[Madkitten]

Hiya,

Ive just started to work on my new layout, Its 0-14 and the entire thing is in an area of 1'6" x 3'. Its been designed to be for exhibition and is called Tumbledown wharf.................... Thats why ive been quiet on the work front recently........................ Ive been doing all the drawings for it..... If people would like to see, i can always post up some of my drawings so you can all get an idea of what im upto...... Just started making all the track and have already carved and cast all the wharf walls......

Would anyone be interested in seeing the drawings on here...... before i scan them all in and post them up!

we are just making the box at the moment that the layout resides in!

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Oh well here goes, hope you all think its a good idea,

It is a 0-14 layout compacted into a small case specifically to go to exhibitions....... that what i designed it for.
I have been making all the moulds up recently for the buildings and walls. I hand carve them all from plaster
then make moulds in silicon before casting in Fastcast resin. makes life easier and allows for a much better finish.

This is the overhead veiw - only a quick sketch.......

This is what the veiwer will see when they are looking at the layout front on.

And here are a few of the building designs that i have scanned in - i have drawn them all now just not got round to scanning them yet....!!

These will all be available to buy as kits in the near future, i am producing kits as i produce the parts for my layout.

Already i have produced the dock walls and the kits for them. i will post more details of that in the next few days.

Hope you all like these drawings and think the idea i have is ok. Just making the track now, that of course doesnt fit any normal
stuff either and has to be made as well.........

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

I will definatly be keeping it updated as its already been booked for a show later this year ............................. Also im documenting it for magazines as well as i go along. I have already been asked if i can do a writeup on each building as i make them with detailed construction details. So plenty of piccys too !!!

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya, more updates for you all,

PART 1 - The Wharf Mouldings.

firstly i have made up the wharf walling now and cast all the parts i need. For this i start with my drawing and make a wooden sided box the right size
then i fill this with dental plaster and let it dry off. I start carving this whilst it is still slightly damp. this stops it cracking or flaking as you carve it.

So i end up with originals which i glue to a board.
The Wharf Wall Section.......

The Post Section.............

Then i add a box of plastic around the original which i then fill with silicon and leave for 24 hours.

Then i start casting the parts with a fast cast resin. This is a light but very strong material.

So here is the finished articles glued together and painted.....

Also i have turned these into a kit for other people that will be avilable within the next few weeks..

 

[Madkitten]

PART 2 - Making tracks.....

Whilst i was waiting for the silicon to dry etc i decided to start making track.

So using KB Scale Sleepers and plans i started to make sections of straight track.

Then i decided to start on a set of points, as the set i picked to start with was in the triangle i marked out the entire triangle section of track
by cutting out the template sheets from KB scale and then placing and moving them untill i had a clean and neat junction. At this point i found
i was only 5mm out on my original sketch.

Then as this whole section will be tramway and covered in hand carved cobbles i decided to use wooden sleepers with a wider foot.
Making the point up took about two hours and i still have to fit the Point blades. at the moment it is tacked down to the plan with a single blob
of bostick glue as i can just detach it when i need to.

 

[Madkitten]

PART 3 - some rolling stock..........

I also had purchased a couple of wagon kits from KB Scale and so sat and made these up the other night.

These were some of the best kits i have ever assembled , they were neat fitted perfectly and very well designed.

I will be purchasing a couple more very soon, whilst i decide exactly what locomotives i want to use..............................

Hope you all like my work.

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

the little wagons are from KB Scale - he does some brilliant kits and is a great and helpful guy.......

http://www.kbscale.com/

It was probably due to finding his website ages ago that prompted me to do 0-14 rather than 0-16.5!
Have nearly finished making the display case now it got held up for a few days as i needed more ply.

Will post pics of it very soon.

Thankyou for all your kind comments

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya all,

Ive now finished the case for the layout! Its an integral travelling case and layout in one - basically built just for taking to exhibitions. So i thought i would post pictures of it. Its made from 6mm ply and was glued and screwed.....................

I built a control panel into the back that opens to allow for easy access if switches fail etc or fuses blow.

Will post more as i progress .... !!!

