Westlake Publishing Forums

Hello fellow scale modelers. My name is Stuart Wakefield.  Although I have just joined this forum community, when Russ moved away from publishing his beautiful magazines and annuals, I began looking to the forum for inspiration. Over the past several years, I have been peeking in to have a look at all the great work and modeling suggestions you talented artists are doing. So now, I want to share my modeling efforts with you too, get your feedback and perhaps I can offer some constructive advise for some of you along the way. So here goes.

Let me introduce you to one of my projects, Luke's Garage and Gas Station.  This is a 1/12th scale model which is probably a larger scale than what most of you work in. As a young fellow I began in HO scale then as a young adult, graduated to O scale. Now I work in even larger scales and have shifted my emphasis from model railroading to architectural subjects. The larger scale allows me to be more detail oriented, something I enjoy.

At any rate, Luke's is a project I began some years ago. Over the years it has evolved into something more and more complex and detailed as I continue to research gas stations of the early 1930's time period. It's still in it's construction phase with yet a fair amount to do before I can call it complete.

The scenario I have imagined is that Luke, the proprietor, runs the garage and gas station by day and resides in his upstairs apartment by night. His establishment is out in the country and serves the local farm residents and any city folk who may  be out for a leisurely drive. In the hills, not far away, are apple orchards and shops with delicious apple desserts.

Some of the items in the model are purchased pieces available commercially but, I almost always rework them to suit my taste. Most of what I do is scratch built and when I can't find what I need I'll sit down at my computer and work up the item in a 3D program (SketchUp) and then send the file off for printing.

I've included some photographs.

14(copy).jpg

More photos showing interior spaces.

Stuart,

Nice that you show your little works of art here. Can you also tell us a little more about how you do what?

Stuart, please ask somebody to clean that toilet!

And Frithjof is right: You need to tell us how you created the model and effects. Warning: You may end up producing pages of information to answer all the specific questions I anticipate you'll receive.

Russ

Very neat workmanship - Plus lots of nice detail
Barney

This is wonderful!

Okay, I will do my best to recall how I have done things. I began this project back in the early 1980's so remembering exact methods will be a bit of a memory test.

Maybe I should begin by explaining how my project even came into being. 

Back in the 80's the dollhouse craze was in full swing. I had an opportunity to take a class hosted by Noel and Pat Thomas who were, and continue to be, well known for their unique and masterfully created 1/12th scale dollhouses. I use the term "dollhouse" loosely here because their creations were meant for the serious miniature collector, not for child's play.  To get a sense of their excellent work, take a look at their website http://www.thomasopenhouse.com

As I say, I had the privilege of attending one of their classes where they demonstrated their construction, painting and weathering methods. The class included the shell of what they called the "Model A Garage".  The object of the class was to then add the detail, i.e. board and batten siding, shingles, trim, windows, doors, hardware, etc. etc. and to give it an aged "lived in" appearance.  It was a glorious several days as we learned how to gouge, scratch, stain, paint, and generally give our respective garages the look of years of wear and tear.  Obviously there was no chance that any of us would be able to complete the fabrication and finishing methods for the entire structure, we were to take what we had learned and finish our projects at home.

When I got my project home, I wanted to add my own twist to the effort. I came up with the idea of attaching a gas station to the garage to make it a commercial enterprise.  I began researching gas stations of the 1930's, not only the architectural styles but the kinds of equipment such a business would be required to use.  I soon learned that to make a believable diorama at 1/12th scale would require considerable effort and a boat load of detail. This would be great fun and provide an opportunity for me grow in my modeling techniques and methods.  If I could pull it off, I thought, I might venture into even more challenging efforts in the future.

Here I am some 40 years later still learning and growing on the same project.  The chance to work on Luke's Garage and Gas has been sporadic over those 40 years but now that I am in retirement I am hoping I can pick up the pace considerably.

So now, let me put on my thinking cap and see if I can remember just how I have done what I have done.     
   

In the photo of the interior of the garage, the pot belly stove is a plastic kit by Chrysndon.  Back when Floquil was still producing it's model railroad paints, I used Grimmy Black overall and then finished up with pastel weathering chalks to provide the slightly rusty and dusty condition.  Even though it can't be seen in this photo, I've added a few cinders here and there below the stove made of grains of sand and painted gray.  The stove pipe is fashioned from Evergreen Scale Models plastic tubing. The coffee pot is also a Chrysndon item. It came in the blue color you see in the photo but then I stained it to give it a well used look.

The cabinet and shelving at the back of the garage is all scratch built.  All eight drawers are functional.  The work bench top is stained with India ink blotches to appear as if oil and grease have permeated it's surface. Eventually I will fill the work bench and shelves with tools, auto parts and cast off mechanical junk.

The entire structure is wired and electrified.  You can see the glowing light bulb at the top of the photo.

The plumbing pipes in the corner were created using various sizes of Plastruct tubing. To make the curved sections of piping I heated the plastic just enough to soften the material so I could form the bends.

The garage floor is stained with actual dirty motor oil mixed with dust and fine sifted dirt to mimic years of auto repair work.  I also hoped it would add an odor of old oil to further add to the sense of a well used mechanical space.

Really beautiful work! I love the subtle signs of wear and weathering.

Very nice work! Thanks for posting this

Great work Stuart.  Welcome to the forum.

Glad that your telling us how you did this.

Jerry

Welcome to the forums, Stuart. Terrific attention to details! I like the idea of trying to create the ambience of a garage smell by staining the floor with old motor oil

Thank you everyone for your encouraging words.

Moving to the front of the gas station, I have included a scratch-built bench, a couple pieces of signage, and a lubester.

This being a country setting where life would have been a little slower, I felt a bench would be an inviting addition where customers could spend a moment or two chatting with the station owner or enjoying a cool bottle of Orange Crush.  The design of the bench is patterned after a bench my parents had in a breezeway at our home in Southern California. I have aged this one considerably, especially the end of the bench where it is more exposed to the weather.

The lubster is one I drew up in SketchUp. I LOVE SketchUp and use the program regularly in my model work for layouts of various kinds and for preparing 3D pieces for printing.  Such was the case here with my lubester pump and tank lid.  Here in Utah, I am fortunate to live close to a fellow who has made a massive collection of vintage petroleum related items; signage, gas pumps, lubesters, old automobiles and trucks etc.  I made careful measurements of one of his lubsters and recreated it in miniature. 

I sometimes wonder if creating models on the computer is cheating to some degree.  Before the advent of the computer and 3D modeling programs, the scale modeler was relegated to creating things my hand the hard way by sculpting, carving, or machining methods.  But I do not own a lathe or milling machine nor would I know how to use them if I had them.  A computer with a 3D program seems a viable alternative.

Once I had the lubster pieces in 3D form I sent them off to Shapeways in New York to have them printed.  The detail they are able to generate with their printing process is outstanding. There is a little clean up involved before paint can be applied and the finished pieces need to be handled with care. Thin areas are especially vulnerable to damage.  With this piece I managed to break the crank during clean up so needed to cut away the broken area and recreate the crank with brass strip.  I was able to salvage the knob at the end of the crank and epoxy it back in place.  The bolt head at the top of the crank was replaced with a brass one I had in my parts bin.  The pieces are primed and ready for a finish coat.  The lubester tank is .100 sheet styrene.  The whole assembly will eventually be aged and grimed up with oil spills.

The Orange Crush sign was one I was able to pull off the internet.  After doing a little doctoring in Adobe Photoshop it was ready for printing. 

The gas price placard was made of sheet brass and painted to appear as a chalk board surface.  The Regular and Ethel labels are decals I created in Photoshop.  I used a white Prismacolor pencil to indicate the hand written gas prices. The No Smoking sign is another decal created in Photoshop.

Brass tubing was used for the handrail.  The 45-degree elbows and the tee fittings are also brass tubing cut, shaped and then put together with J-B Weld epoxy.  The white paint job still needs to be aged a bit to indicate wear.

Station front showing bench, railing, signage and lubster.

Nope, you weren't "cheating" with the tools you use, Stuart. Everything changes; SketchUp, 3-D printing, and lasers may well be the future of mainstream modeling. A caveman with a hammer and chisel could say guys with razor saws and hobby knives were "cheating" but the reality is we now just have better tools to create more perfect models. Like yours.

Were it not for computers, digital cameras, and digital printers I'd never have been able to start and maintain my publishing company. Unless I'm mistaken, our first issue in late 1991 was the first completely digitally created magazine. And, because I had to spend so much of my time on Photoshop and AutoCAD, I had almost no time to learn hand painting and weathering techniques. Instead I ended up creating those effects with Photoshop and inkjet printed paper. They produced better results than I could achieve with paints and stains (although maybe a little below the standard the guys on this forum achieve with traditional methods).

In other words, embrace positive change and use whatever tools best suit you to get the results you want.

Russ

Thanks Russ.  I will continue go forth boldly with confidence and resolve.

Stuart

Along with confidence and resolve, it wouldn't hurt also to wear a Chicken Little helmet. -- Russ

Here's another, more clear, view of the potbelly stove.

Next is the interior of the gas station.

The counter is one of my own design.  The drawer is functional and the counter top is a piece of aluminum soda pop can.  The Fisk Tire sign was another item downloaded from a search on the internet and then prepared for printing in Photoshop.

Using soda pop cans for modeling purposes can be a bit of work as I discovered.  After removing the top and bottom of the can I cut the remaining cylinder in half with a pair of scissors and flattened the piece.  Next came the process of removing the printed and protective coating on the surface of the metal.  This proved to be more difficult that I had anticipated.  I tried solvents such as acetone and paint remover to little effect.  The only method I found to work was fine grit wet/dry sandpaper.  Even this required a fair amount of effort.  Once the coating was removed I dipped the piece into a 50/50 solution of muriatic acid to see if that would help to give the metal a slightly etched, non-shiny surface.  It worked but I had to work fast.  Before I knew it the acid started eating through the thin metal. Over all I was pleased with the end result and had enough of non-eaten material to cover the counter top. 

