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I’m adding a 14-inch by 30-inch extension at the north (back) end of my 12’-by-8’ layout that essentially will be a diorama with a town scene. This will give me the opportunity to build some structure models and scenery to fill the space.

Witzinger’s Washboards is an O scale background kit produced by Bar Mills Models. Witzinger’s will be at the rear of the scene against the wall and, although it will be in the background, I plan to finish the model to the usual level of detail on my railroads – not phenomenal but carefully built. Scenery and structure-building are my favorite model railroading activities, so all buildings on my layouts are built from kits or from scratch. Nothing is purchased and just dropped onto the layout. However, I do prefer to build from kits. It’s so much easier to buy a kit with all the materials needed to build a model rather than purchasing from multiple sellers. And, my fingers are no longer up to the stress of cutting window openings in basswood. I thought that people on the OGR Forum might be interested in seeing a step-by-step description of how I build this model, and that’s what this thread will be.

This kit is simple and easy to build. Bar Mills says it can be done in a few evenings – but I work slowly and plan on modifying the model to better fit the limited space I have available. Although I’m an experienced modeler, I do read the instructions before starting and refer to them while working. The building has two parts – an office (at left) and a factory (at right). I began with the office.

Photo 1 shows six pieces of milled clapboard walls that came in the kit. Very nice materials. Since this is a background model, a piece of cardstock is supplied for the rear wall. I sanded the edges of the wall pieces so that they would go together cleanly with the smallest possible gap.

MELGAR_PHOTO_01_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_WALLS

Photo 2 shows the upper and lower clapboard pieces joined together. I did this with the pieces on a flat surface and beneath weights (peanut jars filled with coins are my favorites) to hold them flat while the glue dried. I added half-inch extensions inside the bottoms of the clapboards that will be covered by a “brick” foundation that will look more realistic than leaving the clapboards in contact with the ground, as on the basic model.

MELGAR_PHOTO_02_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_CLAPBOARDS_JOINED_W_FOUNDATIONS

As shown in Photo 3, bracing was added to the back side of the walls to eliminate warpage due to painting. This included horizontal bracing to support a “second floor” that will serve as a view-block between it and the ground floor. I used more bracing than shown in the instructions.

MELGAR_PHOTO_03_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_BRACING

Photo 4 shows the three walls being assembled. The front wall was held flat under a wood block and a heavy weight. Glue was then applied to the edges and the side walls were placed into a vertical orientation, as checked by a 90-degree-square, with wood blocks and weights behind them to maintain alignment. As a retired engineer, I’m particular about having my models built “square.”

MELGAR_PHOTO_04_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_ASSEMBLY

Photos 5 and 6 show the three walls assembled. After the assembly, small blocks were added to the inside corners of the foundation pieces to keep them square when the “bricks” are attached. Note that there is a gap in the clapboard walls at each front corner that will be filled later by vertical corner-boards. This will allow the corner-boards to be painted in a contrasting trim color from the clapboard exterior walls before being added to the model, so that the color separation will be neat.

MELGAR_PHOTO_05_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_WALLS_ASSEMBLEDMELGAR_PHOTO_06_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_WALLS_ASSEMBLED

To be continued.

MELGAR

Attachments

Images (6)
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_01_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_WALLS
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_02_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_CLAPBOARDS_JOINED_W_FOUNDATIONS
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_03_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_BRACING
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_04_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_ASSEMBLY
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_05_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_WALLS_ASSEMBLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_06_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_WALLS_ASSEMBLED
Original Post

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@ctr posted:

Do you use a brush or airbrush?

@PRR1950 posted:

May I ask what type of glue you are using and why you made that choice?  Did you try test fitting before you decided to sand the edges?

I paint wood and plastic structures using a brush and mostly with acrylic paints that clean up with water. I don't apply primer to wood structures because I think they look better when the wood texture can be seen. That's why I'm careful about bracing.

