# Not one new building but two!



## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

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I have built not one but TWO, admittedly small, shops together.[/b]
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One is an Apothecary/doctors building, and the even smaller one is a small town Portrait Gallery.[/b]
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The Apothecary (old name for a chemist/drug shop) is based on the small building that was in an old issue of the ‘Short Line Gazette’ which was an isometric drawing. There appears to be an office/store at the rear, but there was no rear view.[/b]
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As the supposed owner would store drugs in his store there are just a couple of small, and high windows and no rear door. The roof, made from 2mm thick plastic card is painted after adding joint strips to represent a ‘tarpaper’ roof, then a couple of stove pipes were added to the building, not forgetting to add a stiffening wire for both of them. [/b]
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The ‘pestle and mortar’ sign on the front is made from 3 layers of plastic card, with the 3 (.8mm wire) stays glued into slots in the center layer. Add the fixing plate strengtheners on the front of the building before gluing in the stays. This building is 7.5” wide, and 12” long[/b]
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The decals are started, more are needed, and there may be a ‘V’ shaped pair of signs added, projecting above the pestle saying ‘drugs’ . I think they will be in red which should make them stand out! Corbel brackets are made the same way as the ones for the Bakery. Here are a couple of photos of it 

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The front and left side



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The other side and roof, to add interest I added a 'metal' patch, made from pre-painted plastic card; note the hole for the screw fixing in the 'concrete' foundadtion.
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The second building is a small ‘portrait gallery’, and the design came from the book ‘Colorado on Glass’ from where I combined a couple of photographs. The ‘photographic art’ was in its infancy at this time, and the maximum amount of light was needed for the slow emulsions used. Thus the huge center window(s) on one side which faced, if possible, Northwards for the best light.[/b]
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These windows and the front doors are constructed onto clear styrene (1mm thick) sheets (from CD Jewel cases), and have at the back of them a mock curtain. The top one, has a different color for the curtain (top green with a ‘ruched’ effect as if it is pulled up, or let down on strings, the side one blue) than the larger vertical window, when painted and fixed the curtains are backed with pieces of grey painted plastic card )same color as I use on my normal windows) close off the window. The rest of the windows are scratch built in my usual fashion.[/b]
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Two small (5/8” wide) single flue chimneys are added to the roof; when the roof has been finished I added onto the ridge a sign advertising the trade of the (intended) occupant – made from plastic card with a couple of end supports fixed onto a ‘pop can’ piece of aluminum strip and glued the lot to the ridge. One of the ‘trials’ for the decals) has been fitted to one side of the sign. Smaller corbels than my normal size are fitted to the top of the false front, which as a different design at the back for the strengthening it, and the top piece has a wash of silver to replicate a metal sheet covering. The decals will add to the bright colors being in red with black shading. This building is 6” wide, and again 12” long.[/b]
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Here are three photos of this building 
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Showing the side & (fancy) front of the building; the normal windows are fitted into pre-cut holes, the large ones were built up on the clear styren sheet, completed with curtains etc before fitting them into a fully finished, with frames, holes. The roof one has a deeper upstand to ensure it is above the roof shingles., and finally fitted with 'pop' can flashing to keep out any rain; plenty of glue was used here.


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A photo of the rear, showing the different finishing of the false front, and also the roof sign, which looks to be sloping though I think that is a trick of the camera - the end supports are trianfgular and that is what is being seen - honest! Board & Bartten construction all round, it takes a lot of paint to get everything covered - the paint color is called 'Tuscan Orange', and is a masonry paint 'tester pot' from the local DIY chainstore.












A final photo of the 'gallery' this time of the roof and upper window to show the 'ruched' curtain here. All windows have had an external coat of Johnsons 'Future' acrylic varnish by the way as protection, as were the curtains befiore fixing in position, and a coat was used both on the front of, and also the back of the normal windows.

A comparison photo, showing the relative sizes of the last 3 buildings, which has a bit of extra. and not needed color addec to the apothecary shop by jpg compression.











Finally a photo of the ‘try outs’ for the decals for the Bakery: they are coming along quite well, two sizes are needed for the shop itself, and the tiny bakers van has its own double special set as well as the sides are reversed with a small set for the rear. 


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A better view of the Bakery, with his small van in front, with one of the three different designs of decal for this vehicle that will be inclided; the decals are going to be in orange with blue shading, and red & black shading.

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All three buildings have my usual ‘paving slab’ foundation to which they are fixed with a couple of screws. 

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## chuckger (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Peter,

The buildings look very nice. They should make a very nice addition to your layout.

Chuck


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Hey Peter
Great looking buildings, I really like your styles and designs, this will be a great addition in about any group or in any era, are these building designed to stay outside or must they go inside. Great Job Dennis


Hi Dennis,

They stay out, the ones built earlier were out in our cold & snowy (this time, more this winter than normal) winter and stood up to it all well., some have been out for 5 years and a minor repainting is all that is needed - generally the roof if it has been painted. Tarpaper rooves are finished with water sealer and the sides/ends with varnish, for maximum protection, and on previous results will be OK outside. I would say (& now do) add the tarpaper (for mock shingles) strips in one piece as there is over time some extra movement between separate pieces is apparent in one strip (of shingles) ; I now keep them to a single piece. The resultant gaps are being filled in! 

Thak you for the kind comments.