I then made a paper template to match the areas I wanted to cover, laid the pattern on the sheet metal, traced the pattern and then carefully cut the metal.  I attached the aluminum to the counter top with a very tacky double sided carpet tape and then drilled and inserted small brass nails around the edges.  The brass nails are available through Micro-Mark. 

Using images of small National Cash Register machines, I worked up this version in SketchUp.  I did not find information on exact dimensions so had to do some extrapolating to come up with what I created here.  Hopefully it is a close representation.  Like the lubester described earlier, this too was sent off to Shapeways for printing.  I am not as pleased with the end result of this piece. As you will notice, it will need a good amount of cleanup before it is ready to receive it's final paint job.  The pop-up numbers in the register's window will be created using metal etching on thin brass sheet material.  The end goal is to have it look very similar to the photo of the actual machine pictured here.

Even with the printing flaws, that cash register looks darn good.

Quote from: Stuart on July 01, 2022, 04:16:57 PMHere's another, more clear, view of the potbelly stove.

The finish on that stove is superb. Absolutely spot-on.

Thanks Ray and Krusty.

Being I'm  a Gas Station nut I'll be following along  ;D

The Orange Crush cooler was a fun project.

On-line searches seem to provide the quickest and widest variety of reference material.  I was looking for a non-electric beverage cooler, the kind that is simply an insulated box with water and ice.  I found a number of patterns to choose from and finally settled on a combination of a couple I liked.  So, although what I created may not necessarily be historically accurate, I feel it is a believable alternative.

I had purchased a 1/12th scale 1920's Roper Gas Stove by Dee's Delights (see photo) to use in the upstairs apartment of my project.  When I made the purchase I knew I would be altering the piece significantly as it would not fit in the space available.  In the alteration process I removed the four cabriole style legs and used them for the beverage cooler.  Once I had the legs separated from the main stove model I should have taken some time to reduce their thickness.  In reality, a leg of this kind used in this manner would have been stamped sheet metal.  These are way too thick to represent sheet metal.

The cooler box itself was made of a combination of various thicknesses of styrene.  The slatted self at the base is brass angle iron and strip material soldered together and epoxied within the legs.  The Orange Crush decals were put together in Photoshop from on-line downloaded photos.  I did not feel the need to make the lids on the ice box functional so the hinges are representational. 

I made an effort to give the piece some additional character with water spots and a little rust and corrosion where water would generally collect with use.  I plan to fabricate a couple soda bottle crates to stack and place on the lower shelf.

You are probably the only person who might notice any imperfection in leg thickness or whether a hinge is inoperable. To my eye your work is commendably satisfactory. -- Russ

Stuart, this is truly exceptional realistic model making with a good eye and attention to detail.

Bernhard

Very nice and neat but has the look of realism with its touches of wear and tear
Barney

That's what I like so much about it. So many hobbyists concentrate on a very run down, almost dilapidated, appearance. Stuart's gas station looks like one in business and reasonably successful; it may have a few stains but overall it's in good shape and typical of most of what we actually see. -- Russ

Welcome Stuart !
Your work is wonderful !

Thank you everyone for your kind remarks.  I find great satisfaction in being able to create in miniature and to experiment with various fabrication methods, tools and resources to accomplish a final result.  Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right.  It's a learning process and as each of us shares our successes with one another we all grow in our craft.  Again, thank you for your input.

Stuart

Let me take you upstairs to the apartment, where Luke lives, and show you around.

As I mentioned earlier, my gas stove is a severe modification of a Dee's Delights 1/12th scale reproduction of a 1920's Roper gas stove.  I needed a gas stove for the kitchen area, but, one of much smaller dimensions than what I could find commercially.  I liked the Dee's Delights product as it seemed less toy-like than many of the others available in this scale.  I purchased the stove model and with the aid of on-line references, began the alteration process.  With the removal of a screw or two from the back side of the unit, it came apart in several pieces.

The first thing to go were the cabriole legs.  As described in the previous post, I used these in the creation of the Orange Crush cooler.  The only other pieces I saved for my new stove version were the burners, the valves and accompanying pipe at the front of the stove and the large oven door.  Everything else went either into my spare parts box or the trash. 

After removing the larger of the two oven doors I used it as a master to create and cast a plastic urethane version.  I could not use the oven door frame from the original model so needed to develop a new one.  I used the original metal door, built up a new frame from sheet styrene, poured a silicone mold then cast a new door and frame using Task 4 Urethane Casting Resin from Smooth-On.  The stove box is built up from styrene sheet material and the newly cast oven door and frame were placed on the front.  The four stove legs were yet another set of castings I prepared from a Dee's Delight refrigerator model.  The stove top was fashioned from styrene sheet and a hole cut to receive the salvaged burners.  The gas valve pipe was added and an additional couple lengths of Evergreen plastic tubing with elbows to extend the gas pipe to the floor behind the stove.

The Buckwalter decal was created in Photoshop, printed and applied.  And, of course, the whole piece was painted and aged appropriately with stain washes and weathering powders.

The copper hot water kettle was an afterthought once I had the stove finished.  Since I had not planned on a water heater in the small apartment and only a single cold-water spigot over the kitchen sink, I wondered what I might do so that poor old Luke could at least have warm water to wash dishes, shave and sponge bathe with.  They say that necessity is the mother of invention so, why not a stove top water kettle rigged with a bit of pipe and a valve.

I used a piece of wood dowel wrapped with thin copper sheet.  I built up a lid using disks of styrene then pressed copper sheet into the pattern and wrapped it over the edge.  The handles are brass ones available commercially. The piping is brass tubing and the plumbing fittings are castings purchased from Ozark Miniatures.  I blackened the bottom of the pot giving it the look of multiple sessions over a hot gas flame.

The kitchen sink, accompanying plumbing and single water faucet are all items I created in SketchUp and had 3D printed.  The linoleum flooring is patterned after actual flooring material of the 1930's. This I drew up in SketchUp and then printed on heavy paper.  I scuffed up the leading edge to give the appearance of wear.

The kitchen cabinetry is all scratch built with working drawers and cabinet doors.  The metal bin pulls on the drawer faces were purchased items.

You certainly didn't give Luke much incentive to bathe or clean his clothes. Go stand in the corner. -- Russ

Russ - - Forgive me. I must have forgotten to mention that on Sundays Luke closes up shop and runs into town to attend church services then spends the remainder of the afternoon with his sister and brother-in-law.  While there, he enjoys a tasty home cooked meal while his dirty clothes are laundered in his sisters trusty Maytag washer.  If he feels the need, their bathtub is also available to him.

Can I now step out of the corner?

Stuart

You may leave the corner, Stuart, but if Luke takes as casual an attitude toward bathing as you suggest, please send him to the corner in your place. -- Russ

Stuart, I believe the expression is "Now you're cooking with gas!", or at least Luke is. Nice work!

At one time I believe a gas company mailed customers a scratch & sniff card that had the odor of gas so they could be aware of the smell should there be a leak. Luke's hot water pot shows he's an inventive guy. If you found one of those cards Luke could probably rig up a way that viewer's of his abode could push a button and get a whiff  ::)

Tanks Bill, I'll keep that in mind.  For now, I will keep that idea on the back burner.  :D 

Stuart

So.... moving on.  Next, we'll take a look at the small toilet room, or perhaps a better description, toilet stall.

The toilet bowl is another kit piece from Chrysnbon, the two halves glued together, the joint filled and sanded then painted semi-gloss white.  The toilet tank supplied with the kit is the kind that hangs high on the wall with a pull chain. It was also fashioned to imitate wood.  In my situation I did not have the advantage of a high wall behind the toilet nor did I want a wooden tank, so, after a bit of research on the internet I found a version that suited me (see photo). 

SketchUp came into play again as I created a new tank with associated plumbing in 3D format.  Shapeways printed it for me.

To create the appearance of water in the bottom of the toilet bowl I spent a fair amount of time cutting out and fitting a thin piece of clear plastic sheet material.  I decided against using clear casting resin for water as the tendency for the resin to climb the edges, where it contacts the sides of the toilet bowl, would destroy the illusion.  I fussed with the plastic sheet for quite a while to finally get it to fit properly and then glued it in place using clear epoxy.  Next, I further masked the water to toilet edge by creating a hard water ring and adding streaks along the inside of the bowl with thinned down yellow ocher acrylic paint.

The plunger next to the toilet is another Chrysnbon item.

The roll of toilet paper was made by moistening a thin strip of white tissue paper and wrapping it around a piece of plastic tubing.  The moisture relaxed the paper enough so that it held its shape when it dried.

Stuart, You are doing amazing things with this garage. I love the Chrysnbon items, because they look "real" and not toy-like, as most dollhouse stuff is. I've been using their "wood" kitchen chairs, and stoves too.

As you round the corner from the ladder up to Luke's living quarters, we find his dining table, really just a plank with legs attached to the pony wall.  Not particularly deep but enough to hold a plate, a few serving dishes and his brass kerosene lamp. 

The lamp is another one of my SketchUp efforts in 3D.  In dealing with Shapeways I discovered that they can make metal castings along with their numerous other printing processes.  If I understand correctly, they use a lost wax method where the 3D file is printed up in wax.  A mold is made using the wax piece.  The mold is then heated and the wax drained from the mold.  In this case, molten brass is then forced into the mold, the mold broken apart and, presto, a brass reproduction of the original design.

The finished piece was bright shiny brass, a no-no in my miniature world, so it needed a good amount of tarnish to make it feel at home in this setting. I also needed to add a wick adjustment knob. Adding it to the original design would have proven too delicate to reproduce well so I opted to add it after the fact. I used a small brass nail.  I chucked the nail into my hand drill and using a jeweler's file, tuned the nail head down to an appropriate size, drilled a hole in the side of the brass lamp and cemented the nail in place. 

The "glass" chimney is another Chrysnbon item.  The lamp it came from was way too ornate for a bachelor pad so I scrapped their lamp body and reused the chimney for my version.  Off course, a clean chimney would not work so needed to add a little soot with dark gray weathering powder. 

