Thanks Verne!
The right side of my store looked a little bare, so I added a chimney. This was my first time modeling bricks, so I went to the Westlake Forum and reviewed the posts on making/coloring bricks. I also downloaded a chart that someone had posted showing brick sizes (thanks!) Then I re-read Nick’s article on bricks in the 2012 Modelers Annual. Finally I visited My Friend Flickr and found many pictures of old brick chimneys and the country stores who loved them.
I then made a 3D model using Solidworks. I chose the Standard brick size and a mortar gap of a scale ˝”. I just made simple straight patterns although I could have done some more random spacing as taught by Nick, but I didn’t think it would show up in O scale (it would have.) I sent the model to Shapeways and had it printed in their FUD material. I was glad when they delivered it on the exact day promised this time (I hope that’s the new normal for them). I did the usual sanding of the layer lines on the brick faces and then cleaned it thoroughly with Acetone. Using a sharp file and an X-Acto knife I added some general distressing and chips to many of the brick edges and faces (The FUD material is easy to carve).
I gave it a primer coat of flat black spray and when dry, a base coat of Polly Scale Chromate Primer. This was followed by brushing individual bricks with various brick looking Polly reds, oranges and browns. Then I added mortar using wallboard joint compound. This was wiped on and then wiped off with a damp sponge. When dry, a dusting of grey pigment powders started the mortar coloring. The final brick coloring was done with gouache and wet and dry pigment and pastel powders. Wet powders usually dry to a horrible color, but with some secondary working using water applied with a small brush and a sharp toothpick, I was pleased with the result. A final low pressure soda blast further flattened the finish. The mortar was then darkened more with pin washes of Silverwood or Weather-all.
I added a stove pipe using etched aluminum tube weathered with gouache and powders. The cement cap was made with wallboard compound that was slathered on and carved to shape when dry.
Based on reference photos I added some questionable patching and sealing cement between the bricks and the siding. The sloppiness may seem exaggerated, but I found numerous examples of this kind of workmanship. I don’t know why the sealing was done, because I found many chimneys that were not sealed. I also added the requisite white paint slop. Some of the mortar was carved out to simulate old joints just like Nicks bricks.
Now that it’s installed, I need to add roof flashing and some touch up on the corners. Hopefully I can do more brickwork sometime, maybe in a larger scale.
