# Metamorphosis



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

I've been using styrene to model all of my "wood" structures, and have gotten pretty good at making it look like old, weathered wood. Here's a project I've been working on lately as an experiment to see how far I can go with it. I built up one wall, board by board, trying to get it as close as possible to the prototype. This will be featured in an article I'm writing for Westlake Publishing's "Modeler's Annual", showing how to turn styrene into wood.

First, here's a photos of the prototype, part of a dilapidated old house in Tonopah, NV:











And here are some shots of the 1/24th scale model wall:































The nails are tiny pieces of .020" brass rod, inserted into drilled holes. I wanted to use .015" rod, but didn't have any available locally and didn't want to wait to have some shipped.






























I haven't decided yet whether I'll build the entire structure, or just complete this section of it and attach it to different building.


Enjoy!









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## hcampbell (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW! Looks great. 

Harvey C.


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

It's just so hard to believe that this is styrene and not wood. You should really do an article for GR as a step by step process on how you make styrene look like old wood. 
Bob


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Ray 

Looks great. 

Bob 

Why not just by the Westlake Publishing's "Modeler's Annual" when it comes out. 

Expecting an author to write multiple articles on essentially the same subject for niche publications is not [necessarily] reasonable. Large scalers should be willing to use any resource that provides useful information. Same goes for all the other scales. Many people want a "single source that covers all THEIR specific interests. The standard complaint to MR and RMC is [not enough N, too much N, not enough modern, too much modern, no S, too much O, blah,blah,blah. GR is usually... too much live steam, not enough live steam, to many building projects, too many huge layouts, too many small layouts, etc, etc, etc. 

I am just happy he is going to publish it SOMEWHERE, and Ray identified it. I can use this info immediately.


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Ray,

That's absolutely fantastic. I know you probably don't want to mention details hear, but I have one question if you don't mind. I assume the knots are pieces of dowel inserted into pre-drilled holes. Am I correct? Thanks.

Doc


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Holy Carp thats good! How come my stuff doesn't come out like that? Oh yeah...I don't have any patience to do that anymore.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Probably the best "simulation" I've seen.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

@import url(http://www.mylargescale.com/Provide...ad.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css); Posted By docwatsonva on 27 May 2012 04:22 PM 
Ray,

That's absolutely fantastic. I know you probably don't want to mention details hear, but I have one question if you don't mind. I assume the knots are pieces of dowel inserted into pre-drilled holes. Am I correct? Thanks.

Doc

Thanks. The knots are slices of styrene rod in pre-drilled holes. The largest is 1/8" diameter. The smallest is .030".


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By vsmith on 27 May 2012 04:32 PM 
Holy Carp thats good! How come my stuff doesn't come out like that? Oh yeah...I don't have any patience to do that anymore. 


Because we never get to see a completely finished product.


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## Big65Dude (Jan 2, 2008)

I can pretty much see how you did the "mechanical" part - scribing and drilling and such. What I'd like to know about is how you colored the styrene. You captured the prototype perfectly!


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice, Ray. Styrene is the way to go, as Al Armitage showed us many years ago. I'm sure that Al, who lived to a ripe old age despite inhaling all those MEK fumes, would certainly approve of your fine work.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Outstanding, Ray.. That's super....


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Ray,

Nice work, you can see that you live in a very dry climate - here in the (normally wet, but sunny at the moment) the UK wood looking that would have fallen down due to it rotting!


Congratulations on your ,no doubt very time consuming, work - when will the article be published by Russ - next year? 


Glad to see that Russ is getting some more articles in the large scale - in the present Logging (etc) issue there is an article on a Porter by Rich Schiffman.


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Dang...that's beautiful work. Dang...we're not going learn how here it seems. When does that Westside "book" get published? Have they told you when your article will be out?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Why not just by the Westlake Publishing's "Modeler's Annual" when it comes out.
GR is usually... too much live steam, not enough live steam, to many building projects, too many huge layouts, too many small layouts, etc, etc, etc. 

Westlake is owned by Russ Reinberg, who used to publish Outdoor Railroader and then Finescale RR magazine. He abandoned it, he said in an editorial, for the same reason mentioned - everyone had a niche and was intolerant of the rest of the community. They only wanted to read about "their" stuff. 

Incidentally, the website used to have the entire magazine in readable form - the articles are still their, with the "Exciting Railroad Man Adventures" (always good for a read/laugh.) 
_*What?* You never heard of the Railroad Man with his dustbuster van and the 5000watt sound system that could intimidate any road diesel with its horn playback! Check out www.finescalerr.com
_ 

When does that Westside "book" get published? Russ publishes three "Annuals" a year now, instead of the magazines. The April 2012 "logging" annual is mostly viewable on his website, and the "Modelling" annual comes out in the Fall. The "Narrow Gauge" annual is in between, I think. http://www.finescalerr.com/subscribe.htm


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike R 

Look at it this way... 

a] Ray gets a few dollars to support his RR addiction with a "real" publication 
b] the information reaches a much wider audience [and Ray gets recognition] 
c] it is not lost in the future when some web site has unusable, unsearchable, or unrecoverable archives


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## GaryR (Feb 6, 2010)

Assuming it gets published. I learned the hard way as a few others here have. Just cause you write it up and even if the publisher pays for the artical, don't mean it'll see print. I'd rather share here. 

GaryR


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dr Rivet on 28 May 2012 10:38 AM 
Mike R 

Look at it this way... 

a] Ray gets a few dollars to support his RR addiction with a "real" publication 
b] the information reaches a much wider audience [and Ray gets recognition] 
c] it is not lost in the future when some web site has unusable, unsearchable, or unrecoverable archives 
Oh, believe me, I'm not being critical. Sorry if it sounded that way. Ray is in my club...been to his house...great guy with a great layout. He spent a few hours with me alone, explaining how he made his deck girder bridges...and I'm going to use his technique. And if he gets a few dollars for the article, good for him.

Heh heh heh...I love (c). I'm still ticked all that stuff went bye bye here and that no backup existed. What a loss...and I have every one of the Finescale magazines and "books".


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Mike 

Just remember... it happened to at least TWO other forum sites. I was not singling out MLS.


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## Amber (Jul 29, 2011)

There's a lot to be said for paper copies like magazines, especially for pictures. I still dig through my pile of NG&SF gazette and Finescale Railroader looking for information. This forum is more interactive, but digital information can disappear much too easily and quickly to depend on it.


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