I used a short piece of brass tubing to connect the chimney to the lamp base, but it looks awkward, too massive when compared to actual brass lamps of this kind (see photo).  My plan is to carefully remove the tube piece and install a more refined lace-like skirt.  With the use of Photoshop to create the pattern and a metal etching kit from Micro-Mark I hope to make something much more realistic.

The chair is one someone else created and provided in Shapeways online store.

Awesome! I especially like the lamp. It looks great even with the solid tube. If you manage to make a lacier version that would be the icing on the cake.

About 3-4 years ago I tried ordering chairs from someone on Shapeways but they were never properly scaled. The first two orders were too small, and the third was too large. I gave up on it after that.

The structure is impressive; each detail itself is nearly as impressive. -- Russ

Amazing detail work! The parts look absolutely authentic.

Bernhard

Again, thank you all for your supportive remarks.  I do enjoy getting into the nitty-gritty of the details.

Let me take you back outside to the exterior of my garage/gas station and show a few more things.

First, a little discussion on my signage methods. 

Before I became aware that I could create my own decals, I spent some time trying to figure out how I was going to hand paint a sign with any degree of accuracy.  I did have access to a computer and several graphic programs and was able to create a layout I liked but just could not determine how I was to successfully transfer a paper print to the wood sign blank I had prepared.  Then I thought, maybe I could send my black and white image to a company that produces rubber stamps.  I would then apply paint or ink to the raised letters of the stamp and press the stamp onto my sign panel.  That seemed the best option available to me.  I tried it and it worked.  Some touch up was required here and there but it was easier and far more accurate than trying to do it by hand.

Later I discovered I could actually print my signs and lettering on decal paper (from Micro-Mark) and place them on my model.  Sooo much easier!  For the circular "Crown Gasoline" sign I purchased a full-size vinyl decal from a vintage gas pump supply house, scanned it, brought it down to the size I needed and printed my decals. 

The red "Gasoline" sign is also a decal but once printed, I cut it into strips to fit the width of each piece of clapboard siding.  As you might guess, the strips were very fragile once they were wet and the paper backing removed.  Some broke in process of applying them so I carefully had to piece them back together. Once all the decal strips were in place, I used a decal set solution to make sure they would adhere well to the wood surface and snuggle down into the grain. Once everything was dry, I used an Xacto blade to scrape away some of the decal surface to indicate peeling and aging.  Finally, I gave the whole area a coat of Dullcote to reduce the sheen of the decal film.

One more sign, on the inside of the garage door, directs motorists to apple orchards up the road a few miles.  When in Southern California I lived near apple country so couldn't resist the impulse to include a reference here on my model.  This too was an effort in Photoshop and printed on decal film.  A piece of thin styrene was used as a backing.


Wilshire Farms.jpg

Stuart, Good looking signs and the rubber stamp technique worked really well for you.

Several years ago I had an article in RMC called "Letterbashing" It's a technique I put together to address the problem you noted about trying to handpaint tiny scale sized signs.

An overly simplified description of the method is that it uses a computer graphics program to chop up and rearrange computer fonts to create lettering that looks like hand lettering that a sign painter would have done.
The method can be used to create entire signs designed to fit specific locations and match specific time periods, and it can also be used to changed small parts of the lettering on photos of signs you have taken so that they can reflect the names or places you want and look like they were part of the original sign.

Here is an example that shows better than I can describe:
The top row of lettering is a computer font straight off the computer.
The middle lettering was "Letterbashed" to fit between those windows on that wall and to look a little older than the font. If you examine that lettering you will see that the individual letters were not simply stretched out horizontally to fill more space.
For the third row the original font was digitally "weathered" to blend into the wall better.

Apologies, Stuart, I don't mean to hijack your topic, I just can't figure out how to add photos to my reply where I want.

So briefly, here is an advanced example of Letterbashing:
The original b&w photo of the billboard is not sharp enough and too uneven in value to simply blow up and colorize for a model sign. And the lettering was not good enough to try to trace.

The color version recreated all the quirks and errors in the original sign by letterbashing all the letters starting from several computer fonts. Note the name of the city and the population also were changed to fit the layout the sign was made for.

Bill--This is great. I would very much like to learn more about your letterbashing process. Is there a way I can get ahold of your article in Railroad Model Craftsman?

Stuart, Unfortunately the article was published before White River Productions took over RMC and back copies from that time frame do not seem to exist.

Also that article got a bit mangled in editing, so it might not be the best introduction to the method. As an alternative shortly after it ran in the magazine, I wound up giving three different clinics on Letterbashing. They included live demonstrations of the technique where the participants could watch and ask questions. That seemed to go over better than written text and photos alone.

I can piece slides and my notes of one of the presentations back together and see if that will cover what you want. The clinics had two areas of focus. The first part looked at how signpainters typically approached a job. It's different than how most modelers think about making signs.

The second part demonstrated the nuts & bolts of bashing type fonts with a graphics program based on thinking like a sign painter would probably have the lettering look.

A couple questions will help tailor the info to your needs:

Do you have a graphics program you use? How familiar are you with it in general? I use GIMP exclusively. I'm not an expert. It's free, open source software similar to PhotoShop and it does more than I'll ever need for doing simple graphic stuff and editing photos.

What do you know about hand lettering? The fundamental premise behind letterbashing is that NO computer font can replicate the look of hand lettering, including fonts designed to do so. Hand painted signs have too many subtle and often not so subtle intentional and accidental variations.

Would you mind messaging or emailing or replying back & forth to make sure what's being presented is working for you?

Hmmm, I just discovered I still have the text and photos from the original article. I could put them together and email it all to you (will take several emails) and you can see if this is something you'd like to get more into.

Bill, 

I worked as a graphic artist the major part of my career so I am quite familiar with graphics programs.  Although now retired, I still have an old version of Photoshop I use rather extensively on my home computer.  And, yes I have some understanding of sign painting.  I know that hand letting is inherently imperfect.  Because of that I struggle with the exactness of computer generated fonts for signage.  It's just a little too clean and perfect to look right.

I would be fine with receiving information and guidance via email. My email address is: stuartgfx@hotmail.com.

Thank you for your willingness to resurrect old files to share with me.

Stuart   

Stuart, your background definitely simplifies everything. What I think I'll try is editing the article text and photos and then post it as a new thread so your thread isn't sidetracked. It will take a little bit to put it together, but I think that can work well.

Hey Bill,  what year was that article in? My collection of RMC go back to 1964. Also like your idea of a separate thread.

Bernd

Stuart and Bernd:
I started a new thread on Letterbashing here
https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=3230.0
under Tips, Tricks, Techniques and Tools

Bernd it's in the OCT 2010 RMC

Thanks Bill.

I am trying to decide whether to add another piece of signage to my gas station.  It seems that gas stations of this era, and especially those out in the country, were a collection place for all manner of advertising signs.  This is a mock up of one I am considering but I'm a little worried it's somewhat overpowering.  Also, as Bill is suggesting, it would be a little more convincing if given the look of a hand painted sign.  I'm open for suggestions.

Bushel Basket Diner sign.jpg

Station signage.jpg 

You could approach it in two ways. The easiest would be just to add some weathering to the sign but I'd suggest shrinking it by 25-30% because, to my eye, it is too dominant. A smaller size might be even more desirable if you want to represent a hand painted appearance. -- Russ

QuoteBernd it's in the OCT 2010 RMC

Thanks Bill. Got it.

Bernd

Stuart Here's a low resolution Letterbashed version of the diner sign.

I made very small changes to some letters that had duplicates in the sign and a few tiny changes to a couple letters just to make them look painted to fit between the letters they were next to. Overall the differences are small, but I can see them.

I also squared up the right edge of the sign which as a little off.

I emailed a higher res copy to you. If you would like any more changes, please let me know.

I've got more to add to the Letterbashing thread, but am trying to make it comprehensible.

Bill,

My goodness.  I didn't expect you to make the corrections for me, but, thank you.  I'm also taking Russ's suggestion to reduce the Bushel Diner sign size to make it less overpowering.  I downsized it by 25% and put in place on the model. It looks better, so, thanks Russ for the suggestion. My initial thought was that the sign needed to be as large as possible so passing motorists would be able to read it easily on the fly.

Just for reference, I'm including a few historical photos of gas stations showing the proliferation of signs that some proprietors felt appropriate to draw in customers or to advertise other products.

Stuart

Stuart, After your post asking about the sign I thought that doing some work on it might be useful for you and also help me organize thoughts on how to add to the Letterbashing thread.

I don't know if there's much overall interest in the idea, but I thought if I posted something it should start with basics. The members of these Westlake Forums are pretty savvy, but in the clinics I did the part that was the most important was trying to get the participants to think like a sign painter.

I also emailed you a higher res copy of the modified sign, but please, don't feel any compulsion to use it if it doesn't do what you want.

Now I'm working on how to get across the techniques as straight forward as possible.

To the side of the garage is a secondary repair area.  This being farm country, I thought it would be important to supply Luke with a winch and hoist apparatus for those heavier repairs of trucks, tractors and other farm implements.

The winch, the hoist pulleys, shackles, hook etc. are all Ozark Miniatures castings (G scale). 

The concrete base for the winch is cast from sanded gray tile grout.  I prepared a mold using strips of basswood so as to simulate how an actual concrete form would have been fabricated thus creating the impression of individual boards in the face of the finished grout piece.  The sanded grout also added a nice rustic texture. 

The winch itself is unaltered from the original castings.  I wanted the piece to look like it might have been salvaged from perhaps a former mining or logging operation and then used "as is" for Luke's purposes.  It is, therefore, thoroughly rusted from exposure to the elements.  I need to add a little "grease" to the gear surfaces to complete the look.

The winch cable is line for ship modeling.  I applied brown and black shoe polish to give it an appropriate color and to also diminish the fuzziness of the natural fibers it is made of.

The block and tackle hoist system are castings from Ozark Miniatures but I did some reworking of my own to create the arrangement here. 

The wood framework, or hoist structure, is basswood.  I need to do a little more work on it as it looks a little too clean for its utilitarian purpose such as, adding a few knots here and there and adding variation to its monotone gray weathered surface.  I will also be adding additional diagonal bracing between the 4" x 6" header beam and the 4" x 4" legs.

