to us old timers) for these ap- plications since you probably don’t want your model parts permanently af- fixed to the jig. I am blessed with some friends who are talented in the extreme. Two such friends are colleagues at work (Accu- rail). They took pity on me whilst I be- moaned the task of applying individual shake shingles to a giant On3 model of D&RGW’s Ridgway depot. I was look- ing at thousands of little chips of cedar cigar wrappers. Friend Andy Sunder- land would have had to smoke hun- dreds of cigars for my depot project. For Andy’s health, and my sanity, busi- ness partner Dennis Storzek designed an ingenious shingle tool, which our toolmaker at the time, Frank Glatzl, crafted. I then had some very nice look-
surprised at all the things they carry that are of great use to scratchbuilders. Regardless of complexity, all but the smallest of roof assemblies will need some interior bracing. I make most of my repetitive roof rafters in a jig creat- ed for the purpose. Making multiple rafters that are exactly the same is easy using such a fixture. Use styrene jigs for crafting wood roof supports. Conversely, use wood fixtures to make styrene rafters. Each appropriate ad- hesive will not readily stick to the fix- ture material, making the component easier to remove from it. White glue is perfect for wooden models in styrene fixtures, and fast acting solvent type cement (Tenax 7R works well for me) can be used for styrene components made in wooden fixtures. Notice I made no mention of cyanoacrylate (Su- per Glue®
ing styrene shingles that laid up quick- ly in 2³/₄″ strips. “Shingling time” was cut by a factor of ten, and I sacrificed very little if anything in the appear- ance department. Frank and Dennis, Andy and I thank you. The tool in question is still in production at Ore- gon Rail Supply (P.O. Box 490, Scap- poose OR 97056), and is available in O, S, and HO scales. Dennis gave the tool to my son,
Mark, (Accurail’s go-to molding guy) to hang and shoot. Knowing they were for good old “Dad” he made a mere 15,000 shots! At this point, if I were to use them all, I would live to be about 187. Needless to say, many (truth be told, too many) of my next projects were roofed with these shingles. As the tool has moved to a good home in Oregon, I now am out of the rut and vary my roof work to include individual cedar shin- gles
(thanks Andy), standing seam (thanks Evergreen Scale Models), tarpaper (thanks Stoney Creek), sheet tin (thanks to many), and other styles of roofing materials. I should say a few words about tar paper from Stoney Creek Designs (
www.stoneycreekdesigns.com). It is magnificent. It comes in black, terra-cot- ta red, and green. It is constructed in two layers, the lower being black, so weather- ing and tearing reveals the rougher tex- ture beneath. I probably treat it like those shingles and use too much of it. In the old days I used masking tape to rep- resent tar paper, then later black con- struction paper. Both were poor substi- tutes and are no longer in use. The one thing I can provide readers is a long and
colorful list of the mistakes I’ve made over the years that can be avoided. The area I model (southwestern Col- orado) sported a wide variety of roofing styles from Spanish tile to common sheet tin, and most everything in be- tween. The mines and a lot of sheds and shacks (what narrow gauger can live without sheds and shacks?) were primarily roofed in rusty metal. For the most part I cut 12″×24″ Evergreen Scale Models .030″ corrugated into scale 3″×10″ or 4″×8″ pieces, and lay them up on a .020″ plain sheet. I used to just blast the roof with Roof Brown from Floquil Paints; then streak it with three to five rusty colors of chalk and be done with it. Wait a minute friend, I said, not every tin roofed building in Colorado is un- maintained and 100 years old. Once again exiting a rut of my own making, I realized that corrugated roofing starts off as dull silver or gunmetal, not rusty brown. Some of the roof sheeting should be modeled as being in decent condition. I now spray the roof structure either Gunmetal, Reefer Gray, or Brushed Alu- minum. Often it turns out to be a dust- ing of all three. I then lightly airbrush a rust shade or three, followed with a wash of reddish drawing ink and alco- hol. Finally, several colors of rust (as well as gray and black) chalks are bur- nished in, being sure to let some of the newer silver colors to show through. Next month we will think small, and talk about some mini-projects, you know, the ones you can squeeze in after the family has hit the sack, but before the old drudge turns in.
When dealing with older sheds and shanties, weathering the roof can be accomplished by carefully peeling off some of the roofing
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
material with a hobby knife. To highlight the layers of roofing and show tar lines a black marker pen can be quite affective.
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