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Reply to "Building Witzingers – by MELGAR"

@MELGAR posted:

Witzinger's Post 5 - August 28, 2021

Next step was to install the “slate” shingles covering the office roof. As shown in Photo 44, these are supplied as a sheet of paper strips.

MELGAR_PHOTO_44_WITZINGERS_ROOF_SHINGLES

Photo 45 shows the process of cutting and fitting each strip to correct length and angle, and gluing into position with yellow carpenter’s glue.

MELGAR_PHOTO_45_WITZINGERS_APPLYING_SHINGLES

The angled ends of the shingle strips were cut to match the rust-colored strips at the intersections of the roof panels, which are supposed to look like copper flashing. Each shingle strip overlaps the previous one and is also offset, as can be seen in Photo 46.

MELGAR_PHOTO_46_WITZINGERS_APPLYING_SHINGLES

I cut the strips slightly longer than necessary and trim the edges after all the shingles are installed, as shown in Photos 47 and 48. Shingle installation is a tedious process. It took me eight hours to do the office roof shingles.

MELGAR_PHOTO_47_WITZINGERS_OFFICE_ROOF_SHINGLESMELGAR_PHOTO_48_WITZINGERS_OFFICE_ROOF_SHINGLES

The remaining tasks on the model involve various details that can be omitted or customized, especially if the builder is willing to make some components from scratch.

The kit instructions show an auxiliary roof just above the 1st floor office windows, supported unrealistically and made from cardstock. Instead, I cut and assembled triangular supporting brackets and applied “slate” shingles to a basswood panel, as shown in Photos 49 and 50.

MELGAR_PHOTO_49_WITZINGERS_AUXILIARY_ROOF_PARTSMELGAR_PHOTO_50_WITZINGERS_AUXILIARY_ROOF_SHINGLES

I then attached the brackets to the auxiliary roof and mounted the assembly to the front of the office. The accurate cutting and assembly of the small parts for the brackets was time-consuming. I spent six hours on the auxiliary roof.

The instructions also show three awnings above the 2nd floor office windows. The kit provides colored paper to make the awnings by folding the paper into shape. Again, I did not find this satisfactory, so I fabricated three awnings from 1/32-inch-thick basswood, assembled and painted them, applied roof shingles, as shown in Photo 51, and mounted them to the front of the office, as shown in Photo 52. The accurate cutting and assembly of the small parts for the awnings was time-consuming. I spent five hours on the awnings.

MELGAR_PHOTO_51_WITZINGERS_AUXILIARY_ROOF_INSTALLED_AWNINGSMELGAR_PHOTO_52_WITZINGERS_AWNINGS_INSTALLED

The times I needed to make the numerous small parts for the auxiliary roof and awnings show the advantage of building from a laser-cut wood kit with its accurately cut parts, although the Witzinger’s kit did not include all such parts, and the instructions proposed short-cuts, that I did not use, to save time.

I also applied trim under the eaves of the office roof and attached the chimney with epoxy. Photos 53 and 54 show these parts.

MELGAR_PHOTO_53_WITZINGERS_AWNINGS_INSTALLEDMELGAR_PHOTO_54_WITZINGERS_AWNINGS_INSTALLED

Photos 55 and 56 show the model on the layout expansion.

MELGAR_PHOTO_55_WITZINGERS_ON_LAYOUTMELGAR_PHOTO_56_WITZINGERS_ON_LAYOUT

Several details remain to be completed. There will be a rooftop billboard that will require scratch-built construction of the billboard frame. This will be followed by a stick-built loading dock and an auxiliary roof at the front of the factory.

To be continued.

MELGAR

Superb modeling; sure wish I had as nice a roof on my house, particularly because my existing roof is about 25 years old.

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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