Hoist yard.jpg

Winch.jpg

Hoist.jpg   

I love it. == Russ

Looking Good + well thought out
Barney

A word about the McCormick-Deering Farmall F-20 tractor model.

I wanted some kind of a vehicle to add to my garage/gas station build.  I have looked and looked in vain for a 1/12th scale 1920's to mid 1930's automobile or truck that I felt would fit the scene and be of the quality I need to fit the context of this project.  Also, I do not have an interest in trying to scratch build a vehicle of my own.  In my searching I discovered a 1/12 scale diecast Farmall tractor produced by The Franklin Mint.  It was of the correct era, was highly detailed and well crafted.  A tractor had not been on my radar in my search process but this looked like it could work.  Unfortunately, by the time I discovered this as a possibility, The Franklin Mint was no longer producing the model.  With additional online searching, I located one through Etsy and made the purchase.  It was more than the original price tag but I felt it was either now or never.

When I received the model, unpackaged it and placed it on my garage/gas station project I was pretty overwhelmed at how bright red it was.  I was worried that it would steal the show, so-to-speak, as the most prominent and important item in the diorama.  Some serious aging with dust, dirt, grease and grime would be necessary to tame the beast.

Then I discovered that prior to mid 1936 McCormick-Deering painted their tractors with a blue-gray color scheme.  The bright red scheme was used from 1936 onward.  The F-20 Farmall was produced from 1932 to 1939, so, either paint job would be appropriate.  Now I am trying to decide if I want to take the time to disassemble, strip and repaint my model to the earlier paint scheme and then carefully reassemble and give it a well-used look.  I would prefer the blue-gray version as it would be less overbearing plus, an older version of an F-20 would likely need more frequent mechanical maintenance than a later one and give reason for its placement in my diorama. The jury is still out on this one.

I have included some photos showing the early 1936 blue-gray version and the later red version.

For reference, Chuck Doan did an extensive detail/weathering job on a 1:16 Fordson. Photos are on his Fotki pages and I published an extensive article in a Modelers' Annual. -- Russ

Thanks Russ, I'll have a look.

Stuart

Hi Stuart.
Great job the finish on your winch assembly is really nice.
Kind regards.

Excellent work Stuart. Everything is in balance and works well together supporting the narrative you are telling about Luke. Subtlety is key and you have mastered that discipline. Really looking forward to seeing more...

Behind the garage, I placed a small concrete pad made of gray sanded tile grout for an air compressor.  This is the same grout material I used for the winch piers described in a previous post.  The compressor is to supply air for motorists with underinflated tires and for the mechanical work Luke addresses in the garage.  The concrete pad was easy enough to cast and mount in place but the air compressor was a much more challenging project.

As I am prone to do, I searched on-line for reference material trying to find air compressors of the vintage I needed.  I came across several pages from an old Fero air compressor catalogue and found a unit I liked but larger than what Luke would have needed for his purposes.  Using the catalogue picture to model from, I made one at a lesser size so it's a bit of a freelance effort.

After my air compressor is mounted in place, I will be enclosing it with an awning and some wire screen to create a protective shelter.  The screen and awning will render a somewhat obscured view of the machinery behind it which means I can safely get away with a less than totally correct version.  All I really want to do is create the impression of a hard-working piece of gas station equipment in the scene.

This is another 3D model I prepared in SketchUp. To date, this has been the most challenging 3D effort I have made.  The tank portion is a piece of Plastruct  tubing.  Brass wire and tubing are used for rods and air lines at various locations.  Everything else is 3D printed by Shapeways.

There is some assembly, painting, grease and grime that need to be added before this piece is finished.

Fero compressor.jpg

This picture from the Fero catalogue was my main source of reference

Compressor front.jpg

Compressor rear.jpg

My SketchUp drawings, front and back of the air compressor

Air compressor.jpg

The almost finished product

Wow! That looks amazing, even without paint!

Adequately beautiful. -- Russ

Stuart, That looks terrific!
I am woefully ignorant of the rendering process to create the file that is used for printing items like your compressor. Did you initially import that catalog image and convert it? If so how did you do the nonvisible sides?
Did you import the catalog image and use it as a template to draw the 3D image on top off?
Or, did you just use the catalog picture as a refernce and draw the 3D version fro scratch?
Some combination of the above?

Wonderful!

Hello Bill -

The SketchUp program will allow you to copy and paste photos, line art, sketches, etc. into your working environment.  I have used that method a few times on other projects but in this case, with the air compressor, I used the available sources I gathered on-line as reference only.  Pretty much all I had to go on was the image I show in my previous post and a few others shown in this post.  Not too much to go on.  I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants.

I started with basic shapes (cylinders and rectangles) and pushed and pulled them until I felt I had the spatial relationships near to what they should be.  After I had the basic shape blocked out I then proceeded to work on the details of each one.  It was a labor intensive process and took a number of hours to work through but I feel I was able to accomplish fairly reasonable results or at least something that resembles the original image I began with.

Of course, having an actual real life air compressor to take measurements from would have been ideal, but no such luck in this case. So, to answer your question, I just used the catalog picture as a reference and drew the 3D version from scratch.

Stuart

Thanks, Stuart. Impressive!

What would a gas station be without gas pumps?  I've waited to the end of my tread to at last review how I am approaching this part of my diorama.

When I started this project I had anticipated creating the typical gravity fed style pump, the kind with the large glass cylinder perched high on a metal column.  Such a pump would have been accurate for the time period I am modeling in, but then I thought, nearly every old-timey gas station I have seen modeled uses the same style gas pump.  I wanted to do something a little different so I began researching gas pumps of the 1930's and found that Tokheim manufactured a clock face style pump from 1930 to 1939.  This was what I was looking for.  What made it even more intriguing was that I was able to find dimensions for the main body and some of the smaller components of the pump. 

Now that I was armed with some real dimensions, I worked up a 3D model in my SketchUp program and then had the parts printed by Shapeways.  Here are some photos of how things are going so far.

The gasoline nozzle was a different story, however.  I had no dimensions for this part of the project but found some excellent photographs of one that would have been used for this particular pump.  I imported the photos into my SketchUp program and used it as a pattern.  It worked out well.  The ones pictured here were printed in an acrylic material and are very fragile.  I think I will have them reproduced in brass which will give them a little more heft and be a bit more rugged.

I also want to include a crown globe at the top of each of the pumps but have not yet figured an easy way to fabricate these.  It may come to a sculpting effort which would then be cast in a milky white casting resin.  In addition, I want to place a small electric light bulb in each one so that they will actually light up.


Clock face gas pumps.jpg

Tokheim Cut 850 gasoline pumps, commonly called a clock face pump.


Single gas pump.jpg

How things are looking thus far.


Gas pump parts.jpg

The various 3D printed parts.  The main body of the pump is a piece of 1 1/2" OD Plastruct tubing. 


Gas nozzle art.jpg

Gas nozzle

 

It seems to be looking rather pleasant thus far. Chuck went through the same basic procedure a few years ago when he needed a gas pump. Your results and his are most impressive. -- Russ

Thanks Russ.  Yes, I have been quite impressed with Chuck's various gas pump versions.  I'm hoping mine will measure to his level of expertise.

Stuart

The gas station is really beautiful, Stuart!

Daniel

Very cool!

Just want to send out a big thank you to all of you for the encouraging words and helpful suggestions.

I have pretty much reviewed where I am currently with my Luke's Gas & Garage project.  So now I need to buckle down and start making progress on it again.  As I said earlier, I began this project back in the early 1980's and I want to get it done before I expire.

I will keep posting as I go and will look forward to your helpful suggestions as well.

The model I started in the early 1980s was my first Strathmore structure, an HO scale two story depot and, as you, I had to put it aside for a few years. But I finished it late in 1987 while you are still dragging your heels. Go stand in the corner! -- Russ

But Russ, let's be realistic.  How can I possibly get anything accomplished on my model while standing in the corner?  :-\

Stuart

Stuart,  I like the Gas Pump the Tokheim 850 always was one of my Favorite gas pumps. I to have a old build that I never finished years ago that was a gas station in 1/2 inch scale.   The gas nozzle for the 850 is called a double roller.... the gas pump collectors I know would pay big money for one of them nozzle's ::)

Craig - Thanks for the info on the gas nozzle.  It is kind of unique with the way the trigger is arranged and maybe even a bit advanced over the the standard single lever type. 

Stuart

Neat gas pump!

Some years back Dave Krakow (AKA VectorCut) had a laser cut parts business. He designed and made incredible stuff,  ask anyone here on the forums. Alas, he is no longer in busines.

But, He once made a really nifty gas pump that was lit internally by a micro LED. It is not what you have, and a quick search online didn't find an even an image His was HO scale, so lighting your pump for Luke's should be a piece of cake even if standing in the corner (although the corners do get crowded at times.

Lovely stuff  - 1/2th scale very tempting very neat workmanship
Barney

Wow.  I was delighted to see this model in person.  Thanks again.

Hi Stewart.
Love to see your posts you a very descriptive about your process which is refreshing.
All the best
Kim.

Now that my Fortune Playhouse project is completed and delivered, I can once again focus on my gas station build.

Currently I am working on a couple of 55 gallon oil drums.  The older version with the heavy rings will be a static piece placed at the rear of the garage to add to the pile of accumulating junk items.  The second, more "modern" drum version will serve as a kerosene barrel and be placed near the font of the gas station for easy access to customers.  I have yet to add other features to the drums such as the filler/drain holes and plugs, a vent for the kerosene drum and a dispensing spout.  The kerosene drum will be placed on a scratch built stand and aged appropriately.