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya Expat,

I did have a little hlep with the construction cause its a bit heavy for me to do on my own. My husband helped me to fit it together using a method we have used in the past, We use plastic corner blocks and a lot of Evostick PVA ( with resin in it ). It makes an extremly strong case that is also extremly light.......

Last night sat up and drew all the plans onto the layout. Then i marked all the light and track power points.......

Gonna wire up today......

Nikki,

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya,

Thought i would post the latest update on my work!!

Firstly i spent a highly boring two evenings wiring the entire layout up to my drawings........ Subsequently i have a maze of multi coloured cables under the board and in the control panel.

I also noticed at this point i had used the wrong switches for the points - push to make would not work the way i wanted the to so i replaced them with two way ( on-off-on ) switches.

I have also been making a start on the first building - this one is to be cast in resin as well - some of the layout is only going to be made from strengthened plaster. This one is to be resin cast as it is my hope to sell some as model kits in the near future.

Anyway, This is how i make one if anyone is interested..... and would like to use the same technique themselves ......

First i make an outline drawing of the section i want to carve, In this case the top and bottom and the sides of the half relief building. These i glue to a board,

Next i cut some sections of balsa wood not to thick about 4-6 mm is fine. I cut each section to be 1.5 cm ( this is the best i have found to stop the plaster just cracking up when removed).

These i glue around the paper shapes following the lines exactly. For windows and doors i cut the shape from balsa and glue it in the hole. The glue i use is a couple of spots of superglue. Then i brush a light coating of vasaline around the interior of the mould.

I then fill these with Javis Fine casting plaster and leave to dry for about one hour.

After an hour the plaster has set but not completly hardened, this is the best time to start carving. If its to wet then it wont carve and if its to dry it will crack and flake. By carving the plaster when it is only semi dry allows me to smooth the cuts etc and easily clean off.

For this step ( carving ) you will need - Mini chisels, a scapel, an old metal file ( large ), an old dry paintbrush and preferably a set of dental picks and a metal edge. You will have to find yourself a thin tool to carve the brick / stone work out with. i tend to make mine from old scapel blades etc ..........

When you have finished a small section brush it off and it should look fine. I tend to find the more i experiment with this method the more impressive the sections look. Its extremly messy though........ An hour or so later and you should end up with something like this......

This then is left to dry for a good few days and you will have the part you have made ready for use. To paint the plaster i spray with halfords grey primer - leave an hour and do it again. leave an hour and its ready to paint.

For doors and windows - its a little more complex!

For tis is draw the door / window out onto a sheet of thin plasti kard. Then i make the door up in sections of plastikard . Using different thicknesses to build up the door. Then i cut out the windows panes from the plastikard and file it round until it is straight. This is another experiment area and at the moment i have managed to develop them to the point to be resin cast. These i hope will be available in the near future for anyone to buy as well....

Ready to take the silicon mix to make the moulds..................

 

[Madkitten]

As well as this I have also been starting to work on the layout board. So far i have built the road level at the back of the layout and started to add the walling around the tunnel area.

I have also started to lay the odd bits of straight track here and there so i can start to create the tramway areas.... these are to be made from plaster ( ICI interior filler ) and then hand carved as they are all going to be square cobble and some flagged areas.................... not looking forward to the amount of carving to be done ........................

I have also recently purchased a Langley brass kit of a phone box which i made up and fitted with a led light - The + power cable runs up the inside edge f the box and is not visible and as the box was brass i connected the - power cable to the kit thus makin the entire model negativly charged and completing the circuit. The phone box will be run on 3volts.......

The phone box will sit just abve the tunnel mouth - just here ...............

Hope you all enjoyed reading this - if anything is interesting and you want more information please email me and i will help you out ....................................

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya,

Thanks for all the wonderful comments!!

I havent done much today......... Wasnt feeling well this morning so slugged in douvay on the sofa this morning with my cat, choccy and tea........ felt better this evening so i sat and made up therest of the tunnel. Once again i created a template, filled it with plaster then carved the detail in. Im really starting to enjoy carving plaster even if it does take a long time. The overall effect it seems to have i feel is very effective.

Anyway...................... Some piccys for you all !!!!

and a wagon on a bit of track just to give you some idea of how tight the tunnel is - i did that on purpose, the locomotive clearance is approx 8mm roof to top of tunnel...........