Yours Peter.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Very nice buildings. I like the photo gallery very much. A very nice type of subject. I think you don't see such building in model often. 
Those buildings side by side will make a very colorfull streetscene. 
Funny to read that Apothecary is an old name for a chemist/drug shop; in the Netherlands (I come from) Apotheek is still a regular name for it.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Peter, looks wonderful! But tell me (again?), how did you make the chimneys?


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Peter, I reread your bakery build post, but found no mention of it. 

So, how did you make the corbels? I have been faced with making 28 for my Orbisonia firehouse and this has pretty much stalled the project. I tried to stack several pieces of styrene together, in a sandwich glued together at the ends, and cut the whole pile to shape at once on my skil saw. But then I could'nt pry the pieces apart because the "glue" wept into the stack and everything got stuck together. I though about making castings, but anyway you cut it, 28 is a lot of corbels. 

Your thoughts? And the answer to my question, of course


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter, 

What a great lil' community those buildings will make! Very nice and scads of character in every one.


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nicely done with excellent craftsmanship and detail, Peter. They look wonderful...


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## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi,

Thank you for the kind comments, and Stan, there will be some work for you – the trails are evident, but there are more ‘bits’ to do as well! 

Jim, 





Corbels – make one – I draw one out, to the size needed, the replicate it! You need 28 of the things; so I would for that number make a pattern in brass, so it keeps its shape, then cut your blanks – mine are from 3 or 4mm PVC solid foam (Sintra to you) and with a Dremel and a sanding drum shape them to the pattern you make. The brass will work better for that number. 





As well as Sintra board you can use the thicker Styrene sheet and double them – some I have seen on the web have a couple of thin ones separated by about twice their thickness, then glued to a baseplate, that is glued to under the cornice. 





There is a way of cutting multiple and glued together corbels. The pieces to be cut have on the top of them a separate glue area – this has a score line to stop the glue getting past it, with the (to be) corbel being beneath it. When a group of them (in your case say 5 or 7?) have been glued together, it will then need care cutting but should be OK. 










Chimneys – fiddly things! Depending on the likelihood of them getting clouted, they can be glued through the under-roof, or glued to the under-roof if that is OK, I do both these stacks are glued to the roof, and the buildings can be picked up by them if necessary. You need a good glue – mine is my favorite Evo-stik, I think that your epoxy tube glue MAY not be strong enough; that supposition is from earlier builds on MLS. 





Make the inner stack to the size needed – mine are from 5mm PVC solid foam board, add a cap, and the stiffening/strengthening bands near the top, position these to allow one brick + about half a brick + a space for mortar. Whilst the stack is still loose, its time to really mess about! 





Bricks by the load, depending on the size of your chimneys) are needed, cut them from ‘terracotta’ colored if possible(if not paint some that color) 1/2mm styrene sheet, I use about 8 or 9mm wide and about 4mm thick per brick. Mark them out and cut them off the sheet do a good number otherwise it is back to the sheet for more! Mark out more of the sheet than you think will be needed (that will give you the sizes for next time, and also save some time next time also) I keep a sheet and specially for bricks; with a nice pile in front of you on the desk or cleared space, glue them to the stack, you will generally need plenty of ‘half bricks’ I find. Again I use ‘Evo-stik’; working down from the top around the extra blocks of bricks near the top. Remember the ‘half brick’ space? That is for a slope on the top of the extra stiffening (etc) band of bricks, add some filler here to restore some sanity when you want a rest from brickin’! 





The mortar gap is what ‘looks’ right’ the bricks are applied on the tip of a craft knife (I use a scalpel, and X-acto #11 blade will do just as well) onto the applied glue working round the stack. 





Have you arrived at the base yet? If so pre mark it out for the flashing around the base when it has been fitted in position – that area can be covered with scrap 1/2mm card it will be covered so bricks are not needed there, though cut to size witgh a slope at the bottom bricks will have to but up to the slope (on two sides, with then others being quite different sizes). 





Now have a rest to restore some sanity! Add some bricks on the top of the stack (after blacking in the flue) for the flue, and break out some paint – I use acrylic paints here; first a grey/ochre mix for the mortar and ‘splosh’ a thin layer over all of the stack, wipe most of it off the outer face of the bricks. I use a bristle (cheap!) brush as the mixture does not like getting into the mortar gaps – the bristle brush can shove it in, otherwise you will have the white ‘under stack’ grinning at you! Let it dry, and add some random color to the bricks, and again let it dry properly as the next layer will otherwise lift what you have done. 





Back to using the bristle brush – prepare a thin wash of a little brown, and grey and black, and again ‘splosh’ it on the stack from the top – you are adding a layer of deposited soot so it is heavier at the top, than lower down. 





Now it can be fixed in location, I add a series of bits of aluminum foil around the base(which ends up being covered up by shingles): as a first line of defense against water sneaking in to the glue join. Check in two directions that it is straight, and leave it to dry overnight. Then you can add the roof material, and then the flashing around the base of the stack, as well, using the same aluminum sheet as before. Again when dry I add a layer of protective varnish to the stack, paying particular attention to the top of it, where water will pool in the 1/2mm deep depression(s) that are supposed to be the flue. 



That’s it! A fiddly object, not difficult, just time consuming!


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

Peter, those are beautiful!


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Very nice! I love "Old West" architecture. 

I especially like the silver smoke jack on the first building, the one with the conical cap.


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