55 gal drums.jpg
 

OIl drum & stand.jpg

The photo below shows the materials I used to fabricate both the barrels.  The main body of each is a piece of 2" OD Plastruct ABS tubing.  The two reinforcement rings on the older drum version is Evergreen Scale Models .125" I-beam which I needed to heat and bend to fit the 2" diameter tube.  The half round pieces which snug up to either side of the I-beam is .040" Evergreen product as well.  To ease the transition between the half round and the tube surface I used Squadron Products putty.  Even though I tried to be careful, using toothpicks and dental tools to place the putty next to the half round, it proved to be a messy process.  After the putty dried it took a fair amount of careful sanding to finish the smoothing effort.  The half round rings at the rims of the barrel are .060" Evergreen product.  The 1/8" sheet styrene was used to make the top and bottom barrel lids.

Drum parts.jpg   

To simply force the I-beam material around the tubing and expect the glue to hold was not going to work.  The only solution was to heat the plastic and form it around a template of some kind.  To do this I created a bending jig I could place in my kitchen oven along with the piece of strip styrene. 

The bottom plate of the jig is a 2" disk of 1/4" MDF which I sanded down to the 1/8" thickness I needed to match the thickness of the I-beam material.  That was glued in place on the plywood base plate. A larger 2nd disk was fit on top of the 1/8" one with a diameter to match the height of the I-beam x 2 and then screwed in place.  Once the piece was bent and cooled I needed to be able to remove the top plate to eject the finished product.

Although this sounds good in theory, it was more difficult than I had supposed.  Once the plastic strip was heated to softness, it was difficult to handle without twisting.  The plastic cooled very quickly so I had to work fast.  It took a number of heating applications working maybe 1/2" to 1" each heating period to finally arrive at a properly formed piece. It was worth the effort.  The finished pieces fit nicely. 

As for the smaller half round material, a simple pull between my two pinched fingers created sufficient curl to match the diameter of the 2" tube.   

Bending jig.jpg         

 

Nice work and SBS, Stuart. At first glance I thought the two drums were 3D renderings. I like how you actually modeld them.
Just like some real drums, the rings on your modern drum look a little thicker than just a half round profile bent around the tubing. Is there some additional styrene between the half round and the tube?

Somebody without modeling experience might look at those barrels and think they were simple to build. I anticipated you could run into problems when you said you constructed the barrels; they're not 3-D prints or turnings. Working with putty is a nightmare but your results are stellar. -- Russ

Thanks Bill. 

The half round was glued directly to the tube.  Once the glue was dry I then used the modelers putty to basically add a fillet between the half round and the drum body.  Applying the putty was a messy job which later required going back with fine grit sandpaper and a sanding block to smooth things up.  I created a slight rounded edge on the sanding block to match the profile I wanted to achieve and worked slowly around the diameter of the tube to make a smooth transition between the two pieces.  Hope that makes sense.

Stuart      


Drum rib.jpg

Those steel drums are fantastic! Until I read further, I thought they were 3D printed. That you actually modeled them is very impressive, even in such a large scale.

On the subject of the Farmall tractor in 1/12th scale manage to purchase one at a good price on EBAY sold without the box and a "dangly rod" any ideas where the dangly rod bit goes/ fits there is the remans of a small bracket in 2 bits and under/by the side of the Last letter L (on the word Farmall )there is signs of some glue !I have tried the rods on the bracket but appears to be at an odd angle
I have plenty of in information in books and photos but non of the show the "dangle" rods
most of the books always show the other side like most Tractor books !!
Any ideas
Barney 

Barney, The dangly rod has what looks like (at least to me) a glue spot on it similar to the one on the bracket you mentioned. But the distance from the center of the rod pivot to the bracket appears to be a little shorter than the distance from the center of the rod pivot to the "glue spot" on the rod. That might be because the tractor isn't exactly aligned with the camera image plane, or not. (See the next repy below this reply for the measurement image)

I did find a couple photos of other Farmalls with something that looks like the dangly rod, none of these tractors are exactly like the version you have so I don't know if that's what I see or not. Some of the photos were from Wikipedia, all are low res, but you might be able to make details out better online.

This first image is a toy Farmall
TOY Framall.jpg

The next three are real tractors but the images aren't great. Hope this helps a little.
Farmall 1 .jpg
Farmall 2.jpg
Farmall 3.jpg   

 

Barney, This was my attempt to measure the glue spots relative to the rod pivot point
Farmall dangling bit.jpeg

It looks to me as though Bill nailed it. After looking at the lo-res photos I was thinking it probably broke off and pivoted downward. Bill's drawing and the missing paint below and to the right of the FARMALL graphic seem to prove it. -- Russ

Hello Barney.  Here are a few shots from the Franklin Mint model I have.  I think this will answer your question.

Farmall 1.jpg

Farmall 2.jpg

Farmall 3.jpg

I picked a few shots I found on the internet.  The pics of the actual tractor show only one rod extending to the engine rather than the two as produced on the Franklin Mint version.  Don't know if that helps, just FYI.

Farmall F-20 Exhaust Manifold.jpg   

Two more photos.

6810714226_4391d759f7_h.jpg

f-20_big.jpg 

Thank you all for the answers to the "dangly bits " on my Franklin Mint Tractor Found the complete bracket which can now be fitted back on - It has also been said that like most models they always seem to get something wrong and this appears to be the case - most Farmall tractors of this era only have one rod others do not have it at all - but use a cable and linkage to control the advance and retard on the magneto others use it for a throttle control to set the engine Revs at a certain speed - bit like a cruise control - So Im Told by the Experts ! (but they don't always get it right ) but saying all that Its A nice model and one day might get round to doing a "Chuck" on it
Barney

It seems like the Franklin Mint saw the small angle piece in the photos I posted and turned it into a bigger, double pair of rods thatdid who knows what and that got misinterpreted, moved higher up and became the throttle/magneto advance control.

It still looks like a nice model. Didn't Chuck have to redo a number of things on his first Fordson?

Yes Bill  Chuck made many mods to his 1/16th scale Fordsons - They really look the part with fantastic detailing
Barney

Time for an update on the 55 gallon drums I began at the first of the year.  This older version of a drum is finished and will stand as a cast off piece of scrap at the back of my garage model.  I am pleased with how it turned out as I have not had a great deal of experience at aging and rusting methods.  Thank goodness for good reference photographs.

Old drum (small).jpg  


The second 55 gallon drum (kerosene drum) is on it's way to being completed.  The stand is finished and aged appropriately but the barrel itself is still needing some work with rust and kerosene streaks added around the fill opening at the top.  The brass valve is made up of brass tubing, strip stock, wire and a small piece of hexagonal rod all soldered together and inserted into the drum.  Soon I will add a scratch built padlock through the small hole in the valve handle. The "Kerosene Sold Here" sign will also receive a bit of aging.  The whole assembly will stand to the side of the gas station as pictured below.

Kerosene drum (small).jpg

20230623_155739.jpg 

Without know what scale you model in I would have guess it was 1:1 I was looking at. Great work.

Bernd

I'm working in 1/12th scale or 1" = 12".

Part of the reason I have been slow to complete the two 55 gallon drums is because I got side tracked with wanting to complete the shingling of the garage roof.  The shingles are about 3/64" thick mahogany veneer cut to appropriate size and then glued in place individually.  The wood glue I used tended to warp the thin pieces of wood so I needed to hold flat each newly glued shingle with a small piece of scrap wood until the glue set.  A tedious and long process as you can imagine.

In addition, I planned a section of the roof to be removable so the interior of the model could be viewed.  This required a little planning and forethought when laying out the shingles so that the removable section was not overly noticeable when the removable piece was in its closed position.

Once all shingles were in place the weathering process began.  The end goal was to create an aged cedar shingle roof.  This I accomplished with thinned brown and black ink washes, thinned gray acrylic paint, weathering pastels and even colored pencils.  The end results can be seen in the photos below.

Shed dormer 2.jpg

Closed roof 2.jpg

Open roof 2.jpg   

Lovely.

I'm no wood worker, but my vague understanding is that sizing the veneer first with dilute glue would help prevent it warping once shingles were cut.

Hi, Stuart how are you doing?
Love the kitchen detail. the blinds and cord are great.
cheers

Extremely adequate in every respect.

Next time you shingle a roof Lawrence's suggestion might work or you might try a non-water base glue or maybe 3M peel-and-stick double side tape.

Russ

Stuart, You posted lots of good stuff to catch up on. The oil drum looks good. The valve on the second drum looks really good as does the weathering of the wooden stand - VERY convincing.

Likewise, there's lots of cedar shingles around here and yours model them just right. I wonder if double sided adhesive would make the shingles look too thick? I've had pretty good luck using acrylic matte medium to glue thin stuff. It seems to have less of a tendency to warp things.

3M 467-MP peel-and-stick tape is 0.006-inch thick, negligible for 1:12 shingles. You might use slightly thinner wood or paper if if you model in HO or even 1:48.

For glue, I use Walthers Goo, a rubber based adhesive I think the Goodyear tire company developed. It bonds anything to anything, really works well for all kinds of situations, and lasts virtually forever. It can be stringy, though, so spend about 15 minutes practicing how best to apply it. I use it extensively when working with cardstock because water based adhesives can result in warped parts. You can roll off any excess with a toothpick.

Russ

Thanks all for the useful tips. If I ever venture into the shingle laying arena again I'll keep these ideas in mind.

Beautiful work all around!

Finally finished my kerosene drum and stand.  Everything here is scratch built including the drip bucket hanging from the spigot.  All I need to add is the smell of spilled kerosene (or maybe not). 

This has been a fun build. It kind of grew on me and prompted more detail than I had originally planned but, I think the extra effort has paid off.

Next item of business will need to be the lubester standing just to the left of the kerosene drum. 

Kerosene drum 1.jpg

Kerosene drum 2.jpg

Drum in place.jpg

Satisfactory. -- Russ

Wonderful!

Looking good - like the subtle  weathering - excellent
Barney

That looks fantastic!

Stuart-A small "constructional criticism " I might be wrong and I'm sure there are many versions using rope (for lighter lifting ) but most winches appear to use chain or steel cable see photos below My comments are no reflection on your superb modelling skills just an observation and previous work in the mechanical world
Barney

Just amazing, Stuart! As I also model in 1/12 scale, I can appreciate the fine details you have added. Are you 3D printing any parts, or are they all fabricated by you? Also, can you show that compressor/tank in the background of one picture? I really like it.
Carlo

The Kerosene barrel needs a hand painted "no smoking" sign on it.  Even better if smoking is misspelled like one I say while rail fanning on the Clinchfield RR in the 1980's where the painter spelled smoking as "smokeing".  A bit of bubba touch.