Nikki,

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya, thankyou pilotfreind, a compliment coming from you is a wonderful thing !! ( having been highly impressed at your work for a long time now!! )

The only reason the wooden uprights are resin is because i originally thought that it would be easier because i have to plaster the entire dockside as i go and hand carve it and i was worried they would brake. Saying that as i havent yet glued in the entire harbour front, i am going to really have a look at using balsa for the upright wooden sections.

Where would i get the enzyme lignase from?, i would love to get an even more impressive finish to this layout if posible so all help and constructive critisim is really appreciated!!!!

Frame 69 i know how difficult it can be !! I Aquired my skills from my mum and dad, they both used to work on the massive N Gauge railway we had, mum did buildings and scenery and dad did locos and track laying etc......... Overtime i learnt both then i moved to dolls houses for a long while. This became really difficult after a while due to size so i started to use dolls house ideas smaller and smaller. Apart from that i just stick to my policy of " I can do anything - I just have to learn it first". Plus i model all day most days............. I have also taught myself electronics and how to carve.

About dockside walls - I have been asked by loads of people if i can make a set of castings for dockside walls for OO Gauge - I am currently working on these
and also on steps down etc..... I estimate two to three weeks and the first products will be ready for release.......................... Is anyone interested?

 

[Madkitten]

Last night i started on the carvings for the first few buildings, these are not going to be kits so they are made from plaster then backed with foam board. this makes it a lot stronger.

I will be posting pictures later this evening once the first building base has been stuck together......................../

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya,

The first building has been started now! It is a half relief
section that sits towards the back of the layout next to the tunnel. Again i started by carving the first section from plaster. On this building the only stone sections are the ground floor, the top being made from wood.

Firstly i cut the shapes from paper and then bordered it with balsa.

Then i filled and carved the sections with rough stone to create a carved section as i normally do. After it had dried out i affixed it to a section of 5mm thick foam card. Luckly my local store that sells it now stocks it in black which means i dont have to spray it black anymore !!

the gaps left around doors and windows are there to allow the fixing of window and door frames. I then cut bracing and side sections to allow me to place interior walls.

I then continued to build the base of the building up from foamcard and the carved sections untill i had a very strong base. I also carefully fitted the corner then replastered and carved any corner gaps.

I then added the floor for the top section. this was 5mm shallower than drawn to allow for the width of the foamcard.

I then cut and built the top of the building from foam card also building a complete interior layout for rooms etc. This makes sure light wont escape into other sections of the building and isnt strictly neccesary - Its just me being picky............

I then visited my local Costa coffe shop where the staff kindly let me have a load of there wooden stirring sticks..... I had about 150..........

I then fixed then to the foamcard frame with evostick contact adesive, setting the edges and corners with superglue. I then trimmed them all with a razor saw and sanded them untill they were completly straight.

I then set to with a very coarse sandpaper and roughed the wood up in an up and down motion - this creates a look of wood grain and distresses the wood to make it look a lot older. Then i used a scribe and roughly scribed random length boards onto each strip. I then pushed two small holes into the end of each " plank section" to look like nail / screw heads. These should show up when the painting stage starts.

Then I re sanded it very lightly with the coarse paper to remove the burring you can see in the above pictures...... Didnt photograph that section tho...........
And here is the building in its position, so you can see where it will fit in.

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Thankyou frame69!!!

I really hope posting all my work up as i build this layout will really help some people out and maybe even give people some inspiration for there own layouts.
I just think its good to share how you do things so everyone can have a go!!

I will answer any questions people might have .....................

The first answer is .........................

The plaster i use is Javis casting plaster..... it sets off fast, you have about 5 mins to pour it, then leave it for about 3/4 hour before you start carving. Also remeber as you poor it to push it all round the mould to allow it to fill al the square edges etc...

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Todays work......................................

The making of the doors and windows tonight.

I make a start by placing a sheet of thick card with a slip of paper in the back of the window / door and drawing the exact shape onto the paper. I then copy this onto a peice of thin plastic sheet. Using different thicknesses of plastikard and copious amounts of plastic glue ( revel in this case ) i start to build the different layers of the door or window up onto the plastic base sheet. I have used black and white here to try and give you some idea of how it is done.