I use "Titebond II" yellow carpenter's glue for basswood models, Testor's styrene cement (in a tube) for plastic models, and epoxy (half-hour working-time) for metal-to-wood. I don't use CA or rapid-drying adhesives. I prefer to have extra working-time, set the parts into exact position, and then take a break to let the glue dry. Yellow carpenter's glue dries in about two hours and creates a strong bond.

Every part is test-fitted multiple times before I apply glue and attach it to the model. Even laser-cut parts need the edges cleaned-up by filing or sanding to remove the nubs that hold them to the wood sheet. And parts that need to be cut with a hobby knife (I prefer a single-edge razor blade or razor saw) need to be "trued up" to be square and have flat edges. I sand the edges of large parts by laying a piece of sandpaper on the workbench and moving the part over the sandpaper to straighten the edge.

MELGAR

Mel, another great how to for me to follow.  Thank you for sharing your methods with us.  They produce some wonderful results as can be seen on both of your layouts.  A question about the backside bracing, was the bracing material provided with the kit?  You said you applied extra so I believe it is additional dimensional lumber.

Witzinger's Post 2 - August 6, 2021

With the three walls of the office (left building) assembled, my next step was to cut a 2nd floor to act as a view-block. This prevents being able to look into the 2nd floor windows and see out through the 1st floor windows. It wasn’t really necessary to do on this background building but I included it because it made the structure stronger and will help to preserve squareness until the rear wall is added. Photo 7 shows the floor piece cut from 1/32-inch-thick basswood and Photo 8 shows it after installation.

MELGAR_PHOTO_07_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR_CUTMELGAR_PHOTO_08_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_W_2ND_FLOOR

This completed the initial assembly of the office (left building) and I began to build the factory (right building).

Photo 9 shows the three scribed basswood exterior wall pieces and edge bracing pieces of the factory (right building).

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Photo 10 shows these pieces set up during assembly, with weights and wood blocks used to maintain squareness.

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Photo 11 shows the assembled walls including additional vertical and horizontal bracing to support the 2nd floor.

MELGAR_PHOTO_11_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_WALLS_ASSEMBLED

As shown in Photo 12, a 2nd floor was cut for the factory. This also included extra bracing to maintain flatness of the floor, which needed extra support due to the short wall on one side.

MELGAR_PHOTO_12_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR_CUT

As shown in Photo 13, I was careful to maintain squareness and flatness during installation of the floor because they would eventually affect flatness of the rear wall of the combined office and factory buildings.

MELGAR_PHOTO_13_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR_DURING_ASSEMBLY

Photo 14 shows the assembled factory walls and floor.

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With the exterior walls and floors completed, I set up the office and factory sections next to each other and against a flat vertical wall, as shown in Photo 15, to check their fit, alignment and squareness, which seemed to be satisfactory. However, I did not combine the two sections because I thought it would be easier to paint them and install the windows and glazing while they were separate.

MELGAR_PHOTO_15_WITZINGERS_TEST_FIT

To be continued.

MELGAR

Attachments

Images (9)
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_07_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR_CUT
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_08_WITZINGERS_LEFT_BLDG_W_2ND_FLOOR
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_09_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_WALLS
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_10_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_ASSEMBLY
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_11_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_WALLS_ASSEMBLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_12_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR_CUT
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_13_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR_DURING_ASSEMBLY
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_14_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_BLDG_2ND_FLOOR
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_15_WITZINGERS_TEST_FIT

Witzinger's Post 3 - August 14, 2021

Next, I began to paint the exterior walls of the building – “Burnt Sienna” acrylic for the office and “Earth Tone” acrylic for the factory. I preferred to use a brush for this because it produced a realistic variation in the color of the wood walls. After the paint was dry, I applied a mixture of alcohol and India ink to give a slight weathering effect, as shown in Photo 16. I also added an additional reinforcement between the tops of the office walls.