Thanks everyone for your kind remarks.

Barney - You are exactly correct in your criticism of my winch cable.  I am currently using a piece of scale ship rigging rope but it is too "fuzzy".  I colored it with brown and black shoe polish and tried to reduce the fuzziness with wax but it hasn't molded itself to look as real cable should.  So, I am looking at a couple of other sources for actual scale sized wire rope.  It looks like there may be a possibility with either fishing cable or jewelry line used for making necklaces and such.  I need to look at these further.  If anyone has other suggestions or sources for actual scale wire cable I would be glad to hear of it.

Carlo - Here's a closer look at the air compressor.  There is still work that needs to be done on it and yes, this and other items on this model are 3D printed.

Lawton -  I actually have a "No Smoking" sign posted just above the door to the gas station which I hope would serve as a warning for all petroleum products on the premises.

Air compressor.jpg

The compressor is really well made, especially the fittings.

Bernhard

Steel cables the easy way -use picture hanging wire comes in various thickness - normally brass but can be dipped in brass blackening liquid  and dry brushed with a steel or gun metal colour

Second way use fine wire strands (phone wire or alarm wire works well) cut to a length longer than what you want - knot each end -put one end around a solid handle or knob the other end in a hand type drill and turn to get the desired type of wire rope you require less turns gives a more open look - more turns gives a much tighter look to the cable
if all fails consult the the cable charts !!!!
Barney 

Phone wire or alarm wire strip to get fine stands - tie at ends - 1 end in drill and one end around handle of knob
and turn - and it should happen !!!!

Stuart,

your garage is some impressive work. I do especially like the toilet!

There are some vendors in Germany offering scale steel rope, for example: Fohrmann (https://www.fohrmann.com/en/micro-steel-ropes.html)

Cheers,
Volker

Barney - Thank you for your tutorial on cable making.  After I made my last post I started looking a little deeper into possible sources of scale steel cable and found that there are a number of suppliers who provide just such an item for model builders.  I found a seller on Ebay who had just what I needed and have already placed an order. But, as I say, thank you for taking the time to respond to my plea and offering a worthwhile suggestion.

Stuart

Have you ever thought of using steel fishing leader?  It comes in rolls and in a number of sizes from fine to size large enough to handle large enough to make saltwater rigs for landing sharks and other off shore game fish.  Then there is the wire you can buy at arts and crafts stores in the jewelry aisles.  I run it through a butane torch flame (normally used to solder copper plumbing) to blacken it.  A swipe of motor oil finishes it.

Not my original idea, I learned it from a modeler who was modeling a high lead skidder once used by a West Virginia logging company.  The prototype can be seen in pieces at Cass State Park up on Whittaker Knob.  A great excuse to ride behind a Shay locomotive.

Hello forum family.  I really haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.  Over the past several months I have diverted my attention to learning how to use my recently acquired 3D printing equipment. (See my posts under Military Modeling/figures.)  Consequently, work on Luke's Gas Station and Garage has not progressed significantly.  But, as I come out of my 3D detour I have managed to work on one small aspect of the project.

In the side yard, next to the garage and under the hoist gantry I have placed several short pieces of tree stumps serving as blocking for the two screw jacks.  The blocking and jacks are for lifting and making repairs to needy automobiles and farm equipment.  On one of the stumps I've placed a screw jack (castings from Ozark Miniatures) and an oily shop rag.  The painting and aging of the screw jacks was pretty straight forward using Vallejo acrylics, washes and weathering powders.  The oily rag was another matter, however.

I wanted the rag to resemble the typical orange shop towel which became quite prevalent in machine shops and mechanics garages beginning in the 1920's.  But has anyone out there actually tried to make a realistic looking scaled down piece of fabric tossed haphazardly onto the top of a work bench, table, or in my case, a tree stump? For me it presented quite a challenge. 

First of all I needed to consider the material I was to use.  My first attempt was with a small piece of industrial paper towel, the kind one would find in a public restroom.  I thought with a thinned down solution of white glue the paper would become soft and pliable enough to fold and mold into a convincing shape.  I came up with something that was adequate but not fully what I had in mind.  Plus, the texture of the paper was far too rough and way out of scale.  My next thought was to use tissue paper but as I played with that material it did not want to mold into a pleasing representation.  It seemed too stiff and unresponsive and did not want to stay in the shape I placed it.  My next effort was with polymer clay which was sufficiently pliable but I could not roll it out thin enough to look realistic so I scratch that technique.  My forth try was with thin sheet copper.  The material was sufficiently thin at .003" and would hold its shape but not nearly soft enough to create realistic folds.  I needed something thin, smooth, very flexible and that would hold the shape I placed it in without the assistance of messy glues.  Then it dawned on me, maybe thin lead foil could be the answer.

I went on-line to find a supplier of lead foil.  It took some searching to find a vendor who would sell a small sheet.  Most suppliers provided sizes and quantities way more than I needed or wanted to pay for.  I finally found a source and made the purchase.  The piece I ordered was .003" thick and the sheet measured 6" x 6".

Using my hobby knife I easily trimmed out a piece at a scale 14" x 14" (1/12th scale) and carefully bent, twisted and folded the lead into what I felt was, at last, a pleasing representation of a tossed away rag.  It took a few attempts to get what I wanted.  Lead is very soft, especially at .003" thickness and if not careful it can look like a mashed soda can one would find in the middle of the road.  At any rate, with care, I was able to form the rag I wanted.  Before making the folds I painted the piece an orange color typical of shop towels.  With the towel folded and in position on the wood stump, I added the oil stains with various washes and weathering powders.  The finished result is pictured below.

As others in this forum have expressed, it can be an interesting adventure as we try to invent ways to do what we do.  It may seem to others, and even ourselves, that the time and effort to fashion one little aspect of a model is way and above what may seem appropriate or warranted.  But it's the attention to details that make this art form so intriguing. 

Stump, jacks and rag.jpg

The white area under the stump and jack is not meant to be snow.  It is Styrofoam which will eventually be landscaped with soil and weeds.

Shop rag.jpg

Typical shop towels.

   
 

The foil rag turned out very well. I also like those screw jacks. I might have to get a couple of those from Ozark and find a good place for them on my layout.

An obvious success. Satisfactory. -- Russ

Brilliant! Extremely realistic.
Les

Excellent, Stuart. It definitely looks just like a shop rag casually put on the stump.
I'm curious, in your search for a material to use for the rag, did you consider aluminum foil? wrong texture? dwouldn't fold correctly? wouldn't hold paint?

Hello Bill. 

Tin foil did cross my mind as a potential material but as I have worked with foil in the past I find that it wants to fold too sharply leaving a crease instead of a soft fold.  To be truthful, I did not make an attempt with tin foil for that reason. That being said, I have used tin foil in other fabric folding applications where I have spray glued a layer of foil to the back side of an actual piece of fabric and then manipulated the combination to represent a blanket or a piece of drapery.  I actually used this method in creating the bed covers in the upstairs apartment on my garage and gas station project as shown below.


Bed.jpg

That bedding looks amazing! Is there cloth on both sides of the foil?

Quote from: Ray Dunakin on January 03, 2024, 08:57:08 PMThat bedding looks amazing! Is there cloth on both sides of the foil?

Yes, the foil is sandwiched between the sheet and the blue plaid blanket. The gray blanket also has a foil backing.

My two Tokheim clock face gas pumps are nearing completion.  The globes at the top of each pump will be electrified (lighted).  The pump faces will also be lighted with a small bulb housed in the cap piece above each clock face.

With my newly acquired 3D printing equipment I opted to add much more detail to the pump bodies.  Early on, I had only a clean tube but now I have the addition of an access panel and some fastening hardware for each half of the lower body sections. 

Soon I will be adding the photo etched clock face hands, attaching "glass" in the face of each bezel, and putting the hoses and nozzles in place.  The paint scheme is as pictured below. Lastly, the various advertising and warning decals will be installed and then everything lightly aged.

Gas Pumps.jpgClock face gas pumps 2.jpgGas Pumps.jpg

Absolutely superb and as close to perfection as is possible. -- Russ

Stewart, that is phenomenal!  HO Scale?  Amazing.
Carlo

Very nice with excellence of workmanship - Especially the pumps
Barney

Hi, Stuart - Somehow, I missed this thread when it was posted. I just love what you've done. I too model in 1/12 scale. Partly to take advantage of the details available to the "dollhouse" people. I especially like the Chrysndon products, with their fine detail. I also make the occasional train model, and in this scale, 32mm gauge is perfect for 15" (Heywood, minimal) gauge. I look forward to more of your work in 1/12 scale. Have I missed anything else since July, 2022 ?  My work iis at www.carlospirito.com/dioramas.html
Regards, Carlo

Really good, Stuart!

Carlo - Some fun stuff you have created.  And, yes, my work is in 1/12th scale.

Stuart

Phenomenal indeed! And I am overwhelmed by the fineness of those details that you are able to print in that scale! It seems that I should go for a bigger scale too...  ::)

Another area of my focus has been a modification to the winch I'm using in the outdoor repair area next to the garage. 

In my research I discovered that in the 1930's prior to the advent of hydraulic lifts a typical method of working under a vehicle was to simply hoist the front end up in the air and then prop some tall jack stands under the wheels to keep the mechanic safe during repair work.

Repair garage interior.jpg

The winch I am using has a hand crank and a gear system to increase the lifting advantage.  This system works okay, along with the block and tackle pully arrangement on the hoist, but, once the vehicle is up in the air, simply releasing the pawl to bring the vehicle back down to ground level while trying to provide a smooth decent would be extremally difficult and hazardous.  To allow a controlled lowering of a raised vehicle, I am adding a band type braking system to the opposite side of my winch.

This is a bit of a fee-lance effort.  I don't have a prototype to refer to, just some photos of various braking systems but I think my method is at least plausible.

