# Putting up a good (store) front



## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Whew! Finally finished most of a job I'd been dreading--making the front display windows for my Rider's Crossing store. Because of that dang inset door, I had to make several sections and have yet to nail 'em down to something so they don't fall down. Also, I have to finish cutting and pasting in the mullions (tiny!)and finally to paint everything, which will require a lot of masking. BTW, although the windows look opaque (white), they are actually clear. On the advice of Russ, "TAP Plastics Miller," I temporarily left the paper backing on the back side so that it's easier to see where to place the various pieces. I made a few boo-boos--like not accounting for the fact that the left side windows couldn't fit flush against the side wall because I put a huge gusset there to stiffen the wall. So I had to allow for the extra thickness of the corner and cut the windows accordingly. Once again, I swear, I'll never take on anything that intricate again!


----------



## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Joe, 

That looks good, and I know what you mean about all the pieces! Between the front corners where the side windows go inwards to the doors you can add some brass or steel rod - brass prefered as it does not go rusty, to stiffen and strengthen the join. 

Are you painting the narrow panels by the sides of the doors? If so that gives you morte room for something like aluminum to be used on the angle there with the greater part glued to the painted over area. 

Another idea is to add some fancywork to the corners - I have some photos showing smal pillars by the windows and squared off sections below them = rod and strip!. That can also add some strength. 

The building is looking better all the time! Congratulations on a difficult, and fiddly job well done!


----------



## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

Well it might have been a pain to build so far, but it sure looks worth the effort. Thanks for posting. 

Robert


----------



## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Peter and Robert. Peter, almost all the panels are all white. The exceptions are the windows, which have tiny green trim insets (try masking that!) and the doors, which are China Red. The entire Rider's Crossing building is white (I'm thinking Antique White)with green shutters in front. Roof is shake (I think I'll paint that grayish/black). The actual store has a concrete front deck, but I think I'll go old timey and make it "wood." I need to have Russ at TAP cut me a base to size, rather than fiddle around trying to cut it with my circular saw. To digress, in our neighborhood we have a retired United Airlines pilot who lost two fingers to a table saw, so I'm not about to mess with those things! About the windows: I am going to glue them onto a very thin piece of styrene so that I can assemble the whole thing. Then I'll glue that onto the building base, inside the front wall, which has been cut out to accept the assemblage.


----------



## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Joe, 
Are you missing a piece on the right front door?/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/hehe.gif 
Everything is looking GREAT! 
Russ


----------



## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Russell, boy, have you got sharp eyes! I totally forgot to finish the right door--and the left, both of which need quarter-round moulding inside the lower panel area. I know, "10 foot rule." But I'll see it, so the details stay. Actually, since I have my column to write and will then be in Atlanta, Italy, and Maui, I don't think I'll have time to do much modeling. So I plan to ship the Rider's windows, a bunch of styrene and my Chopper to Hawaii, where it will be my "just in case it rains" project. I also may ship the walls, Precision Plastic sheet amd windows for the gas station project to Maui, if I can find time to measure, score & snap the walls, and accumulate all of the various pieces of trim, which will go in the box with the other stuff. Takes about three days to get there. Already waiting for me there from January is the the Weld-On 16 and liquid acrylic cement that got shipped there. BTW, and since you're among the few who read my posts for content, I can't wait to get back and get at that neat barn I wrote about. What a gem, even if it is a California, warm-weather barn, not one of your midwestern or eastern, steep roofed, winter-proof barns (the ones that look like most of the kits).


----------



## San Juan (Jan 3, 2008)

Looks great. 

That's clear plastic with white on top? Sounds like a great idea for window "glass". What's the full wall thickness? The masking sounds like a pain though /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/pinch.gif 

Your cuts are smooth, and square. Any special tools used, or just the classic score and snap? Like you I'm not too excited about using table saws. But It's tough cutting thick sheets smooth and square. Did TAP do custom cutting for you? 

Keep up the super work and I hope this thread continues to be updated. Hopefully it will give me some ideas on how to build this: 
Gomez Store


----------



## Guest (Apr 20, 2008)

Hey, looks great start to me! /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif Like my crazy mock-ups


----------



## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks OTF. Matt, the Marklon looks to be about .080 or 1/16 inch, but if you want to be sure, ask Russ at TAP. Hed did not cut the Marklon, as it was a relatively small piece. And yes, I scored and snapped. The only problem with that method (for me, anyway) is that you sometimes get a tiny ridge along the edge, which can be a bit of a pain if you want to glue, say, a piece of styrene, over the top and flush widge the edge of the Marklon. The styrene wants to slide off the ridge, so ya can't butt up the egdes. But if you sand off the edge, it's OK. Carefully, though, lest you get carried away and also scratch the clear, if you need it to be a window. Along the edge, it don't matter, as no one will see it. 

Speaking of stuff like that, to give the walls some footing, so that they can stick to the building base, I glued .125 x .125 styrene strip along the inner bottom edge, and while I could have made the pieces just big enough to provide a footing, I decided they should all kinda dovetail together, which meant cutting the corners where the walls meet, at all these crazy angles. Now I don't know about you, but I can't figure angles, which si why I hate doing things like hip roofs, gables, and even simple corners, like where your trim meets. Anyway, I'm stucck with it now, which is why this project is way-yy behind schedule. 

Back to part of you question, although TAP didn't cut the Marklon to size, I think I will have them cut the base.


----------



## blackburn49 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By joe rusz on 04/16/2008 11:06 PM

Whew! Finally finished most of a job I'd been dreading--making the front display windows for my Rider's Crossing store. . . I swear, I'll never take on anything that intricate again! 











Maybe so on those sentiments, but it sure is a worthy effort !  My guess is you'll be tackling another such project some time in the_ near _future.  After all, you certainly have the touch !


----------



## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Great job Joe, but "I swear, I'll never take on anything that intricate again!" sounds like famous last words. Can't wait for your next intricate project


----------



## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Richard, you are right. Wait until I post some photos of that neat barn! That's after I get back from Italy and Maui (somebody had to do it).


----------

