Finishing Scratchbuild Surfaces New Techniques

Invertantly these are times I learn something new and add something to the project I had never intended.

This idea of working with individual planks in N Scale has exposed me to some new modeling techniques.

For instance, when you are working with a sheet of random width planks, you have the ability to get an exact fit in laying out walls. You don't need to fudge to make it look somewhere near right.

I noticed this when I decided to add a shed to the back of the trading post building. I had a choice of going with 8" planks or 3" planks. I could mix in some five inchers or even a two-inch now and then. I could mount a door without the hassle of having to first cut out its outline from eighth-inch bass wood.

I also learned I see things differently as a project moves towards completion. For instance while waiting for some glue to dry, my eye fell on a piece of the carrier which surrounds laser cuttings. It formed a tiny "T", almost too small for the eye to notice.

With the help of my optivisor, I carefully severed it with my scalpel and picking it up with a pair of pointed tweezers, I was able to dip the stem into a small drop of wood glue. I gently set it about waist high on the N Scale door and it had a doorknob.

I may be the only one to notice it (I know where to look) and it may not last the week,but talk about detail...

On the front of the building there is a wooden awning covering the raised deck. I never gave these things much throught when it was factory supplied. A small wooden sheet and four to six posts that placed it at the perfect heighth and angle.

Okay, how long do you make the posts? How do you measure that gap between the floorboards and the angled roof?