I used SketchUp to draw this up in 3D and will see how skilled I am at printing this with my equipment.

Winch 1.jpg

Winch 2.jpg

Mar082014_1202.JPG

My 1/12th scale winch.  This is a white metal kit from Ozark Miniatures, if I remember correctly.   

Fantastic!

The founders of Ozark, the Hergets, would have loved to see your work. -- Russ

That looks great - I like it!
You seem to have got to grips with CAD and 3D printing very quickly!

Thanks Ray, Russ and Frithjof.

Frithjof - Actually I have had a pretty long term relationship with CAD systems through the years.  What's new to me is the 3D printing process.  Fortunately, with the advantage of on-line tutorials and the help of generous guidance from forum members such as Lawrence and Volker, the learning curve has been less steep.

Thanks for all contributions each member brings to this forum.  Whether it relates directly to my particular circumstances or not, each of you provide a certain amount of inspiration to carry on and excel in this particular art form.

Stuart

The brake should be printable, though I would use real wire for the rods.

Thanks Lawrence, I was thinking the same thing with regard to using wire for the rods.

The brake lever and brake band have been printed and temporarily applied to the winch just to see how it all works out.

Winch w- brake lever & brake belt.jpg

Perfect. -- Russ

Those look really sharp!

My lubester is about finished.  Perhaps just a little more grime and oil spill, but it's about where I want it.

Stuart, The lubster is very well done. You're right, it doesn't need much more spill & grime.

It looks amazing!

You may choose to add more mess but nothing else leaves room for improvement. -- Russ

That is just beautiful!

Excellent Workmanship and different   - This large scale certainly has appeal
Barney   

Aside from my lubester, my main focus has been the completion of my two Tokheim clock face gas pumps.  All that remains is to finish the clock faces with their accompanying pointers, glass faces, bezels and the hoses and nozzles.  The glass globes at the top of each pump light up and there is a small light in the cowling above each clock face.  In a future post I will show the lighted version.

Gas pumps.JPG

Actually the clock face decals I show here will be removed as I have hit upon a better idea for creating the finished face.  Originally I was simply going to stack the components on the face of the model, i.e. clock face decal, clock hands and then add the bezel and glass face.  The glass face was to be a thin clear plastic disk cut to fit and glued just inside the bezel.  But as I tried to glue the plastic disk in place I was unable to create a clean glue line that stayed anywhere close to being in scale.  So, taking a clue from Volker's excellent rendition of a clock and watch shop where he used UV cured resin to make his watch and clock faces, I am trying a new approach.

Bezel soldering setup.jpg

Soldered bezel.jpg

Using my original bezels I have soldered a .005" piece of brass sheet to the backside of each ring thus creating a very shallow dish.  Inside each "dish" I will place the clock face decal and the hands (or pointers) in their appropriate locations and then pour a very thin layer of clear epoxy resin over everything.  To ensure a bubble free result I'll place the pieces in a pressure chamber while the resin cures.

Primed bezels.jpg

Primed and ready for the next step.

Quote from: Stuart on August 13, 2024, 07:55:18 PMTo ensure a bubble free result I'll place the pieces in a pressure chamber while the resin cures.

Lovely.

It's pretty common to remove resin bubbles by passing a gas flame (or heat gun) over the part (not really enough to actually heat anything much).  Fast and very effective.

Quote from: Stuart on August 12, 2024, 07:13:48 PMMy lubester is about finished.  Perhaps just a little more grime and oil spill, but it's about where I want it.

Looks very good - maybe some additional blackish grime at the edges of tank surface and bolt-on parts.

I like your work !

Those gas pumps look amazing already!

waiting to see how you do the glass face on the gas pump

Hello Craig,

Sorry for the long gap between my posts. 

It took some experimenting with the resin method of creating the "glass" faces on the gas pump dials.  Originally I had a local graphics shop print the black and white clock face on something called crack-and-peel.  It is a glossy paper product with an adhesive backing.  The paper face receives the printed image, and then the back of the image is peeled off to expose an adhesive surface. I trimmed the image to match the circular metal disk, adhered the trimmed image to the metal disk and then placed the bezel piece over the disk. A bit of CA glue was used to attach the disk and bezel together thus making a shallow dish into which the clear resin was poured.

The clock hands, or pointers, were created using the photo etch process.  I prepared the art work using Adobe Photoshop and then used the photo etch kit, available from Mico-mark, to produce the small parts.  The hands were assembled as a single unit and then placed in the center of the dial.  Once all the pieces were in place I mixed and poured clear resin epoxy into the cavity and gently nudged the material into place with a small brush, being careful to work out any bubbles that cropped up.

This whole process worked well until I discovered that the now hardened resin had seeped under the printed paper surface and made an ugly discoloration around the edge of the dial.  NOT APPROPRIATE!  I needed to find another material or method of printing the dial that would not be effected by the resin.  My next choice was to reprint the dial on white decal paper hoping that the thin plastic decal material would not be adversely effected by the chemistry of the resin. 

I once again went through the process of preparing new bezels (3D printed), cutting and shaping new metal disks and preparing and assembling the photo etched pointers.  I poured the resin and was relieved to find my second attempt went smoothly.

Once I was satisfied with the completed product, they were epoxied to their respective gas pump surfaces.

Clock face parts.JPG

This photo shows completed clock faces, a 3D printed bezel, a metal backing disk, assembled pointers and decal sheets.

Pumps in place.JPG

The completed gas pumps in place.

Do you think the resin partially dissolved the adhesive on the back of the crack-&-peel paper, or perhaps it seeped under an area that wasn't fully adhered to the metal backing?

Either way the second version using decal paper turned out very well, and the "glass" faces look smooth and flat.

I'm glad I'm not the only modeler whose first attempts sometimes can be disappointing. Your results are exceptional. Most satisfactory. -- Russ

Bill -

Actually I had the feeling that the paper edge of the crack-n-peel might tend to wick up the liquid resin so I took the precaution of sealing the edge by painting the interior of the assembled ring with a liberal coat of Vallejo satin finish.  Unfortunately either that was not the correct product to use or I needed to apply a heavier coat.  At any rate, even though the mistake caused me frustration and a fair amount of additional work, I now know what to expect in the future should I be faced with a similar situation. 

Stuart

As night time falls and Luke closes up shop for the day, he leaves the pump lights glowing as a warm and friendly wave to late night travelers.

Luke's at night.jpg

The next morning.

Morning sunrise.jpg

Looks terrific anytime, Stuart.

That's a pretty fancy gas station with its hardwood driveway. Your work on those gas pumps is acceptable. -- Russ

Russ -

Weeeell, yes, hardwood gas station pavement is rather peculiar.  But rest assured, a more appropriate landscape is forthcoming.

Stuart

Really beautiful, day or night!

Wow, just wonderful!

Stuart, great conversion into the model!

Well done ! The petrol pumps are very realistic.

Very Very Nice "BIG TIME"
Barney

If only battery charging stations looked like this...

Hi Stuart.
Nice clean convincing modeling.
Cheers

Back in July of 2022 I posted information about the air compressor I had designed and 3D printed for my gas station diorama. Now, two and a half years later I have finally finished and installed the project. 

I think my problem is that I get distracted.  Often while doing research, I will find some additional item that catches my interest, put down the project at hand, turn my focus to the new item and let the previous effort sit.  Gotta stop doing that.  It leaves too many projects unfinished. Anyway, I now have my air compressor in place as shown in the photo.

Fero air pump (2).jpg

An air line leads to the interior of the shop area and another going underground to the gasoline pump island for tire inflation.  The air hose needs to be painted and a nozzle added.  I have yet to prepare a small dial face for the pressure gauge and I will be placing an electrical switch box on the wall above and to the left of the compressor with an electric cable leading from it to the electric box on the side of the motor.  Earlier I had thought I would enclose the compressor space in a wire mesh cage as a security/protective measure.  I may yet do that, but right now I an enjoying seeing the machinery and its detail in the open.

Air hose (2).jpg

The roofing material on the awning is 120 grit sand paper.  The sand paper was already a red color so painting is was not a necessity, however, I have added some aging.  It represents rolled roofing material of the 1930's time period.  The 1" x 2" wood strips help hold the material in place.

Air compressor awning (2).jpg 

 

To create the drive belt on the compressor I used .015" brass strip material.  I annealed the brass and then bent the piece around a template I made to replicate the pully assembly on the compressor.  The butting ends were then soldered together and cleaned up.  Trying to shape the brass around the 3D printed version would have been extremely hazardous and would have most certainly resulted in breaking everything into pieces.     

Drive belt jig (2).jpg

Stuart,
The compressor installation looks really good. I can see that putting a wire cage around it is a hard decision. Your belt is very convincing.

I know exactly what you mean and "distraction" is one of my enemies although I call it "scale hopping" But I think I might of settled now to one scale "I hope" it was based on what bits and bobs I have in stock and loads of it I have in 1/35th scale
Still onto Compressors having a life time experience in the Compressor and pipe work world installation and repairs included. Cages around especially compressors was not the normal thing even well into the seventies not the norm !
Most of the installations were done for smaller premises like you delightful garage  - one man or family owned where money was always tight and on the understanding "one does not stick your fingers in metal things that go round "but saying that even Main Dealers in the motor trade did not bother or think of it this way they were still blowing asbestos dust out of brake drums !!! into the 80s !! Later of corse Mr Health and Safety came into action big time !
Normally one would fit the moving bits of a compressor against the wall which helped a bit if you were mad enough to stick your fingers in the moving bits !  after saying this you would not put ones bits into a car fan pulley now would you ! all you can see now days under the bonnet of your car is big plastic covers - Hope it helps - All your compressor really wants is to turn it around  -
Barney
From a man who put wind in your pipes
   

Wind in your pipes
Barney

Barney,

Thanks for your insight.  Yes, it does seem rather intuitive that one does not go around intentionally sticking hands and fingers into moving machinery.  Beyond that, my compressor is back and to the side of the building where most reasonable gas station clientele would not venture. So, to avoid additional work on my part, I think I will go ahead and leave the unit uncaged and open to easy maintenance access.