I then add uprights around the outside of the box of a thin plastikard. This allows the window or door to fit extremly snuggly into the wall. It also adds the window / door surrounds as one peice.

I then cut out the spaces with a brand new scapel blade very carefully.

Then i clean them up with a knife and a light file. ( best to leave for a hour before doing this as sometimes the plastic can be rubbery )
A basic door....... Using the same method.......

I use nearly the same method for making a larger door as well, this one is to be a slightly curved top wooden door. It is to be fitted into the top section of wall. The differences with this door is ....a. It is to be open and b. it is a wooden door. I use plastic here to make the frame following the same method as above. Then i make the door using strip wood and rough sand papers to add wood grain.

To start off i made a basic three thickness frame this then was added to another layer of plastikard to make a "plugin frame".

I detailed this with bolt holes in the corners and gave it wood grain with a very coarse grit paper.

I then made the doors from thin strips of obeche and glued them into the frame so the doors sat open ( NB - when making shed style doors remember to add the z shaped bracing on the back.............)

Then all windows are fitted to the holes they will eventually be fitted in. The holes will be to small but by carefully skimming them round you can create a perfect fit. This is why i do it this way - it means hardly any glue and a very neat and relaistic finish. I dont glue the windows and doors in untill I have painted and finished the outside so the window frames dont get covered in paint. I do however add them before i start weathering the building.

Doors and windows fitted........

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

QUOTE (Doug @ 10 Mar 2009, 08:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Nice work. I'd like to try some of those techniques.

Are the window frames stuck to a layer of clear plastic, or does is white glue used to make the window panes?

Hiya doug,

The windows are at the moment - without glass, i just cut a square to fit the back of the frame and glue it in last after the windows are painted and finished with a little touch of plastic cement.

Hope this helps

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya,

Building two is underway now.....

I have built it using the same method as earlier, the only difference now being this building must have a removable roof - for changing light bulbs etc..... The first building will lift out from the layout to change bulbs instead...

This building is stone based and plaster topped. I have tried to simulate a lath and plaster styled wall that has not been looked after and the plaster is starting to fall off.

Some of the detail carving on the building.

This building also had to have a detachable roof . so i made a section that would slip inside the external roof sections.

The building is not detailed on the side for one reason. This is because it is to mould into the model case and will be painted black to match the outside of the case.

And the building gets placed into situ to check that it fits exactly......

Now just got to make the doors and windows...........

Nikki

 

[Madkitten]

Hiya,

Well today ive managed to add the windows and doors to building two. Ive made them the same way that i have made the others.

As my plastikard from Slaters turned up today i made the rooves....... One is slate and one is corrugated iron. To start with i slightly rough up the roof former ( black plastic sheet glued to the top of the building already) with a 120 grit sandpaper. This is to allow the plastic cement to get a solid fix to the surface of the black plastic. Then i cut the slaters 7mm 0.015mm embossed roof slates into strips as are imprinted on the sheet.

Then i cut the individual slates and start to shape them into various lengths and forms.

Then i glue these strips overlapping each other onto the roof using Slaters Mek-Pak.

After both sides were done i trimmed the edges to straighten the edges up. Then i added a wooden facia board and ridge tiles
which i found an old pack of in my bits box.

As the roof still looked slightly bleak at this point i also added a roof finial made from an OO gauge langley ornate gate post.

The OO Gauge gate post finial......

As for the smaller building i cut Slaters 7mm corrugated plastic roofing sheet into 5.6mm x 2.8mm ( 4ft x 8ft ) sections and then attched these too the roof layer. As i added them i also librally applied plastic glue to the toop of the panel and rubbed it down with my finger. The weathers the plastic and makes it look a lot more like old iron sheet in texture......

I then added a plastic strip folded in half as the ridge. When doing this i have found it is essential on metal rooves to soak the ridge in glue so it will mold to the top of the roof and look old and battered.

I then added a wooden facia and downward pointing finial......

This afternoon i also laid the tunnel track and plastered the trackbed around it ready for groundcover and plants to be placed.

Overall i am somewhat happy with the layout so far in its unpainted state.........

Nikki