# A fun little project



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Here's a rustic outhouse which I recently finished:












All the "wooden" parts of the outhouse are actually styrene. I used a razor saw to add wood grain, then sprayed it with a coat of gray primer. Over this, I brushed on thin washes of Apple Barrel acyrlic paints, starting with "Country Tan" and then progressing to darker shades of brown. 


The corrugated metal is aluminum from soda cans. The rolls of toilet paper are made from styrene tubing. The paper hanging off the roll is a strip of thin paper from a cash register receipt, coated with Apple Barrel flat white paint. The door handles are made from brass.














Here's how it looks on the layout, where it is part of the Cliffside Mine complex:














Unfortunately, it had to be positioned at an angle that obscures most of the interior. There will be others elsewhere on the layout, so I'll have another opportunity for a better display.


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Gorgeous, except I hope it doesn't get cold or too much sun wherever that is at.... A tin structure that small will turn into an oven or a refrigerator VERY quickly. (That's why most were wood, which was also cheaper) LoL


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Out in the desert a lot of them were metal, and yeah, they get very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer! Here's a really funky one that's still in use at a former mining camp near Death Valley:


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Looks great, Ray. Welcome to the "I can't believe it's not wood" club.


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## McGinty26 (Jan 3, 2008)

Great looking public library... I mean lavatory !!

Pat McCarty


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job Ray. You really do nice work. Fits right in on the RR.just like the rest on your fine looking RR. Looks like you have come a ways since I visited this past may. Later RJD


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

Remarkable! Thank you for sharing.... I am just blown away at the detail.


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## dawinter (Jan 2, 2008)

Absolutely beautiful! Some great building ideas there.

...and that stain down the front of the seat is real. Saw the same thing at an old mine site a few years back before the 'restoration' committee spruced things up for the public.









Thanks for the fine pic.

Dave


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks! Outhouses are fun to model. They're simple structures but they often have a lot of character.


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

That's great! Thanks for posting the pictures. 

Best, 
TJ


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Needs Dutch doors.... terrible to be trapped in there in the heat....


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

I've had the misfortune of using modern porta-potties in the desert during summertime. Not a pleasant experience at all. It's like the world's worst-smelling sauna.


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## Mac48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Gee-whiz, Ray. I can almost smell it!  Nice job.


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

But for the other details, I wouldn't even have noticed the stain if Dave hadn't pointed it out.... thanks for that mental picture, Dave.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Posted By joe rusz on 12/07/2008 10:20 PM
Looks great, Ray. Welcome to the "I can't believe it's not wood" club. 

Thanks, your clapboard walls inspired me! Wait'll you see my current project. I'm working on a dilapidated blacksmith shop for my abandoned mine. All styrene "wood", plus a few bits of rusty metal. 


Speaking of which, I'm debating what material to use for the metal. I'm considering either:


1. Thin brass treated with Soph. Finishes iron/rust; or...
2. Real steel. I have some .002 cold rolled steel.


#2 might rust authentically and there'd be no danger of flaking paint. On the other hand, I don't know how long it would last without rusting away completely.


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## Terl (Jan 2, 2008)

Excellent painting and weathering. Some details you might consider that were in the outhouse in the mountain cabin from when I was a kid; old calendars or prints on the walls, some corn cobs or Sears Robuck catalogues which were used in the old days befor toilet paper (1930s). 

Terl


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