Stuart

Thats just what would of happened often situated on the side or the back of the main building along with old exhaust pipes fuel tanks and other garage garbage
Lovely model very neat but has a used look
Barney

I'm glad you've decided against the cage. That compressor looks so good nothing should interfere or distract. -- Russ

Nice to see new progress! Looking great.

And speaking of progress, where have you been? -- Russ

Fantastic work on that air compressor! Did you use solder for the air hose?

Ray --

Yes, solder works nicely. It's easy to bend and holds its shape.

I guess, when I was young, you could have said that about me, too! -- Russ

I have begun to scout around for details to add in and around the garage.  Most of what I show here are prints of 3D files I have been able to find from various sources on the internet. 

Garage interior.jpg

The tires and wheel rims are painted, and finished.  The tools laying on the floor, the stool, bench vise, tool box and radio (barely visible behind the stairs) have yet to be painted and aged.  As time goes on, I will continue to add additional clutter, auto parts, and tools to the scene.  The copper fire extinguisher on the shelf unit is my own 3D creation and still needs additional work for completion.

Side yard.jpg

To the side of the garage are cast off auto parts and mechanical junk, also still awaiting paint and aging (all 3D prints).  The 16 gallon metal oil drum is my own creation using .005" copper sheet.  I pressed the ribs into the flat sheet of copper and then rolled and soldered the "tube" together, added a bottom to the drum with the same copper sheet material and completed the build by soldering .032" brass wire to the bottom and top rims.  The soft copper made it easy to add a few dents and dings into the side of the barrel.

Stuart

Not bad. What CAD program do you use? -- Russ

For the stuff I create I use SketchUp. SketchUp works well so long as what you are creating does not include any organic shapes or contours. It's great for things that are geometric in nature. Also, in order to prepare an STL file, to send to your 3D printer, you will need to subscribe to the pro version of SketchUp. Hope this helps.

Stuart

Thanks, Stuart. I have some older versions of SketchUp but they won't work with Apple's 64 bit operating system. I very much enjoyed using them when the program was free but the idea of an annual subscription annoys me. I agree with your assessment of the program. -- Russ

the glass face's on the gas pumps turned out great  ;D

Nice parts. You wouldn't believe how many individual parts (and time) it takes to equip a workshop like this.

Bernhard

Bernhard -

I am beginning to discover the truth of your statement!

Stuart

It looks great! I love those tires and spoked wheels. The handmade oil drum is fantastic! I tried making a 1/24th scale oil drum that way, using brass. It didn't work very well. I'll have to give copper a try.

Nice work

Quote from: Ray Dunakin on March 23, 2025, 10:54:49 PMIt looks great! I love those tires and spoked wheels. The handmade oil drum is fantastic! I tried making a 1/24th scale oil drum that way, using brass. It didn't work very well. I'll have to give copper a try.

I second that. Especially the tires are looking very good.

Cheers,
Volker

Stuart,

Great details - super realistic construction. Please show more of it!

Stuart,

Fantastic work. Top Drawer on your gas station. I have some details that I am in the process of putting together a detail kit for a 20's to 30's gas station. If you would like to use some of these for your project, I am happy to share them with you for your project. PM me if you want the STL files to add some more clutter to you fantastic scene.

The coke icebox needs to be taller, but just found some better details on that.

Cheers!

Darryl

Nice job, Darryl. -- Russ

Instead of using the 16 gallon oil drum on the exterior of the garage (as I originally thought), I decided to place it as a trash receptacle on the interior of the garage.  I have painted, aged and streaked it considerably to make it appear well used.  It will sit next to the shelf unit and just behind the tire as seen in the photo.  On the outside of the garage I will be placing a second 16 gallon oil drum with a funnel to serve as an old oil collection container.  Rather than fabricate the second drum in copper I created a 3D version and printed it with my resin printer.


Trash drum.jpg

This was my first attempt at using the hair spray method of chipping paint.  I need to refine my process as the chipping is a little abrupt, not very subtle.

Garage interior.jpg

Old oil collection drum.jpg

Everything is most satisfactory including the barrel you consider imperfect. Your printed parts are perfect. -- Russ

I think the chipping looks fine for a ratty, banged up old drum. Sure, it could be more subtle but I've seen oil drums that looked like that.

A few more recently completed items for my gas station interior.

Broom - 3D printed item from a file I purchased on-line.
Cash register - 3D printed, my own design after an actual National Cash Register.  The register number flags are photo etched from .005" brass.  The numbers on the flags are decals I printed myself.
Stool - 3D printed item I designed and printed myself.  I used the hair spray method of chipping the paint.  This time it worked better for me than the trash drum I posted previously.
Waste basket - The aluminum wire mesh was purchased from a hobby source on-line.  I created a form to shape the mesh around and then applied the brass wire rings top and bottom.  Some trash pieces to be added later.

Gas station counter front.jpg

Gas station counter back.jpg

The modeling meets your usual level of perfection. The bench might not have been the most difficult item but its finish is extremely convincing. -- Russ

Superb stuff - looks used but not to distressed - in fact you have just got it great
Barney

Hi Stuart.
A very clever broom.
cheers

Wow! Great stuff!

Great work! Where did you get the broom file? It looks amazing.
Carlo

Quote from: Carlo on June 02, 2025, 06:25:56 AMWhere did you get the broom file?

Carlo -

The broom file came from TurboSquid (www.turbosquid.com).  TurboSquid has thousands of very nice computer generated 3D files but most of them are not 3D printable.  They are used mostly for animation purposes such as for films, TV, computer games, illustrations etc.  Each item on the site will indicate the file formats that they are saved in.  If the item you are interested in is saved as an OBJ file then it can be converted to an STL file and made printable.  That was the case with the broom model I used.  Of course, there is a monetary charge for downloading whatever file you want to use.

Another website you may be interested in is Cults3D (cults3D.com).  Their 3D models are printable.   Files I have used for my gas station model can be found by going to the search bar and typing "scaleHQ", "Workshop tools pack", and  "Workshop diorama pack".  These are quite nice models but you will need to scale them to the size you are working in.  Models from the three sources I have listed here are 1/35th scale.

Best wishes

Quote from: Bernhard on March 23, 2025, 09:43:47 AMYou wouldn't believe how many individual parts (and time) it takes to equip a workshop like this.

Taking Berhard's remark to heart, I have been working to fill in some of the empty space in the garage.

Most of the pieces here are 3D printed but the brass items are photo etched, folded and soldered together. 

There is yet work to do on a few items.  The welding tanks need a cart and appropriate hoses.  The inner tube dunk tank will have a short wooden riser placed under it and resin "water" added to fill the tub.  The tool caddy will be loaded with mechanics tools.  And of course, all pieces need to be painted and aged accordingly.

Stuart 

New garage items.jpg

It probably will take you longer to paint and weather those beautiful components than it did to create them. -- Russ

It's all beautiful stuff, Stuart!
The garage is going to be well outfitted.

Beautiful and well thought out details!

Very nice!

It's worth taking a look at www.3dprintingcorner. They offer useful pre-printed stuff in a variety of sizes.

Very neat modelling - with a difference
Barney

Stuart, I sent you an unrelated PM.

Just a few photos showing a bit of progress with some of the "extras" I have been working on --- items that go in and around the garage.

Welding cart & dunk tank.jpg

There is more work to be done on the welding cart - hoses, torches and a little more ageing here and there.
The tire dunk tank will have a short riser to raise it to a more convenient height and some resin "water" added.

Junk & oil drum.jpg

These pieces here are pretty much completed.

Garage.jpg

An overall shot showing all recent work.

Seriously beautiful. -- Russ

I completely agree with Russ: perfectly done.

Bernhard

It gets better by the day - its looking so realistic  The Miniatura people (dolls House) need to take a close look at this exquisite master-piece and start doing some quality scale ! stuff but I don't think they will ever catch up !! 
Barney

Stuart,

it's getting beter and better! What especially caught my eye is the surface of the stovepipe. You nailed the often blackish/rustish appearance of objects, that are still in use. How did you archieve that? And the wooden ornaments of the facade make it a really special sight!

Cheers,
Volker

Terrific nicely selected details, Stuart.

Thank you everyone for your kind remarks.

Quote from: Barney on August 30, 2025, 08:51:43 AMThe Miniatura people (dolls House) need to take a close look at this exquisite master-piece and start doing some quality scale ! stuff but I don't think they will ever catch up !!

Barney -- I certainly understand your sentiments with regard to most of the doll house stuff one sees in hobby shops and on-line for sale.  For the average doll house enthusiast, these lower quality items seem to satisfy.  But for the serious collector of miniatures, there is some really very nice work available.  Take a look at what members if the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA.org) produce.  Of course, these higher end products demand a higher end price tag.

Quote from: Hydrostat on August 30, 2025, 11:10:29 AMWhat especially caught my eye is the surface of the stovepipe. You nailed the often blackish/rustish appearance of objects, that are still in use. How did you achieve that?

Volker -- Back in the day when Floquil was still producing their wonderful railroad model paints, I used Grimy Black (very dark gray) to paint the entirety of the stove pipe.  After letting the paint dry thoroughly, I brushed on some dark rusty wearhering pastel powder to create the light rust effect you see in the photo.  Actually the process was pretty simple and seemed to work quite well.

Here's a photo of my welding cart prior to paint, aging effects and its two gas cylinders.  The cart was built of brass sheet, round and square rod and then soldered together.  The wheels are 3D printed items.

 
  Welding cart.jpg

I totally agree There are many companies and individuals who are doing some excellent stuff in the MINIATURA World circles but like most model shows and magazines there are the "others" who appear to be "stuck in the mud" with no reason to go forward at all. At the last show / exhibition in Central England celebrating 100 years there were 5 out of this world suppliers superb presentation and goods absolute scale to perfection! the other 100 odd bods well I will say no more but I suppose these are the people who are keeping the hobby going and they are "Happy"

Keep the excellent work up and thanks for showing it Us
Barney
   

Stuart, always brilliantly executed!