leaves me with some porch overhangs, loading dock and crane, fencing and details and scenery.

Here are the painted castings and the unpainted ones next to them. It looks like there is still a lot to do as far as the castings go but the tougher ones have mostly been done (the two big junk piles and most of the main cabinets). I worked on the roof for the office and yes I cut the roof card in half and do one half at a time because I think you can get a better fit this way. The laser cut shingles were first painted with roof brown and allowed to dry. After gluing them on (I use one of those glue sticks) I but on some weight and let them set for awhile. I next brace the back of the roof card so it doesn't warp. I brushed over the shingles with Floquil Walnut stain and dryed it with my hair dryer. Next I drybrushed the shingles with mudstone craft paint (first I lifted some shingles). I only dipped once into the paint and dabbed most of it off on a paper towel then I went over the shingles first very lightly then with increased pressure as the brush got dryer. Last I lightly brushed on some powdered yellow ochre chalk.

I worked on the roof and rafters and the edge trim that helps hide the seam between the clapboard and the stonework. The strip for the roof peak hasn't been fully colored yet and I just need to install the smoke stacks and vent pipe

Today I finished all the roof details so finally the main structures are complete. Everyone has there own method for doing chimneys so here is what I do. It's a metal casting so it gets a dunk in the blacken-it. I like this method because you don't have to wait for a prime coat to cure and the blacken-it is a good start for anything that has to be rusted(the chimney cover). I painted the bricks with Polly-s antique white and let it dry for a bit. I have a few old bottles of Polly-s ventian dull red which is a great brick color. I just dip the end of a flat stiff bristle brush in the paint and just lightly go over the bricks. It only colors the face of the bricks and leaves the white untouched for the mortar. I think this is way easier than painting the red first than using a wash of white that you have to rub off. I also got a few more detail castings done. The stack of boxes/crates is a tough one to get because there is not a lot of definition to work with. I used Floquil foundation, a couple of thin washes of Asphaltum craft paint than drybrushed some antique white. The camera was crooked not the chimney just so you know, ha ha. I decided to scratch build a door for the tarpaper shed. I guess I could have just painted the casting but it was fun to do.

Here are some pics of my experiments with track. The ties have been giving texture with a razor saw. I went over them with a wash of a driftwood like stain. I textured and sanded after that.
The spikes had to have each head filed down while being held tightly in needlenose pliers. In the pics the pair on the right have not been filed down other than the black top just so you can see them better. The pair on the left was filed down to a point that I thought was OK until I saw them next to the rail. The pair in the middle has been filed down even more and it looks OK but I'm not sure. The heads would be blackened before spiking. Opinions are welcome. This would be a tedious and time consuming process if I decide to spike every tie. Also what are typical dimensions for ties in this kind of setting and does the spacing look OK

Right now I've got three different things going on the bench. I building the fence which is another time consuming project. Each piece is given cracks, splits and distressed individually before being glued on. The little section with the gates was what I spent most of my time on yesterday. I like the white but it looks too much like the walls next to it so the long section of the fence will be a little different. I'm also still working on the track

The fence is done minus some signs. I tried something new and that is the mildew/moss effect on the bottom of the fence. I used Rembrandt Olive green chalk dusted on with a small stiff bristle brush. I can see from the pics that I need to take care of a little fuzzy texture with the white.

The office and warehouse are GLUED down and so are the details that you see. The little square of dirt outside the tarpaper shed is just fine dirt over a good layer of glue. The track is still a work in progress. I'm sure I'll see some gaps and shiny spots when I look at the pics so let's have a look. OK, I see the big fingerprint in the dirt, the green bottles have to be toned down as well as the side of the cabinet and also the scale. The coloring on the track will all be evened out. I was experimenting with chalks to see how much to rust the rails. Not bad though and I'm happy that I've finally made the step to ground cover. I was having a hard time getting started with it. I also was working on the front gate (not planted in the holes yet). There will also be a lot of junk under the platform and the legs will be in the dirt more.