Santa Brought Me A Laser

[Design-HSB]

Hello Russ, really uniquely beautiful, what a wealth of detail.

[Lawton Maner]

Don't you mean 7,000,000 drops of whiskey?

[Bernhard]

Cardboard modeling is actually completely underestimated when - as here - an expert is at work.

Bernhard

[fspg2]

Hello Russ,

A great Christmas present.
I hope you will use it to conjure up many more beautiful models that you then show us!

In addition to the 7,000,000 there are a few missing screws on the drawbar 

[finescalerr]

The missing screws on the drawbar are because I drank 7,000,000 bottles of cognac. -- Russ

[Bill Gill]

7,000,000 bottle of cognac! There's probably more screws loose than on the drawbar. Your earlier models are really nice. Glad you still have them and hope to see the house and more new ones coming along.
The wagon is looking good. Do you coat the Strathmore with anything when you're finished to help stablize it from absorbing moisture? I'm thinking about small items like the wagon wheels sagging over time

[finescalerr]

I never did anything to stabilize the HO Strathmore models or, for that matter, any of my paper models whether Strathmore, Lanaquarelle, Wausau ExactIndex, or anything else. I'm more worried about my clumsy fingers wreaking havoc (or another massive brush fire like the one three years ago) than the weather. -- Russ

[Barney]

Just fascinating stuff - so fine - just keep it coming -its very enjoyable to look at
Barney

[Hydrostat]

Russ,

not bad! A heartly welcome to the world of serious modeling - you cranked out some really impressive results with that laser, and well, your hands. The two-dimensional prints and the three-dimensional laser parts match perfectly. Don't worry about the brush fires. Even brass models tend to shift shape at higher temperatures.

Cheers,
Volker 

[finescalerr]

The wagon is finally complete, at least to the degree I can detail such a tiny model representing a decaying relic. I'll show one shot of the finished model here, then show the drawings I sent to the laser, and conclude with more photos.

This model is so small many parts are too small and delicate to pick up with my fingers. The photos don't convey the actual size.

Here's the overall wagon.

Russ

[finescalerr]

Here is the first 8.5 x 11 inch sheet I sent to the laser.

[finescalerr]

The second sheet has all the tiny detail parts, most representing metal straps. I used 65 pound Wausau Bright White "cover sheet" paper, about 0.009-inch thick. Anything thinner is too fragile. Even so, after I colored them with Chartpak artist's markers I had to stiffen some parts with matte varnish. The angled straps below the driver's footboard are an example. Handling an unvarnished part that thin would be like trying to build with boiled spaghetti. And, yes, I anticipated the need for more parts than I actually used.

[finescalerr]

The final sheet is again 0.016-inch thick Strathmore Series 300 Bristol. When you laminate three or more pieces with white glue the result is similar to plywood and seems as durable as wood. Most Strathmore parts required at least one additional layer to achieve proper thickness. I used both SilverWood and a ChartPak Cool Grey marker to color the parts prior to assembly. Ultimately the marker won. The appearance was the same but the color was much less sloppy to apply.

[finescalerr]

I began construction with the underframe. Actually, I planned just to test fit some pieces but realized I had to glue them together. I assumed the first attempt would be a trial run and I'd have to laminate a lot of new parts after I discovered the trouble spots. Amazingly everything fit.

This view is similar to one at the beginning of the thread but the frame now has the four bolsters for retaining the wagon bed. To give an idea of how I built the model, each bolster consists of three laminated Strathmore parts to represent the wooden center and a strip of Wausau to represent a metal strap that loops over the top and continues on the back side.

[finescalerr]

Here's a top view of the underframe. A bolster sits on each axle and each consists of six layers of laser cut Strathmore. The problem is that parts of the frame, both front and back, are angled and the laser only can cut each piece to fit a straight part. So I applied a drop of CA to the areas requiring surgery and, when it had hardened, cut and filed the notches to the proper angles as though they were wood.

Why not use wood in the first place? Because I'd need a mill and the skill of a master machinist to produce those parts. Ain't got no mill and ain't got no skill. Besides, building a wagon from paper just isn't done so I wanted to try it.