MELGAR_PHOTO_16_WITZINGERS__PAINTED

Photo 17 shows the two sheets of plywood parts for the windows, doors and trim. These sheets are “peel-and-stick” with adhesive on the backs and do not require glue for assembly. However, I do apply small amounts of yellow carpenter’s glue to ensure permanence of the bonds. I painted the office trim “Chocolate Brown” and the windows “Sand,” for contrast, as shown in Photo 18. I then assembled the office windows and trim, cut the acetate glazing to size, and assembled the office windows, as shown in Photo 19. Photo 20 shows the factory windows and doors, painted “Hunter Green,” and Photo 21 shows the assembled factory windows and doors, including glazing. Painting laser-cut-wood window parts is tedious. It took me more than eight hours to paint and assemble the windows, doors and glazing for the office and factory. Some kits supply plastic windows, which are somewhat quicker to prepare.

MELGAR_PHOTO_17_WITZINGERS_WINDOW_SHEETSMELGAR_PHOTO_18_WITZINGERS_26_LEFT_SIDE_WINDOW_PARTS_PAINTEDMELGAR_PHOTO_19_WITZINGERS_LEFT_SIDE_WINDOWS_ASSEMBLEDMELGAR_PHOTO_20_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_SIDE_WINDOWS_DOORS_PAINTEDMELGAR_PHOTO_21_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_SIDE_WINDOWS_DOORS_ASSEMBLED

Photo 22 shows the windows, doors and glazing installed in the office and factory walls.

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Next, I chose an easy task. Photo 23 shows the rear of the office and factory with strips of paper glued to the insides of the windows to simulate window shades. Photo 24 is a front view showing the shades and sills (on the office windows).

MELGAR_PHOTO_23_WITZINGERS_WINDOW_SHADES_INSTALLEDMELGAR_PHOTO_24_WITZINGERS_WINDOW_SHADES_INSTALLED

I then prepared foundation pieces for the office and factory. These were not in the kit. The office received a “rough brick” foundation (1/2-inch height exposed – 2 feet full-scale) cut from plastic sheets, painted mineral red, followed by “concrete” for mortar. The factory foundation was cut from “taskboard” (1/8-inch height exposed – 6 inches full-scale), which has a surface texture that looks like concrete. Photos 25 and 26 show the foundation pieces. Photos 27 and 28 show the brick foundation applied to the office with polystyrene glue.

MELGAR_PHOTO_25_WITZINGERS_FOUNDATION_PIECESMELGAR_PHOTO_26_WITZINGERS_BRICK_MORTAR_FOUNDATIONMELGAR_PHOTO_27_WITZINGERS_OFFICE_BRICK_FOUNDATIONMELGAR_PHOTO_28_WITZINGERS_OFFICE_BRICK_FOUNDATION

At this point, the office and factory sections were ready to be joined together.

To be continued.

MELGAR

Attachments

Images (13)
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_16_WITZINGERS__PAINTED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_17_WITZINGERS_WINDOW_SHEETS
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_18_WITZINGERS_26_LEFT_SIDE_WINDOW_PARTS_PAINTED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_19_WITZINGERS_LEFT_SIDE_WINDOWS_ASSEMBLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_20_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_SIDE_WINDOWS_DOORS_PAINTED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_21_WITZINGERS_RIGHT_SIDE_WINDOWS_DOORS_ASSEMBLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_22_WITZINGERS_WINDOWS_DOORS_GLAZING_INSTALLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_23_WITZINGERS_WINDOW_SHADES_INSTALLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_24_WITZINGERS_WINDOW_SHADES_INSTALLED
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_25_WITZINGERS_FOUNDATION_PIECES
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_26_WITZINGERS_BRICK_MORTAR_FOUNDATION
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_27_WITZINGERS_OFFICE_BRICK_FOUNDATION
  • MELGAR_PHOTO_28_WITZINGERS_OFFICE_BRICK_FOUNDATION

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